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Dane Hojgaard, USA's Gerard take temporary PGA membership / Photo: Alex Bierens de Haan - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Dane Hojgaard, USA's Gerard take temporary PGA membership
Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard and American Ryan Gerard have accepted special temporary membership on the US PGA Tour for the remainder of the season, the tour announced Tuesday.
Based upon their results in events so far this season, both can accept an unlimited number of sponsor exemptions as they attempt to capture PGA Tour spots for the 2024 campaign.
Hojgaard, 22, and Gerard, 23, each will make their first start as tour members at this week's Zurich Classic pairs event in New Orleans. Gerard will be paired with US PGA rookie Ben Griffin and Hojgaard will join compatriot Thorbjorn Olesen, a 2018 Ryder Cup player for Europe who is in on a sponsor exemption.
The players weren't PGA members but were able to qualify for some tournaments and accept a limited number of sponsor invitations to other events and then play the following week if they finished high enough, enabling them to earn enough points to claim a temporary PGA berth and the chance to play more events to secure a place on next year's tour.
Hojgaard was a runner-up at the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic and is a two-time DP World Tour winner.
To claim a spot on next year's PGA Tour, Gerard and Hojgaard must earn as many season points as last year's 125th-place finisher on the points list.
So far, Hojgaard's 190 points rank just off 115th place and Gerard's 178 points would be just behind in 116th.
American Akshay Bhatia is also a special temporary member after a runner-up effort at the Puerto Rico Open.
(K.Müller--BBZ)
