The PGA of America announced it is tying up a loophole in its eligibility classifications for the Professional Club Championship, one that drew the ire of some of its membership. Call it the Omar Uresti rule.
The PGA Board of Directors approved a change to the eligibility classification for the PGA Professional Championship and the NCR Assistant Professional Championship that makes its Life Members ineligible from those competitions.
“The Committee felt strongly that the PGA Professional Championship is for working PGA Professionals in an active classification,” the PGA said in a release. “Reverting back to the standards in place prior to 2006 when Life Members were not eligible for the PGA Professional Championship was determined to be the best way to align with the Committee’s perspective; however, Life Members will remain eligible for the Senior PGA Professional Championship.”
Uresti, 53, was vilified on social media and criticized within the club pro fraternity for taking advantage of the rules to compete in the championship despite not working full-time as a club professional and earning one of the coveted exemptions given to the top-20 finishers in the competition into the PGA Championship.
Uresti turned professional in 1991 and played 11 full seasons on the PGA Tour, making 380 starts and earning nearly $4 million. Along the way, he earned PGA Class A status by being a member of the PGA Tour for 20 years, but he and others who took advantage of the “Life Member Active” category worked in a non-traditional role compared to the majority of the field. It became a sensitive topic as Uresti won the title in 2017 and 2021 and also finished among the top 20 to qualify for the PGA Championship in 2015, 2016 and 2018 (the 2020 championship was canceled due to COVID-19). Uresti never qualified for the PGA Championship until using this loophole via the PGA Professional Championship.
The PGA Tournament Committee vetted the eligibility change for the past year when reviewing guidelines for the PGA Professional Championship. Prior to the change in eligibility standards, the competition was open to any PGA member who is a Class A PGA professional and made less than 10 starts on professional tours (including developmental and senior tours) during the last 12 months, not including majors.
These changes will start with the 2022 Section Championships that advance players into the 2022 NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship and into the 2023 PGA Professional Championship. These changes do not affect the eligibility of players in the 2022 PGA Professional Championship.
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