The PGA Tour has an age limit for players like 17-year-old Ty Tryon, and fewer
limits for young players trying to earn their card through sponsors' exemptions.
Those were among the changes ratified by the PGA Tour policy board in meetings
last week in Montreal.
The age limit, effective Jan. 1, was taken up primarily because of Tryon and
Kevin Na, both 17, who have turned professional. Tryon is making his professional
debut this week in the Tampa Bay Classic.
Under the new policy, a player under 18 can enter qualifying school. If he
finishes in the top 35 to get his PGA Tour card or the top 55 for his Buy.com
playing privileges, he can compete as a nonmember until his birthday.
At that point, all earnings will convert to the official money list.
The tour also changed its policy on the number of sponsors' exemptions nonmembers
can receive from seven to 12.
Even if a player finishes in the top 10 -- which guarantees him a spot in next
week's tournament -- he still is allowed no more than 12 exemptions unless he
makes enough money to be considered a special temporary member.
That leads to yet another change dealing with Charles Howell.
The former NCAA champion earned enough money this year -- equivalent to the
amount made by the 125th player on last year's money list -- to become a temporary
member. His earnings do not appear on the money list, but he will get his PGA
Tour card if his earnings are higher than No. 125.
However, if Howell's earnings are equivalent to No. 30 on the money list, he
will be exempt to the Tour Championship. He currently has $1,088,124, which would
put him 41st on the money list.
Still undecided is whether Augusta National will offer Howell an invitation
to the Masters if he finishes in the top 40 on the money list -- which will not
be reflected on the records because he is not a regular member.
NO, CANADA
Mike Weir, the most popular player in Canada, faces what could be a very unpopular
decision.
He's leaning toward skipping the World Cup because suitable partners could
be tied up at PGA Tour qualifying school. Weir is the only Canuck in the top 75
of the world rankings, and to not play means Canada would not be in the 24-team
field.
The irony is the event was known as the Canada Cup when it began in 1953.
``If I commit to play and everybody has to go back to Q-school, it puts me
in an awkward position, especially when I'd like to take a little bit of a break
in the offseason,'' Weir said.
Despite being sick, Weir took Glen Hnatiuk with him to Argentina last year
and they tied for 10th, albeit 14 strokes behind Tiger Woods and David Duval.
Possible partners are Hnatiuk, David Morland, Ian Leggatt -- none of whom are
in the top 125 on the PGA money list. One other possibility is Richard Zokol,
who has a chance to finish in the top 15 on the Buy.com Tour money list and automatically
earn his card.
Dave Barr, who represented Canada in the World Cup for 13 years, said Weir
now carries the flag for Canada.
``He can't blow it off right now,'' Barr said.
DUVAL DISPUTE
Neither side can talk about it, but the nasty split between David Duval and
Titleist has been resolved through mediation.
The dispute began when Duval notified Titleist chief Wally Uihlein that he
was canceling the final three years of his contract. Acushnet, the parent company
of Titleist, filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit the first week of the year, and
Duval filed his own lawsuit.
Duval signed a four-year deal with Nike worth as much as $28 million in March,
shortly after becoming the first PGA Tour player to use its iron in competition.
He won the British Open this year for his first major.
LIFETIME THRILL
Despite winning the U.S. Senior Open, Bruce Fleisher says a greater thrill
came when Arnold Palmer agreed to be his partner in the Hyundai Team Matches during
the silly season.
``My whole life I have rubbed shoulders with him, and this is certainly the
thrill of my life, being able to say that I played with Arnold,'' Fleisher said.
``He gave me the opportunity to pick another partner, and I said, 'No, and that
the only thing I want is to have dinner one night with you.'''
The Hyundai Team Matches, to be played Dec. 8-9, is for teams from the PGA
Tour, LPGA Tour and Senior Tour. Last year, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watsondefeated
Fleisher and David Graham in the finals of the 50-and-over division.
OH, BABY
Golf World magazine reported last week that Phil Mickelson might skip the
Ryder Cup if his wife's due date is moved up to close to the matches.
That won't be the case for Niclas Fasth of Sweden, whose wife is due with their
first child the first week of October.
``If it's a week early, then it's a week early,'' Fasth said. ``We can't plan
these things. We're not going to interfere with it, so we cannot make any plans
other than I will be at The Belfry the week of the Ryder Cup.
``If the baby comes, then it's tough luck for me,'' he said. ``If it comes
during that time, she will have to handle it -- with some support of friends,
obviously. I can handle the fact if I don't see the baby the first few days of
its life, but I would like to be there for my wife. This is the risk we are taking.''
DIVOTS
Ernie Els has started working with Jos van Stiphout, the psychologist who
has worked wonders for fellow South African and U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen.
... Karrie Webb has landed several big prizes this year, including a 50-pound
wahoo a couple of weeks ago near her home in south Florida. It was a tougher battle
than her eight-stroke victory in the U.S. Women's Open. She battled the wahoo
for 40 minutes on a 30-pound-test line. ... Nick Faldo will work for Sky Sports
during the Ryder Cup. ... Thomas Bjorn and Andrew Oldcorn withdrew from the American
Express Championship because of injuries.
STAT OF THE WEEK
If the American Express Championship is played this week, Stuart Appleby will
be the only player to have participated in all the World Golf Championship events
that count toward official money.
FINAL WORD
``You can't hide your head in the sand and cry all day, but I felt like it.''
-- Bernhard Langer, on playing a practice round after hearing of the terrorist
attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
