'It Has Certainly Not Been The Kamikaze Policy Many Feared It Would Be' - Has The DP World Tour's Pathway To The PGA Tour Been A Success?
The DP World Tour's top 10 cards initiative has been controversial, but also very successful for a number of players. Do our writers think it has been a positive?
'Inside The Ropes' is the chance for Golf Monthly's expert team to share its honest thoughts on the biggest subjects in the game. This time, we discuss the DP World Tour's controversial pathway to the PGA Tour.
The DP World Tour's 10 cards initiative was introduced in 2023 as a way of giving its members more playing, and financial, opportunities courtesy of an official pathway to the PGA Tour.
The scheme has had plenty of critics, who believe a tour giving away its 10 best players is bad for business, but it has had lots of successes, too.
Ryan Fox, Robert MacIntyre, Min Woo Lee, Kristoffer Reitan and Matthieu Pavon are among the players to have made good use of the pathway over the years, but what do we think about it? Is it working on the whole? Or should it be tweaked, or even scrapped, going forward ahead of the PGA Tour's two-tier system in 2028?
Our tour experts discuss below...and be sure to let us know your view in the comments section at the bottom of the article.
I wasn't initially a fan of the programme, but I've actually come around over the last few months.
Most who are opposed to it point to how bad DP World Tour fields are between February and August (with a few exceptions like the Scottish Open), and that's objectively true, but it's hardly as if Alex Noren, Kristoffer Reitan, Marco Penge and Thriston Lawrence are suddenly going to elevate them into world-class tournaments.
Remember, these are players who don't already have status on the American circuit.
The fact is the PGA Tour dominates in those months and that isn't going to change.
I actually think it's been interesting watching these players compete on the PGA Tour and added another dimension to the coverage. It also raises their profile to a global audience, which is good when they return to DP World Tour events, as they almost always do.
Europeans who wish to compete in the Ryder Cup must be DPWT members and those from countries like Australia, South Africa and Japan have typically enjoyed playing a global schedule.
It has certainly not been the kamikaze policy many feared it would be.
I believe fans who criticize the pathway and negatively label the DP World Tour as a 'feeder tour' are missing the point.
Yes, giving away your 10 best players is not a dream scenario but it is the reality of where the European Tour finds itself.
Gone are the days of Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and other European greats playing week-in, week-out. The money and the best players are primarily in America, so the DP World Tour is doing right by its members to help them progress to the biggest stage.
The 10 cards initiative has had some huge successes with the likes of Ryan Fox, Robert MacIntyre and Min Woo Lee just to name a few, but for every success story there is five or six failures.
This year, for instance, five of the 10 finished the regular season inside the FedEx Cup top 100 and a few will almost certainly lose their cards straight away.
They'll have had good experience but ultimately poor years for their careers, when they likely would have continued to have success in Europe.
When the PGA Tour's two-tier system comes into play in 2028, I think only one or two should go to the Championship Series and perhaps five should go to the Challenger. Moving to the PGA Tour from Europe is a big step up and a massive learning curve, with new courses and a completely new culture, and many players clearly aren't ready for it.
Instead, they would likely benefit from another season or two in Europe to improve their games and resumes before making the jump as a poor year in America can harm their careers and progress, and some are clearly going over too early.
Has it been a success? 100%. As Nick says, the players remain as DPWT members and return anyway, and most of them will make the September to November events stronger and more intriguing when they come back to play.
In my opinion, I still think 10 cards being offered out is too many and that number could, and should, be reduced by around half, especially as the DP World Tour losing 10 of its best players every year is quite significant.
Is the initiative working? I'm leaning on the side of yes, as some names have really progressed and furthered their careers by earning a PGA Tour card, but there are also a few that haven't.
Let's be honest, the PGA Tour is the circuit to be on, given the prize money and tournaments available. It's so competitive that you do get rewarded for good play and, when the new format comes in for 2028, that will be emphasized further.
What seems to be working is that there's a more clearer system in place, whereby it's almost like a conveyor belt. As the DP World Tour's in-form players move to the PGA Tour, another drop of future stars are coming through.
Do I agree with it? No. I think the DP World Tour is the best circuit in the world and it's a shame that it's unable to benefit from the future stars before they jump to the PGA Tour.
For me, that's why the reduction of cards to around five or six makes sense and should be implemented.
In our Inside The Ropes series, I like to come in with some fairly 'hot' takes. That's not for the sake of it, but because I hold a lot of fairly strong opinions on a range of things within golf, both recreational and professional.
However, 10 PGA Tour cards being awarded to DPWT players is not something I have too strong an opinion on.
I guess what I am trying to say is that it is too early to judge whether this has been a success or a failure. What does success look like? All 10 keeping their cards? If so, we may never see this initiative work.
You can't argue there hasn't been success so far, mainly through Kristoffer Reitan's win at the Truist Championship in May. However, the Norwegian is the only DPWT import to win this year.
Going from a Europe-based DPWT player to a fully-fledged PGA Tour player isn't just a change of tour, it's often a change of life. Your life is different almost entirely - a new city and country to play in, a higher level of competition and a wider variety of courses.
It is also worth mentioning the DPWT lost a heap of talent over the years during the LIV Golf civil war.
To put it bluntly, the DPWT isn't as deep in quality as it once was, so we shouldn't be surprised to see a few of those who qualified for the pathway have struggled Stateside.
What do you think? Join the conversation below.