2019-20 Rookie Ranking

The 2019-20 season is scheduled to resume with the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 11-14. Because of competition lost due to the ongoing pandemic, various tournament and membership eligibility criteria have been modified.

On Thursday, April 30, the PGA TOUR released details explaining affected areas, several of which impact the rookie class of 2019-20.

All current PGA TOUR members will retain eligibility for the 2020-21 season. Depending on performance in 2019-20, golfers can be elevated in status for 2020-21, but none will be demoted.

The remaining reorders in the Korn Ferry Tour graduate category in the 2019-20 season will occur at the conclusion of the RBC Heritage (June-18-21) and John Deere Classic (July 9-12). The page dedicated to this category reflects the new scheduling.

The target to achieve Special Temporary Membership in 2020-21 will be the equivalent of 288.035 FedExCup points. That matches this season’s target, which was determined by the FedExCup ranking from 2018-19.

The Korn Ferry Tour Finals previously scheduled for 2020 has been canceled and there won’t be any graduates. The KFT adjusted to span two calendar years for a 2020-21 season. However, the top 10 in 2020 KFT points will be eligible to compete in additional events during the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season. (Five were scheduled in 2019-20.) Despite this status restricted to those events, none of the 10 will be a PGA TOUR member in 2020-21 (unless he has won three times on the KFT in 2020-21), so unless otherwise qualified, none will be eligible for the FedExCup Playoffs like all other non-members.

The definition of a rookie remains unchanged despite the disruption to competition. This means that 20 of the 21 current rookies (ranked below) cannot be rookies in 2020-21. All except Tom Lewis (five starts) have played more than seven times, so each has exhausted his rookie eligibility. The Arnold Palmer Award winner will be declared after the conclusion of this season, but it’s too soon to know if it will again for 2020-21. It still would be possible for Special Temporary Members to qualify as a rookie.

Through the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

NOTE: A player’s rookie season ("Rookie Year") is defined as the season in which he becomes a PGA TOUR member (including Special Temporary Members) and plays in 10 or more events as a member or finishes in the Top 125 on the Official FedExCup Points List or qualifies as a Top 125 - Nonmember, whichever occurs first. Further, for purposes of this definition, a new member (including Special Temporary Members) shall not be eligible for the Arnold Palmer Award if he has previously played in more than seven (7) Official PGA TOUR Money events as a professional in any prior season.