The PGA in England (Midlands) 2018 Order of Merit Tournament Rules & Regulations 1. General 1.1 PGA Midlands Order of Merit Tournaments are open only to Members of The PGA in England (Midlands) under whose auspices the tournament is administered. (PGA Regulations; Part 6A PGA Tournament Regulations Section 4.1). 1.2 Any Tournament listed in any previous provisional fixture list but not included on the current Bluegolf schedule, may have for some reason been dropped from the present season. 1.3 The PGA Tournament Procedures & Regulations as listed in The Constitution apply. 1.4 All Tournaments are played under the R&A Rules of Golf, PGA Tournament Rules and additional local rules of the course being played as supplied by the PGA. 2. Order of Merit 2.1 Eligibility 2.1.1 All PGA Members and PGA Assistants in the PGA in England (Midlands), who have paid the 50 Order of Merit registration fee, or have attended the 2018 Qualifying School. 2.1.2 Players who hold category TP1, TP2, TP3 or TP4 membership, who have paid the 50 Order of Merit registration fee. 2.1.3 Players who hold category TP3 membership from 2018 are now eligible to play for an Order of Merit position. 2.2 Exemptions 2.2.1 Professionals ranked in the top 20 of The PGA Midlands 2017 Order of Merit. 2.2.2 PGA Midlands Captain and Chairman. 2.3 Formulation of Field 2.3.1 1 to 22: CAT 1 Previous year OOM ranked players + Captain & Chairman 2.3.2 23 to 52: CAT 2 Top 30 ranked players from Qualifying School (not otherwise exempt) 2.3.3 53 to 67: CAT 3 Top 15 ranked Trainees from Qualifying School 2.3.4 68 to 73: CAT 4 Top 6 ranked Seniors from Qualifying School 2.3.5 74 to 78: CAT 5 Top 5 ranked Ladies from Qualifying School 2.3.6 79+: All other members subject to OOM registration fee, prioritised by Qualifying School ranking. 2.3 Qualifying School 2.3.1 The 2018 PGA in England (Midlands) Qualifying School will be an 18 Hole Strokeplay event with two dates on offer. 2.3.2 The 2018 rankings will be determined from the combined results of the two Qualifying School rounds. Rankings will be allocated sequentially across both rounds starting with the round with the lowest score. If in the event that one Qualifying School has more than 20% difference in field size, the rankings will be determined by a percentage of each field size. 2.3.3 You may only enter ONE Qualifying School round.
2.3.4 All Tournaments are played under the R&A Rules of Golf, PGA Tournament Regulations & Rules and additional local rules of the course being played as supplied by the PGA. 2.3.5 All players completing 18 holes will receive a Qualifying School ranking for 2018. 2.4 The Qualifying School entry fee is 50. This entry fee is also your registration fee for the 2018 Order of Merit. 2.4.1 Any player wishing to be considered for entry into an Order of Merit event based on his/her Qualifying School ranking MUST enter the main event via BlueGolf through www.pga.info prior to the closing date in addition to entering a Qualifying School round. 3. Order of Merit Points 3.1 All players completing all rounds in Order of Merit Tournaments will receive points. The 2018 Order of Merit standings will be determined by the accumulation of the best finishes in all tournaments by each player. In the event of additions to or subtractions from the Order of Merit schedule, the PGA in England (Midlands) will determine the final number of counting events. Members will be notified of any changes. 3.2 Players finishing in 1st to 60th place will receive points allocated as listed on the relevant Tournament homepage. Players completing all rounds and finishing in 61st place and below will receive 1 point. Any competitor who fails to record a score for any round or is disqualified shall not be eligible for prize money or Order of Merit points if applicable. (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 12.8). Example points for Order of Merit and Assistants Order of Merit. 1 270 11 130 21 80 31 50 41 30 51 10 2 240 12 125 22 77 32 48 42 28 52 9 3 220 13 120 23 74 33 46 43 26 53 8 4 200 14 115 24 71 34 44 44 24 54 7 5 190 15 110 25 68 35 42 45 22 55 6 6 180 16 105 26 65 36 40 46 20 56 5 7 170 17 100 27 62 37 38 47 18 57 4 8 160 18 95 28 59 38 36 48 16 58 3 9 150 19 90 29 56 39 34 49 14 59 2 10 140 20 85 30 53 40 32 50 12 60 1 4. Method of Entry & Fees 4.1.1 Entries MUST be made via BlueGolf via through www.pga.info. 4.1.2 Prior to the closing date, changes must be made via BlueGolf via through www.pga.info. 4.1.3 After the closing date, all changes must be notified to the PGA Midlands Office by telephone, letter or e-mail. Text messages, voicemails and social media messages will not be accepted as a withdrawal and players are not withdrawn until they have communicated directly with the Tournament Controller or PGA Midlands office. 4.2 Entry Fees: Order of Merit Tournament 50
4.2.1 The full entry fee will be payable at the closing date for entries subject to being accepted into the field. 4.2.2 Entries must be received by 11.59pm on the closing date. Late entries will be accepted via the PGA Midlands office subject to places being available and payment of double entry fee. 4.3 Order of Merit Pro Am (Where operated) 4.4 Refunds (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 13). 4.4.1 A competitor in any PGA tournament who withdraws before the closing date for entry shall be eligible for a refund of entry fee. 4.4.2 Any player withdrawing after the closing date shall not be eligible for a refund of his entry fee unless the appropriate committee is satisfied: - that the withdrawal enabled the Member to enter a higher ranking event. - that exceptional circumstances have arisen outside of the reasonable control of the player prompting his withdrawal, which the committee considers (at its absolute discretion) to justify the refund of his entry. 