Tag: Korn Ferry Tour

Korn Ferry Tour announces 2024 schedule featuring 26 tournaments

Here’s a look at the complete Korn Ferry Tour schedule for 2024.

The PGA Tour announced Tuesday the schedule for the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, which features 26 tournaments across six countries and 17 states, beginning in January and culminating in October at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, where PGA Tour cards will be awarded to the top-30 finishers on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.

The 2024 Korn Ferry Tour schedule, which marks the 34th season in the Tour’s history, will open with six consecutive international events, the most in a single season on the Tour since 2017.

The historic Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro will become a Korn Ferry Tour event next year, as well. The 117th playing of the tournament will be contested Feb. 29–March 3 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at Olivos Golf Club, and the event will include coverage on ESPN Latin America. In partnership with The R&A, the Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro will continue its tradition of awarding its champion an exemption for The Open Championship.

Here’s a look at the complete Korn Ferry Tour schedule for 2024.

Date Tournament Location Course
Jan. 14-17 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay Great Exuma, Bahamas
Sandals Emerald Bay
Golf Club
Jan. 21-24 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club Great Abaco, Bahamas
The Abaco Club on
Winding Bay
Feb. 1-4 The Panama Championship Panama City, Panama
Club de Golf de Panama
Feb. 8-11 astara Golf Championship Bogota, Colombia
Country Club de Bogota – Pacos & Fabios y Fundadores
Feb. 29 – March 3 117 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro Buenos Aires, Argentina Olivos Golf Club
March 7-10 astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank Santiago, Chile
Prince of Wales Country Club
April 4-7 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club Savannah, Georgia
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club – Deer Creek Course
April 18-21 Lecom Suncoast Classic Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Lakewood National Golf Club – Commander Course
April 25-28 Veritex Bank Championship Arlington, Texas
Texas Rangers Golf Club
May 16-19 AdventHealth Championship Kansas City, Missouri
Blue Hills Country Club
May 23-26 Visit Knoxville Open Knoxville, Tennessee
Holston Hills Country Club
May 30 – June 2 UNC Health Championship presented by Stitch Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh Country Club
June 6-9 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD Synnex Greer, South Carolina
Thornblade Club & Carolina Country Club
June 13-16 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics Wichita, Kansas
Crestview Country Club
June 20-23 Compliance Solutions Championship Norman, Oklahoma
Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club
June 27-30 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS Springfield, Illinois
Panther Creek Country Club
July 11-14 The Ascendant presented by Blue Berthoud, Colorado TPC Colorado
July 18-21 Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper Springfield, Missouri
Highland Springs Country Club
July 25-28 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank Glenview, Illinois The Glen Club
Aug. 1-4 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank Farmington, Utah TBD
Aug. 8-11 Pinnacle Bank Championship Omaha, Nebraska
The Club at Indian Creek
Aug. 15-18 Magnit Championship Jackson Township, New Jersey
Metedeconk National Golf Club
Aug. 22-25 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron Boise, Idaho
Hillcrest Country Club
Sept. 12-15 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation College Grove, Tennessee The Grove
Sept. 19-22 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship Columbus, Ohio
The Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course
Oct. 3-6 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance French Lick, Indiana
French Lick Golf Resort – Pete Dye Course

 

Meet the 30 Korn Ferry Tour golfers who earned PGA Tour cards for 2024 season

These 30 players are being promoted to the big leagues.

The Korn Ferry Tour Championship was the 26th and final event of the 2023 season, and the top 30 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List upon conclusion of Sunday’s final round earned their PGA Tour cards for the 2024 season.

The action at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana, was intense as 16 cards had already been finalized heading into the week, leaving just 14 cards still up for grabs.

Paul Barjon won the season-ending event and that vaulted him into the top 30. He was among the five players who were not in the top 30 when the week started who played their way in. Shad Tuten was dinged with a two-shot penalty Sunday and that cost him a card, dropping from 29th to 32nd. Jorge Fernandez Valdes finished in the 31st spot, a third-round 77 likely the biggest culprit for him.

The top KFT finisher was Ben Kohles, who had two wins this season.

For those who fell short, all is not lost. 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.

