* – Denotes a player who finished in the top 125 of the money list.
Bold text – Denotes a player who won in 2001.
- 1. Winners of PGA Championship or U.S. Open prior to 1970 or in the last 10 calendar years (Beginning in 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)
Steve Elkington* (2007) – moves to cat 2 in 2006
Ernie Els* (2007)
Davis Love III* (2007)- Tiger Woods* (2007) – moves to cat 3 in 2006
- Mark Brooks* (2006)
- Steve Jones (2006)
- John Daly* (2005) – moves to cat 4 in 2002
- Lee Janzen* (2005) – moves to cat 2 in 2004
- Corey Pavin* (2005)
Vijay Singh* (2005) – moves to cat 3 in 2004
Nick Price* (2004)- Paul Azinger* (2003)
- Tom Kite (2002)
Kite mostly retired from the PGA Tour after turning 50 in 1999.
Retief Goosen and David Toms were promoted to this category after their wins and earned exemptions through 2006.
- 2. Winners of the THE PLAYERS Championship in the last 10 calendar years. (Beginning In 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)
- Justin Leonard* (2007) – moves to cat 4 in 2004
- Greg Norman (2007) – moves to cat 5 in 2005
- Fred Couples (2006)
- Hal Sutton* (2005)
- David Duval* (2004)
- 3. Winners of the Masters Tournament in the last 10 calendar years. (Beginning in 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)
Nick Faldo (2006)- Ben Crenshaw (2005)
José María Olazábal* (2004)
Bernhard Langer* (2003)- Mark O'Meara* (2003)
Ian Woosnam declined membership.
- 4. Winners of the British Open in the last 10 calendar years (1990-present). (Beginning In 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)
- Tom Lehman* (2006)
Paul Lawrie declined membership. Ian Baker-Finch essentially retired in 1997.
David Duval received an exemption through 2006 for his win, but would remain in cat 2 until 2005.
- 5. Winners of the NEC World Series of Golf in the last 10 calendar years. (Beginning in 1998, this is a three-year exemption.)
- Phil Mickelson* (2006)
- Fulton Allem (2003)
- Craig Stadler (2002)
- Tom Purtzer
- 6. THE TOUR Championship winners in the last three years, beginning with the 1998 winner
Mike Weir was promoted to this category after his win and earned an exemption through 2004.
- 7. Winners of World Golf Championship events, beginning in 1999 (a three-year exemption)
Mike Weir* (2003)- Jeff Maggert* (2002)
Darren Clarke declined membership.
Steve Stricker was promoted to this category after his win and earned an exemption through 2004.
- 8. The leader in PGA TOUR official earnings in each of the last five calendar years
- 9. Winners of PGA TOUR cosponsored or approved events (except team events) within the last two calendar years, or during the current year; winners receive an additional year of exemption for each additional win, up to five years.
- Robert Allenby* (2003)
- Notah Begay III (2003)
Jesper Parnevik* (2003)- Billy Andrade* (2002)
- Jim Carter (2002)
- Stewart Cink* (2002)
- Michael Clark II (2002)
- Chris DiMarco* (2002)
- Brad Faxon* (2002)
Carlos Franco* (2002)- Jim Furyk* (2002)
- Dudley Hart* (2002)
- John Huston* (2002)
- Steve Lowery* (2002)
- Rocco Mediate* (2002)
- Dennis Paulson* (2002)
- Loren Roberts* (2002)
- Rory Sabbatini* (2002)
- Tom Scherrer (2002)
- David Toms* (2002)
- Kirk Triplett* (2002)
- Scott Verplank* (2002)
- Duffy Waldorf* (2002)
- Stuart Appleby*
- Rich Beem*
- Olin Browne*
- Glen Day*
- Brent Geiberger*
- Brian Henninger
- Tim Herron*
- Gabriel Hjertstedt
- J. L. Lewis*
- Billy Mayfair*
- Tom Pernice Jr.*
- Jeff Sluman*
- Ted Tryba
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 22 | Jeff Sluman | B. C. Open |
| Aug 5 | Tom Pernice Jr. | The International |
Sixteen players moved into this category during the season. Robert Allenby, José Cóceres, Joe Durant, Bob Estes, Sergio García, and Scott Hoch earned exemptions through 2004 with multiple wins.
Hjertstedt and Tryba finished in the 126–150 range and, unsuccessful at Q School, settled for conditional status in 2002. Henninger finished outside the top 150 and, also unsuccessful at Q School, fell to past champion status (for good).
- 10. Members of the last-named U.S. Ryder Cup team
Pate finished outside the top 150 and fell to past champion status.
- 11a. Career money exemptions – top 50
- 11a. Career money exemptions – top 25
- 19. Life members
Both focused on the senior tour.
