"Reduced Playing Opportunities"

Golfweek's Rex Hoggard on the emerging FedEx Cup schedule:

At the heart of the Tour's new FedEx Cup schedule is a Tour Championship that wraps up in mid-September, essentially shortening what was a 12-month season. To a middle-of-the-pack player, "shorter season" is Tour talk for "fewer playing opportunities."

The Tour has countered that perception with a Fall Series that will be played after the Tour Championship and mainly feature players vying for their Tour cards. But the circuit has been slow to release the Fall portion of next year's lineup, a sign sponsors probably aren't flocking to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., to pony up a few million dollars to host what could essentially be the first stage of Q-School.

Although the phrase "reduced playing opportunities" has become a conversation killer around Tour headquarters, the reality is that the majority of PAC and Policy Board members ascended to the Tour via Q-School or the Nationwide Tour, and some of these players wonder what impact the schedule changes will have on the access for futures graduates.

"My biggest concern during this whole process is playing opportunities for these guys," said a PAC member. "We want the best field we can every week, but it's going to get to the point that there are only 12 Nationwide (graduates) who get to play regularly during the summer."