Q-school Q and A: Breaking down all three TOUR qualifying stages

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Young stars Danny Lee and Rickie Fowler are among the notables teeing it up at q-school.

Complete q-school coverage

The PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament -- otherwise known as q-school -- begins this week.

It's not a school in the traditional sense of the word, but the lessons learned while competing certainly can be life-changing. In reality, q-school is a survival test of as many as three tournaments that will eventually determine the players who earn their PGA TOUR cards for the 2010 season.

The first two stages consist of 72-hole tournaments. A predetermined number of players from each first-stage event advance to the second stage -- and from the second to the all-important final stage at Bear Lakes in West Palm Beach, Fla. The final stage will be held Dec. 2-7.

That finale is contested over 108 mind-numbing and stomach-churning holes that determine where a player will work in 2010. Every player who reaches the finale has some degree of status on the Nationwide Tour -- but only the low 25 and ties are exempt on the PGA TOUR for next year.

PGATOUR.COM answers some key questions about q-school below.

Q. How many first-stage events are there?

A. There are 13 first-stage events (see table below) with fields of approximately 78 players at each one. First-stage events are being held in seven different states from Oct. 20-23, 21-24 and 27-30.

Q. How many players advance from each first-stage event?

A. Generally the low 19, 20 or 21 players and ties at each site will advance to the second stage.

Q. Who are some of the notable players entered in the first stage?

A. Danny Lee, the 2008 U.S. Amateur winner who played in 12 TOUR events this year and tied for seventh at AT&T National, is among the hopefuls. Also entered is former Oklahoma State All-American Rickie Fowler, who tied for seventh Sunday at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open as he made his pro debut on TOUR. They'll be joined by 18-year-old Tadd Fujikawa, heart-transplant survivor Erik Compton, former teenage phenom Ty Tryon and former Southern Cal All-American Jamie Lovemark. Several players with famous relatives are also in the field -- Jay Haas Jr. (son of Jay Haas), Andrew Giuliani (son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani), Manuel Villegas (brother of TOUR pro Camilo Villegas), Josh McCumber (son of Mark McCumber), Robert Floyd (son of Raymond Floyd), Boyd Summerhays (son of Champions Tour veteran Bruce Summerhays) and Gary Nicklaus (son of Jack Nicklaus).

Q. Who is eligible to play in the first stage of qualifying?

• Members of any of the International Federation of PGA Tours or Nationwide Tour during 2005-2009.

• Applicants who made the cut during 2008 or 2009 in a tournament awarding official money conducted by a member of the International Federation of PGA Tours or Nationwide Tour as of the q-school entry deadline of Sept. 23, 2009.

• Applicants who finished in the top 60, including ties, in a first-stage event of the 2007 or 2008 PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament.

• Applicants who played in the second stage of the 2006, 2007 or 2008 PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament.

• Applicants ranked Nos. 101-200 on the Official World Golf Ranking as of the q-school entry deadline.

• Applicants who made the cut at the 2009 PGA Professional National Championship.

• Applicants who finished in the top 10, including ties, at the 2008 PGA Assistant Professional National Championship.

• Applicants who played in the 2008 or 2009 Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, British Open or PGA Championship.

• Applicants who were members of the 2009 U.S. Walker Cup Team or 2008 U.S. World Amateur Team.

• Applicants who played in the semifinals of the 2008 or 2009 U.S. Amateur or the finals of the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Q. How does the second stage work?

A. The second-stage tournaments are held from Nov. 18-21 at six sites in four states (see table below). The competition heats up here since PGA TOUR members who finished outside the top 150 on the money list -- among others -- are exempt into the second stage. Again, only a predetermined number from each site advance.

Q. Which players are exempt into the second stage?

• 2009 PGA TOUR members

• Winners of Nationwide Tour tournaments whose victories are considered official, in the current calendar year plus the previous five (2004-2008) calendar years.

• The top 10 available finishers, including ties, to a floor of 25th position, from the current year's PGA Professional National Championship.

• Applicants who made the cut in the current year's Masters Tournament, PLAYERS, U.S. Open, British Open or PGA Championship.

• The leading fourth through 10th available players, to a floor of 25th position, on the PGA European Tour and Japan Golf Tour respective Official Money Lists as of the Qualifying Tournament's entry deadline and the Australasian PGA Tour final Official Money List from the 2008 season.

• Players who have made 50 or more cuts in PGA TOUR cosponsored or approved tournaments awarding official prize money in their careers as of the Qualifying Tournament entry deadline.

• Players who finish from 41st through 70th on the 2009 Official Nationwide Tour Money List.

• Those applicants ranked 51st through 100th on the Official World Golf Ranking as of the Qualifying Tournament entry deadline.

• The leading first and second available players, to a floor of 10th position, on the applicable Official Money List or Order of Merit as of the Qualifying Tournament entry deadline of each of the following international tours: Asian Tour, Canadian Tour, Tour de las Americas and from the Sunshine Tour's final official money list for the 2008-2009 season.

Q. Which players are exempt into the final stage?

• Those applicants among the top 25 finishers immediately after the 125th position on the final 2009 Official PGA TOUR Money List.

• Those Special Temporary members of the PGA TOUR whose combined official money and money earned in official money World Golf Championship events is equal to or greater that the 150th place finisher on the 2009 Official PGA TOUR Money List.

• Those applicants among Major and Minor Medical Extension category members whose Official Money earned in their Available Tournaments, when combined with the amount of Official Money in their Tournaments Played, equals or exceeds the amount of Official Money earned by the member who finished last in the 25 finishers beyond 125th place on the Official PGA TOUR Money List for the preceding calendar year shall be exempt into Final Qualifying Stage in that year provided that the Official Money earned in his Tournaments Played is less that the 150th finisher on the Official PGA TOUR Money List in the year of the applicant's injury.

• Those applicants finishing 26th through 40th on the final 2009 Official Nationwide Tour Money List.

• The leading first, second and third available players, to a floor of 10th position, on the PGA European Tour and Japan Golf Tour respective Official Money List as of the Qualifying Tournament entry deadline and the Australasian PGA Tour final Official Money List from the 2008 season.

• Those applicants among the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking as of the Qualifying Tournament entry deadline.

Q. If you don't get your TOUR card but reach the final stage, what happens?

A. After the PGA TOUR cards have been decided, the next number of players nearest to 50 will receive fully exempt membership on the Nationwide Tour. The remaining players who have made it to the final stage of q-school will have conditionally exempt status on the Nationwide Tour.

Q. How much does it cost to enter q-school?

A. Entry fees in 2009 for the PGA TOUR are as follows: first-stage qualifying is $4,500, second-stage qualifying is $4,000 and the finals is $3,500.

Q. Can you earn money at these q-school tournaments?

A. Only at the final stage. The medalist at the final stage receives $50,000, the runner-up gets $40,000 and the rest of the 25 new TOUR members and ties earn at least $25,000. Players earning exempt Nationwide Tour status earn $5,000 each.

Q. Can I watch the final stage of q-school on TV?

A. Yes, GOLF CHANNEL covers the final three days. The coverage on Dec. 5-6 runs from 1-4 p.m. each day while the final day's coverage on Dec. 7 runs from 12:30-4 p.m.