Looking at the tournament he won, OP averaged 924 golf both rounds on the shorter course layout that INT (41 players) and MA40 (8 players) played
https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/47081 and would have tied for 3rd in INT. Moving up to MA1 or MP40 would have moved him to the other day for the split field
https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/47062 and much longer layouts. Averaging 924 in that layout would have been around 10 over par. Not cashing in MP40 but on the edge of the payout line for MA1.
Agree with Cgkdisc here and recommend taking a top 5 in a couple bigger MA40/MA2 fields and try out MA1 before jumping to MP40. Exposure to bigger fields and the longer layouts could show some room for improvement and get the rating consistency up above 900. There are a few MA40 players in my area that retain their AM status and jump around divisions based on field/payout, even playing MP40 but declining cash payout and taking merch payout instead (B & C tiers only and I think up to the TD to offer it). Entry fees & payouts go up a bit with each division step and the payout structure could vary based on the TD. PDGA annual membership fee going from AM to PRO status would change as well.
Reasons I moved up from INT (after 1 tournament) to ADV (stayed for ~1.5-2 years) to MPO (relinquished AM status this year):
- More serious/better competition to watch & learn from (course management/shot selection/mental game)
- Peak round ratings would compete for top 10-20% in the next field up if I met my goal of playing consistent in multi-round tournaments
- No longer desired the merch payout/player packs
- Play the longer/more challenging course layouts