3 PGA Tour ‘elevated’ events will have Monday qualifiers. They could be wild

Think you’ve got what it takes to play in the PGA Tour’s biggest events next year? You actually do have some chances, albeit small ones.

Of the PGA Tour’s 13 elevated events for 2023, which will feature purses between $15 and $25 million, only three will feature spots for open or Monday qualifiers.

And of course, the first one comes at the Tour’s most electric stop of the year.

Not only will the 2023 WM Phoenix Open be played on the same weekend and in the same general vicinity as the Super Bowl, it could also be the “Super Bowl” for many journeyman PGA Tour and Korn Ferry pros.

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The PGA Tour posted all of the entry info for the tournaments which feature open qualifiers and the Phoenix Open shows three spots available for its Monday qualifier. The Wells Fargo Championship and Travelers Championships also have information regarding Monday qualifying. All three events will have purses of $20 million for next year.

Given that of the remaining 10 elevated events, most are limited-field events or the Players Championship, it makes sense that these three particular tournaments, which are part of the four yearly rotating elevated events, are the only ones with open qualifying.

They come with a huge chance at a life-changing payday for many Monday qualifiers, who range from PGA Tour members with lower status to Korn Ferry Tour members, or even local pros and amateurs.

The PGA Tour usually delegates the administration of the Monday qualifiers to local PGA of America sections, so in the case of the WM Phoenix Open, the Southwest PGA has posted sign-up info for the Phoenix Open Monday qualifier and its eight pre-qualifiers.

That’s right, if you’re coming off the street as an amateur or a pro with no PGA Tour status, you have to play a qualifier for the qualifier. The eight pre-qualifiers for the WM have max field sizes of 78 players with just two spots available in the Monday qualifier.

Playing in the pre-qualifier will set you back $250, according to the tournament page on the Southwest PGA website, and if you’re lucky (and just flat-out good) enough to nab one of the two spots, you’ll pay another $250 to play in the Monday. But entry fees for those exempted through pre-qualifying can vary between $0 and $500 depending on status.

Mini Tour insider Ryan French, better known on Twitter as Monday Q Info, said he expects the qualifiers to fill up fast given the stakes and usual enthusiasm for the tournament, which has become a showcase event for the Tour.

Given that there are usually only a couple of spots available, qualifying scores are generally pretty low for Mondays. Think 64 or lower.

With all the players who will want a piece of the $20 million purse, the WM Monday, along with the Mondays for the Wells Fargo and Travelers, could be some of the toughest tournaments of the year.