Playing Opportunities And A New The PGA Tour Vision?

Rex Hoggard reported earlier this week on final confirmation that the top 125 money exemption is almost officially dead, with only FedExCup points will be used to determine Tour status starting in 2017-18.

More intriguing was this note from Hoggard's Cut Line wrap of the week, reporting that the PGA Tour asked its Players Advisory Council to consider reducing the size of its exempt membership from the longtime 125 number.

The move, which according to various sources was widely dismissed by the PAC, is an attempt to assure those who do get their Tour cards that they have plenty of playing opportunities.

Although the pressure to give every member a chance to play has been mounting in recent years, taking away playing opportunities seems counterintuitive.

Unless of course this is the first sign that after years of maximizing playing opportunities and offering no shortage of exemptions, waivers and other avenues to play, this suggests a desire to actually reduce some of the bloat?

The PGA Tour schedule is, indeed, bloated. While it's wonderful that so many opportunities exist for a pro golfer to cash checks, as a "product" the tour has been compromised by overextending itself at select times of the year, undercutting longtime sponsors for the gain of landing new ones and sometimes wearing out its welcome in the crowded sports marketplace.

Could this first discussion have been the effort by the Monahan regime to trim some fat, tighten some screws and signal an end to the relentless growth mantra of the last decade? I hope so.