Opportunities! PGA Tour Trying To Help Its Starving Millennials

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Debatable is the pure genius it took to commit golf to an exhausting, annoying, neverending wraparound schedule at the expense of the common sense that says every entertainment product needs to go away for a bit. Not debatable was the new calendar year's schedule's discrimination against younger players and the PGA Tour's ever-expanding list of medical exemptions clogging fields each week.

But as Rex Hoggard reports, the PGA Tour has listened to their critics and is working hard to expand fall fields and lessen the role of the medicallty exempt. This doesn't solve the problem of pro golf as a year-round enterprise that annoys in its persistence (especially compared to other sports), but it's at least a righting of the inequity that has arisen for up-and-coming players.

All told, the Tour has added up to 180 new playing opportunities next fall and the circuit’s moves have already started paying off. Last week in Las Vegas 13 more players from the Web.com Tour category received a spot in the field compared to last season and this week at Sea Island 25 more are on the tee sheet.

“We’re looking at everything to get more Web.com Tour guys into tournaments top to bottom,” Finchem said.

“We are doing some things and will watch it for a year or maybe two and see where it comes out.”

The Tour also plans to adjust the major medical exemption category to increase access for the Web.com Tour graduates. Beginning with the 2014-15 season, medical exemptions will be capped at three seasons unless there are “extreme circumstances” which should, over time, reduce a category that has grown to 14 players this season.

Revamped TPC Scottsdale Re-Opens November 14th

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From an unbylined PGATour.com story, the TPC Scottsdale has been revamped by Tom Weiskopf and re-opens November 14th. It sounds like the big changes were made on the front nine which probably won't upset anyone, as the course has always felt a little back-nine heavy.

From the item:

The course renovation has included resurfacing all greens; relocation of select greens, tees, and bunkers; reshaping of bunkers and tee complexes; new cart paths; desert landscaping enhancements and a new irrigation system. The redesign resulted in strategic changes on all 18 holes. Easily recognizable changes are new green locations on hole Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 14 and significant fairway and green complex modifications on No. 13.

This part doesn't get me so excited, especially for a desert course where the bunkers have always fit the landscape and native areas.

The renovated bunkers will feature white sand, which will add a dramatic new look to the course. More than 250 trees have been planted for both strategic and aesthetic value.