Tag: Korn Ferry Tour

‘I don’t really know what’s going on’: Korn Ferry Tour players feel in the dark about future after PGA Tour-PIF agreement

“We’re so in the dark it’s hard to tell whether they made the right move or not.”

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NORMAN, Okla. — Rico Hoey has heard his fair share of chatter the past couple weeks. Then again, who hasn’t in the golf world?

Hoey, a 27-year-old from the Philippines, sits second in the Korn Ferry Tour standings with a win, a T-2 and six top-10 finishes in 14 starts this season. He’s well on his way to securing a PGA Tour card for next season, one of 30 up for grabs in the season-long points race. However, he has no idea what the future looks like, and most don’t.

Two weeks ago, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced the framework of a new global golf entity. Even with the groundbreaking news, there’s still not much known about what the future looks like.

“I don’t really know what’s going on or what’s going to happen,” Hoey said Thursday after an opening-round 7-under 65 in the Compliance Solutions Championship at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. “For me, I’m just really happy to play out here and am going to focus on that. We’ll just keep hearing whenever the news comes out.”

Hoey’s sentiment is common among Korn Ferry Tour players, which is they are pretty much clueless as to what the future is going to be like. Logan McAllister said he wouldn’t comment on the situation because he didn’t know enough about it.

For most players, it’s business as usual the rest of the season. Beyond, no one knows.

The same has been said from dozens of golfers on the PGA Tour, as well. There have been plenty of conversations regarding whether LIV golfers will find their way back on the PGA Tour and how they can be let back in with the merger.

And for every time a LIV player comes back to the PGA Tour, that’s another spot that a Korn Ferry Tour player would take or players like Grant could lose their spot to.

Outside of the initial announcement, there’s plenty of speculation as to what it actually means. And it’s putting plenty on player’s minds, like Brent Grant.

After earning his PGA Tour card last year, Grant has made 22 starts this year, including last week’s U.S. Open. However, he wasn’t in the field this week at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, so he headed to Norman to continue finding his groove with a new caddie on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Grant was at the RBC Canadian Open when the announcement of the agreement was made, though he didn’t attend the meeting with Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and fellow players. Yet his feelings echo the same thoughts of many on both tours.

“A the end of the day, they gave us no answers,” Grant said. “I feel that there were more than enough guys like me at the meeting who were going to say probably the same things as me. They sprung it on us out of no where. We’re so in the dark it’s hard to tell whether they made the right move or not.

“But for guys like me, Grayson Murray, ones who have won and grinded it out to get on Tour, they kind of feel sold out. But you know, me as a rookie, ultimately they don’t even know who I am, so it doesn’t really matter.”

59 alert: Michael Feagles fires a 12-under round at the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am

Have a day, Feagles!

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Michael Feagles made history Thursday, shooting a 12-under 59 at the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greer, South Carolina.

Playing the Thornblade Club — Thornblade and Carolina Country Club are being used for the event — Feagles started his day on No. 10 with a birdie. He’d make five more on Nos. 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18 to make the turn with a 6-under 30.

Feagles made one birdie on Nos. 1-4 — the par-5 second — but went on an absolute tear to finish his day. He birdied his last five holes, including the par-3 ninth, to solidify his 59.

“It was pretty surreal for me because I wasn’t really ever thinking about it out there. I had an eagle putt on 5 that would have gotten me to 9 under and I missed, and I basically just dropped the 59 thought. It was just, ‘oh, play good coming in,'” he said after his round. “And then hit it to like a foot on six, two feet on seven and then I’m like, ‘okay, well, if I can birdie the last two, I can do it,’ and I did.

“But honestly, like until the actual ball went in the hole, I was like ‘I don’t think this is going to happen. There’s no way this happens, right?’ People don’t just shoot 59. And it did, yeah. Feeling great, feel great.”

He led Josh Teater by two shots after the morning wave.

More: Pros to shoot 59

Feagles, who turned pro in 2021, is from Phoenix and played his college golf at Illinois. In 10 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, Feagles has missed seven cuts and has yet to crack the top 20.

In April, Mac Meissner eagled his final hole to card a 59 at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic.

Jorge Fernandez Valdes birdies first playoff hole to beat Trent Phillips at Korn Ferry Tour’s UNC Health Championship

Valdes won for the first time in 80 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Trent Phillips shot a final-round 66, tying for low round of the day, to get into a playoff against Jorge Fernandez Valdes at the 2023 UNC Health Championship on Sunday on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Phillips, who turned pro last year, had four consecutive birdies on Nos. 13 through 16 before closing with back-to-back pars. Meanwhile, Valdes, 30, who eagled the par-4 9th, survived a bogey on the 16th hole to shoot a 68 to also make it to bonus golf at Raleigh Country Club in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Both golfers reached 13 under, one clear of the field, to force overtime.

