O Canada!

Commissioner Tim Finchem announced on Thursday that the PGA Tour is assuming “operational control” of the Canadian Tour, which will become re-branded as PGA Tour Canada. The conversion process will begin on November 1st and PGA Tour Canada will be up and running for the 2013 season.

The takeover didn’t come as a surprise since the PGA Tour bailed out the floundering Canadian Professional Golf Tour in 2012, lending its strategic and financial support to the dwindling mini-tour circuit.

The kicker of the deal: Similar to the partnership made last year with Tour de las Américas to form PGA Tour Latinoamérica, PGA Tour Canada will serve as a pathway to the Web.com Tour.  The top-five finishers on the money list will earn playing privileges to the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit (the no. 1 player would have full exempt status and the other four would have conditional status, but “reasonable access”), and the next five will be exempt to the finals of Web.com Q-school. (continue reading…)

Q-school grad Harris English receiving his 2012 PGA Tour card

I’ve gotta catch a flight to Atlanta for the Tour Championship (PLAYOFF FEVER!), so this is going to be quick (sorry I feel like I’ve been more on the run than usual these days, which seems strange since I’ve been home). The PGA Tour announced details — and lots of them; in fact almost all — for the tournaments, sites and dates for three of the events in 2013 that will comprise the newly-contrived Web.com Tour Finals, which will decide the 50 players who earn Tour “playing privileges” for the 2013-14 season and their “eligibility positions” under the Tour’s “enhanced qualifying system.”

That’s a nice way of saying: It’s been real, but see you later, Q-school. RIP. (I might cry at the end of the last one ever in December.) (continue reading…)

Kohles: Batting 1000!

Before moving on to all things PGA Championship, Ben Kohles deserves a mention for his record-breaking feat. After turning pro a few weeks ago, he won in his debut on the Web.com Tour. Just a week later at the Cox Classic yesterday, he shot a final-round 62 to win by three over South Africa’s Dawie van der Walt. (continue reading…)