The PGA Tour released a new rules proposal today that will have a major impact on all players who earn their playing privileges through gaining in excess of a certain amount of FedEx Cup points in a season.
The PGA Tour’s Rule 33-1 prohibits players from earning any FedEx Cup points in the first three months of the season. Rule 33-1 states that any player who earns less than 10 points over the first three months of the season (compared to a tournament cut) must not qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
This year’s PGA Tour playoffs were reduced to a mere two weeks of golf and there are a lot of candidates who need a victory and hope to make the FedEx Cup playoffs. One of those candidates is … well … read the intro.
Will Zalatoris had one of the most successful seasons on the PGA Tour in 2021. The 24-year-old rookie finished solo second in his Masters debut, has eight top-10 results in 24 outings, and has climbed the OWGR rankings to become the world’s 29th-ranked player.
Despite this, Zalatoris will not be invited to the next FedEx Cup playoffs unless he wins the Wyndham Championship this weekend due to a PGA Tour regulation that is ridiculous.
The FedEx Cup playoffs are out of reach for Will Zalatoris.
During the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind, Will Zalatoris makes a drive | Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
This year, Zalatoris has been one of the most interesting storylines on the PGA Tour. He was set to earn a Tour card for the 2020-21 season, but COVID-19 ruined his plans to play on the world’s most prestigious golf tour.
The Player Advisory Council and Policy Board determined that no PGA Tour cards will be handed out or taken away before the current season because of all the canceled events last year. That meant Zalatoris, who would have won a promotion on the Korn Ferry Tour through The Last 25, wouldn’t be able to join the PGA Tour full-time in 2020-21.
He did, however, earn a Special Temporary Membership this season, which allowed him to play in as many PGA Tour events as he wanted as long as he secured sponsor’s exemptions. And boy, did he make the most of it.
Thanks to exemptions, Zalatoris finished T6 in last year’s US Open, solo second at the 2021 Masters, and T8 at the 2021 PGA Championship. As a temporary member of the PGA Tour, he has eight top-10 finishes and 14 top-25 finishes this season. Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy all have fewer.
This year, the Wake Forest product has earned more than $3.4 million on the Tour.
Even yet, since he isn’t a full-time member of the Tour, Zalatoris isn’t allowed to participate in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He has one last chance to alter that.
To make the playoffs, Zalatoris has to win the Wyndham Championship.
Will Zalatoris, who now ranks 26th in the season-long points race with 1,270 points, will not qualify for the playoffs unless he wins Wyndham.
9 August 2021 — Will Gray (@WillGrayGC)
The Wyndham Championship, which takes place this weekend at Sedgefield Country Club, is the last tournament of the PGA Tour regular season. The top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the playoffs and earn their PGA Tour cards for the 2021-22 season after the final round on Sunday.
Zalatoris would be in the top 125 in the points race if he finished 26th, but he won’t be playing in the playoffs this year.
Unless he wins this weekend, that is.
Because Zalatoris isn’t a full-time member of the PGA Tour this season, he isn’t competing for the FedEx Cup during the season. He would have 1,270 FedEx Cup points going into the regular-season finale at Sedgefield, but because to the stupid rule, he really has none.
Zalatoris’ best chance of making the playoffs this season is to win a PGA Tour tournament. In 2021, he hasn’t done so, leaving the Wyndham Championship as his last opportunity to win a trophy and go to the playoffs.
For the young talent, the PGA Tour should make an exemption.
It’s just absurd that Zalatoris won’t be able to play for the PGA Tour’s top prize this season. He isn’t simply another rookie on the verge of securing his Tour card for next season by finishing in the top 125. That’s something he’s already accomplished. With three strong performances in the playoffs, he would be a genuine contender to win the FedEx Cup, where he now sits in 26th position in the points standings.
Fellow professionals believe that the PGA Tour should give Zalatoris the chance he deserves.
Webb Simpson, a PGA Tour veteran, remarked this week, “He deserves to be there.” “The only reason he isn’t there is due to the way the rule is written, but I believe I speak for almost all of the players I’ve spoken to when I say that Will should be in New York next week, and it sucks that he won’t be until he wins.”
It’s doubtful that Zalatoris will be granted a personal exemption to participate in the playoffs this season, but anything may happen if enough top-tier players push for him.
In the case, this week we’re all Will Zalatoris lovers.
The PGA Tour provided all statistics.
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This week, we have two big tournaments going on. The first is the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The second is the Wyndham Championship, which is the final PGA Tour event of the year. Both of them are stopovers for some of the game’s best. Zalatoris is already done for the season. He’s earned $3.4 million, which is more than Jordan Spieth did, but he’s also earned zero FedEx Cup points. His struggles have removed him from the playoffs, which means he’s done for the year.. Read more about will zalatoris golf schedule and let us know what you think.
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