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Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour takes a rare week off from action.

1. DPWRT eligibility expansion

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Starting next year, PGA Tour players who finish the season ranked outside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings will have playing opportunities across the pond.”

• “The DP World Tour announced the eligibility changes on Monday as for the first time it will offer full membership to Nos. 126-200 in final FedExCup points. Also, non-members can earn points with the chance of turning that into affiliate and then full membership.”

• “For the Nos. 126-200 group, those players will play out of the newly created Category 12. It’s worth noting that players eligible via this category must take up membership by Nov. 22 if they want to compete in the late-2023 portion of the 2024 schedule, and only five players can play out of Category 12 per tournament.”

• “As for the non-members points list, those non-members can take up affiliate membership after the fourth non-major DPWT start…”

2. Report: LIV in pursuit of guaranteed major spots

Our Matt Vincenzi…”LIV Golf recently received bad news that they would not be receiving OWGR points in the foreseeable future, making entry to the four major championships for so many of their professionals nearly  impossible.”

• “However, according to James Corrigan of The Telegraph, LIV Golf is in discussions with the R&A to ensure LIV players will be granted spots in the Open Championship.”

• “Last week, the OWGR denied the application from LIV to receive world ranking points for their tournaments, leaving the pathway for LIV golfers to get in major championships in serious doubt…”

• “With only five LIV golfers exempt into all four majors next year, there is clearly a sense of urgency for LIV officials to find a way to get their stars into golf’s biggest events.”

3. Next 10 update

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Among the 11 players who finished top 10 or better at the Zozo Championship, three of them, including Sunday’s winner Collin Morikawa, ended the FedExCup Playoffs ranked in the top 50 in points. Another four of them were non-members, leaving four guys to make significant leaps with just three events left in the PGA Tour’s new FedExCup Fall.”

• “For Morikawa and runner-up Eric Cole, they’ve already locked up spots in every signature event for 2024 via the FedExCup top 50. However, Nos. 51 and beyond in points are still playing for improved status next season. Nos. 51-60 after the fall will get into the first two signature events following The Sentry, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Feb. 1-4) and Genesis Invitational (Feb. 15-18). Perhaps more importantly, players inside the top 125 will retain their full cards while Nos. 126-150 will get conditional status for 2024.”

• “In Japan, the other runner-up, Beau Hossler, extended his cushion as No. 51 – he’s now nearly 240 points ahead of No. 52 Taylor Montgomery and has all but clinched his Next 10 spot – while J.J. Spaun reentered the top 60.”

4. Morikawa’s secret putting tweak

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”Morikawa and his caddie JJ Jakovac found something that propelled him to one of his best putting weeks of the season and on Sunday when it mattered most, he couldn’t miss.”

• “So, what did he find just hours before the tournament began that was the difference in helping him win for the first time on the PGA Tour since the 2021 British Open?”

• “Yeah, yeah, we found something and we’re going to stick to it,” he said. “Look, you never know whether it’s going to be right or wrong, but something was off. Something I just couldn’t figure out. JJ and I were just looking at each other very confused and trying a bunch of different things. You know, we weren’t changing too much, we were just trying to look at putts a different way.

• “We stuck to it. It was nice to see putts roll in in the first round, and then that continued. Yeah, made a lot of putts this week, it was really nice.”

5. Lindblad passes on Q-Series

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Despite topping the field by four shots Friday at Stage II of LPGA Q-School, Ingrid Lindblad’s qualifying journey is over.”

• “The LSU fifth-year senior won’t be teeing it up in the six-round Q-Series, which begins Nov. 30 in Mobile, Alabama, because she plans on finishing her last semester of eligibility with the Tigers. LPGA rules, changed last year, stipulate that players must turn pro in order to chase an LPGA card via Q-Series, and if players choose to remain amateur, they are afforded the opportunity to defer the Epson Tour status that they’ve earned by advancing through second stage.”

6. 15-year-old Bermuda champ qualifier

Golfweek’s Todd Kelly…”Oliver Betschart, 15, will be the youngest golfer to tee it up on the PGA Tour since 2014 when he competes in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November.”

• “The phenom, who lives in Bermuda, qualified for the tournament last week. He was one of three players to make it through qualifying.”

• “A year ago, Betschart became the youngest to win the Port Royal Golf Club Championship. This year, he was 3-over in the 54-hole local qualifier, which was won by Eric West.”

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers…”The sport of long drive doesn’t usually bring to mind the phrase “It’s a game of inches,” but that’s exactly what it turned out to be for Kyle Berkshire on Sunday. Twice.”

• “The long-haired bomber won a third career World Long Drive Championship, and this time he did it by the smallest of margins.”

• “Berkshire’s best effort of 398 yards in the finals was good enough to defeat Sean Johnson by one yard. And in the quarterfinal, his sixth and final attempt barely stayed in the grid to produce a 432-yard poke that allowed him to advance past Justin James…”

8. Horschel defends new PGA Tour agreement

John Turnbull for Bunkered…”Billy Horschel has defended the DP World Tour after it announced new membership opportunities for next season.

• “The initiative will offer PGA Tour players, ranked 126-200 on the FedEx Cup standings, full status on the DP World Tour for the following season.

• “And the American, who features regularly outside of the US, has argued against the initiative stealing spots from other players.

• “Horschel posted on X: “Another way to look at it. Ten players are leaving the DP World Tour to go play PGA Tour next year.

• “So, that opens ten more spots that are usually taken. Five will be filled with Challenge Tour/Q School players and another five possibly with PGA Tour conditional members.

• “I’m just showing another perspective to look at the situation. And quite possibly the correct perspective to look at the situation.”

9. LIV pros could play in new TGL series?

• “The virtual golf league, backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, has built a roster with PGA Tour players the quality LIV hoped to sign in the last year, and is still anticipating this offseason.

• “Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark highlighted the latest and final round of signings as TGL settles on 24 players. The league starts in January and will be played Monday nights on the Palm Beach State College campus in Palm Beach Gardens.

• “LIV and TGL have completely different formats and schedules and are not competing for players. But the possibility of anyone committing to a league run by LIV detractors Woods and McIlroy and also signing with LIV is unknown.

• “Even if TGL is in partnership with the PGA Tour and the Tour is working on an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV, to merge business interests.

• “From the LIV side, Gary Davidson, who served as LIV’s acting COO before Lawrence Burian was named to the position Monday, said last week he does not believe “there would be a conflict” if a golfer who joined TGL showed interest in LIV.”