PHOENIX, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 16: Stewart Cink of the United States poses with the Charles Schwab Cup after winning in the final round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club on November 16, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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When Stewart Cink hoisted the 2025 Charles Schwab Cup Championship trophy alongside the coveted Schwab Cup, another PGA TOUR Champions season officially came to a close. His thrilling come-from-behind win over points leader Steven Alker was his third victory of the year.
The season conclusion marked the end of an era and the beginning of a significant change that will impact the over-50 circuit for years to come.
School’s Out
Traditionally, the season finale coincides with preparations for PGA TOUR Champions Qualifying Schol (Q-School) held in December. It’s a brutal path to the Tour, consisting of two stages of competition, culminating in a final 72-hole, stroke play tournament. The top five finishers (and ties) at the Final Stage earn fully exempt PGA TOUR Champions membership for the following season. Players finishing between sixth and 30th place earn entry into weekly Monday tournament qualifiers.
In late September, the Tour announced the elimination of Q-School, a decision met with both enthusiasm and disappointment among PGA TOUR Champions players.
A spot on PGA TOUR Champions is notoriously difficult to earn, with a limited field of just 78 players. After reflection and discussion, a decision was made to allot the Q-School places to PGA TOUR veterans who have made 300 or more starts on the PGA TOUR, but don’t have enough career money, wins or total points to qualify for PGA TOUR Champions.
Over the last three years, nine of the 15 Q-School graduates were from outside the United States. In 2024 and 2025, for example, the ratio was 4:1, with Shane Bertsch and Mark Walker the lone Americans.
Explained 6-time PGA TOUR and 11-time PGA TOUR Champions winner Padraig Harrington, “Obviously, what they’re worried about is if there’s four or five internationals coming in every year, it’s cutting out too many of the guys who have played for 10-15 years on the PGA TOUR and deserve their four or five years on the Champions Tour.”
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – JUNE 29: Padraig Harrington of Ireland reacts on the 18th green after winning the U.S. Senior Open Championship 2025 at Broadmoor Golf Club on June 29, 2025 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
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Harrington, a World Golf Hall of Fame member who made a combined 416 starts on both tours, understands the rationale behind the change, but added, “Yeah, maybe five was too deep but I personally probably would have kept a spot or two (for Q-School). I can see both sides. It’s very subjective.”
PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady further explained the decision-making process, “For instance, we have individuals that had a long, significant career on the PGA TOUR and they were struggling to get into our tournaments. And I think a lot of the players asked themselves was that right or wrong? And at the end of the day, they wanted to continue to benefit members who had played the PGA TOUR, and that’s ultimately the reason why.”
He added, “Our player Advisory Council and our Player Directors ultimately felt that if you played and you supported the PGA TOUR career for a significant number of years, you deserve a chance to have access to play this tour.”
Steve Flesch, one of four Player Directors, said the decision was made after intense deliberation.
“We toiled and labored over it for about 3-4 months because we weren’t convinced,” he recalled. “I don’t think any of us thought that it wouldn’t come without any resistance when we voted on it. But ideally, and we agreed with our president, we need to protect and look out for the guys who supported the PGA TOUR for years.”
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA – SEPTEMBER 16: Steve Flesch of the United States plays his tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the Sanford International at Minnehaha Country Club on September 16, 2023 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
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According to Flesch, 11 of the top 36 players competing at the Schwab Cup Championship never played the PGA TOUR full-time, taking eligibility spots that might have gone to veteran Tour players.
“So the guys who would normally get in, who have had two and three and four PGA TOUR wins, nice career money, Ryder Cups, supported the Tour forever, they’re not getting in.”
Flesch was finally convinced by a fellow Player Director he called an “influential voice,” a foreigner who left home at 21 to move to the States and play the PGA TOUR. That golfer was actually the biggest proponent of eliminating Q-School.
It’s not that the Q-School grads are not excellent players. As a matter of fact, seven of the top 36 in the Schwab Cup Championship earned their tour membership via that path.
Brady agreed, with a caveat.
“It’s not really an issue of quality. It’s an issue of trying to make sure that we’re benefiting members that played the PGA TOUR . I know I sound like a broken record, but that ultimately is the whole reason behind it.”
Flesch concurred, adding “All the guys who come play and finish top 36, they’re great players. They did nothing wrong. It’s just one of those things where we’ve got too many guys who played for so many years who weren’t getting in, who deserved it.”
He also brought up an interesting point of non-reciprocity.
“Let me tell you, the Japanese tour, the DP, the European Tour, Legends Tour over there, they aren’t wanting any of us to come play their tours,” he insisted. “They aren’t offering us spots. So why should we offer them spots? Everybody thinks they should be able to play our tour.”
Increasing the number of members is not an option, according to Brady who said, “We’re 78 every week. We feel like that’s the right number, especially because it allows us to do a 1 and 10 tee start without guys hitting a wall and then playing a six-hour round, which we’re not going to do.”
Monday Monday
With no more Q-School, Monday qualifying is the only door left open for players who have lost their card or had hoped to gain entry through the Final Stage. While Steven Alker and Tommy Gainey both transformed their Monday qualifiers into wins that in turn propelled them to success on PGA TOUR Champions, they remain the exceptions.