- 20. Top 125 from money list
- Steve Flesch*
- Mark Calcavecchia*
- Franklin Langham
- Chris Perry*
- Bob May*
- Scott Hoch*
Shigeki Maruyama*
Grant Waite*- Jonathan Kaye*
- Greg Chalmers*
- Sergio García*
- Scott Dunlap*
- Blaine McCallister
- Skip Kendall*
- Kenny Perry*
- Frank Lickliter*
- Andrew Magee
- J. P. Hayes*
- Fred Funk*
- Jerry Kelly*
Jean van de Velde- Len Mattiace*
Stephen Ames*- Carl Paulson*
- Kevin Sutherland*
- Robert Damron*
- Brad Elder
Esteban Toledo*- Paul Stankowski*
- Chris Riley*
- Joel Edwards*
- Joe Durant*
- Ed Fryatt*
- Harrison Frazar*
- Matt Gogel*
- Greg Kraft*
- Jay Don Blake*
- Russ Cochran
- Bill Glasson
- Bob Estes*
- John Cook*
- Joe Ogilvie
- Tom Byrum
- Mark Wiebe
- Craig Parry*
- David Sutherland
- Scott McCarron*
- Brandel Chamblee*
- Woody Austin*
- Glen Hnatiuk*
- Brian Gay*
- Bradley Hughes
- Shaun Micheel
- Neal Lancaster*
- Pete Jordan
- Doug Barron
- Jay Williamson*
- David Peoples*
- Larry Mize*
- Steve Stricker*
- Bob Tway*
- Robin Freeman
- Jimmy Green
- Mathew Goggin
- Jerry Smith*
- Gary Nicklaus
- Brandt Jobe*
- Paul Goydos
- Tommy Armour III
- Naomichi Ozaki
- Doug Dunakey
- Bob Burns
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 7 | Steve Stricker | WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship |
| Jan 28 | Mark Calcavecchia | Phoenix Open |
| Feb 18 | Joe Durant | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic |
| Mar 4 | Joe Durant (2) | Genuity Championship |
| Apr 1 | Scott McCarron | BellSouth Classic |
| Apr 29 | Scott Hoch | Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic |
| May 13 | Robert Damron | Verizon Byron Nelson Classic |
| May 20 | Sergio García | MasterCard Colonial |
| May 28 | Frank Lickliter | Kemper Insurance Open |
| Jun 25 | Sergio García (2) | Buick Classic |
| Jul 8 | Scott Hoch (2) | Advil Western Open |
| Jul 15 | Shigeki Maruyama | Greater Milwaukee Open |
| Aug 12 | Kenny Perry | Buick Open |
| Aug 26 | John Cook | Reno–Tahoe Open |
| Sep 2 | Joel Edwards | Air Canada Championship |
| Oct 14 | Bob Estes | Invensys Classic |
Hughes, Elder, Byrum, Jordan, Goydos, Cochran, Burns, Micheel, Ogilvie, Langham, Wiebe, Goggin, and McCallister finished in the 126–150 range. Langham and Wiebe received medical extensions. Elder, Jordan, Cochran, Burns, Micheel, and McCallister were successful in Q School, while the rest fell to the conditional category for 2002.
Ozaki, Freeman, van de Velde, Armour, Green, Nicklaus, Glasson, Magee, Barron, Dunakey, and Sutherland finished outside the top 150. Magee used a top 50 career money exemption for 2002; Sutherland received a major medical extension and Barron a minor. Freeman, Armour, and Nicklaus were successful in Q School. Glasson fell to past champion status. Ozaki, van de Velde, Green, and Dunakey became non-members and would not reach the PGA Tour again.
- 21. Non-member top 125
- Miguel Ángel Jiménez* (first-time member)
Thomas Bjørn, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Phillip Price, and Pádraig Harrington declined membership.
- 22. Major Medical Extension
- Scott Simpson* (29)
- Billy Ray Brown (25)
- Mark McCumber (19)
- Ed Fiori (4)
Simpson met his terms in May. Fiori fell to past champion status after his extension ended in July. Brown and McCumber received carry-overs.
- 23. Buy.com Tour leading money-winner
McRoy finished in the 126–150 range and, unsuccessful at Q School, fell to conditional status for 2002.
