Friday
Oct212011
"Can you say, 'awkward?'"
There's no need to sympathize with Justin Leonard and he'd probably be the first to say that, but it's still painful to read his saga with Ponte Vedra over his 2012 tour status while he plays (and leads through two rounds) this week's Disney event.
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 08:22 PM
Reader Comments (14)
By my count, Justin Leonard won eight times between 1997 and 2007 – not five.
This is almost more perplexing than Greg Norman's situation in 2001. First, he completely gave up his tour membership. Then, the tour started to count British Open as an official victory, meaning that Norman suddenly had 20 career victories and a lifetime exemption...
"But in 2003, eligibility rules were changed to compound victories. So wins in the period after 2003 while he was still on the British Open exemption extended it into future years.
That means Leonard's 2003 Honda Classic victory extended his 10-year exemption for the British another year through 2008. He won twice in 2005, which extended him through 2010. Another victory in 2007 took him through 2011. And when he won the 2008 St. Jude Classic, that gave him another year through 2012."
"Winning a PGA Tour event provides a tour card for a minimum of two years, with an extra year added for each additional win with a maximum of five years. Winning a World Golf Championships event or The Tour Championship provides a three-year exemption. Winners of the major championships and The Players Championship earn a five-year exemption. Other types of exemptions include lifetime exemptions for players with twenty wins on the tour; one-time, one year exemptions for players in the top fifty on the career money earnings list who are not otherwise exempt; two-time, one year exemptions for players in the top twenty-five on the career money list; and medical exemptions for players who have been injured, which give them an opportunity to regain their tour card after a period out of the tour. At the end of the season, the person leading the PGA Tour money list earns a five year exemption."
I am guessing there is always a limit of 5 years, so that if you win a major and then win again after the major you still just get five years. Or that if you win 4 times in one year, that's a 5-year exemption, but if you win 5 or more times, it's still just 5 years. Or that if Leonard had won twice in 2004 instead of twice in 2005 he would have only extended through 2009, not 2010, and ultimately would not have been eligible (via extensions) in 2012.
To me the term "journeyman" being applied to Joe Durant is barely appropriate, it at all...but assuming it is he's at the top of the journeyman heap. That dude is an incredible ball striker! And a damn nice guy from what my friends who know him well tell me.