Two missing PGA Tour events have big impact on money list standings

MADISON, Miss. (AP) -- Rickie Fowler picked a good year to try to get his PGA Tour card without going to Q-School.

The former Oklahoma State star tied for seventh in Las Vegas, then lost in a three-way playoff at the Frys.com Open in Arizona, giving him $553,700 in two starts. He has at least one tournament left, the Viking Classic this week in Mississippi.

A year ago, Martin Laird finished 125th on the PGA Tour money list with $852,752, a record amount required to keep a card. Fowler would have needed a runner-up finish at the Viking Classic to match that figure.

But the money is way down this year.

David Duval is holding down the 125th spot at $623,824. With two tournaments remaining, Fowler might be able to finish 10th at the Viking Classic and have enough money to get the equivalent of 125th, thereby skipping Q-School.

A year ago with two tournaments remaining, the 125th spot was at $795,320 -- that's $171,505 more than this year.

PGA Tour officials attribute the drastic shortfall in the loss of two tournaments from the Fall Series. The Ginn sur Mer Classic is no longer on the schedule, and the Valero Texas Open moved to the spring when the Atlanta tournament couldn't find a sponsor.

Total prize money on the PGA Tour for official events is $275 million, nearly $5 million less than a year ago (part of that includes a drop in the British Open purse because of the exchange rate).

The difference is found at the bottom of the money list.

Vijay Singh won the money title last year at $6.6 million, mainly because Tiger Woods only played six tournaments until knee surgery. This year, Woods has clinched the title with $10.5 million.

Otherwise, the distribution of cash looks very similar.

Three players have earned over $5 million this year, same as 2008. Fourteen players have made at least $3 million, same as last year. And with two tournament remaining, 36 players already have topped $2 million, compared with 37 players in 2008.

Go farther down the money list, however, to find that 104 players made over $1 million last year. Only 88 players are over $1 million this year with two tournaments left.

Closer to where it counts -- 125th on the money list -- shows how much those two missing tournaments make a difference.

It also shows up in a most peculiar way, highlighted by the playoff loss of Fowler and Jamie Lovemark.

Fowler became a special temporary member because he earned the equivalent of 150th on the money list in 2008 (Todd Hamilton was 150th at $537,958).

Lovemark has made $453,872, which wasn't enough for special temporary membership. However, Lovemark is equal to 147th on this year's money list. If he gets through first stage this week and manages to stay in the top 150 after the PGA Tour season ends Nov. 15 at Disney -- unlikely -- he would be exempt into the final stage of Q-School.

Meanwhile, Disney still has one exemption left to offer, and it could be torn between two very worthy candidates: Fowler and Lovemark. Disney already used one of its exemptions on a "Big Break" contestant.

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