Tuten will get a chance to try to make up for the gaffe, but he’ll have to wait two months.
The season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship determines which 30 golfers will gain promotion to the PGA Tour for 2024. With 16 of those spots already locked up, that left everyone battling for the other 14.
Shad Tuten was in a good position to grab one of those spots, as he was sitting 29th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List heading into the 72-hole, no-cut finale. He then posted scores of 69-73-69 over the first three days to sit just outside the top 10.
But on Sunday, Tuten signed for a 76, which included a two-shot penalty at the soggy Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
According to the Korn Ferry Tour: “Shad Tuten was assessed a two-stroke penalty on hole No. 15 under preferred lies local rule E-3, turning a 2-over 74 into a 4-over 76. Tuten also fell from projected No. 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List to No. 32.”
Chief referee Jim Duncan provided context on the ruling.
Shad Tuten was assessed a two-stroke penalty on hole No. 15 under preferred lies local rule E-3, turning a 2-over 74 into a 4-over 76. Tuten also fell from projected No. 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List to No. 32.
When it was all said and done, Tuten slid back from the No. 29 to No. 32 on the outside looking in at the 2024 PGA Tour season.
Tuten will get a chance to try to make up for the gaffe, but he’ll have to wait two months. Players who finished Nos. 31-60 on the KFT points list have earned exemptions to the Final Stage of PGA Tour Q-School, where the top five finishers and ties will earn their 2024 PGA Tour cards. The final stage is Dec. 14-17 at TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley Course as well as Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Barjon won the no-cut, 72-hole Korn Ferry Tour Championship and now he’s getting a promotion.
Paul Barjon won the no-cut, 72-hole Korn Ferry Tour Championship on Sunday and now he’s getting a promotion.
In fact, he’s one of 30 golfers who locked up a 2024 PGA Tour card after the conclusion of the final KFT event of 2023.
Barjon shot 72-70-64-68 at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana, to finish at 14 under and win by three shots over Fabian Gomez. Joe Highsmith and Mac Meissner tied for third at 10 under.
The KFT Championship was the 26th and final event of the 2023 season. Heading into the finale, 16 cards had already been locked up but there was intense battle for the remaining 14.
Barjon was among those chasing one of those 14 spots, as he started the week at No. 45 but his victory vaulted him all the way to No. 8.
Players who finished Nos. 31-60 on the KFT points list have earned exemptions to Final Stage of PGA Tour Q-School, where the top five finishers and ties will earn their 2024 PGA Tour card.
Here’s some of the key things to know about this week’s 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Changes are a comin’ to the PGA Tour but one thing that’s not new is that a new crop of golfers will earn promotion to the big stage following the conclusion of this week’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
There are 16 who have already clinched their cards for next season with another 14 to be handed out come Sunday night at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
But between now and then is 72 holes of intensity, future status of playing privileges hanging in the balance.
The 2024 PGA Tour schedule features a return of the calendar-based schedule. The season starts in Maui at The Sentry in January.
Here’s some of the key things to know about this week’s 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Suh shot a 64 on Saturday to take the outright lead at 17 under, setting the 54-hole mark at Victoria National in Newburgh, Indiana.
He didn’t go as deep Sunday but didn’t need to, as his final-round 68 gave him the win in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at 21 under—his first Korn Ferry Tour win—and the No. 1 ranking in the season-long points race.
And to the winner goes the spoils.
The 25-year-old former USC golfer gained full status for the 2022-23 PGA Tour season for winning the points. But wait, that’s not all. Suh is also exempt in the 2023 Players Championship and the 2023 U.S. Open, the first year that perk was on the line at the KFT finals.
The Finals 25 was determined after Sunday’s round, finalizing 25 PGA Tour cards for next season. Here’s a look at who’s heading to the Tour:
It’s a shot Matthews didn’t even consider in a practice round.
Brandon Matthews needed an eagle on his final hole of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
He didn’t have any room for error. After a double bogey on his 17th hole, Matthews needed to go 2 under on the final hole to make the cut on the number. What awaited him was the par-4 18th, measuring at 432 yards. At least that’s what’s listed on the scorecard.
Matthews didn’t view the hole traditionally, though. Normally a big dogleg right, players have to hit a precise tee shot to avoid a huge pond right of the fairway and in front of the green from the tee box.
Matthews, who’s known as one of the longest players in golf, instead aimed right at the green. The carry? Nearly 370 yards.
No problem. It’s a shot you’ll have to see to believe.
His shot landed 15 feet from the pin. It was a shot he hadn’t even attempted in a practice round.
