\u201cAfter thorough discussions, including multiple meetings and calls, the 2025 PAC and player directors have come to the agreement to eliminate the qualifying tournament for PGA Tour Champions beginning this year,\u201d began the tour\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis decision was made in alignment with the PGA Tour Champions\u2019 objective of providing playing opportunities to members that have competed on the PGA Tour during their careers. We will continue to provide qualifying opportunities through pre-qualifying and event qualifying at all open, full-field events, as well as qualifying spots for several majors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move leaves accomplished Australian golfers such as Andre Stolz [above], Scott Barr, Terry Pilkadaris, Jason Norris and others in limbo, to say nothing of those already on the tour or planning to attempt to gain a card in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
In an impassioned social-media post on Tuesday morning, Stolz said the decision had ruined the hopes and dreams of thousands of golfers 45 years and older around the world.<\/p>\n
When Australian Golf Digest reached the 55-year-old, he didn\u2019t hold back his disappointment: \u201cThere\u2019d have to be 10,000 golfers in the world who are 45-plus that have all just been devastated when they found this out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy whole mission to get out of bed for the past six years has been to see if I can get my game good enough and get back over there,\u201d said Stolz, who had wrist surgery at 44 and didn\u2019t play for five years while he rebuilt his swing.<\/p>\n
A winner on the PGA Tour in 2004 and in Japan a year earlier, Stolz has dominated the local PGA Legends Tour in recent years, winning the Order of Merit the past four seasons and earlier this week capturing his 50th title on the domestic senior circuit. Stolz also finished T-6 at PGA Tour Champions Q-School last December \u2013 one spot and one shot away from earning full playing rights. If another Aussie was poised to make an impact there, it was him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice, I\u2019ve won the four moneylists the past four years here in Australia, I won my 50th event the other day. All those are nice, but it\u2019s not what\u2019s been driving me,\u201d Stolz said. \u201cTo me, it was all just like a dress rehearsal for, Is my game going to be consistent enough to play over there? I know I\u2019m good enough, but you\u2019ve got to get lightning in a bottle for that week.<\/p>\n
\u201cGolfers are dreamers. We all dream our next round is going to be the one that gets us back on track. And if you haven\u2019t got motivation in life, you\u2019re screwed, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
The one avenue onto the PGA Tour Champions left open to players like Stolz is incredibly narrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a past [PGA Tour] winner, I\u2019m still a member of the PGA Tour Champions. They send me an up-to-date moneylist each week of where I\u2019m at,\u201d Stolz says. \u201cBut the difference is for anyone who\u2019s not a member.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething that wasn\u2019t mentioned in [the statement] but this is what all the guys have told me: you have to play seven events for your money to count on the moneylist. At the majors with the European guys, they give about 20 spots \u2013 maybe 30 \u2013 into the majors. So if you win, sure, you\u2019re covered as always. But if you finish second [or lower], your money won\u2019t show up on the moneylist until you\u2019ve played seven events. That wasn\u2019t written on this thing, but I\u2019d presume it\u2019d be in the fine print.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the only benefit I would get is: my money would count on the moneylist straight away. Whereas, say, a Scott Barr or someone like that goes over? Their money isn\u2019t going to show up until they\u2019ve played seven events. And to get into seven? Good luck. It\u2019s just not going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cproviding playing opportunities to members that have competed on the PGA Tour\u201d portion of the tour\u2019s statement reveals more than a little nepotism at play with the PGA Tour Champions. The circuit has become dominated by non-Americans in recent years, with players like Kiwi Steve Alker<\/a>, Spain\u2019s Miguel Angel Jimenez and the ageless German, Bernhard Langer<\/a>, the driving forces. As it stands, only one American (second-ranked Stewart Cink) sits inside the top dozen on the 2025 moneylist.<\/p>\n RELATED: Steve Allan goes from alternate to winner in a career-altering PGA Tour Champions victory<\/a><\/p>\n Once largely mediocre, the Australian contingent on tour has been reinvigorated by the recent deeds<\/a> of Steve Allan (three times a winner this year), Cameron Percy<\/a>, Richard Green, Mark Hensby<\/a>, Greg Chalmers, Michael Wright<\/a>, Brendan Jones<\/a>, Stuart Appleby and David Bransdon. It\u2019s a far stronger contingent of Aussies than tees up on the regular PGA Tour most weeks.<\/p>\n All are now vulnerable after the abolishment of Q-School, as those who don\u2019t keep their cards have no clear path back. Only the top 36 at the end of the season retain their playing rights, with gradually diminishing status going to those ranked beyond 36th. Finish lower than about 55th, however, and the dream is over \u2013\u00a0just as it is for those aspirants not yet 50 years old or already 50 but not yet PGA Tour Champions members.<\/p>\n Stolz\u2019s post received strong support from his fellow Aussie tour players, past and present.<\/p>\n \u201cThey clearly weren\u2019t disciplined as kids when other people wanted to play with their toys,\u201d wrote Scott Laycock. \u201cGet a grip, PGA Tour Champions. Wayne Grady used this line at an AGM years ago: \u2018If you\u2019re not good enough, get better.\u2019 I\u2019m directing this to the American players if they feel threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSad news indeed. There is still a road onto the tour, but it\u2019s just got even harder, particularly for foreigners who don\u2019t reside in the USA,\u201d Barr added.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolute rubbish,\u201d chirped Ryan Haller. \u201c[They\u2019re] sick of Aussies getting all the tour cards.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I was looking forward to in future years was getting ready for this,\u201d lamented Kurt Barnes.<\/p>\n \u201cMore inept fools in high positions within PGAs making bad decisions,\u201d opined Paul Marantz.<\/p>\n
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