While the golf world celebrates the breakthrough win for budding superstar Ludvig Aberg Sunday at the RSM Classic, it’s a totally different story for several other Tour players.
For the first time in the event’s history, the RSM Classic served as not only the last event of the calendar year, as it had previously, but now with the change back to a calendar year schedule, the RSM is also the end of the PGA Tour season. That means the top 125 cutoff for full PGA Tour playing privileges for 2024 happened Sunday.
And this year, the stakes have never been higher for securing full PGA Tour membership this week.
For the past 10 seasons, PGA Tour status was decided after August’s Wyndham Championship, meaning those who failed to meet the threshold could go play the Korn Ferry Tour Finals where 50 more cards were at stake. However, The Korn Ferry Tour has already awarded 30 cards this year.
While some golfers on this list can fall back on career money list exemptions or past champion status, the only remaining option for many to improve from conditional status or less is next month’s PGA Tour Q-School. However, there they will be competing against dozens of other pros of past, present and future for just five PGA Tour cards.
It’s also important to note that most of these golfers will still have jobs and get into a number of events next season. However, missing out on the top 125 means they’ll have a lot less flexibility to chose their schedule and will likely get into fewer events.
With that, here are 12 golfers who fell short of the top 125 this season and will likely be starting 2024 without full PGA Tour status.
12 players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday
126. Carl Yuan – Last year’s Korn Ferry Tour points leader came to the 72nd at Sea Island projected at 126 in the FedEx Cup Fall rankings. He made birdie, but his ranking didn’t budge.
128. Maverick McNealy – McNealy had a chance to move back into the top 125 with a couple solid rounds this week. But a third-round 71 on a day when scoring was crazy low proved his undoing. However, he missed six months with a shoulder injury and will likely apply for a medical extension.
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139. Jimmy Walker – Walker burned his one-time top 50 career money exemption this past season. He failed to do better than a T13 at Torrey Pines in January and missed his last four cuts to finish. Walker also notably ripped the recent changes to the PGA Tour structure in September.
141. Charley Hoffman – Hoffman had the opportunity but did not choose to burn his career money exemption for 2023. That means he still can use it for 2024 if he wants.
145. Harry Higgs – Higgs managed to stay inside the top 150 for the second consecutive season meaning he’ll have conditional status once again in 2024.
158. Doc Redman – Redman ended a disappointing season with a 20th missed cut at the RSM. Finishing outside the top 150 means he’s likely to head to Q-School if he wants to regain PGA Tour status next year.
165. Jason Dufner – Dufner used his top 50 exemption this past season. His only option will be to play out of the past champions with more than 150 career cuts made category.
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166. Sean O’Hair – The four-time PGA Tour winner played 20 events out of the past champion beyond 150 category in 2022-23 and will likely do so again in 2024.
168. Zach Johnson – The U.S. Ryder Cup captain played 21 events using his second career money exemption for being the 14th leading money winner. He made 13 cuts and finished T12 at the Honda.
171. James Hahn – Hahn played 27 events and made just 14 cuts with a top 10. However, his last start at the World Wide Technology Championship was his 150th career cut made, meaning he will qualify for the past champions beyond 150 exemption.
199. Nick Watney – The five-time PGA Tour winner re-earned full status last year, but made just eight cuts in 32 starts in 2022-23. He used his career money exemption in 2022 and will likely play out of the past champions beyond 150 category.
213. Brandt Snedeker – Sneds was playing on his second career money exemption for being No. 23 on the list. He made just 11 starts this year due to a strange back injury that required experimental surgery causing him to miss eight months.