“Not directly at it … that’s a little crazy,” Matthews said. “Our line was … there are some red umbrellas on the clubhouse that we saw. That was kind of our line, if we had any bit of help at all.
“If I wasn’t in that position, I wouldn’t be hitting driver at the green … I love doing stuff like that. It’s fun.”
Matthews wasn’t able to convert the eagle putt, settling for birdie, but the result didn’t matter much for his future. He already secured his PGA Tour card for next season and will debut in two weeks at the Fortinet Championship.
There will be 17 PGA Tour cards up for grabs at the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Indiana.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. − Professional golf returns to the Tri-State this week with the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance.
This will be the 11th year Victoria National Golf Club has hosted a professional golf event. Following a change in 2019, it is also the final stop on the KFT with PGA Tour cards on the line. As part of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, it will also be the final year of the current format with a change coming in 2023.
It is always an exciting four days of golf played by some of the best in the country. Here is what you need to know for this year’s event.
What is at stake?
The Korn Ferry Tour Championship is the third and final event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, with a second set of 25 PGA Tour cards being awarded at the conclusion of the tournament.
Eight players have already crossed the threshold the Korn Ferry Tour uses as its fail-safe number for players to finish inside The Finals 25, leaving 17 final available PGA Tour cards this week. The player who finishes No. 1 in the season-long points race earns fully exempt status for the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, as well as a berth for the 2023 Players Championship and an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Open.
The schedule
The tournament will take place Thursday through Sunday with first-round tee times scheduled from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. According to weather.com, temperatures will be in the high 80s or low 90s with clear to partly cloudy skies all week.
Victoria National Golf Course in Newburgh, Indiana.
Golf Channel will have TV live coverage of every round from 4-7 p.m. ET. It will also be streamed on Peacock. Tickets are available through tourchampulf.com/tickets. All-week general admission tickets are $40. Daily admission is $20.
The field
There are numerous players to keep an eye on with PGA Tour cards at stake.
Defending champion Joseph Bramlett returns with a chance to become the first golfer in the 32 years of the circuit to successfully defend at the Tour Championship. He won at Victoria National last year with a final-round 65 to win by four shots at 20 under. Bramlett earned his PGA Tour card last week via the Finals point list.
He isn’t the only past champion of the event with Jonathan Byrd (2017) also scheduled to compete. Other former notable PGA Tour players include Aaron Baddeley, Bill Haas, Sean O’Hair, Bo Van Pelt and Camilo Villegas. The KFT Finals is a mix of players who finished 26-75th on the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season points list, 126-200th on the FedEx Cup Playoffs points list, as well as non-members and medical extensions.
While 25 Korn Ferry Tour players already earned their PGA Tour cards through the regular season, a separate points list determines The Finals 25. The player who earns the most points during the three Finals events (excluding those from the regular season) will earn status on the PGA Tour for the 2022-23 season.
Top 10 going into Tour Championship
Will Gordon
David Lingmerth
Philip Knowles
Michael Gligic
Joseph Bramlett
Austin Cook
Dean Burmester
Henrik Norlander
Justin Lower
Thomas Detry
Scott Harrington
Are there any players with local ties this year?
One golfer in the field who will be of major interest is Jeff Overton, a North High School graduate. He has 32 top-10s in nearly 300 career starts on the PGA Tour, including four runner-up finishes. He also earned a spot on the 2010 Ryder Cup team. However, Overton had not played professional golf in over five years due to an epidural abscess after an injection for a herniated disc in his back in 2017, followed by a lengthy recovery.
He made his professional return at the 3M Open in Minneapolis in July but missed the cut. Overton has made one cut in three Korn Ferry Tour events this month.
Victoria National Golf Course in Newburgh, Indiana.
Victoria National was ranked among the top three for six consecutive seasons from 2013-18, and it was the No. 1-ranked toughest course in 2015, 2016, and 2018. A par 72, scores have been lower in recent years after the course previously hosted a Tour event in late April or early July.
The course still remains brutal for those not playing well. The final stretch on the back nine is considered among the toughest closing holes on Tour. Victoria National ranks 47th on Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses 2022 list.
Check out who earned their PGA Tour cards for next season from the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
Joseph Bramlett shot a pair of 65s over the weekend to win the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and earn full exempt status for the 2021-22 PGA Tour season.
Bramlett started his final round a shot back of the lead and opened with a bogey. On his back nine, he rode a surge of five consecutive birdies on Nos. 12-16 at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana, and ran away with a four-shot victory.
