The PGA Tour has a new scheduling rule which requires many players to show up at events they don't typically play.
According to Golf Channel, PGA Tour players who don't have at least 25 starts in the prior season are required to add an event to their schedule for the current season that they had not played in the prior four seasons. Failure to abide by this rule could result in a fine of at least $20,000 and/or a suspension.
The rule is akin to the LPGA Tour's long-standing one-in-four rule, requiring players to compete in every event on the schedule once every four years, without exceptions.
Major championships, World Golf Championships and The Players do not count as events players can add to their schedule to satisfy the rule -- even if a player hasn't competed in those events in the last four years for some reason. Also, in accordance with previously existing PGA Tour rules, players who are eligible for those events cannot enter opposite-field events alongside them to meet the scheduling requirement. Players eligible for the majors, WGCs and The Players are not allowed to play in opposite-field events, even if they skip those higher-profile events for any reason.
Of course, for players who don't have a set schedule -- those who like to try new events or have been forced to do so in an effort to scrounge up starts and maximize opportunities -- the new rule gives them a limited bank of tournaments from which to choose to add a new event. Players with dual membership in the PGA Tour and European Tour also could face issues.
The rule won't affect many players, however. Of the 125 players to advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs in the 2015-16 season, 78 played at least 25 events. On top of that, players who are 45 years old or who have won 20 or more times to earn lifetime PGA Tour membership are exempt from the rule.
