* – Denotes a player who finished in the top 125 of the money list.
Bold text – Denotes a player who won in 2002.
- 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)
- Retief Goosen* (2006)
- Steve Jones (2006)
- David Toms (2006)*
- 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) – to cat 10 in 2004
- Tom Kite
Kite mostly retired from the PGA Tour after turning 50 in 1999 and fell to past champion status in 2003.
Rich Beem was promoted to this category after his PGA Championship win and earned an exemption through 2007.
- 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
- Fred Couples* (2006)
- David Duval* (2006) – moves to cat 4 in 2005
- Hal Sutton (2005)
Greg Norman declined membership.
Craig Perks was promoted to this category after his win and earned an exemption through 2007.
- 3. Winners of the Masters Tournament in the last 10 calendar years. (Beginning in 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)
- Ben Crenshaw (2005)
José María Olazábal* (2004)
Bernhard Langer* (2003)- Mark O'Meara* (2003)
Nick Faldo declined membership. Ben Crenshaw mostly retired from the PGA Tour after turning 50 in January 2002.
- 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)
- John Daly* (2005)
Paul Lawrie declined membership.
- 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
Stadler finished in the 126–150 range and opted to use a top 50 career money exemption for 2003.
- 6. THE TOUR Championship winners in the last three years, beginning with the 1998 winner
Mike Weir* (2004)
- 7. Winners of World Golf Championship events, beginning in 1999 (a three-year exemption)
- Steve Stricker* (2004)
- Jeff Maggert*
Darren Clarke declined membership.
Kevin Sutherland and Craig Parry were promoted to this category after their wins and earned exemptions through 2005.
- 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* (2004)
José Cóceres (2004)- Joe Durant (2004)
- Bob Estes* (2004)
- Sergio García* (2004)
- Scott Hoch* (2004)
- Cameron Beckman* (2003)
- Notah Begay III* (2003)
- Mark Calcavecchia* (2003) – to cat 10 in 2004
- John Cook* (2003)
- Robert Damron (2003)
- Chris DiMarco* (2003)
- Joel Edwards* (2003)
- Brad Faxon* (2003)
- Jim Furyk* (2003) – to cat 10 in 2004
- David Gossett* (2003)
- Frank Lickliter* (2003)
Shigeki Maruyama* (2003)- Scott McCarron* (2003)
Jesper Parnevik* (2003)- Tom Pernice Jr.* (2003)
- Kenny Perry* (2003)
- Jeff Sluman* (2003)
- Scott Verplank* (2003) – to cat 10 in 2004
- Garrett Willis (2003)
- Billy Andrade*
- Jim Carter*
- Stewart Cink* – to cat 10 in 2003
- Michael Clark II
Carlos Franco*- Dudley Hart*
- John Huston*
- Steve Lowery*
- Rocco Mediate*
- Dennis Paulson
- Loren Roberts*
- Rory Sabbatini*
- Tom Scherrer
- Kirk Triplett*
- Duffy Waldorf*
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 28 | Rocco Mediate | Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic |
| Sep 29 | Loren Roberts | Valero Texas Open |
Besides Rich Beem, who was in this category for two weeks between his wins as The International and the PGA Championship, eighteen players moved into this category during the season. K. J. Choi, Jerry Kelly, and Len Mattiace earned exemptions through 2004 with multiple wins.
Scherrer finished in the 126–150 range and, unsuccessful at Q School, settled for conditional status in 2003. Clark and Paulson finished outside the top 150 and, also unsuccessful at Q School, fell to past champion status (for good, in Clark's case).
