Lee Hodges, on the brink of losing his PGA Tour card on Saturday afternoon, knew who was about to take it from him.
Lee Hodges.
And he had a thought for some other players, too.
This week on the PGA Tour, the reflections were about as frequent as the swings. The circuit was playing its final event of the year, which meant it was the final event to secure playing status for next year. A win at the RSM Classic would’ve done it. A move into the top 100 of the season-long points standings would’ve done it, though a recent change shrunk that number — it had been 125.
Entering play this week, Hodges was 122nd. Saturday, he said he wasn’t sure what he needed to do to move up.
But he knew whom to blame for his position.
“I mean, yeah, it is what it is,” Hodges said. “Like the guys that — I don’t know if I’m going to ruffle some feathers, but the guys that come in here and kind of feel sorry for themselves, I have no pity for because you played it, you know what I mean? You played every shot this year.
“Same way as me. Like I’m where I am because of my golf, nobody else’s golf. Nobody put me there. I put myself there.
“Yeah, you just are where you are, but we all have avenues out so just go do that, you know what I mean? Go take the road that gets you where you want to go.”
A reporter then asked him what it meant to be a Tour player.
“Yeah, I was telling my wife the other day, I’m from Ardmore, Alabama, and I’m playing on the PGA Tour for four years and have a win,” Hodges said. “Like no one ever would have given me that when I was 10 years old.
“I want to obviously keep it going, I’d love to add more to my resume, but it’s been an awesome ride so far and I think — I don’t think it’s over yet, but I’m excited to see where it goes.”
With that, here are 12 surprising players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday. Some may re-appear quickly — players ranked 100 to 125 have conditional playing status, and next month’s Tour Q-School will award cards to five players. Some other players may return at some point down the road.
12 players who lost their PGA Tour cards on Sunday
(The number in parentheses is the player’s finish in the standings.)
Lee Hodges (101) — At 101, Hodges will be the points-standings bubble boy. This season, the 30-year-old from Alabama posted four top 10s and missed nine cuts in 25 starts.
Matt Wallace (103) — Wallace is a five-time winner on the DP World Tour, and he won the 2023 Corales Puntacana Championship. This season, the 35-year-old from England had two top 10s and missed 10 cuts in 26 starts.
Matt Kuchar (118) — Kuchar could also use a career money exemption to play next year; he’s 13th on the career money list. This season, the 47-year-old from Florida had one top 10 and missed two cuts in 18 starts.
Joel Dahmen (122) — Dahmen won the 2021 Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, and he has been one of the stars of Netflix’s “Full Swing” show. This season, the 38-year-old from Washington had three top 10s and missed 16 cuts in 28 starts.
Brandt Snedeker (126) — Snedeker is a nine-time PGA Tour winner, and he will captain the U.S. team at next year’s Presidents Cup. This season, the 44-year-old from Tennessee had three top 10s and missed 12 cuts in 25 starts.
Harry Higgs (132) — One of the Tour’s more popular players, Higgs had one top 10 and missed 13 cuts in 28 starts this season.
Alejandro Tosti (137) — Tosti, who’s created a few headlines during his career, had three top 10s and missed 12 cuts in 20 starts this season.
Adam Hadwin (139) — Hadwin won the 2017 Valspar Championship and is a two-time President Cup player. This season, the 38-year-old from Canada had won one top 10 and missed 12 cuts in 29 starts.
Zach Johnson (141) — Johnson has won 12 PGA Tour tournaments, including two majors (2007 Masters and 2015 Open Championship). This season, the 49-year-old from Iowa had one top 10 and missed nine cuts in 17 starts.
Cameron Champ (147) — Champ is a three-time PGA Tour winner. This season, the 30-year-old from California had one top 10 and missed nine cuts in 16 starts.
Camilo Villegas (155) — Villegas is a five-time PGA Tour winner. This season, the 43-year-old from Colombia had two top 10s and missed 11 cuts in 27 starts.
Kevin Kisner (194) — Kisner is a four-time PGA Tour winner and an NBC analyst. This season, the 41-year-old from South Carolina had one top 10 and missed 14 cuts in 17 starts.
