Europe’s 10 players trying to get to the PGA Tour face a tough road. Jordan Smith wants his chance

Tom McKibbin earned the 10th and final PGA Tour card from the Race to Dubai standings on the European tour last year. He joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf in late January, too late for the player who was 11th on the list – Jordan Smith – to take his place and get a PGA Tour card.

Maybe it was just as well.

Of the nine players (minus McKibbin) who took PGA Tour cards this year, only Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark has secured his U.S. card for 2026.

Hojgaard, the top qualifier among last year’s class, also is the only one so far to keep cards on both tours. He is No. 34 in Europe and playing the DP World Tour Championship this week. He also played in his first Ryder Cup.

Two tournaments remain for the other eight to finish in the top 100 of the FedEx Cup (or win) to keep full status. Thorbjorn Olesen is looking good at No. 95 in the FedEx Cup (he also kept his European tour status at No. 98).

Jesper Svensson of Sweden is at No. 121. No one else from that group is in the top 50. Paul Waring of England had to effectively shut down his year in July with a shoulder injury.

Getting starts was not the problem. Except for Waring, who played 12 times before his injury, the average number of PGA Tour starts for the European tour graduates was about 20. The bigger issue was no access to the $20 million signature events with elevated FedEx Cup points.

Hojgaard played three of them – two as the top qualifier from Europe, and the Truist Championship as one of the top five players not already eligible in events leading up to it.

As for Smith?

He was annoyed by the circumstances of last year. Everyone knew McKibbin was contemplating a jump to LIV Golf. But the PGA Tour season had already started and the 10 players were locked in. Smith has said getting to the PGA Tour “is a big goal of mine.”

“It’s just one of those things you have to take on the chin and use it as fuel to get one of those cards the next time,” Smith told the Daily Mail in June.

Smith currently is No. 15 in the Race to Dubai and holding down what would be the 10th spot to earn a PGA Tour card going into the season finale this week. Smith has a 135-point lead over Martin Couvra of France and a 174-point lead over Daniel Hillier.

LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler made his first big hire as he builds an executive team, bringing in Monica Fee from LIV Golf to be the chief sales and partnerships officer. Fee will oversee the tour’s global sales and partnership strategy, which includes title sponsorships and commercial assets.

“Monica brings incredible energy, a ton of passion for golf and leading teams, and a reputation for delivering results,” Kessler said.

Fee was part of the executive team that helped launch the Saudi-funded league. She joined LIV Golf in December 2021 as senior vice president and head of global partnerships to oversee sales, partner management and brand development.

Previously, she had spent 15 years at CAA Sports in a key sales role.

“The LPGA is at an extraordinary moment in its history, one defined by momentum, purpose and global opportunity,” Fee said. “I’m excited to help shape its next chapter by building partnerships that elevate women’s golf and connect the LPGA’s values with leading brands around the world.”

Sahith Theegala came into the season at No. 13 in the world. With two tournaments remaining, he is on the verge of falling out of the top 100.

Theegala had a neck injury in May that cost him about two months and forced him to withdraw from two majors, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. He returned at the British Open and missed his next three cuts.

Theegala is exempt for 2026 as a tournament winner, but he is not in the majors next year. His last top-10 finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for seventh in Napa, California, in September 2024.

Longtime Acushnet Company executive Peter Broome is the latest to be conferred an honorary member of the PGA of America, the 13th person to receive the honor dating to 1962. Broome was senior vice president of the Acushnet Company.

“To join former U.S. Presidents and other golf luminaries on this short list of PGA Honorary Members is humbling and overwhelming,” Broome said. “It has been both a personal and professional honor and privilege to support and promote PGA members who are at the epicenter of the game. My career led me to Acushnet, which shared the same belief in the important role of the PGA Member.”

Broome, a Montreal native, was an assistant pro at Canadian clubs while at McGill University. He became a key figure in the golf industry worldwide during his 30 years at Acushnet.

He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in August 2024, which led to starting the Bridge Foundation for research and treatment of Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Ben Griffin became the third straight World Wide Technology Championship winner with a 63 in the final round. … The LPGA Tour has granted a waiver for 17-year-old Gianna Clemente to compete in the Q-Series next month as she tries to earn a card. Clemente first gained a measure of fame when she made it through Monday qualifying for three straight LPGA events at age 14. … This was the second straight year the Toto Japan Classic was shortened to 54 holes because of weather. … The Tommy Fleetwood Academy is expanding in the United Arab Emirates. Fleetwood already has one in Dubai. Now he is opening another one at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, where he was runner-up last week. … Commercial property insurance company FM, already an LPGA title sponsor with one of the largest non-major prize funds, signed Lottie Woad to a corporate deal. Woad won in her pro debut this summer and already is No. 10 in the women’s world ranking.

Three of the five winners in the FedEx Cup Fall played on the U.S. Ryder Cup team – Scottie Scheffler (Procore Championship), Xander Schauffele (Baycurrent Classic) and Ben Griffin (World Wide Technology Championship).

“I’m not going to sit here and just try to admire it. I’m going to keep using each event as fuel for the next one and continue to work really hard. That’s what Tiger Woods always did, what Scottie Scheffler’s doing. I’ve got to continue doing all the right things to be great.” – Ben Griffin after winning in Mexico for his third title this year.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf