Not making the minimize: PGA Tour minimize line to 65

Fewer gamers can be round for the weekend at PGA Tour occasions beginning subsequent season.

The PGA Tour’s participant advisory council and coverage board voted final month to scale back the 36-hole minimize dimension from the highest 70 gamers and ties to the highest 65 gamers and ties beginning with the 2019-20 season.

The brand new rule additionally eliminates secondary 54-hole cuts, which have been used if there have been 78 gamers or extra who superior after 36 holes of a match.

The adjusted minimize line is similar dimension carried out by the Korn Ferry Tour and European Tour.

Paul Casey is in favor of the 65-player minimize line. AP Picture/Eric Risberg

“The brand new regulation, which is in line with the minimize dimension on the Korn Ferry Tour, ensures a extra manageable area on the weekend from a pace-of-play perspective and permits extra alternatives to play in twosomes over the ultimate two rounds,” PGA Tour spokesman Joel Schuchmann mentioned. “The brand new construction additionally assists tournaments in quite a lot of methods from an operations perspective.”

Paul Casey, a member of the participant advisory council, was in favor of the change to remove threesomes and break up tee occasions within the closing 36 holes of tournaments.

“It is a capitalist sport,” Casey instructed GolfDigest.com. “You play nicely, you do nicely.

“I have been on each side of it, and I nonetheless firmly imagine you make your personal success, so I am a fan of it. So long as we’re not taking away alternatives to get into occasions, and I do not assume that is taking away earnings or alternatives for gamers. That is the appropriate factor to do. We have now to guard the product. We have now too many three-balls and two-tee begins on the weekend.”