Tiger Woods reckons proposed changes to how players get their PGA Tour cards might force amateurs to turn pro earlier.
Under a new proposal by the Tour, the qualifying school will no longer be the main avenue for graduating into the paid ranks. Instead, players would have to spend a season on the Nationwide Tour and earn status through a three-event series combining the top 75 Nationwide Tour players and the first 75 PGA Tour players failing to maintain status.
"It's probably more advantageous to turn pro a little bit earlier now because we don't have that - if it does get passed - you don't have that Q-School carrot at the end of it," Woods said Tuesday.
Patrick Cantlay is the latest promising amateur to turn pro and will make his second professional appearance this week at the AT&T National.
Woods reckons the 20-year-old is going about things the right way.
"I think that gives you the best chance," he said. "You play the Masters. You get the U.S. Open. You get a couple majors under your belt. You get to play with your team in college, play your entire collegiate schedule. And now you've got a lot of tournaments under your belt, and then go ahead and turn pro and try and get your card."
For Woods, the decision to make the step up was based on one round in particular that seemed to indicate he had the game required - a five-under 66 in the second round of the Open Championship at Royal Lytham.
"One of the things that I conversed with my dad at the time is that I didn't quite feel I was quite good enough to be a pro yet, until I played the British Open at Lytham and had a really good I think second round," he said.
"It gave me a good sign that, you know what, I think I can do this."
golf365.com