(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) — The PGA TOUR Policy Board on Monday approved passage of a new tournament qualifying system for the Champions Tour that will take effect in 2007 and provide more playing opportunities for former PGA TOUR players and other aspiring golfers who are age 50 and above.
Players will participate in a National Qualifying Tournament for the right to compete in weekly professional qualifiers where nine spots will be available for all open, full-field Champions Tour events. They will be joined in the qualifier by former PGA TOUR and Champions Tour players.
In a related decision, Champions Tour Tournament Regulations will be amended to grant any player, not otherwise eligible, a spot in the next open, full-field tournament if he finishes 10th (including ties for 10th) or better in a Champions Tour event.
"This new system was designed to give more players more opportunities to taste success on the Champions Tour," said Champions Tour president Rick George. "We have increased the number of individual tournament qualifying positions from two to nine, which is almost 12 percent of the field. As a result of the system we think fans will get to see more players who played and won on the PGA TOUR as well as encourage the development of great stories about talented players who have not yet been on the national stage.
"We will monitor the process very carefully to make sure things are working for all parties, including the individual tournaments," George continued. "If deemed necessary, adjustments will be made."
Under the new system, a player will have unlimited access to weekly qualifying events if he meets one of the following criteria:
â?¢ Finishes top-30 and ties at the National Qualifying Tournament
â?¢ Past winner of either a PGA TOUR or Champions Tour official event
â?¢ Veteran Member (100 PGA TOUR cuts made or 100 Champions Tour top-48 finishes or a combination thereof totaling a minimum of 150)
â?¢ Finishes 75th or better on the Prior Year Money List
â?¢ Finished in the top six in the PGA Section-run "Pre-Qualifier" (see below)
There have been ten Monday qualifiers who have gone on to win that week’s tournament. The first was Larry Mowry in 1987 (Crestar Classic) and the most recent is Pete Oakley two years ago (Senior British Open).
Event qualifying will be held on either Monday or Tuesday of tournament week depending on individual tournament considerations. Fields are anticipated to have between 50 and 80 players each week.
A "Pre-Qualifier" will be conducted by the local PGA Section in each tournament market in advance of event qualifying for professionals who are not otherwise eligible. A maximum of six spots will be available via the "Pre-Qualifier". One of the six players may be designated by the Section.
In the event a qualifier wins a Champions Tour event, he will be granted a 12-month exemption and be added to the field of those tournaments he enters.
In 2007, a standard 78-player field will be comprised of 30 available players off both the Prior Year Money and All-Time Money lists, four players via the Career Victory Category and five Sponsor Exemptions (two restricted/three unrestricted), in addition to the nine qualifying spots.
National Qualifying Tournament Details
The 2006 National Qualifying Tournament will be held at the TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, FL Nov. 15-18. The National Finals will be four rounds/72 holes (reduced from six rounds/108 holes), with a cut to low 70 and ties after two rounds/36 holes. Players may be 49 years of age to enter, but must turn 50 prior to the Tour’s tenth open, full-field tournament of the ensuing season. The top-10 finishers from the PGA Senior Club Professional Championship (formerly top five) are exempt into the National Finals. The top 30 and ties will be eligible for weekly qualifying events.
The National Qualifying Tournament will be preceded by four Regional Qualifiers, which will be played in Oct. 31 – Nov. 3 at MetroWest CC in Orlando, FL, The Moors GC in Milton, FL, Redstone GC in Humble, TX and PGA Southern California GC in Beaumont, CA.
National Qualifying Tournament Applications
Applications for the National Qualifying Tournament will be available on July 14th. Players interested in securing an application should log on to championstour.com or call PGA TOUR national headquarters at 904-280-2485.
Contact:
Jeff Adams
Director of Public Relations
Champions Tour
Tel: 904-273-3397
Email: jadams@pgatourhq.com