5. Withdrawals & Absence 5.1 CONFLICTING EVENTS RELEASE: In order to protect the sponsorship obtained by the Association, by providing the highest quality representative field possible at Association- Approved Tournaments, a Member must not play in a tournament which conflicts with any Association Approved Tournament in which he/she is automatically entitled to enter unless he/she obtains a release from the Chief Executive or PGA Midlands Secretary (as appropriate) responsible for administering the Tournament. 5.1.1 Prior to the closing date, changes must be made via BlueGolf via through www.pga.info. 5.2 After the closing date, withdrawals must be made with the PGA Midlands Office when a "withdrawal number" will be issued to the player. This number will relate to the withdrawal and should be noted by the player and used in any subsequent contact with the PGA regarding that particular withdrawal. It is the player's responsibility to obtain the withdrawal number. Withdrawals in writing must be sent to the PGA Midlands Secretary (post or email pgainenglandmidlands@pga.org.uk). 5.3 Withdrawals received by telephone or email to The PGA Midlands office will only be accepted between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm Monday to Friday. Withdrawals via voicemail, text message, social media or via the PGA Midlands Office answer machine WILL NOT be accepted. 5.4 A player who withdraws his entry after the closing date for entries will be charged a withdrawal fee of 35. (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 12.1). 5.5 A player whose withdrawal is notified within seven days of his starting time will be charged a withdrawal fee of 70. (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 12.2). 5.6 A player whose withdrawal is not notified by noon on the day before the start of the tournament or who is absent from a tournament without notice of his withdrawal shall be fined the sum of 250 and shall be liable to suspension. (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 12.3). NOTE: For a second or subsequent offence in the same playing year, it will be mandatory for the facts to be reported to the appropriate Committee and action taken as a breach of the Code of Ethics. (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 12.4). 5.7 Any competitor who qualifies to play in a tournament and then fails to play in the final stages will be charged a withdrawal fee of 70, unless the withdrawal occurs within 7 days of his starting time in which case a withdrawal fee of 150 will be charged (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 12.6).
5.8 Any competitor who fails to notify his withdrawal at all from the tournament, or who fails to complete all rounds for which he has entered, or fails to record a score for a round may forfeit any prize money won in respect of that tournament and may be fined up to 250 by the appropriate committee. A second or subsequent offence or one which, in the opinion of the appropriate committee, constitutes a breach of the Code of Ethics must be reported to the appropriate committee for disciplinary action. (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 12.7). 5.9 The Open Championship: The following regulations apply to The Open Championship ONLY: 5.9.1 Qualification for The Open Championship: following successful completion of Local Final Qualifying, there will be no penalty for withdrawal from a PGA in England (Midlands) event that may be held within seven days of The Open Championship, providing withdrawal is notified in the appropriate manner within 24 hours of qualification. 5.10 Players MUST play in the pre-tournament pro am, if invited. If a player withdraws from the pre-tournament Pro Am, he will automatically be withdrawn from the main event. 5.11 Exceptions to these rules may be made in cases of sickness, injury and other special circumstances, subject to the discretion of the Committee. 5.12 When a player has withdrawn due to sickness or injury, he must submit an authorised medical certificate to the Regional Secretary within 7 days. Failure to do so will result in the appropriate withdrawal fee. Rescheduled events: In the case of an event having to be re-scheduled due to circumstances beyond the control of the PGA in England (Midlands) and a new date is set, the following conditions apply:- 1. The field for the re-scheduled event will be that which is current at the time of re-scheduling the new date. 2. Any player who wishes to withdraw from the re-scheduled event may do so within 7 days of the re-scheduling of the event. 3. Withdrawing after the 7 days of the re-scheduling of the event will result in normal withdrawal disciplinary procedure. 6. Prize Funds The proposed prize fund for each event will be shown on the appropriate tournament page for guideline purposes only. All prize funds are subject to a 6% levy (unless otherwise stated) & will be posted in the Tournament Office. Prize funds published prior to the event are guidelines only. 7. In the event of a Tie In the event of a tie for first place in an Order of Merit event, there will be a sudden death playoff (unless otherwise stated on tournament information page) to determine the winner. The official start time will be published in the tournament office. In the instance of a playoff with more than one group of players, the official start time is the time of the first group of players. Any player not present at this time will be disqualified from the playoff. 8. Disciplinary Regulations 8.1 Practice Rounds, Clubhouse and Course Standards: 8.1.1 If any competitor intends to have a practice round on any competition course, he must confirm before hand with the host club's Professional and Secretary that this will be in order on the day he wishes to play. Once permission has been granted, a member must comply with the instructions of the club officials with regard to which tees should be used during the practice round.
