Scott

Hoch

Because we’re nothing if not thorough, we’ll keep tabs on the 58-year-old until he exhausts his MME. Golfers 50 and older forfeit a start on medical extension on the PGA TOUR if they peg it on the Champions Tour the same week they are eligible on merit for the concurrent PGA TOUR event. This week’s decision leaves him with six starts to earn $595,483 or 369 FedExCup points and retain status. But since Hoch hasn’t played the PGA TOUR since 2009, it’s only a matter of time before he loses our attention for good.

Just a little housekeeping here. When he played the U.S. Senior Open Championship opposite the John Deere Classic, Hoch lost one start on his Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR. So, he’s down to four to earn $595,483 or 369 FedExCup points and retain status. He’s eligible on merit to tee it up at the Barracuda Championship, so he’ll burn another start on the MME if he doesn’t withdraw from the 3M. Hoch’s last appearance in a PGA TOUR event was in 2009.

He was bogey-free 4-under through 13 holes before squaring a double bogey at the par-4 14th hole and walking off having penciled in an 8 at the par-5 18th. More importantly, although the value of that qualifier is debatable, by honoring his commitment into the tournament, he loses one more start on his Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR where he hasn’t played since 2009 anyway. For the record, Hoch has three starts to earn $595,483 or 369 FedExCup points and retain status. We’ll continue to monitor this countdown until it mercifully reaches zero.

The reasons why he went sub-70 are unimportant. We’re merely keeping tabs on his Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR. He loses one start when he competes on the Champions Tour when eligible on merit for the PGA TOUR. This leaves him with five starts to bank $595,483 or 369 FedExCup points and retain status. So, the next time you hear or read about someone complaining that guys with medical extensions are either abusing that status or wasting a spot in a field somehow better reserved for the next guy on the alternate list, just remember that Hoch is doing those guys a solid.

Next week will mark three years since Hoch last made a cut on the PGA Tour. Shortly thereafter, he re-injured his left wrist, which forced him out of action for the remainder of 2005. Then, he turned 50 in November of ’05 and has played the Champions Tour exclusively since, winning twice this month in fact. Veteran fantasy owners remember the glory days when Hoch was one of the most consistent scorers available. He never won a major and isn’t valuable in any format today but he is fully exempt on the PGA Tour via the exemption awarded to those inside the Top 25 on the career money list.

Hoch (-6) notched his 2nd Top 10 in 2004.

Hoch captured his 3rd Top 10 of 2004. It’s also his best finish since his win at Doral in 2003.

Kudos if you’re on board in a format that includes that circuit, but Hoch continues to retain our attention only until he burns through his Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR. He was eligible on merit to compete at the Frys.com Open, so by playing with the 50-and-older crowd this week, he forfeits another start on his MME. It mercifully leaves him with one start to bank $595,483 or 369.000 FedExCup points and retain status. He’d need to collect 278.290 FedExCup points to secure conditional status as a secondary objective. However, since he hasn’t played the PGA TOUR since 2009, neither seems to be a goal. Still, it would be great if the 58-year-old would peg it just one more time with the younger guys just for the sake of it. He entered this week slotted a distant 72nd in the Schwab Cup standings, so the stars are aligned for a one-time return.

Well, that’s over. Hoch hasn’t played the PGA TOUR since 2009, but he had fully exempt status via the medical after he burned a career earnings exemption in 2012. For the record, he fell short of meeting the terms by $595,483 or 369.000 FedExCup points, which, of course, equals the original goals when he was granted the medical. Undoubtedly, there had to be a personal benefit to Hoch for having the lifeline, but it was never relevant to fantasy gamers. This is likely to be the last we’ll write about the 11-time PGA TOUR winner in a long time. He’ll turn 59 years of age next month.

He’s four strokes off the pace of the overnight co-leaders at En-Joie GC in Endicott, New York, site of the old B.C. Open on the PGA TOUR. By accepting his exemption into the tournament, Hoch exhausts a start on his Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR. He’ll be presumed to start the 2014-15 season with two to earn $595,483 or 369 FedExCup points and retain status. The 58-year-old hasn’t played a TOUR event since 2009.