PGA Tour players who fail to retain full-time status by the end of the new Fall schedule have been given a career lifeline of sorts thanks to the DP World Tour.
The European circuit announced Monday that those who finish outside the FedEx Cup top 125—and thus lose their cards for the 2024 season—will be granted full membership to the DP World Tour.
The membership comes with a catch: To prevent an American invasion on the DP World Tour, only five players from this newly-created status list can play per tournament. Nevertheless, to those who were facing relegation to the Korn Ferry Tour or a limited schedule on the PGA Tour, players now have another avenue to compete at golf’s top levels.
“When we announced our Strategic Alliance with the PGA Tour in November 2021, one of the prime objectives was to give as many opportunities as possible to members of both tours, and this is another perfect example of how this is working,” said David Howell, chairman of the DP World Tour’s tournament committee.
In June of 2022, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced a 13-year pact to strengthen each tour against the threat of LIV Golf. As part of the venture, the top 10 players (not already exempt) on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai list will earn PGA Tour membership for the following season According to DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, Monday’s move is an extension of that partnership.
“Our Ten Cards initiative will give the opportunity for DP World Tour members to excel on the PGA Tour next season and this new membership opportunity announced today will give PGA Tour members the chance to do exactly the same on our tour,” Pelley said. “I am excited at the possibilities.”
Current notables around the FedEx Cup cut line include C.T. Pan, Erik van Rooyen, Aaron Wise, Jimmy Walker and Harry Higgs.
The DP World Tour has just three events remaining on its 2023 schedule, while the PGA Tour also has three events left in its campaign.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