8.1.2 At all PGA Midlands events, training shoes, denim jeans and shorts are NOT permissible. 8.2 Check in procedure All Professionals are required to check in as detailed in the Competitors Information at least 45 minutes before their tee time. Persistent late offenders will be reported to the committee. 8.3 Recording: (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 25.1) In all PGA events, the Members must return their scorecard in person to the Official Recorder. In the case of Pro Am events, the professional is responsible for returning the team scorecard in person to the Official Recorder. For a breach of this rule, a Member shall be fined 50. 8.4 Prize Presentations 8.4.1 At Order of Merit events, unless otherwise stated, the leading FIVE Professionals and ties must attend the prize giving plus the leading FIVE professionals in the Order of Merit. 8.4.2 Penalty for failure to attend the Prize Presentation: 200 (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 16.2). 8.4.3 Unless otherwise stated in the Tournament Information, players must wear jacket, collar and tie (or equivalent for lady Members) at prize giving ceremonies. Penalty for failure to do so: up to 100 (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 16.3). 8.4.4 Standard of Dress (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 22) applies at all PGA Midlands events. 8.5 Mandatory pre/post- tournament Pro-Am meals & functions 8.5.1 At all Pro Ams where catering is provided by the Golf Club or Sponsor, Professionals must eat with their amateur partners. Release from attending such a lunch may be granted by the PGA Official but only in exceptional circumstances. Penalty for breach of rule: 50 8.5.2 Unless otherwise stated in the Tournament Information, players must wear jacket, collar and tie (or equivalent for lady Members) at Pro Am functions. 8.6 Breaches of Etiquette (PGA Regulations; Part 6B PGA Tournament Regulations Section 23). 8.6.1 If any Member is seen, or reported for, breaking any of the rules of etiquette, whether in practice, qualifying or in the PGA event proper, he shall be fined a minimum of 50. Repeated breaches may be considered by the appropriate committee as a breach of the Code of Ethics. Examples include but are not limited to: - Not repairing pitch marks on the green. - Not raking bunkers. - Except in cases of emergency, failure to switch off & keep switched off a mobile telephone whilst on the golf course and additionally in areas where the use of a mobile telephone is forbidden by the rules of the relevant host venue may result in disciplinary action including a minimum fine of 50. 8.6.2 A minimum fine of 50 shall be imposed on any Member seen, or reported for, throwing a golf club or any other item or for swearing or any other act of temper anywhere within the environs of the Club or course. The fine shall be doubled on each subsequent occasion. Repeated breaches may be dealt with by the appropriate committee as a breach of the Code of Ethics. 8.6.3 The Tournament Controller/Regional Secretary shall be empowered to impose such fines at his discretion. Members fined in this way shall have the right to appeal to the appropriate committee. 9. Pace of Play
9.1 All Professionals must play without undue delay and encourage their team members to do likewise. 9.2 In the absence of mitigating circumstances, a group is liable to be timed if it is in excess of the time allowed and in the case of second or subsequent groups, out of position. From the commencement of timing, if a player exceeds:- - 50 seconds on a 'first to play approach shot (including Par 3 tee shot), chip or putt - 40 seconds if it is a tee shot or 'second or third to play shot or putt' He/she shall be deemed to have had a "bad time". 9.3 The time allowed will be determined by the Tournament Director and will be published on the official notice board. 9.4 Out of position is defined as being more than the starting interval behind the group in front. 9.5 Penalty for breach of condition: 9.5.1 One bad time: Warning from Official with notice of possible penalty. 9.5.2 Two bad times: One stroke penalty. 9.5.3 Three bad times: Two stroke penalty. 9.5.4 Four bad times: Disqualification. 9.6 Timings will be taken from the moment it is deemed by the Official that it is the player s turn to play. 10. Contact Details PGA in England (Midlands) Courtyard 5 Coleshill Manor Office Campus South Drive Coleshill Birmingham B46 1DL Tel: 01675 468389 Email: pgainenglandmidlands@pga.org.uk Andy Ellis Tournament Controller Tel: 07799 111 Email: Andy.Ellis@pga.org.uk James Brown Secretary - The PGA in England (Midlands) Tel: 07799 111868 Email: James.Brown@pga.org.uk Matt Rowley Tournament Director Tel: 07891 018951 Email: Matt.Rowley@pga.org.uk