In the first stage of the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, an aspiring kid from Wake Forest named William Patrick Zalatoris missed advancement by two strokes. Undeterred, he followed his own way to professional golf, utilizing open qualifiers during the 2019 KFT season. Despite several achievements and strong finishes on that developmental circuit, Willy Z was still obscure in the world of golf until the September 2020 U.S. Open, when he tied for sixth with then-No 1 Dustin Johnson. Special temporary membership ensued in early November, and five months later, he did one better, finishing second only to Hideki Matsuyama at the Masters. Despite these smash successes, which resulted in over a thousand non-member FedEx Cup points (without World Golf Championships credit, no less!), Zalatoris missed out on the FedEx Cup Playoffs. That's because he didn't have a win on the 2020-21 PGA Tour season, and his win at the 2020 TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour carried no traction

I admit I hadn't know anything about Willy Z's accomplishments until the aforementioned U.S. Open, but what he did over the season warranted a place in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the PGA Tour rules don't allow that right now, as they seem more interested in protecting current members, even those whose day has come and gone, from losing their cards. Furthermore, the FedEx Cup bonus pool is closed off to non-members, even those who achieve Special Temporary Membership and subsequently earn enough points to get their cards.

Although it is too late to allow Willy Z into the 2021 Playoffs or grant him bonus-pool money, it is possible to avert future snubs such as what he faced. Hence, speaking as a devoted fan of lesser known golfers--especially those often called "grinders" for their seemingly (as yet) thankless but dedicated toil--be it resolved:

1. That future non-members of the PGA Tour with at least as many non-WGC points as the 125th-placed member has total points (including WGC) be allowed to enter the Playoffs, thereby opening the postseason to less established golfers who may come from the developmental circuits or other first-tier tours (such as the European Tour, which DOES allow non-members to participate in its Race to Dubai, especially those in the top 75 of the world rankings); and

2. That Special Temporary Members who accrue enough points overall to earn their cards be allowed FedEx Cup bonus money in proportion to their non-WGC points standing as though they were members.

Let's give the deserving new kids on the block their due!

Edward Genereux