- 10. Members of the last-named U.S. Ryder Cup team
- 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
- Billy Mayfair*
- Kevin Sutherland*
- Jerry Kelly*
- Brian Gay*
- Fred Funk*
- Steve Flesch*
- Chris Riley*
- Bob Tway*
- J. J. Henry*
- Stuart Appleby*
- Brett Quigley
- Tim Herron*
- Chris Smith*
- Olin Browne*
- Briny Baird*
K. J. Choi*- Harrison Frazar*
- Skip Kendall*
- Paul Stankowski*
- Matt Gogel*
- Glen Day*
- David Peoples*
- Brent Geiberger*
- Greg Chalmers*
- David Berganio Jr.*
Esteban Toledo*- Jonathan Kaye*
- Neal Lancaster*
- Joey Sindelar*
- J. P. Hayes*
- Paul Gow
- Len Mattiace*
- Jerry Smith
- Brandel Chamblee
- Mike Sposa
Stephen Ames*
Ed Fryatt- Chris Perry
- Jay Haas*
Grant Waite- Bob May
- Geoff Ogilvy*
- Scott Simpson
- Per-Ulrik Johansson*
- J. L. Lewis*
- Carl Paulson*
- David Frost
- Craig Parry*
- Greg Kraft
- Kaname Yokoo
- Jay Williamson*
- Miguel Ángel Jiménez
- Frank Nobilo
- Rich Beem*
- Brian Watts
- Craig Perks*
- Dan Forsman*
- Larry Mize
- Jay Don Blake
- Glen Hnatiuk*
- Scott Dunlap
- Craig Barlow*
- Michael Muehr
- Brandt Jobe*
- Woody Austin
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 14 | Jerry Kelly | Sony Open |
| Feb 3 | Matt Gogel | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am |
| Feb 17 | Len Mattiace | Nissan Open |
| Feb 24 | Kevin Sutherland | WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship |
| Mar 24 | Craig Perks | The Players Championship |
| May 5 | K. J. Choi | Compaq Classic |
| Jun 9 | Chris Smith | Buick Classic |
| Jun 30 | Len Mattiace (2) | FedEx St. Jude Classic |
| Jul 7 | Jerry Kelly (2) | Advil Western Open |
| Jul 28 | J. P. Hayes | John Deere Classic |
| Aug 4 | Rich Beem | The International |
| Aug 18 | Rich Beem (2) | PGA Championship |
| Aug 25 | Chris Riley | Reno–Tahoe Open |
| Aug 25 | Craig Parry | WGC-NEC Invitational |
| Sep 15 | Dan Forsman | SEI Pennsylvania Classic |
| Sep 22 | K. J. Choi (2) | Tampa Bay Classic |
Frost, Blake, Yokoo, Sposa, Gow, Nobilo, May, Quigley, and Chamblee finished in the 126–150 range. Quigley was successful in Q School, while the rest fell to the conditional category for 2003.
Waite, Austin, Jiménez, Jerry Smith, Fryatt, Kraft, Watts, Dunlap, Simpson, Muehr, Mize, and Perry finished outside the top 150. Muehr, Mize, and Perry received major medical extensions and Watts a minor. Austin and Watts were successful in Q School. Waite, Kraft, and Simpson fell to past champion status. Jiménez, Jerry Smith, Fryatt, Dunlap became non-members; Jiménez and Fryatt would not reach the PGA Tour again (or rather, in the case of Jiménez, accept membership).
- 21. Non-member top 125
- Charles Howell III* (first-time member)
- Matt Kuchar* (first-time member)
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 10 | Matt Kuchar | Honda Classic |
| Oct 6 | Charles Howell III | Michelob Championship |
Niclas Fasth, Pierre Fulke, Toru Taniguchi, and Toshimitsu Izawa declined membership.
- 22. Major Medical Extension
- Franklin Langham (7)
- Mark Wiebe (5)
- David Sutherland (29)
- Billy Ray Brown (16)
- Mark McCumber
Langham met his terms in May but finished outside the top 150, fell short at Q School, and became a non-member for 2003. Wiebe fell to conditional status after his extension ended in July; he made no cuts and fell to past champion status in 2003 (for good). Brown played in two events and did not receive a carry-over; he fell to past champion status and never played in a PGA Tour event again. McCumber spent his starts playing on the senior tour and fell to past champion status for good. Sutherland received a carry-over and also made it through Q School.
Brent Schwarzrock met the terms of his reshuffle medical extension in March and was promoted to this category, but ultimately required another medical for 2003.
- 23. Buy.com Tour leading money-winner
- Chad Campbell* (rookie)
- Heath Slocum* (rookie)
- Pat Bates*
- 25. Q School top 35, Buy.com Tour 2-15
- Pat Perez* (rookie)
- Ken Staton (rookie)
- Bob Burns*
- Rod Pampling* (rookie)
- Pete Jordan
- Deane Pappas
- John Senden* (rookie)
- John Rollins*
- Ben Crane* (rookie)
- Tim Petrovic* (rookie)
- Ian Leggatt*
- Jonathan Byrd* (rookie)
- Brad Elder
- Jeff Gove
- Tommy Armour III
- Brenden Pappas (rookie)
- Russ Cochran
- Bo Van Pelt
- Peter Lonard* (rookie)
- Matt Peterson (rookie)
- Danny Ellis
- Richard Zokol
- Jess Daley (rookie)
- Jason Hill (rookie)
- Robin Freeman
- Michael Long (rookie)
- Brett Wetterich
- Gary Nicklaus
- Shaun Micheel*
- Brent Schwarzrock
Eduardo Herrera (rookie)- Stephen Allan
- Bob Heintz
- Michael Allen
- Paul Claxton
- Ty Tryon (rookie)
- John Riegger
- Luke Donald* (rookie)
- Boo Weekley (rookie)
- Brad Lardon
- Phil Tataurangi*
- Lee Porter
- Hidemichi Tanaka* (rookie)
- Brian Bateman (rookie)
- Stephen Gangluff (rookie)
- Blaine McCallister
- Kent Jones
- Jeff Brehaut
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 24 | Ian Leggatt | Touchstone Energy Tucson Open |
| Sep 8 | John Rollins | Bell Canadian Open |
| Oct 13 | Phil Tataurangi | Invensys Classic |
| Oct 20 | Bob Burns | Disney Golf Classic |
| Oct 27 | Jonathan Byrd | Buick Challenge |
| Nov 4 | Luke Donald | Southern Farm Bureau Classic |
Tryon did not become a member until his 18th birthday in June.