The 2024 PGA Tour season starts at The Sentry, Jan. 4-7 at the Plantation Course at Kapalua but that event is reserved for PGA Tour winners and the top 30 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings from last season, so for these KFT grads, their 2024 PGA Tour season will start the next week at the Sony Open of Hawaii.

Here’s the complete list of 30 Korn Ferry Tour golfers who earned their 2024 PGA Tour cards.

Two-shot penalty costs this Korn Ferry Tour golfer a PGA Tour card for 2024

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.

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.

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Chan Kim wins on Korn Ferry Tour; David Kocher records circuit’s 10th 59

Kocher drained a long birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 59, the third on the Korn Ferry Tour this season.

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Chan Kim went bogey-free for 72 holes at the 2023 Albertsons Boise Open and won on the Korn Ferry Tour for the second week in a row. Kim went 66-62-64-64 to get to 28 under after four days at Hillcrest Country Club and still left himself little room for error considering what David Kocher did Sunday.

Kocher drained a long birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 59, amazingly the third 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour this season.

Kocher had 10 birdies – including six straight on Nos. 2 through 7 – and an eagle to get to 12 under for the day and 26 under for the week.

Kocher joins Mac Meissner, who posted a 59 at the Lecom Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National’s Commander Course in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, in April. That was the eighth sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history.

Michael Feagles had the circuit’s ninth 59 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greer, South Carolina, in June.

Now there’s a 10th, and a third in four months, thanks for Kocher.

2023 Albertsons Boise Open
Chan Kim celebrates on the 18th green after winning the the 2023 Albertsons Boise Open at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho. (Photo: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

As for Kim, he’s the first back-to-back winner in two years. Cameron Young and Mito Pereira each did it on the KFT in 2021.

His last seven holes a week ago were also bogey free, so Kim has actually played 79 consecutive holes without a bogey. He’s the first to win and go bogey-free at the Albertsons.

To the winner goes the spoils, as Kim, second on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, has also earned his PGA Tour card for the 2024 season.

The Albertsons Boise Open is the first of four events in the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

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Alejandro Tosti forced to WD from Korn Ferry Tour event

A Korn Ferry Tour release reported Tosti’s forced withdrawal was due to a disciplinary matter.

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Alejandro Tosti, who entered this week’s Albertson’s Boise Open fourth on the Korn Ferry Tour points list, was forced to withdraw after the first round.

A Korn Ferry Tour release reported Tosti’s forced withdrawal was due to a disciplinary matter. The details of the issue and any related disciplinary action will be handled internally, the release said.

The 27-year-old, who went to college at Florida, has a win and eight top-10 finishes this season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Because of his position in the standings, he has earned enough points to secure his PGA Tour card for the 2024 season.

Tosti opened with a 4-under 67 on Thursday at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho.

Watch: This pair of pros missing short putts will give you nightmares

Remember, next time you’re playing golf with your buddies, there are no gimmies. 

Close your eyes, hide the kids, run away.

Professionals can miss gimme putts, too.

Look no further than this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event in Illinois, the NV5 Invitational. Tom Whitney had mere inches to clean up a putt. So he did what any pro does, he walked over, turned around and dropped his putter. He took a swipe at the ball from what could only be described as a couple of inches from the cup.

It lipped out. The ball never had a chance to go in. It missed and then went about three feet away. Whitney stood there stunned, and the Barstool Sports TV broadcast was in disbelief.

Whitney isn’t the only one who missed a short putt. Enter Padraig Harrington, a major winner playing in the Senior British Open. He missed a short putt that touched every inch of the cup’s edge but didn’t somehow fall.

Remember, next time you’re playing golf with your buddies, there are no gimmies.

Fans are loving the Barstool Sports broadcast of the Korn Ferry Tour’s NV5 Invitational

Read some reviews of the unique broadcast here.

This week, the Korn Ferry Tour is in Glenview, Illinois, for the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank at The Glen Club.

While players are fighting for the championship, a unique telecast is happening behind the scenes.

Barstool Sports is broadcasting all four days of the event from 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET on Barstool.tv.

Their broadcast team includes members of the Foreplay podcast: Sam “Riggs” Bozoian, Frankie Borrelli (on-course reporter), Trent Ryan (on-course reporter) and Daniel Rapaport (on-course reporter). The team is rounded off by Jake Marsh, Francis Ellis and Kirk Minihane.

