“I did lip out my putt for 12,” said Crisologo after making 13 on No. 13.
How do you shoot 74 with a 13 on a par-4? Just ask Chris Crisologo, who signed for a 3-over round in the second round of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.
“I did lip out my putt for 12,” Crisologo told Golf Channel, confirming that it’s possible to still have a sense of humor after dropping nine strokes on one hole.
Crisologo was tearing up the Marshwood Course at the Landings Club, one of two layouts being used this week in Savannah, Georgia, before he arrived at the 13th hole. He had made an eagle and two birdies in his first five holes to rocket up the leaderboard in search of earning full status on KFT for the first time in his career.
Crisologo, a 26-year-old Canadian with career earnings of $17,709 on the Mackenzie Tour, hit four tee shots into the penalty area at 13. He started with driver, backed down to 3-iron but kept finding the water that guards the left side of the hole. Eventually, he put a ball in play with a 4-iron.
“Push-blocked that one into the middle of the fairway,” Crisologo cracked.
Crisologo, to his credit, bounced back with two birdies in his final five holes. Other than making 13 on 13, he didn’t make worse than par, but that was one big hiccup.
Crisologo has one PGA Tour start to his credit, making the cut at the 2018 RBC Canadian Open.
The good news for Crisologo is there are two rounds remaining and his 74 didn’t seal his fate. Of the 147 players in the field, Nos. 11-40 (and ties) earn starts in the first eight events. He’s already guaranteed conditional status and will be slotted in based on the order that he finishes.
“I’m lucky there are two more days,” Crisologo said. “One of the caddies said it best: Better to have it today than on Monday.”
How do PGA Tour Champions players feel about modest purse increases?
In August, the PGA Tour announced its series of 13 events — including The Players Championship — that will offer purse increases of nearly $100 million for the 2023 season, plus a doubling of the Player Impact Program to $100 million.
The Korn Ferry Tour had previously announced in 2021 that its purses will increase to $1 million for each regular-season event (up from $600,000 for most tournaments) and $1.5 million for the four-event Korn Ferry Finals.
In between is the PGA Tour Champions, whose average purse this season of $2.1 million is only $600,000 more than the Korn Ferry Finals. There will be modest gains next year to an average of $2.3 million but only nine of the 27 events will offer bumps and at this point, the Constellation Furyk & Friends, being played this week at the Timuquana Country Club, may not be one of them.
So while PGA Tour players will have a chance to compete for first-place checks of up to $4.5 million for winning The Players (which exceeds the total purse for every PGA Tour Champions event), and Korn Ferry Tour players can make $180,000 for winning a regular-season event (nearly double the amount from most regular-season events in 2019), why aren’t Champions Tour earnings increasing at a fast pace than the projected 10 percent for next season?
The answer reflects the reality of the economics: Champions Tour purses are more dependent on title sponsorship contracts than TV money, and it’s a tour financially supported by the PGA Tour anyway.
And with the PGA Tour tapping into its reserves and asking for more help from its title sponsors in response to the LIV Golf tour luring players away with mind-boggling, there’s little left in the kitty to throw to the Champions Tour.
Purse bumps depend on sponsors
“We’re in a different situation with the Tour,” said Steve Flesch, one of the members of the Champions Tour Policy Board. “We rely on tournament sponsors to generate our purses so we don’t have as big a piece of pie.”
Champions Tour president Miller Brady said it comes down to the contracts with each title sponsor. For example, the Furyk & Friends purse is $2 million for the balance of the five-year deal, unless Constellation agrees to a bump based on the event’s performance.
Judging from the success of the first two years, it might happen.
“When we sign a contract with a title sponsor, we have to see if the event will sustain itself,” Brady said. “There’s no question this tournament has done well.”
Tournament host Jim Furyk is optimistic.
“I think you’ll start to see purses go up,” he said. “Is it always going to be as fast as the players want it? Probably not. I really do believe we’re in a strong place right now, and I think you will see increases.”