But the extra golf was over quickly, as Valdes made birdie on the first playoff hole to win for the first time in 80 Korn Ferry Tour starts. Prior to this win, had had five top-25s and five missed cuts during the 2023 season.

Valdes celebrated on the 18th green with his wife Martina and daughter Azalea after the trophy presentation.

Third-round leader and Raleigh native Grayson Murray birdied the final hole but otherwise had a disastrous back-nine, with a double bogey on the par-5 12th and bogeys on Nos 13, 16 and 17. He shot a back-nine 39 and a final-round 1-over 71 to miss the playoff by a shot. Two weeks after winning on the Korn Ferry Tour, Murray tied John Augenstein for third.

Kyle Westmoreland, the first Air Force Academy graduate to earn his PGA Tour card, had a first-round 63, which tied for low round of the week. He started the final round a shot back and went on to finish solo fifth after a final-round 71.

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Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg finishes first in 2023 PGA Tour University standings, earning a PGA Tour card through the 2024 season

Ludvig Aberg made PGA Tour history on Monday evening. 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ludvig Aberg made PGA Tour history on Monday evening.

He became the first player in the Tour’s history to earn his PGA Tour membership via PGA Tour University. And it became official as soon as stroke play ended Monday at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.

The third PGA Tour University rankings were finalized Monday, and the top 20 golfers secured status on varying professional tours. But it was Aberg taking home the top prize, a new perk to PGA Tour U this year.

Players who finished Nos. 2-5 in the final PGA Tour U rankings earned fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, as well as an exemption to final stage of 2023 PGA Tour Q-School.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

Players who finished Nos. 6-10 earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, fully exempt membership on PGA Tour Canada for 2023, as well as an exemption to second stage of 2023 PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

Then, Nos. 11-20 earned fully exempt membership on PGA Tour Canada for 2023, as well as an exemption to second stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, and conditional status through the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA Tour Americas season.

The program is designed to streamline the process for college players to advance to the professional level while also rewarding those who honor their college commitments. Players must play on the NCAA Division I level and complete a minimum of four years in college to be eligible for PGA Tour U.

Rico Hoey birdies 18, wins 2023 Visit Knoxville Open by a stroke for first Korn Ferry Tour victory

It’s the first Korn Ferry Tour win for Hoey in 82 starts.

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Rico Hoey has played in just one PGA Tour event and that was more than three years ago.

After earning his first Korn Ferry Tour win on Sunday in the 2023 Visit Knoxville Open, Hoey took a huge step toward perhaps being a regular on the big tour.

Hoey birdied the par-5 18th hole Sunday at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, to win by a shot over Chase Seiffert and Norman Xiong. Hoey’s final-round 65 got him to 14 under for the week. It’s his sixth top-10 finish of the 2023 season.

“I’m just ecstatic. There was a lot of hard work. Everyone works hard. And I have battled through things for myself, and I’m just really happy to get it done,” he said. “And I never thought the day would come, but a lot of people told me it would.”

He punctuated his birdie on 18 with an animated fist pump.

“It was just like your heart’s racing, you can’t think straight, your head’s all over the place. I couldn’t control my hands,” he said of his putt on 18. “I just told myself: ‘Just hit it down the line and see what happens.'”

It’s his first win in 82 Korn Ferry starts and his second professional win since he claimed the 2017 Freedom 55 Financial Championship on the PGA Tour Canada.

The last 10 events of 2023 have been feast or famine for Hoey.

2023 Visit Knoxville Open
Rico Hoey poses with the trophy after winning the 2023 Visit Knoxville Open at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo: Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Prior to winning this week, he tied for second. In the two events before that, he missed the cut. The three events before those missed cuts were three consecutive ties for third. In his last 10 starts, he either has finished in the top 10 or he has missed the cut.

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Joshua Creel shoots a 61, Alejandro Tosti leads Korn Ferry Tour’s 2023 Visit Knoxville Open

Joshua Creel had eight birdies in his first 12 holes Friday.

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Joshua Creel fired a 9-under 61 on Friday to fly up the leaderboard at the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2023 Visit Knoxville Open.

