2019 Desert Classic field: How to qualify, earn exemptions

The 2019 Desert Classic field is the first mainland US PGA Tour event of the calendar year, and it's the 60th anniversary of the first year of the erstwhile CareerBuilder Challenge.

The Desert Classic exemption criteria tend to favor veteran players, particularly those that have won big events. However, many top-50 players are competing on the European Tour this week or sitting out before bigger purses on the West Coast Swing.

While there are plenty of criteria ahead of the Web.com Tour and Web.com Tour Finals grads, there are plenty of those players in the field.

This tournament has a pro-am format with the field split among three courses over the first three rounds. The cut is to the top 70 and ties for Sunday at the host course.

Desert Classic qualifying and exemption categories

1. Winners of The Players Championship before 1996
2. Winners of the Masters, The Players, PGA Championship, US Open, British Open Championship in the last five years
3. Winners of the Tour Championship in the last three years
4. Winners of World Golf Championships events in the last three years
5. Winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament in the last three years
6. Winners of the FedEx Cup in the last five seasons
7. Winners of the PGA Tour final money list in 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons
8. Playing members of the last US Ryder Cup team
9. Playing members of the last European Ryder Cup team, as well last US and International Presidents Cup teams
10. Players using a one-time top-25 or top-50 exemption based on their place on the PGA Tour career money list
11. Prior Desert Classic winners before 1999 and in the last 10 years
12. Either the current PGA Section Championship winner or the current PGA Section Player of the Year
13. Eight sponsor exemptions: two current PGA Tour members, two from the top 25 on the 2018 Web.com Tour money list and four unrestricted invitations
14. As many as two foreign players designated by the Commissioner
15. Life members of the PGA TOUR (20 wins)
16. Current PGA Tour members in the Tournament Winners category
17. Players finishing in the top 125 players from the 2017-2018 FedEx Cup Points List
18. Top 10 from previous tournament among non-members, and PGA Tour players eligible after the category from the top 125 in prior season FedEx Cu ppoints