It Takes More To Keep A Card

An interesting bit from Doug Ferguson notes that the PGA Tour seriously underestimated the amount of money that it would take to keep a tour card this year. Tour officials originally estimated that it would take $700,000 to stay in the top 125; the actual number is going to be north of $150,000.

“I was surprised,” said Andy Pazder, the tour’s vice president of competition. “We saw something in the $700,000 range, and that number has come and gone. It’s moving toward $750,000 and beyond. I can’t explain it without having analyzed some things.”

I can venture a guess as to what’s happened. The FedEx Cup series redistributed the money. Most of the big money players quit for the year after the FedExCup, leaving more for the second tier guys. Those guys now are competing for purses without having the dozen or so “automatics” suck up the cash in every tournament.

So, in a sense, the Tour’s plan is working. The Fall Series is more interesting precisely because of the reshuffling of the tour cards.

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