While Barstool has broadcasted college football and basketball games, this is the first time the company has done so for golf.

Here are some reviews from fans watching the NV5 Invitational.

Sponsor exemption will have his mom as his caddie at the 3M Open

“I’ve always dreamed of competing in this tournament.”

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BLAINE, Minn. — This week is far from normal for Frankie Capan III.

The North Oaks, Minnesota, native is a Korn Ferry Tour member and sits 34th in the season-long points race. The top 30 earn PGA Tour cards at the end of the year. However, he’s not playing in the KFT’s NV5 Invitational this week.

Instead, Capan accepted a sponsor exemption and is playing in his hometown 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, marking his first PGA Tour start as a professional.

As if playing near home wasn’t enough, his mom, Charlynn, is on the bag.

“Originally she was supposed to be just a fill-in caddie, and the more success we had, the more we realized that she should just keep staying on the bag,” Frankie said. “Obviously when we went through Q-School and only lost to nine people, it was pretty evident that she should stay on the bag for a little longer.

“I tried another kid, actually from Minnesota, and we had a couple good finishes, but found my way back to her. And then we had a nice finish in Raleigh at the Korn Ferry event there, and then the next day punched our ticket to the U.S. Open. Once we did that I figured, you know, better to just stick with her for the time being and see what we could do.”

2023 Memorial Health Championship
Frankie Capan III hits his tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the 2023 Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Illinois. (Photo: Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

Playing with mom on the bag is nothing new, but it’s something they’ve had to grow and learn from each other with trial and error.

Frankie said once they leave the course, they tend to leave golf there, too. Some situations may dictate otherwise, but he said there have been plenty of learning opportunities for the duo to help his game.

“Whenever you have some good dialogue and even fighting or bickering at times, your relationship can grow deeper because you start to understand how each other interact and the words you like to use,” Frankie said. “Really, just, she’s kind of understood how I like to play the game more, what shots I like to hit at certain times.”

Frankie’s first start in a Tour event came in 2016 at the Puerto Rico Open. That week, he said his goal was to make the cut and he spent too much time paying attention to the cut line instead of where the leaders were.

He missed the cut by one shot.

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This week, the objective is simple.

“I would be lying if I told you my goal wasn’t to win this week,” Frankie said. “I try to hold myself to a high standard, and my dad always says if you’re not winning, you’re learning. So really no matter what happens this week, I’m — it’s going to be a special week.”

There’s also risk for Frankie in missing out on playing the Korn Ferry Tour this week, as he’s unable to earn points to help get him inside the top 30. He said he spoke with Kevin Dougherty about the decision on whether to accept the exemption and what the best move was.

Frankie said he’s not worried, however, because he knows he can have a strong finish down the stretch. He’s hoping the hometown 3M Open helps push him to the PGA Tour full-time.

“I’ve always dreamed of competing in this tournament, so when the opportunity came to life, I figured I really couldn’t pass it up,” Frankie said.

Longest golf course on Korn Ferry Tour at 8,029 yards features 773-yard par 5

Last year’s winner made birdie on the 13th in two of the four rounds.

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Tee it high and let it fly.

There will be plenty of that this week in Berthoud, Colorado, an hour north of Denver and 5,000 feet above sea level.

The Korn Ferry Tour is making its fifth visit to TPC Colorado, which has been stretched to a record 8,029 yards this week.

You read that right: 8,029 yards.

The course, which opened in 2018, was designed by Arthur Schaupeter and plays as a par 72.

If you’ve seen the guys on the Korn Ferry Tour, you know they can poke it around the yard. But you still gotta marvel at some of these numbers. Here’s a look at the official scorecard:

TPC Colorado
The scorecard for TPC Colorado in Berthoud, Colorado.

There’s no easing into this course, as the opening hole is 624 yards. The second hole is a 238-yard par 3. The card says the fifth hole, like No. 1 a par 5, is 624 but it’s clarified on the Korn Ferry Tour website it’ll play 638 yards this week.

The hole that gets all the attention, though, is the 773-yard par 5 which features a big dogleg left.

And you’re not beaten up through 17 holes, the finisher is a little old 531-yard par 4.

