And Then There Were 50 With Priority PGA Tour Status...For Now

The Web.com Tour Finals ended Sunday and PGA Tour hopefuls were grinding their hearts out only to have a week off before they have to start grinding again, before then taking many months off hoping for the occasional start during the traditional PGA Tour season. Visionary concept, I tell you!

Like David Stern handing the second round of the draft to then-Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, I saw on Golf Central that the 50 Web.com Tour Finals "graduates" got to shake hands with Jay Monahan and Web.com Tour Commish Bill Calfee as Commissioner Playing Opportunities was frolicking on his backyard water slide. Now we know what those two do to earn their meager salaries!

Jason Crook has a roundup of the emotion swings experienced Sunday as many players either knew, maybe knew or did not have a clue where they stood for next year's PGA Tour status.

Chad Collins shot an even-par 70 and summed up how a lot of players were probably feeling after their rounds when he said, “Hopefully it’s good enough.” He ended up 47th on the priority list, and admitted he couldn’t keep the top-50 bubble off of his mind coming down the stretch.

“You’re not human if you’re not,” he said. “Anything can happen on those [last three or four] holes.”

Collins was one of the players throughout the day who were in, then out, then back in, then out again. He was one of the lucky ones whose day ended inside the top 50. It makes you feel for Roberto Castro, who finished at No. 51, $31.66 out of the 50th spot.

The PGA Tour ranking of those who made it to the show, until the re-shuffle and the Commissioner's major medical exemptions put them in their place. They're golf's version of United and Delta frequent flyers these days.