Creel was out in the early wave at Holston Hills Country Club and had eight birdies in his first 12 holes. Five straight pars cooled him off but a closing birdie got him to 9 under, one day after shooting an even par round.

After his career-low and course-record tying round, he was asked what was going through his mind after posting a 29 on the front nine.

“Fifty-nine, yeah. Par 70, turn 29, you’re thinking 59 for sure,” Creel said, adding that he thought a sub-60 round was oh-so-close.

“I lipped out putts on 14, 15 and 16, so that’s 61, could have been a couple better,” he said.

Creel’s red-hot Friday has him within a shot of the lead, held by Alejandro Tosti, the first-round co-leader.

Tosti is seeking his first professional win and knows there’s a lot of work ahead with 36 holes still to play this weekend. But he likes where he’s at.

“Just being in the fight for the tournament. I’ve been playing really good and I feel like I’ve been knocking on the door but not having a good result, so whatever is meant to happen will happen,” he said after rounds of 63 and 67. “I know there are not many guys playing better than me at this time, so I’m very happy with the opportunity.”

Tosti’s Argentinian countryman Jorge Fernandez Valdes is also at 9 under after shooting a 64 on Friday. Jacob Solomon and Matt McCarty are tied for fourth at 8 under. The other first-round co-leader, Nelson Ledesma, shot a 70 Friday to slide back into a tie for sixth.

Camilo Villegas is in the field and he’s tied for 10th (67-67).

Nelson Ledesma, Alejandro Tosti lead contingent from Argentina at Korn Ferry Tour’s 2023 Visit Knoxville Open

They are four of the nine golfers from Argentina in the field this week at Holston Hills Country Club.

Nelson Ledesma and Alejandro Tosti are the co-leaders after one round at the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2023 Visit Knoxville Open.

Fellow Argentinian Augusto Nunez is tied for sixth. and tied for 20th is another golfer from the South American country, Jorge Fernandez Valdes. They are four of the nine golfers from Argentina in the field this week at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Ledesma in particular said he feels comfortable on the course with its familiar feel.

“I like the course, a typical course that we play in Argentina with some
trees. I really like the greens, the greens are nice. We are okay,” he said after a bogey-free round where he nabbed three birdies on the front and four more on the back for a 63.

Tosti, a rookie this season, also shot a 7-under 63 but his scorecard was a bit more interesting, as he had a double bogey, two bogeys but countered that and more with 11 birdies, including three straight to close his round.

“Eleven in one day was like ‘wow’, one after the other after the other,” he said. “Then I had a couple bad breaks where I made a double, but I again fought back and yeah, it’s like just everything was hitting the ball great. I mean, the best in many years, putting the best in many years, so everything is kind of coming together.”

A shot back at 6 under is Rico Hoey and David Kocher.

Last week’s winner Grayson Murray shot a first-round 73.

It’s the 11th tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2023 schedule. The Visit Knoxville event is one of the legacy events: it’s one of four on the circuit’s schedule every year since the tour started in 1990. It’s the third year the event is at Holston Hills.

Fresh off a win, Grayson Murray leads strong Korn Ferry Tour field at the Visit Knoxville Open

Murray has been open about some struggles with mental health and alcohol.

The game’s future stars have descended upon Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, this week for the Visit Knoxville Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Last year, Anders Albertson used an opening-round 8-under 62 to propel him to the win. Carl Yuan finished solo second at 19 under, MJ Daffue grabbed solo third at 18 under, and Taylor Montgomery — whose seen some steady success on the PGA Tour over the last 8 months — and Sean O’Hair tied for fourth at 16 under.

Ben Kohles, the 2022-23 KFT Points leader, is in the field looking for his third win of the season. Kohles won the Astara Chile Classic and the HomeTown Lenders Championship in April. Both events were decided by a playoff.

Grayson Murray reacts after winning the AdventHealth Championship at Blue Hills Country Club on May 21, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

Fresh off a win at the AdventHealth Championship, Grayson Murray now sits 14th on the points list. Murray has made six stroke-play event starts on the PGA Tour this season. He missed five cuts and tied for 15th at the Puerto Rico Open in March.

Murray has said he might consider playing the remainder of the season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Just eight months ago, he was in a scooter accident in Bermuda that didn’t lead to any broken bones but he did need 50 stitches — 25 on his face, 10 on his leg and others on various parts of his body.

Last week’s victory was Murray’s second on the Korn Ferry Tour and he also won as a rookie on the PGA Tour at the 2016 Barbasol Championship.

Murray has been open about some struggles with mental health and alcohol.

