By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Aberdonian speaks out about demands on golfers late in season after playing 11 weeks in a row to retain card
David Law believes the latter part of the regular DP World Tour season “needs to change” after feeling that players battling it out for various reasons are being left exhausted.
The Aberdonian just held on to his Category 10 card after playing 11 weeks in a row, a marathon stretch that started in Denmark in mid-August and ended in Korea last week.
American Sean Crocker, who claimed the final Category 10 card after the Genesis Championship on Sunday, did likewise and spoke about how he’d been away from home for 12 weeks in total.
“The one thing I feel is that the schedule needs to change a little bit on the tour,” Law, delighted to have joined Calum Hill, Grant Forrest, Ewen Ferguson, Bob MacIntyre, Scott Jamieson and Connor Syme in securing his full status for the 2027 campaign, told The Scotsman.
“I think having 11 weeks in a row at the end of the year when you have guys fighting for jobs, guys fighting for PGA Tour cards and guys fighting to get into the Play-Offs is a bit much.
“I think finishing the season off after we’ve been in Europe for so long to go out to India and Korea with the time difference and have those as the last two counting events is pretty poor, to be honest.
“I just feel it’s not fair on guys in the situation I found myself in to be expected to play that much, especially with the uncertainty of those entry lists, which were staying so high for so long.”
While Law is looking forward to spending four weeks at home before starting the new campaign in Australia at the end of next month, players who fell short in the card battle are now set to be involved in this week’s Second Stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School in Spain.
“I’m absolutely done in, both physically and mentally,” declared Law, who played in 30 events during the year, with only a handful of players having teed up more than the 35-year-old. “If I didn’t keep my card and had to go to the Q School next week, I don’t think I’d have any chance of competing, to be honest, and I know there are 20-30 guys who are in the exact same boat as me.
“Mental health and well being and stuff like that is spoken about a lot these days and I don’t think that last closing stretch is fair on the players and I think something needs to change.”
Next year’s schedule has already been announced - the final regular event will still be in the Far East, though a trip to Hong Kong rather than Korea - but changes could be afoot in 2028.
“Next season, I have a huge motivation to make sure I am not in the same position again and, hopefully, this time next year I am gearing up for going to the Middle East rather than trying to keep my card,” said Law, the 2019 ISPS HANDA Vic Open winner.
This season, Law played in two Rolex Series events - the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the BMW PGA Championship - but missed out on the Genesis Scottish Open. However, he added: "Finishing in the top 100 makes a big difference in terms of scheduling and playing in the bigger events next year."
