At the last Am Worlds they allowed 36%, 33% and 34% of the players from the largest three divisions to play the semi-finals. The 36% looks like it was selected as "The most players the course can accomodate while avoiding the necessity of having a tie breaker for the last foursome." 36% was four short of a full field, but taking a full field would have necessitated a tie breaker. Probably the 33% and 34% were likewise determined by how many players the course could accomodate in light of the divisions which were assigned to play it for their semi-final.
Apparently, 12 years later I'm still bitter.
