5 surprising players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday

[StrokerAce]

Golf can be brutal; most surprising in the list is Fleetwood. Damn. Maybe he should get a haircut?

5 players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday

Patrick Rodgers (128th) — Rodgers was exempt through this season but dropped from 123rd entering this week to 128th. He was just one of three players who started the week in but dropped out, joined by Bo Hoag and Ryan Armour. Roger Sloan, Scott Piercy and Hadley were the three to jump into the top 125.

Tommy Fleetwood (137th) — Europe’s Ryder Cup star and the 38th-ranked player in the world missed only four of 18 cuts on the PGA Tour this season, but he had just four top 25s. He still has yet to win on the PGA Tour in 88 starts.

Ryan Moore (144th) — From 2006 to 2019 Moore pocketed at least a million a year in earnings, but he’s had three top 10s in 32 starts over the past two years and was 144th in the final standings. Moore, however, can always use his career money exemption if he needs it. The PGA Tour allows players to use one-time exemptions for the next season if they are in the top 25 and also the top 50 in career earnings (Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk were among the players who used this last season). At $32,222,361 in total earnings, 35th all time, Moore has that option.

Jason Dufner (154th) — Jason Dufner closed with a 63 on Sunday and tied for 24th at the Wyndham, but it was only his 15th made cut in 29 starts this season and just his second top-25 finish. Dufner won the Memorial in 2017, but that exemption only ran through this season. As for the one-time career earnings exemption Moore could use, Dufner is currently just outside that option. With $27,664,059 in career earnings, he ranks 52nd, and just $313,336 behind the No. 50 spot.

Byeong Hun An (164th) — A fixture on Tour the last five years — with at least 22 starts in all of those seasons — An struggled in 2021. He missed 20 total cuts from 2017 to 2020 but missed 15 this season alone.

[vandyland]

Personally, good riddance to some of these guys. The number of exemptions and different ways guys can stay on tour for YEARS without performing well is ridiculous. Especially with this super season and there are just a ton of KFT guys that I would much rather see get a shot. Unfortunately, a lot of these guys (most notably Patrick Rodgers) will still get in 15-17 Tour Events next season...they just won't have much choice in which ones they get into. 

The 125 thing is a little overblown. Patrick Rodgers won't play even once on KFT next year because of conditional status. The medical exemptions are a joke and they are abused to no end. Golf is an entertainment product and I want to see the best players and they should have to prove that every year or get off the tour. 

[StrokerAce]

6 minutes ago, vandyland said:

Personally, good riddance to some of these guys. The number of exemptions and different ways guys can stay on tour for YEARS without performing well is ridiculous. Especially with this super season and there are just a ton of KFT guys that I would much rather see get a shot. Unfortunately, a lot of these guys (most notably Patrick Rodgers) will still get in 15-17 Tour Events next season...they just won't have much choice in which ones they get into. 

The 125 thing is a little overblown. Patrick Rodgers won't play even once on KFT next year because of conditional status. The medical exemptions are a joke and they are abused to no end. Golf is an entertainment product and I want to see the best players and they should have to prove that every year or get off the tour. 

Yeah - Moore and Dufner seem to be mailing it in and not really playing with much inspiration; will be happy to see some fresh faces jump in.

[RickyBobby_PR]

Fleetwood is inside the top 50 he’s going to be able to play a lot of events regardless 

[Shapotomous]

Wow...Hunter Mahan was that high up in career earnings?  I would have never picked his name for that list.

[Shankster]

Tommy Fleetwood?  That’s the only one that surprises me.  You hardly hear anything about those other guys unfortunately.