- 25. Q School top 35, Buy.com Tour 2-15
- Stephen Allan (rookie)
- Mark Hensby (rookie)
- Brian Wilson (rookie)
- Tim Clark (rookie)
- David Morland IV
- Briny Baird*
- Tommy Tolles
- Ian Leggatt (rookie)
- Kevin Johnson (rookie)
- Chris Smith*
- Andrew McLardy (rookie)
- Kent Jones
- Cameron Beckman*
- Tripp Isenhour (rookie)
- Hunter Haas (rookie)
- Paul Gow* (rookie)
Richie Coughlan- John Riegger
- Craig Perks*
- David Berganio Jr.*
- Bart Bryant
- Jeff Gallagher
- Garrett Willis* (rookie)
- J. J. Henry* (rookie)
- Jeremy Anderson (rookie)
- Kelly Grunewald (rookie)
- Geoff Ogilvy* (rookie)
- Jeff Hart
- Jason Gore (rookie)
- Fred Wadsworth
- Ben Ferguson (rookie)
- Kaname Yokoo* (rookie)
- Frank Nobilo*
- Sean Murphy
- Cliff Kresge (rookie)
- Chris Tidland (rookie)
- Lee Porter
- Michael Muehr* (rookie)
- Craig Barlow*
- Rocky Walcher
- Danny Ellis (rookie)
- Jeff Julian
- Craig Kanada
- Keith Clearwater
- Brent Schwarzrock
- Mike Sposa*
K. J. Choi*
Emanuele Canonica (rookie)- Dicky Pride
- Per-Ulrik Johansson* (rookie)
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 15 | Garrett Willis | Touchstone Energy Tucson Open |
| Nov 4 | Cameron Beckman | Southern Farm Bureau Classic |
Those who finished in the 126–150 range were Leggatt, Porter, Riegger, Schwarzrock, Tolles, Isenhour, and Morland. Of these, Leggatt, Porter, Riegger, and Schwarzrock were all successful in Q School; Schwarzrock also received a medical extension. Tolles, Isenhour, and Morland had to settle for conditional status.
Ellis, Kresge, Hart, Pride, Johnson, Tidland, Ferguson, Gore, Wilson, Allan, Hensby, Canonica, Kanada, McLardy, Haas, Anderson, Jones, Coughlan, Bryant, Clearwater, Grunewald, Julian, Murphy, Walcher, Clark, Gallagher, and Wadsworth finished outside the top 150. Ellis, Allan, and Jones were successful in Q School. Bryant, Clark, Gallagher, and Wadsworth received major medical extensions, and Coughlan a minor. Pride and Clearwater settled for past champion status (for good, in Clearwater's case). The other 17 became non-members; Ferguson, Wilson, Canonica, Anderson, Grunewald, Julian, Murphy, and Walcher would not reach the PGA Tour again.
- Reshuffle medical
- Marco Dawson (20)
- Brett Wetterich (20)
- Jeff Brehaut (28)
All three remained on medicals for the entire season and received carry-overs. Wetterich and Brehaut also made it through Q School.
- 26. Three-time Buy.com Tour winners in the current year
Three players achieved this:
- 27. Minor Medical Extension
- Craig Bowden (4)
- John Restino (11)
Bowden's extension expired in July and he became a non-member. Restino's lasted the entire season, but he finished outside the top 150 and would not reach the PGA Tour again.
- 28. 126–150 from money list
Five players finished inside the top 125. None finished in the 126–150 range.
The remaining players all finished outside the top 150. Wentworth received a medical extension. Fehr, Reid, McGovern, and Gamez fell to past champion status in 2002 (for good, in Fehr and Reid's cases). Spence, Stockton, Cheesman, and Bates became non-members; only Stockton would reach the PGA Tour again.
- 29. Non-exempt medical extension
- Phil Tataurangi (17)
Tataurangi was granted a carry-over for 2002, and he also made it through Q School.
- Notable past champions
The following past champions finished in the top 200 of the money list:
The only past champion to earn better status for 2002 was Richard Zokol, who finished in the top 15 of the Buy.com Tour. Of those listed, only Hammond would earn better status in the future.
- Notable non-members
The following non-members won on the PGA Tour and accepted membership:
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 16 | José Cóceres | WorldCom Classic |
| Jun 18 | Retief Goosen | U.S. Open |
| Jul 29 | David Gossett | John Deere Classic |
| Oct 21 | José Cóceres (2) | National Car Rental Golf Classic |
The following non-members finished the equivalent of top 200 on the money list, including earnings in WGCs (^ denotes those eligible for full PGA Tour membership in 2002):
- Charles Howell III^
Darren Clarke^- Niclas Fasth^
- Pierre Fulke^
- Toru Taniguchi^
- Matt Kuchar^
- Toshimitsu Izawa^
Colin Montgomerie- Pádraig Harrington
Ángel Cabrera- Michael Campbell
- Shingo Katayama
Ian Woosnam- Bryce Molder
Thomas Bjørn- Nick O'Hern
- Paul McGinley
- Andrew Coltart
- Phillip Price
- Ian Poulter
- Adam Scott
- Michael Allen
Mikko Ilonen- Peter Lonard
Howell and Kuchar accepted membership for 2002, while Clarke, Fasth, Fulke, Taniguchi, and Izawa declined. Izawa accepted STM in May, Howell in June, Cabrera in July, Kuchar in September.
Allen and Lonard made it through Q School; Molder was unsuccessful.
- Other notes
Nineteen players not listed made it from the Buy.com Tour to the PGA Tour for 2002 (14 via the money list, 5 via Q School). Besides Lonard, mentioned in the preceding section, 11 players with no PGA Tour or Buy.com Tour status in 2001 made it through Q School (including European Tour player John Senden and Japan Golf Tour players Eduardo Herrera and Hidemichi Tanaka).