DeChambeau makes big progress in quest to earn PGA Tour card

Bryson DeChambeau started his professional career better than Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth. He finished tied for fourth, four shots behind winner Branden Grace, in his pro debut at the RBC Heritage, a great start in what is quite an uphill climb for a newly minted pro to earn PGA Tour status.

The 2015 U.S Amateur champion won $ 259,600 for his finish, helping him on his way toward earning his 2016-17 PGA Tour card.

However, the immediate goal for DeChambeau is to earn Special Temporary Membership, which he can achieve by earning enough non-member FedEx Cup points equivalent to the 150th place finisher in the standings last season. At Harbour Town, DeChambeau earned 122.5 non-member FedEx Cup points at Harbour Town, and that leaves him 238.5 points away from last year’s No. 150 player.

If DeChambeau earns Special Temporary Membership, he’s allowed to take unlimited sponsor’s exemptions for the remainder of the season. Right now, he’s only able to take a total of seven exemptions, one of which he used to play last week. DeChambeau can also earn spots in other tournaments by either finishing in the top 10, which gets him into the very next open event, or by Monday qualifying.

Short of winning, DeChambeau would then want to finish inside the top 125 in non-member money or FedEx Cup points for this season. While we don’t know what those water marks will ultimately be, last year is a good guide. The No. 125 player on the 2014-15 money list earned $ 747,899, leaving DeChambeau $ 488,299 off last year’s bar. As for FedEx Cup points, DeChambeau would have to earn 335.5 points to match No. 125 from last year.

Ultimately, however, DeChambeau wants to win. If he can do that, he’ll instantly earn membership and be exempt for the rest of this season and the next two.

“It’s been quite a journey so far, these past couple weeks,” he said Sunday. “It’s an honor to be playing out here with these big boys, trying to do my best. Hopefully I can keep competing out there and hopefully I can get a couple of wins out there.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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