Pro tour golfers

Question
Tour golfers earn money even last place, ?How much
and can a tour player keep his card if he always finished last

Answer
Ooooooooooooooo  Great questions.  This requires a two part lengthy answer.  So get your coffee out.  I will be as defined as possible here.  You have to remember it is Golf, and it is the PGA Tour.  

What most people don't understand is that...each tournament and event is a separate entity, both in and away from the PGA Tour at the same time.  You could view the tour as being Starbucks, and each event as being a franchise.  The key word there is could.  And just like tour players...each event is responsible for both retaining and earning it's own sponsorship and operational expense monies.  Hence different event names. Sony Hawaiian Open, Nissan Open In Los Angeles, etc.  The PGA / Nationwide / Champion tours are the epitome of Independent contractor status.  Do your job get a check!

Part one: Last Place!
Every tournament has a different purse and payout structure.
This determines how much the field is going to be paid.  So there is really no way of telling, how much a given player, will earn in a given week.

Example:  (For a 72 hole PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour event)(And IF the tournament starts with 148 players.)  Normally they would post something to the effect of, payouts to the low 70 players and ties.  So if you had 5 guys in last place they would split an equal amount determined by how many players had actually made the cut into the weekend.

Normal rules for making the cut, call for, "a ten shot differential based upon the leading score(s), after 36 holes going into the weekend".  Example: Leaders that are 9 under after 36 holes would mean, that anyone at even par would make it into the final 36 holes.

Now here is the caveat:...(Under the low 70 and ties rule)  What if the low 30 scores were between 9 under and 1 under par?  Then everyone else at even par (remainder of 118 players) might conceivably make it in to the weekend!  While this particular scenario has never happened that I know of.  

It is also quite conceivable that EVERYONE who began the event could also play on the weekend.  And therefore possibly receive a check for official earnings.  It is also quite conceivable that, everyone who was tied for that 70th position, could go into a playoff for last place spot to play on the weekend.  But only if the field was too big.  I am not to sure if this has ever happened in order to narrow the field for the weekend.  And again, in 30 years, I have not seen this particular scenario.

The Tournament Committee for each event makes the rules, as is most appropriate and equitable for all concerned.

I have however seen and played in this scenario, where a player trying to QUALIFY for an event, has had to go into a play off for the last available spot for the event.  This happens frequently.  But only in the case of QUALIFYING for the event itself.

Just following the extreme of those examples, would make it impossible to determine what a player either alone or sharing a last place check could or would receive.  


Part Two
With reference to player being able to retain his tour card if he always finished last.  

The probability is no, as there is a direct difference between career earnings and yearly earnings. On the regular tour the money number is 125th place (and ties) at the end of the current season.  Anyone below that goes back to Q-school, and subsequently to earn their right to continue to play as an exempt card holder.

However...it is entirely conceivable that a player could make last place money every week, could go back to Q-school every year, and could retain his playing rights and conditional card.  The tour does this thing called a re-shuffle about every six weeks I believe.  So a player that currently might have a conditional card might temporarily move into exempt status.  And this would be based solely upon current yearly earnings.  This in itself might enable a player to possibly get a sponsors exemption, or a guarantee to get into an event based upon his number for that given six week period.  Though anything below 126 is usually forced to go to an local events open qualifier.

the latest examples are here...:
http://www.pgatour.com/2009/h/08/12/reshuffle/index.html
in this above example they have 136 players listed. (Nationwide Tour)

In the below example...it is a bit more complicated and there are 33 different rules.  These rules could be used as one at a time or combined.  And there is a lot of mentions to previous years earnings.  The end result here is if your name falls into ONE of these categories your ok.
http://www.pgatour.com/r/player_exemptions/index.html (Regular Tour)

In short...the only guarantee to retaining your tour card is to make sure your getting a check each week that increases your yearly earnings.  Theoretically, if you cashed a check that was equal to 70th place, you could be considered to be in the top 70.  But as I said, this is only theory.  I have yet to see that happen, AND it would mean, that you would have to play in every single event on the PGA tour schedule for this to happen (including majors).  At my LAST knowledge no one has ever played in every event, every single week.  We all need down time to recuperate, and travel does take a lot out of you.

With current costs associated with being a tour player.  It is pretty expensive, and if your not earning more than your worth.  You don't have a sponsor.  Sponsors want to make money too.  The scenarios for being able to continue to play and stay on tour are wide and varied.  And keep in mind just because you get your tour card does not mean you'll retain it.  Hopefully you would.  

But the PGA tour has this policy of final acceptance that asks, and requires, that any given player MUST be able to prove financially responsible to exist on the tour for a minimum of one year.  Proving this is paramount to your success.  

It is not a flash in the pan venture, my recommendation is that you should be able to prove that you have at least two years of what would be considered 125th place money.  And you should have this in the bank, and as a reserve.  When you are just starting out, this is where sponsorship money is key.  The upside here is...Win one event and you have your ticket and cash in the bank.  But remember...it is all based upon earnings and potential for earnings.  Endorsement agreements are not figured into this equation.

Good luck out there.  Hit em straight and and as few times as possible.  God bless, Be well, Happy golfing, and have a great day.

I hope I answered your question effectively.

Robb Nunn, PGA Professional