The Brian Gay-Ian Poulter Decision
/Several of you emailed to ask why there is not more outrage at the retroactive tour card status given to Ian Poulter and Brian Gay. As much as I'd love to revel in a conspiracy theory, it's pretty simple: Gay questioned why his major medical exemption, based on one set of standards had he been able to play a full healthy season, was played under this year's new FedExCup points allotments. 
More startling: in the rush to make the FedExCup a more accepted way of life (or "true equalizer" as the player notice puts it), this is a pretty significant miss.
Golfweek's Jeff Babineau explains why Gay's questions helped change the Policy Board perspective on his and Poulter's play under the major medical exemption.
Poulter, 41, who missed four-plus months with a foot injury last season, had 10 events to earn $347,634, or 218 FedEx Cup points; he fell short of both marks in his 10th start last week at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.
Gay, 45, has been in a similar position. Having missed 2014-15 with a back injury, he had 14 available starts this season to earn $461,851 or secure 309 FedEx Cup points. Gay, who tied for sixth in each of his last two starts (RBC Heritage, Valero Texas Open) has surpassed the earnings threshold. But he failed to get to 309 points, which meant he was not eligible for the lucrative Players Championship May 11-14.
Gay did some numbers crunching, though, and found a discrepancy in the way points are doled out this season compared with a year ago, which was the season against which he was being measured.
So the right thing was done and the FedEx points system probably is the best long term way to handle things in a purse-discrepancy world. However, in the move to the new system (please renew, FedEx, please!), having Gay discover this is a concern.
Congrats to both on earning their status for the rest of the year!
The player notice posted on Instagram by Poulter:
