To start the exempt tour, they took 40 in points and titles, threw in some guys out of Tour Trials, that was your first exempt field.
After that, it's been top 40 in points and titles, with the 40 lowered if a title-exempt bowler was outside the top 40 in points (Baker, Mineman, and Rash have been in that situation, I believe) (maybe Pat Healey, too).
If Rhino Page were to win a title, he'd become exempt for the '08-09 season. For the remaining tournaments in the '07-08 season he'd still have to bowl PTQs like everyone else. It's always been that way. When Rash and Mineman won, they still had to bowl PTQs if they wanted to compete in the main tournament for the rest of the season.
Exemptions are for a year, letting Rhino into this year's exempt field for winning, say, the Spartanburg Classic (too late) or if he won the DW this week, means he gets more than a year's exemption for the win. What if he won the Masters or Motor City Classic back in October? Would he get the promotion to the exempt field this year in addition to his exemption next season? Is that fair? What about the guy who wins the GEICO or Go RVing tournaments in March? They get exempt this year, but the only thing left to bowl is the US Open.
No, inasmuch as I like the exempt tour, I think granting exemptions for the following season is better than giving "battlefield" promotions. If you want to change it, give 'em exemptions into the next 16 standard tournaments (or however many they have in a season). With points, you're exempt so long as you stay in the top 40. If you could get the season up to 30 or 35 tournaments like they used to have, go back to the calendar-year season, make it more continuous, and granting exemptions for the next N tournaments would work out pretty well.
SH
