Players’ council to review cut policy

The new cut policy on the PGA Tour will be under review today when the Player Advisory Council meets at Riviera Country Club.

Several players have voiced complaints about the policy, which limits playing fields on weekends to a maximum of 78 players. If more than 78 players make the cut, some are sent home with last-place money instead of getting the opportunity to improve their positions on the weekend.

Before this year, the top 70 and ties would play the weekend no matter how many players were tied for 70th place. It was changed because too many players meant long, slow rounds on the weekends and unpredictable playing times made things difficult for television broadcasts.

The point of today’s meeting is to get the players and tour talking to each other instead of through the media.

“I don’t know what the consensus will be,” said Masters champion Zach Johnson, a member of the 16-player council. “I know there are a lot of guys who have said they are against it, but there are also some that like the policy.”

The policy has been implemented twice this season -- at the Sony Open in Hawaii and at the Buick Invitational in La Jolla -- and 35 players who made the cut were sent home early with last-place money and a MDF (made cut, did not finish) placing.

Parker McLachlin at the Sony Open and Justin Leonard at the Buick Invitational went from barely making the cut to a top-10 finish, causing some players to become more vocal about the possibility of greatly improving their standing -- and their paychecks -- over the weekend.

“The players I’ve heard from are generally upset with any reduction of guys playing on the weekend,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said after the Buick Invitational. “On the other hand, a lot of guys don’t like it but would be in favor of something else.”

Other options include a 54-hole cut, a cut of 65 players and ties and reverting back to top 70 and ties. Those will all be discussed at today’s meeting. The PAC will then send a recommendation to the Policy Board, which meets during the Honda Classic in two weeks.

The Policy Board could then vote to implement a change.

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New title sponsor Northern Trust has raised the purse to $6.2 million -- up $1 million from last year -- and everyone in the field gets a courtesy car for the week, as opposed to half of the field getting one when Nissan was the title sponsor.

Players will also benefit from the reduction of pro-am groups from four amateurs to three, which is appealing to professionals because it speeds up rounds.

Northern Trust has eliminated the $5 charge for the shuttle ride from the free parking area at the VA Hospital in West Los Angeles and is issuing hand-held scoring devices to the first 400 spectators each day.

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Cody Freeman of Afton, Okla.; Brad Adamonis of Cumberland, R.I.; Marc Turnesa of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; and Drew Scott, of Henderson, Nev., claimed the last four spots in the tournament through a qualifying tournament Monday at Industry Hills Golf Club.

Freeman and Adamonis each shot seven-under-par 65, and Turnesa and Scott shot 66 and advanced out of a five-way playoff.

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peter.yoon@latimes.com