“It’s a huge deal, man. Every week you’re playing for life-changing opportunities,” he said. “Yeah, it took me a long time to get my card back in 2019 and it was one of the biggest days of my life. So I’m just so excited and congratulatory to everybody who got their first card today. It’s a really, really big deal.”
Also earning full status in the big leagues next season: Stephan Jaeger, who finished No. 1 in the season-long points standings for The 25. Bramlett and Jaeger also earned a spot in the 2022 Players Championship.
Trey Mullinax, who had the solo lead after each of the first three rounds, fell short of going wire-to-wire but still earned a PGA Tour card. With his parents, wife and two kids in the gallery for the weekend rounds, Mullinax posted a final-round 70 to finish solo second at 16 under.
This was the final chance for several golfers to earn their 2021-22 PGA Tour cards and it went down to the wire for Justin Lower, who needed to get up-and-down for par on the 18th hole and he did just that. He nabbed the 25th spot in the Finals 25.
Trey Mullinax needed a top-20 finish this week to secure his PGA Tour card. He’s in great position to do that and more.
Trey Mullinax opened with a course record-tying 63. He followed that up with a Friday 71 to lead by one heading to the weekend. On Saturday, Mullinax posted a 68 to get to 14 under and will keep that one-shot lead through 54 holes.
On Sunday, he’ll look to close out a wire-to-wire win in the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Joseph Bramlett and John Huh each shot the round the day, a 65. Bramlett is solo second at 13 under; Huh is solo third at 12 under. Lee Hodges and Hayden Buckley are tied for fifth at 11 under at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
Mullinax has battled several injuries to his feet and back over the last few seasons. He missed the KFT’s top 25 from this season which meant he still had work to do this week to secure his PGA Tour card for next season.
“I knew how important this week was. I was trying to treat it like any other tournament, though,” he said after Saturday’s round.
A top-20 finish would do it. He’s in great position now to get back to the big leagues.
PGA Tour cards are just three rounds away at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Have a day, Trey Mullinax.
The former All-American at Alabama was rolling like the Tide on Thursday at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, the third and final event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
The 29-year-old shot a bogey-free 9-under 63 at Victoria National Golf Club in Indiana to take not only the early lead, but also a crucial step towards his PGA Tour card. Twenty-five players moved on to the Tour through the KFT regular season. Nine more players have already earned their cards for next season through the Finals 25 via the first two Finals events, leaving 16 left to be claimed this week.
Tyson Alexander made birdie on four of his last seven holes to climb into second place, two shots back at 7 under. Andrew Novak, who already earned his PGA Tour card, sits T-3 at 5 under alongside Hayden Buckley and Tommy Gainey, who are each looking to earn their way to the next level.
The shot of the day came from 40-year-old Ricky Barnes, who let out a “get lucky” when his tee shot on the par-3 16th ricocheted off a rock and shot across the green to the rough. Barnes, the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion, sits T-48 at even par.
Former Stanford golfer Brandon Wu won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship Sunday at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
Brandon Wu is a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The 23-year-old won his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. He finished one shot ahead of Greyson Sigg.
Wu, who was coming off a T-58 finish at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the final round to take the title at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
Wu said that throughout Sunday’s final round, he knew he was playing well but tried to stick to his game plan and stayed in the moment. He didn’t even know he was leading until his second shot on 18 when he asked his caddie.
“It’s almost surreal,” Wu said. “I mean I think over a month and a half ago and I was still playing Monday qualifiers and just hoping to get kind of a schedule going and I think standing here 6, 7 weeks later being a winner of the (Korn Ferry) Tour Championship is just an awesome feeling and quite surreal.”
Wu, who earned a spot in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot with his win, carded rounds of 67-69-69-65 to finish the event at 18-under 270.
Before Sunday’s win, Wu’s best finish was T-2 at the Albertsons Boise Open in August. Wu has competed in six tournaments, recorded three top 10s and made five cuts. He also finished T-9 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship in July.
Wu competed in five PGA Tour events this season including the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in which he finished T-38 at 2 under and the 2019 Houston Open where he finished T-17 at 8 under. The former Stanford Cardinal also competed in two PGA Tour majors last season. He qualified for the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, finishing T-35 at 1 over, and the 2019 British Open, where he missed the cut.
Sigg was 3 under on the day at Victoria National until a double-bogey on the par-4 14th derailed his round. He finished the day with a 1-under 71. Vince India, Seth Reeves and Dan McCarthy finished T-3 at 16 under.
