* – Denotes a player who finished in the top 125 of the money list.

Bold text – Denotes a player who won in 1999.

1. Winners of PGA Championship or U.S. Open prior to 1970 or in the last 10 calendar years (Beginning in 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)

Hale Irwin mostly retired from the PGA Tour after turning 50 in 1995.

Payne Stewart received an exemption through 2004 with his U.S. Open win, but died in a plane crash in November 1999. Tiger Woods moved from cat 4 with his PGA Championship win, but his exemption was not lengthened.

Curtis Strange finished outside the top 150 on the money list and used a top 50 career money exemption in 2000.

2. Winners of the THE PLAYERS Championship in the last 10 calendar years. (Beginning In 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)

Jodie Mudd retired in 1996 but was listed in the media guide.

David Duval moved from cat 3 with his win, and received an exemption through 2004.

3. Winners of the NEC World Series of Golf in the last 10 calendar years. (Beginning in 1998, this is a three-year exemption.)

José María Olazábal declined membership.

4. Winners of the Masters Tournament in the last 10 calendar years. (Beginning in 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)

Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam declined membership.

5. Winners of the British Open in the last 10 calendar years (1990-present). (Beginning In 1998, this is a five-year exemption.)

Ian Baker-Finch essentially retired in 1997.

6. THE TOUR Championship winners in the last three years, beginning with the 1998 winner
7. Winners of World Golf Championship events, beginning in 1999 (a three-year exemption)

Jeff Maggert moved from cat 10 and received an exemption through 2002.

8. The leader in PGA TOUR official earnings in each of the last five calendar years
9. Winners of PGA TOUR cosponsored or approved events (except team events) within the last two calendar years, or during the current year; winners receive an additional year of exemption for each additional win, up to five years.

Lee Westwood declined membership.

Twelve players moved into this category during the season. Notah Begay III, Carlos Franco, David Toms, and Duffy Waldorf all earned exemptions through 2002 with multiple wins.

Blackmar and Nobilo finished in the 126–150 range and settled for conditional status in 2000.

10. Members of the last-named U.S. Ryder Cup team

Of those named to the team in 1999, only Steve Pate was not already exempt through 2001.

11a. Career money exemptions – top 50

Beck and Gallagher finished outside the top 150 and settled for past champion status in 2000 (for good); Beck was unsuccessful at Q School while Gallagher did not attempt it. McCumber played only four events and was granted a re-use of his exemption.

11a. Career money exemptions – top 25
19. Life members

This was Wadkins's last full season on the PGA Tour, as he turned 50 in December 1999 and shifted his focus to the senior tour.

20. Top 125 from money list

Colin Montgomerie declined membership.

McCallister, Jacobsen, Lancaster, Hulbert, Waite, Tataurangi, and Gallagher finished in the 126–150 range. McCallister and Lancaster were successful at Q School. Jacobsen elected to use a top 50 career money exemption. The remaining four had to settle for conditional status.

Dennis, Martin, Bates, Friend, Springer, Lee Rinker, Wood, Larry Rinker, Porter, Lietzke, and Zoeller finished outside the top 150. Bates, Friend, and Springer were successful at Q School. Lietzke (who was semi-retired) used his second career money exemption. Wood and Zoeller had to settle for past champion status (for good). Dennis, Martin, both Rinkers, and Porter became non-members (only Porter would reach the PGA Tour again).

21. Major Medical Extension

Christie and Fiori were granted carry-overs. Bryant and Levi were apparently on medicals for the whole season, but not granted carry-overs; both finished outside the top 200 on the money list and were relegated to past champion status for 2000 (for good).

22. Nike Tour leading money-winner

Burns finished outside the top 150 but was successful at Q School.

24. Q School top 35, Nike Tour 2-15

Those who finished in the 126–150 range were Dunakey, Jordan, Aubrey, Ogilvie, Fehr, Horgan, Williamson, Sposa, Moss, Stockton, and Murphy. Of these, Dunakey, Jordan, Ogilvie, Fehr, Williamson, Stockton, and Murphy were all successful in Q School. Aubrey was given a minor medical extension for 2000, and after meeting its terms was promoted to the Top 125 category. Horgan, Sposa, and Moss had to settle for conditional status.

Briggs, Miyamoto, Green, Beckman, Brehaut, Couch, Elliott, Smith, Baird, Pappas, Sisk, Armstrong, Bratton, Gay, Van Pelt, Warren, Loustalot, Jones, Freeman, Purdy, Rose, Jurgensen, Seawell, and Schwarzrock finished outside the top 150. Green, Beckman, Brehaut, Gay, and Freeman were successful in Q School. Briggs was given a minor medical extension for 2000, and earned enough to retain conditional status. Schwarzrock was given a major medical. Rose settled for past champion status (for good). The other 16 became non-members; Miyamoto, Sisk, Armstrong, Bratton, Loustalot, Jurgensen, and Seawell would not reach the PGA Tour again.

25. Three-time Nike Tour winners in the current year
26. Minor Medical Extension

Both stayed on medicals for the entire season; Burke did not play, and Tesori made no cuts. Neither received a carry-over, so both became non-members in 2000 and neither would reach the PGA Tour again.

27. 126–150 from money list

No players from this category finished inside the top 125. Brett Quigley finished in the 126–150 range and, unsuccessful at Q School, remained in the conditional category for 2000.

Having turned 50 in late 1998, Bruce Fleisher chose to focus on the senior tour in 1999 and did not play any PGA Tour events. He was relegated to past champion status in 2000, but never played another PGA Tour event.

The remaining players all finished outside the top 150. None were successful at Q School; Kelly Gibson, however, finished in the top 15 of the Nike Tour money list. Ogrin, Tewell, Standly, Gilder, Lyle, Weibring, and Carnevale all fell to past champion status in 2000 (for good). Eaks and McRoy became non-members; Eaks would not reach the PGA Tour again.

28. Non-exempt medical extension
Notable past champions

The following past champions finished in the top 200 of the money list:

Black was the only past champion to finish in the top 125. Peoples and Edwards regained status at Q School, while the rest remained in the past champion category (Mast for good).

Notable non-members

For the final time, non-members were included on the official money list. However, unlike in 1998, they were not included when calculating the top 125, 150, and 200 cutoffs (which fell at 132, 159, and 233 respectively). [Side note: It looks like there were 126 members in that top 132, perhaps because of Payne Stewart's death.] The creation in 2000 of the non-member money list had no major side effects. Confusingly, non-members' earnings in the newly-created WGCs did not count on the official money list in 1999. It did, however, count towards non-member top 125 membership for 2000.

The following non-members finished the equivalent of top 200 on the money list, including earnings in WGCs (^ denotes those eligible for full PGA Tour membership in 2000):

Neither winner took up membership mid-season. Lawrie, García, Maruyama, Jobe, and van de Velde accepted membership for 2000, while those who had declined membership at the start of 1999 continued to do so (as did Jiménez). García accepted STM in June, van de Velde in August, and Jobe in September.

Of the others listed here, May and Spence went through Q School and became members for 2000. Rustand, Hill, and Johansson were unsuccessful in Q School.

Other notes

Twenty-one players not listed made it from the Nike Tour to the PGA Tour for 2000 (14 via the money list, 7 via Q School). Besides those mentioned in the preceding section, 11 players with no PGA Tour or Nike Tour status in 1999 made it through Q School (including European Tour winner Paul Curry and Japan/Asia multi-winner K. J. Choi).