O-1 ... Members of a Biennial Competition Team (Ryder Cup or Presidents
Cup) within the last two calendar years.
Full Exemption Benefits Category (See also Category O-6 below)
Ten events (open or invitational) per year for ....
• US Ryder Cup Team members
• US Presidents Cup Team members
• European Ryder Cup Team members
• International Presidents Cup Team members
To be eligible for Category O-1, a player must begin the year
of the particular Biennial Competition in which he particpates
as a full regular member of the PGA Tour.
SPECIAL NOTE
During the first calendar year following that of the particular
Biennial Competition in which a player participates, said player
must be among the Top 120 Official Money Leaders -AND- post at
least 50 competitive rounds.
If these performance requirements are not satisfied, the player will
lose Category O-1 benefits for the second calendar year and, if
not otherwise exempt, will receive Category O-6 status.
There is a per-event limit of five players from out of this particular
category.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-2 .... Top 20 on the Official Money List in each of the last two calendar
years (Beginning 2010)
ALSO --
In 2010 only, players among Final 2009 Top 30 Fed Ex Cup Points Leaders
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-3 .... Top 90, Official Money List
Only players who begin a given season as full regular members of the PGA
Tour shall appear on the Regular Members Official Money List. All other
players will appear on the Non Regulars Money List.
See Presentation Box V, "Author's Comments on Hypothetical 2010 Schedule",
for an explanation of how suggested changes in current tournament prize
money distribution formulas would affect the various money threshold
requirements in several of the suggested exemption revisions.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-4 .... Major Medical Extension
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-5 .... a. Leading Money Winner, previous year's Nationwide Tour Money List
b. Winner, previous year's Nationwide Tour Championship
c. 3-time Nationwide Tour winners, current year or previous year
d. Medalist, previous year's PGA Tour Q-School
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-6 ... Members of a Biennial Competition Team (Ryder Cup or Presidents
Cup) within the last two calendar years who are not eligible
for Category O-1 status.
Partial Exemption Benefits Category (See also Category O-1 above)
Three events (open or invitational) per year for ....
• US Ryder Cup Team members
• US Presidents Cup Team members
• European Ryder Cup Team members
• International Presidents Cup Team members
To be eligible for Category O-6, a player must begin the first
or second calendar year following that of the particular Biennial
Competition in which he particpates as a full regular member of
the PGA Tour, if he was not a regular member prior to either the
first or second calendar year.
Unless otherwise exempt, Category O-1 players who do not meet the
performance requirements necessary to retain Category O-1 status
for a second year will be assigned Category O-6 status.
There is a per-event limit of two players from out of this particular
category.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-7 .... Non-Member Professionals with at least Top 90 Equivalency in Official
Earnings from the previous calendar year.
At least 32 competitive rounds must be posted, with at least 24 such
rounds to come from any official money PGA Tour event OTHER THAN the
following -- Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, British Open Championship,
PGA Championship, Mercedes-Benz Winners Challenge, Doral-CA Invitational
and Bridgestone World Series of Golf.
NOTE
Non-members of any classification are not eligible for the SONY
Grand Finale.
In addition to the competitive rounds requirement, the player must
commit to at least one year of full-time PGA Tour Membership.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-8 .... The highest ranking players from Exemption Categories O-11
O-13 and O-15, as follows --
A. From the beginning of the current year up to the first re-shuffle
point (selected out of Category O-6 in this order) ...
1. Two highest ranking Nationwide Tour players (Category O-11) of the
previous calendar year not otherwise exempt.
2. Two highest ranking Qualifying School graduates (Category O-11) of
the previous calendar year not otherwise exempt.
3. Two highest ranking players from Category O-13.
4. Two highest ranking players from Category O-15.
B. Beginning at the first re-shuffle point, players coming out of Categories
O-11, O-13 and O-15 will be determined on the basis of who within each of
the respective categories has earned the most official PGA Tour money at
the point of the most recent re-shuffle.
Next, selection out of Category O-8 will be in the following order
(in parenthesis, number of players out of specific category) ...
1. Category O-11 (4)
2. Categories O-13 (2) and O-15 (2)
In each case, players will be ranked in order of most official PGA Tour
money earned since the start of the current Tour season.
About Re-Shuffles
At certain points during the current Tour season, the order of player
selection within Categories O-11, O-13 and O-15 will change by ranking
the players within each category on the basis of most official PGA
Tour money earned up to the most recent re-shuffle point.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-9 .... If not otherwise eligible, professionals among the Top 15 and ties in a
full-field open event with official victory status are exempt for the
next such event on the current year's schedule.