“I think everyone has their own battles,” Murray said after last week’s victory. “Sometimes people are able to hide ’em and function and
sometimes you’re not. You know, I think our society now is getting better about accepting that, you know, it’s OK to not be OK type deal. I’ve embraced that type of mentality. Not ashamed that I go through depression, anxiety.

“I know I’ve helped people out in the past just through my social media DMs, people messenger me and that’s I think part of I can use my platform to continue to help with things like that.”

According to Data Golf, Alejandro Tosti is the favorite to win. The Argentinean has finished T-7, T-10, T-22 and solo fourth in his last four Korn Ferry starts. On top of his success at this level, Tosti is three-for-three making the cut on the big tour this year, with his best finish coming at the Mexico Open where he tied for 10th. He’s still searching for his first win.

As for the golf course, Holston Hills is a par-70 track that measures 7,218 yards. HHCC was founded in 1927 and was designed by the famed Donald Ross.

The last two winners of the Visit Knoxville Open reached 20 under, so birdies — and a lot of them — will be needed to have any shot of winning the title.

If you live in the area and are interested in attending the event, daily tickets are available as well as week-long badges. You can purchase tickets online here.

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Seven months after bad scooter accident, Grayson Murray wins on Korn Ferry Tour

Murray needed more than 50 stitches after a bad scooter accident last October.

Seven months ago, Grayson Murray was injured in a severe scooter accident, forcing him to withdraw from a PGA Tour event in Bermuda.

On Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri, Murray found himself hoisting a trophy for the first time in six years after winning the 2023 AdventHealth Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. He did so despite a double-bogey 7 on the 18 hole.

Murray put himself in great position after a 64 on Saturday. He opened that round with three straight birdies, had another at 12 and then put his foot on the gas, closing with birdies on Nos. 15 through 18.

On Sunday, Murray birdied Nos. 1, 7 and 10 before an eagle on No. 13. He had another birdie on 16 before parring the 17th. With just one bogey through 71 holes, Murray stumbled a bit on the par-5 closing hole with a double but shot a 68 to get to 19 under and hold off Rico Hoey and Wilson Furr by a shot.

“It hasn’t really sunk in,” Murray said. “Six years is a long drought, far longer than I wanted. Sometimes your highs are high out here and your lows are low. It’s a very humbling sport. I’ve been working really hard, and this is a testament to the hard work.

“My parents have been through hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff. It’s not easy on me, and the people around me that love me, they don’t like to see me down. They’ve been my No. 1 supporters. There’s a few friends as well that have been there, and it makes these moments a lot more special when you can share it with them.”

The win was Murray’s second on the Korn Ferry Tour. He also won as a rookie on the PGA Tour at the 2016 Barbasol Championship.

Murray made news off the course for getting into Twitter spats with other pros, particularly Kevin Na. Murray’s scooter accident in Bermuda didn’t lead to any broken bones but he needed 50 stitches — 25 stitches on his face, 10 on his leg and others on various parts of his body.

With this win under his belt, he said he may stick it on on the Korn Ferry Tour for now.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what I focus on, because I think maybe my best chance would be to just stay out here and play on this tour since there’s 30 cards given this year instead of 25,” said Murray. “But we’ll see. I’m going to enjoy this one first.”

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Top college golfer in PGA Tour U standings to get extra year of PGA Tour status

The top players in the PGA Tour U standings continue to get better benefits.

The top players in the PGA Tour U standings continue to get better benefits.

The PGA Tour announced Monday it was continuing to update its criteria for the program, and it makes the incentives even better for top men’s collegiate golfers, including the No. 1 finisher. This year’s top player following the NCAA Championships will receive PGA Tour status for the rest of 2023 and 2024 and will be subject to reshuffles in the category with the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai and Korn Ferry Tour points list.

Additionally, that player would not have to compete in Q-School at the end of the year to keep his status. Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, with three wins this season including the Big 12 Championship, is the top-ranked player in the PGA Tour U standings with two events remaining.

More changes include the one-and-a-half-year PGA Tour exemption for any players satisfying PGA Tour Accelerated, the points system for underclassmen. Also, Nos. 2-5 in the final PGA Tour University ranking will be able to accept unlimited PGA Tour sponsor exemptions for the rest of 2023 and 2024.

Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent is closest to achieving a Tour card through Accelerated. He owns 13 of the required 20 points and can move past that threshold by nabbing postseason awards.

If Aberg were to hold on to the top spot, he would make his debut at the RBC Canadian Open in June.

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