Just three tournament spots are available for Monday qualifying, making it even tougher to earn full TOUR membership, especially for international players. Travel expenses will be prohibitive for many.
“But,” said Harrington, “If you’re good enough, you will get through. There’s no doubt about that.”
Point / Counter Point
Players at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship were vocal about the direction being taken by their tour. All agreed that it’s a complicated issue, and most admitted they can see both sides, even while expressing disappointment in the change.
Steven Alker | former Monday qualifier with 10 wins on PGA TOUR Champions, including two Schwab Cups | member of the Player Advisory Group
“So ultimately, I thought we were going down the route of like at least 2-3 spots for tour school, you know, reduce the numbers, give the members who supported the tour more help if you like, more access to the tour.
“Eliminating Q-School takes away some Cinderella stories. But at the same time, we’re looking after the people, the members who have supported the tour for a long, long time, giving access to those who are still playing competitively.”
Steve Allen | 2024 Q-School, T3 | Australia
“I clearly would have kept Q-School. You know, the Champions Tour runs a fine balance between getting the best players of all time playing, and having the best golfers.
Steve Allen, who resides in Scottsdale, had his own rooting section at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. He finished T10, at -12.
Candace Oehler
“A little disappointing for sure, because I mean, obviously without the Q-School I would have not had this opportunity. So I think there’s a lot of golfers out there like me that are, you know, plenty, plenty good enough. And I think it gives everyone a chance and I think it’s good for the tour. So it’s a little disappointing.”
Cameron Percy | 2024 Q-School, winner | Australia
“Its terrible. Terrible. It’s always been if you play good, your golf will take care of itself. Now they don’t want that. There’s less Americans on the tour, so they want more.”
Freddie Jacobsen | 2025 Q-School, solo 2 | Sweden
“I can see both arguments for it. It’s tricky. It’s a little bit of a continuation of the PGA TOUR and the players that have been committed for many, many years to that tour.
“But it’s also nice with the balance of fresh blood and people that stayed healthy and stayed at it and have the drive to kind of peak late.
“To look on the bright side, it’s not completely shot, which is good. I think the players that are top, top players, they will probably always find a way to get through but it certainly, has been made a lot, lot harder.”
Freddie Jacobsen’s 17-year old son caddied for him at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Jacobsen finished T3, at -15, earning $214,000.
Candace Oehler
Tag Ridings | 239 PGA TOUR events | PGA TOUR Champions Rookie
“Half the players are from other countries, so who cares if they didn’t play the PGA TOUR ? You’re drawing all the talent from everywhere around the world. That’s what we’re basing our marketing on anyway. So that doesn’t seem like the real reason for it. People want to reward the PGA TOUR players? Good. That’s what you’re doing, right? Then reward more of them. Give more starts, give more players access, right? Increase the field to 90 players a week.”
Mark Hensby | 193 PGA TOUR starts | moved to U.S. from Australia in 1994
“I think that when you got guys who played the tour for 20 years and they can’t get a spot, I mean, sure, they could go and earn a Q-School spot, but if you played, made $20 million on the PGA TOUR , I mean, I thought that’s what this tour was all about.
“Now, in saying all that, it’s always been a closed shop, but now they’re really closing it up. It’s really tough, but all tours are doing it now.
“And you know, I think that to sell pro am spots, they probably need some name players that people are familiar with.”
Identity Crisis?
A key issue is how to brand PGA TOUR Champions. It was initially established to keep legends like Jack Niklous, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Gary Player relevant in the game at a time there was no Tour pension. It has since evolved with large purses, sponsors and important charitable components.
Said Harrington, “It is a seriously complicated issue, you know, how do you see the Champions Tour? As a regular tour? It certainly isn’t.”
According to Flesch, the first player meeting in Hawaii last January focused on Tour identity and mission statement.
“What are we?” he recalled asking. “We were like, are we the most over-50 competitive tour in the world or are we ambassadors for the PGA TOUR ?
They ultimately decided that “best over-50,” in his words, “wasn’t going to cut it.”
To sustain selling two Pro Ams each week requires “name” golfers that sponsors know and want to partner with.
“Do they want to watch on TV and do they have some level of recognition?” asked Barber. “Which in turn, you know, if you’re trying to sell this tour, I’m not saying it makes it easy, but it makes it a little easier.”
Flesch noted that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the biggest days of the week for PGA TOUR Champions, and that they have found their niche in smaller and mid-sized markets where the PGA TOUR doesn’t compete.
The identity debate – PGA TOUR retirement reward or performance reward regardless of Tour – is reminiscent of the classic Saturday Night Live skit in which Dan Akyrod and Gilda Radner argue ferociously about whether New Shimmer is a floor wax or a dessert topping. Chevy Chase solves it all with “Calm down, you two. New Shimmer is both a floor wax AND a dessert topping!”
Perhaps PGA TOUR Champions will find it can be both.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/candaceoehler/2025/11/25/pga-tour-champions-announces-major-changes-ahead/
