Do PGA Tour Players Abuse Medical Extensions?

by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 3, 2010 2:08 PM EDT in Pro Golf

If you head over to PGATour.com, Rob Bolton maintains a list of the walking wounded of the Tour - the guys that have applied for and received some kind of medical extension. The concept is unique to golf: a player can get hurt, obtain a medical extension, and be given an opportunity (determined by a formula) to make a certain amount of money to maintain status on Tour.

Currently, there are eighteen players with some kind of medical extension on the PGA Tour. But is that far too many? Adam Schupak explored the question in a Golfweek special report this week.

The medical extension was created in 1985 when Jim Nelford asked for help after suffering a nearly fatal accident while water skiing. Steve Jones said that compared to Nelford's injury, "Of the guys hurt now, not one of them would’ve been granted one back then."

Curiously enough, the Champions Tour refused to grant an extension to Ken Green, who suffered a very similar unfortunate accident. Players like Greg Kraft insist that the Tour's administrative function which arbitrates these requests is inconsistent.

Schupak details how players are encouraged to not use their extension period until they feel absolutely healthy enough to begin. After all, medical extensions do not expire. Some players are accused of milking the indeterminate amount of time available to use the extensions in combination with the Tour's version of workman's comp - a disability policy that can be used for three years.

It's important to note that Schupak's piece(s) don't name names. No particular player is implicated. And the list available on PGATour.com only speaks to players currently on the list. Who knows what happens with old lists.

The whispers on Tour practice ranges vary in subjects, and this is one of them. The pro's code, though, probably prohibits the names on the tongues of accusing players from every being audible.

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Comments

How can you abuse something that you have to apply to get and have to show proof of the problem ? How can 18 of somewhere around 240 players be “too many” ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Aug 3, 2010 2:17 PM EDT reply actions

Because the Tour grants exemptions, so they can be more or less lenient as they choose

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by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 3, 2010 2:26 PM EDT reply actions

Ok – once again – how can 18 be “too many” if they are granted and have to be applied for ? The PGA Tour is built of the players, by the players and fore…ooops…for the players. If you have earned a card – you get the benefits.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Aug 3, 2010 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I have to agree with court.

If anything, the PGA is being far too lienent in granting exemptions, which is no fault of the player.

Adam Fonseca

by Adam Fonseca on Aug 3, 2010 2:34 PM EDT reply actions

Doesn't tennis have something similar?

by WendyUK on Aug 3, 2010 2:35 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t think so. Tennis doesn’t use a money list like golf. They work pretty much on the rankings.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Aug 3, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I meant some kind of medical forgiveness

by WendyUK on Aug 3, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Nope – once you stop playing for whatever reason, your ranking points start to fall off. Tennis doesn’t have a money list and an annual tour card thing like golf. You just build your ranking and work your way up the ladder into bigger and bigger tournaments

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Aug 3, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Are you frikin kiddin me...

MEDICAL FORGIVENESS ? We’uns are talkin about EXEMPTIONS…forgiveness is for wifes to give their husbuns…..or somthin like that…like if they forgot a birthday or such….Jeech !! STUB

by thinker on Aug 3, 2010 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions

this is silly

The Tour (all of them) should allow an injured player to keep his/her card during recovery and rehab. The injured Tour player should not be allowed to participate in Tour events until rehab is complete.

"(I)f you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated." Saul Alinsky

by dianemarie on Aug 3, 2010 3:04 PM EDT reply actions

They don’t – and they are granted a number of tournaments once they return to make enough money to get inside the top 125 from the year they got the exemption.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Aug 3, 2010 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I have been following Ken Green's story...

and think it’s a shame that he was denied an exemption for his tragic accident. After reading and researching the situation, the reason Green was denied was because he was only a partially exempt player on the Champions Tour at the time and their policy dictated that medical exemptions are only for fully exempt players on that tour. I remember reading a quote by someone on the Admin level saying that if they said yes to Green there could be literally dozens of other players qualifying for the exemption, not to mention the many who have been denied in the past for their partially exempt status.

While I guess there is some merit in their argument, I still believe Green deserved to at least get an extention on the time remaining on his partial exemption from the date of his accident to the date he started a Champions Tour event.

I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.

by red tees on Aug 4, 2010 8:32 AM EDT reply actions