Big-hitting Will Zalatoris is one of the four past champions of the tournament. Last year’s winner, Zecheng Dou, won the event at 17 under. He made birdie on the 13th in two of the four rounds.

Former college golf stars are winning in their professional debuts, and it’s not a surprise to their fellow pros

“It’s only going to get better.”

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NORMAN, Okla. — Rose Zhang started the trend three weeks ago. Adrien Dumont de Chassart followed her up the next week. Then, Ricky Castillo joined the party.

Three straight weeks. Three straight professional events won by a player making their debut straight out of college, and all in different situations.

Amateurs having immediate success straight out of college is nothing new, though there are more opportunities now for the top college players right after turning professional compared to the past, especially on the men’s side with PGA Tour University.

“I wish we would’ve had that back when I was in college,” former Oklahoma State golfer Kristoffer Ventura said Thursday after an opening 5-under 67 at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Compliance Solutions Championship at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. “Those guys are really, really good, and they’ve just proven that. They took advantage of that opportunity. It’s only going to get better.”

Only 13 days after winning a record second NCAA individual title, Zhang won in her pro debut on the LPGA at the Mizuho Americas Open. The following week and 12 days after bowing out during the quarterfinals of NCAA match play, Dumont de Chassart won the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in a playoff.

Then last week, Castillo, who was making his pro debut on the heels of winning the national championship with Florida, won the Wichita Open in a playoff, where he beat Dumont de Chassart and Kyle Jones.

Dumont de Chassart finished third in the 2023 PGA Tour U standings, which guaranteed him fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, as well as an exemption to the final stage of 2023 PGA Tour Q-School. For Castillo, who was ninth in PGA Tour U, he had conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, fully exempt membership on PGA Tour Canada for 2023, as well as an exemption to the second stage of 2023 PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

However, Castillo’s win changed that. He sits inside the top 30 in the Korn Ferry Tour standings. At the end of the year, the top 30 get PGA Tour cards. For Dumont de Chassart, he’s sixth and almost guaranteed to earn a card.

“All these wins from PGA Tour U guys kind of speaks to the level of talent in college golf,” said Logan McAllister, who finished third in the 2022 PGA Tour U standings. “College is obviously not the same as professional golf, but the guys who are at the top can come out here and compete, and they’ve proved that.”

There have been plenty of changes to PGA Tour U, especially in the past year to combat the LIV Golf League trying to lure players for guaranteed money. Former Oklahoma State golfer Eugenio Chacarra is one who left college, and he even won a LIV event last year.

This year, the top finisher, Ludvig Aberg, earned a PGA Tour card and has membership for the rest of the 2023 and the 2024 season, though he will be subject to reshuffles in 2024. There were more incentives to stay in college and pursue PGA Tour opportunities after turning pro.

Last year’s No. 1 finisher, Pierceson Coody, has won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour and is eighth in points this year. He’s well on his way to eventually earning his Tour card, but he would’ve had it under the current rules.

“At first you’re frustrated because I missed it by a year,” Coody said. “But I am on a good path and doing the right things, and next year I plan to be on the PGA Tour. I turned down LIV, and then the next year, the No. 1 player gets a Tour card. It is weird to think about, but it is what it is and I’m in a good spot.

“As long as I keep my head there, I’m going to end up with a chance to do great things out there.”

Most of the recent PGA Tour U graduates agree that if the program had been around in the past, there likely would’ve been more stories of players turning professional and winning right away.

Michael Thorbjornsen, who is set to begin his senior year at Stanford in the fall, is playing in this week’s Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour on a sponsor exemption. He’ll be a part of PGA Tour U this season, and he knows how important it is for the college game.

“I think the younger guys are getting better and better, and I think it’s because we all see what opportunities are out there for us,” Thorbjornsen said. “PGA Tour U has created an unbelievable platform for us to perform our best and to have some sort of a pathway on Tour.”

There are more opportunities now than ever for college players turning professional, and they’re taking advantage.

“These young guys are hungry and ready,” said Rico Hoey, the 27-year-old who shot 7-under 65 on Thursday and played collegiately at USC. “I think it’s a great incentive to stay in school, but it’s really cool to see these young guys coming out and having success.”

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