Schwarzrock met the terms of his medical extension in March and was promoted to the major medical category, but ultimately required another medical for 2003.
Those who finished in the 126–150 range were Deane Pappas, Jones, Staton, Riegger, Armour, Elder, and Allan. Elder received a minor medical extension. None of the others were successful at Q School, so all had to settle for conditional status.
Bateman, Brehaut, Gove, Peterson, Freeman, Wetterich, Gangluff, Porter, Cochran, Long, Claxton, Daley, Hill, Van Pelt, Heintz, McCallister, Herrera, Allen, Jordan, Weekley, Brenden Pappas, Ellis, Lardon, Zokol, Nicklaus, and Tryon finished outside the top 150. Bateman, Brehaut, Brenden Pappas, and Lardon were successful in Q School. Ellis and Tryon received major medical extensions, and Zokol a minor. Freeman, Cochran, and McCallister settled for past champion status (for good, in Freeman's case). The other 16 became non-members; Peterson, Porter, Daley, Hill, Herrera, Jordan, Nicklaus would not reach the PGA Tour again.
- Reshuffle medical
- Bart Bryant (19)
- Jeff Gallagher (25)
- Tim Clark* (26)
- Fred Wadsworth (23)
- Marco Dawson (1)
Clark met his terms in October and was promoted to the major medical category. Dawson's extension expired in February and he became a non-member, but finished in the top 15 of the Buy.com Tour money list. Bryant's expired in October and he dropped to the non-exempt medical category; he then made it through Q School. Gallagher and Wadsworth and received carry-overs.
- 26. Three-time Buy.com Tour winners in the current year
One player achieved this:
- 27. Minor Medical Extension
- Doug Barron (5)
Richie Coughlan (3)
Both became non-members after their extensions expired in April and August, respectively; Barron finished in the top 15 of the Buy.com Tour money list, while Coughlan would never regain membership.
- 28. 126–150 from money list
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 21 | Spike McRoy | B.C. Open |
Two players finished inside the top 125 (including one winner). Goydos and Goggin finished in the 126–150 range, and both made it through Q School.
Mark Wiebe fell to this category in July after his medical extension ended. He made no cuts and fell to past champion status in 2003 (for good).
The remaining players all finished outside the top 150. Tryba received a medical extension. Hjertstedt fell to past champion status in 2003 (for good). Hughes, Ogilvie, Tolles, Isenhour, and Morland became non-members.
- 29. Non-exempt medical extension
- Kevin Wentworth (5)
Bart Bryant fell to this category in October; he then made it through Q School.
Wentworth played four events, did not receive a carry-over, and became a non-member, never to reach the PGA Tour again.
- Notable past champions
The following past champions finished in the top 200 of the money list:
| Date | Player | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | Gene Sauers | Air Canada Championship |
Two players finished inside the top 125 (including one winner). Jacobsen finished in the 126–150 range, earning conditional status for 2003. Hammond, Heinen, and Ken Green made it through Q School. Of the rest, only Pate and Pride would earn better status in the future.
- Notable non-members
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 2003):
- Pádraig Harrington^
Darren Clarke^- Ángel Cabrera^
- Michael Campbell^
Thomas Levet^- Greg Norman^
- Adam Scott
Thomas Bjørn- Bryce Molder
- Nick Faldo^
- Justin Rose
- Gary Evans
- Niclas Fasth
Colin Montgomerie- Peter O'Malley
- Pierre Fulke
- Lee Westwood
- Søren Hansen
- Paul McGinley
- Toru Taniguchi
- Toshimitsu Izawa
- Ricardo González
- Paul Lawrie^
- David Howser
Phillip Price- Cliff Kresge
Cabrera, Campbell, Levet, and Norman accepted membership for 2003, while Harrington, Clarke, Faldo, and Lawrie declined (though Clarke accepted later after winning a tournament). Cabrera and Campbell accepted STM in March, Scott in April, Molder in June, and Bjørn and Levet in August.
Molder, Howser, and Price were unsuccessful in Q School; Kresge finished in the top 15 of the Buy.com Tour money list.
- Other notes
Twenty-two players not listed made it from the Buy.com Tour to the PGA Tour for 2003 (including European Tour winners Aaron Baddeley and Alex Čejka, the latter of whom who played 5 Buy.com events; 12 via the money list, 10 via Q School). Fourteen players with no PGA Tour or Buy.com Tour status in 2002 made it through Q School (including European Tour winners Richard S. Johnson and Carl Pettersson and Japan Golf Tour winners Kenichi Kuboya, Scott Laycock, and Dean Wilson).