PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A year after its first foray into playing a United States-based Tour for up-and-coming players, the PGA TOUR announced Wednesday, November 17, the formation of the U.S. Qualifying Series, a new Tour that will feature 10 tournaments with purses of at least $140,000 at each event.

Earlier this year, the PGA TOUR created the Forme Tour for Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada members who couldn’t play in Canada because of the pandemic and travel complications at the Canada-U.S. border. The success of that Tour was the catalyst for the creation of the U.S. Qualifying Series. Those Forme Tour players who retained their playing privileges will return to the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada for its 2022 season, a schedule to be announced at a later date. The U.S. Qualifying Series, approved for 2022, will create an entirely new membership prior to the beginning of the season.

“There are so many high-level players looking for places to play. The U.S. Qualifying Series gives those players not only a quality tournament experience, thanks to the courses where we will play, the setup of the courses and the competition we put on each week, but it also gives them a path to the Korn Ferry Tour, which in turn provides them the opportunity to reach their ultimate goals of playing on the PGA TOUR,” said U.S. Qualifying Series Executive Director Greg Carlson, who directed the Forme Tour in 2021 and ran PGA TOUR Series-China from 2014 to 2019.

Each U.S. Qualifying Series event will be 72 holes, with a 36-hole cut and fields between 144 and 156 players, except for the season-ending tournament. That will be a limited-field event open to players based on their Points List standing following the season’s ninth tournament.

Prior to the start of the season, the Series will host eight 72-hole Qualifying Tournaments, events that will make up the bulk of its membership roster. In addition, at each tournament, four playing positions are available to select, top players from the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour (APGA), helping advance the development of African American and other minority golfers.

“We really want to see as many players benefit from the Series as possible as the PGA TOUR is committed to diversity as we provide playing opportunities for players all over the world,” Carlson added.

While the U.S. Qualifying Series has not announced its 2022 schedule, the season is expected to start in late-May or early June and conclude in mid-September, with events strategically placed geographically, allowing players to drive from one tournament to the next.

One site already signed to host a tournament is Bolingbrook Golf Club in Bolingbrook, Illinois, outside of Chicago. In July, the course hosted the Forme Tour’s Bolingbrook Golf Club Invitational, won by Mac Meissner, who advanced from the Forme Tour to his current position as a 2022 Korn Ferry Tour member, thanks, in part, to that victory.

“Bolingbrook Golf Club embraced the concept and welcomed these players earlier this summer, and given the opportunity to do so again, this time for the U.S. Qualifying Series, the owners and club members jumped at the opportunity to bring future stars to their golf course for another week of top golf action,” Carlson added.

The U.S. Qualifying Series plans to announce its Qualifying Tournament schedule sometime next month, with the announcement of the Series’ regular season slate of tournaments arriving sometime in early 2022.