PGA Tour Regular Members - up to 20 uses per year
Non-Members limited to 5 uses per year
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-10 .... Minor Medical Extension
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-11 .... Players among ---
» Positions 2 to 25 from previous year's Nationwide Tour Money List
» Low 25 scorers plus ties from previous year's Q-School
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-12 ... Minor Medical Extension: Non-Members
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-13 ... Players among positions 91 to 120 from the previous year's Regular Members
Official Money List
Same rules for this category as in Category O-3.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-14 ... Winners of official money PGA Tour events within the last ten calendar years
Priority Selection Order is ....
A. Champion of an annual Leading Money Winner Title or Fed Ex Cup Competition
where only a five-year exemption was won. (Categories S-2-b, S-2-c).
-OR-
Winners of the Masters Tournament, US Open, British Open Championship, PGA
Championship or Players Championship (Categories S-3, S-4).
-OR-
Any player achieving their 20th, 40th, 60th, 80th, etc. Career PGA Tour
(Category S-5).
B. A winner of any event carrying a three-year exemption (Category S-6).
-OR-
Any player achieving their 5th-10th-15th -OR- 25th-30th-35th -OR-
45th-50th-55th Career PGA Tour Victory (Category S-7-a).
-OR- (beginning with winners, 2010-after)
A winner of a PGA Tour event who is among the Top 20 Money Winners
in the same year as that of the win (Category S-7-b).
C. Any other PGA Tour event winner (Category S-7-c or S-7-d).
Overall rules ....
» Players are selected in order of most official PGA Tour career wins.
In case of ties, player who has earned the most Offical PGA Tour Career
Money to date has priority.
» Eligible players are limited to so many uses of this exemption per year,
as follows ....
A ...... 10 uses
B ...... 7 uses
C ...... 5 uses
» Per event limit of five players from out of this particular category.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-15 ... Any of the following from the previous year's Regular Members Official
Money List, beginning at the 121st position ....
» All past PGA Tour event winners
» PGA Tour Veteran Members
... as well as the following types of PGA Tour players ....
» Any player, 2010 and after, among the --
1. Top 20 Money Leaders in any of the last five calendar years
2. Top 90 Money Leaders in any of the last three calendar years
» Any player, prior to 2010, among the --
1. Top 30 Money Leaders or Top 30 Fed Ex Cup Leaders in any of
the last five calendar years
2. Top 125 Money Leaders in any of the last three calendar years
RESTRICTION
Only those players at position 121 or lower who have posted at least --
» 38 (Qualifying Regular Veteran Members)
» 50 (All other Regular Members)
-- competitive rounds during the year in question are eligible for
Category O-15 status.
If a player has fewer rounds than the necessary requirement, but has
a documented and certified mitigating circumstance that resulted in
missed playing time, then he will be allowed Category O-15 status.
Those players at 121th or lower on the previous year's money list who
do not qualify for Category O-15 status will, unless otherwise exempt,
be placed in Category O-18 (see below).
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-16 ... All Past PGA Tour Event Winners
» Selected in order of most official PGA Tour career wins.
» In case of ties, player who has earned the most Offical PGA Tour Career
Money to date has priority.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-17 ... Special Temporary Members
Non-member professionals achieving Special Temporary Membership during
the current year shall be exempt at this level. Such players will be
entitled to the same number of sponsor invitations plus Top 15 and
ties exemptions (Categories S-11 and O-9 respectively) that regular
members are entitled to.
Special Temporary Membership is achieved by being at least equal in money
with the 120th player on the previous year's Regular Members Official
Money List -AND- posting at least 24 competitive rounds during the
current year.
At least 18 such rounds shall come from any official money PGA Tour event
OTHER THAN the following -- Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, British Open
Championship, PGA Championship, Mercedes-Benz Winners Challenge, Doral-CA
Invitational and Bridgestone World Series of Golf.
Unless a non-member has attained Special Temporary status, he is restricted
to 10 PGA Tour events. The count of 10 does not include the events named
in the competitive rounds requirement clause above.
NOTE
Non-members of any classification are not eligible for the SONY
Grand Finale.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-18 ... Any players from the previous year's Regular Members Official Money List,
beginning at the 121st position, who were excluded from Category O-15.
If not otherwise eligible, all players excluded from Category O-15 because
of the competitive rounds requirement.
Such players are selected in order of position on the previous year's
Money List.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
O-19 ... PGA Tour Veteran Members (at least 150 career cuts made)
Selected in order of position on the PGA Tour Official Career Money List.