The top purses on the Champions Tour are $4 million for the U.S. Senior Open and $3.5 million for the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which are not run by the Tour. The highest purse for a Champions Tour event is $3 million for the Senior Players.
The Players Championship purse reached $3 million in 1995.
Players seem content
Despite the numbers, guess who’s not complaining?
The players, who seem to be doing their best to not be greedy when they have a situation unique in sports: a second chance after their PGA Tour careers to make what they consider pretty decent money, in mostly no-cut events, with the option of riding in carts.
“I’m still playing for more money than my rookie year on Tour,” said Jerry Kelly, one of five players who have won three times this season on the Champions Tour and fourth on the money list with more than $1.9 million – on the verge of his third consecutive season with $2 million or more in annual earnings, a barrier he reached four times on the PGA Tour.
“I’m pretty happy with what I’ve gotten,” he continued. “Other guys coming out are maybe going to look at it and go ‘okay, this is low for what I’m used to,’ but as long as we don’t stay static, as long as it keeps trending up, that’s fine.”
Miguel Angel Jimenez, who is fifth on the money list with more than $1.8 million and on target to pass $2 million for the second season in a row said it would be nice if more money was available to players who were the backbone of the PGA Tour, but like Kelly, went out of his way not to appear disgruntled.
Constellation Furyk & Friends host Jim Furyk, playing in the Wednesday pro-am at the Timuquana Country Club, is hopeful that there will be an increase in the tournament purse next year. (Photo: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)
“I think they need to resource a little bit more [money],” said the 13-time Champions Tour winner. “Since I’ve been part of the Champions Tour the purses [are] not changing much and I think we make a little contribution to the golf in all those years. I think it would be good.”
Flesch said purses have been a topic in policy board meetings but not to a great extent because most have done so well on the PGA Tour.
“The PGA Tour has been great to us our whole career,” he said. “Yes, everybody would like the purses to go up but I don’t think guys are out here demanding.”
Career earnings sustain players
Nineteen players in this week’s Furyk & Friends field have made $20 million or more in career PGA Tour earnings, topped by the tournament host with $71.5 million (fourth on the all-time list), trailed closely by Vijay Sing ($71.2 million).
Ten in this week’s field have earned at least $10 million on the Champions Tour, led by Bernhard Langer with more than $33 million.
The Tour pension, based on cuts made also is lucrative. According to the last PGA Tour annual report that was made available in 2019, more than 600 professional golfers have $1 million or more in their pension plans and 114 had $3 million or more.
Brady said he understands if some Champions Tour players see the purses skyrocketing on the PGA Tour and wonder if there’s any loose change left for them.
“Of course, all of us want to grow our purses, players, the Tour, everyone,” Brady said. “But they have to grow organically through the title sponsors and local sponsorships. I don’t think money is an issue with the players but I get it if they see what’s happening on the regular Tour and they might as, ‘where’s our money?’ They would like a piece of it.”
But Furyk pointed out that the Champions Tour is unique among professional sports: its members can win tournaments and money long after the youngest social security age of 62.
Just look at Langer, who is 65, has won five times since turning 62 and is eighth on the current money list.
“We would like to see [purses] increase quicker, but as a player, I also have to realize I’m 52 years old,” he said. “I’m playing a sport for a living, I get to do what I love.”
Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter.
Next season’s purse features a 37.6 percent increase over last season.
The 2023 Korn Ferry Tour schedule features record prize money and three new events as well as stops in five countries and 18 states across the nation.
The 26-event schedule begins in January and ends in October, where the top 30 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List at the end of the season will earn PGA Tour cards. Players will compete for a record $28 million in total prize money, a 37.6 percent increase over last season ($20.35 million). The player who finishes atop the points list will continue to earn an exemption into the Players Championship and U.S. Open.
The Korn Ferry Tour Finals will expand to the final four events of the season (it was three in 2022) and will include increased purses and points allocations and smaller fields, similar to the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.
“The ultimate proving ground, the Korn Ferry Tour continues to identify, prepare and transition golf’s next stars to compete on the PGA Tour,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The success we’ve seen from Korn Ferry Tour graduates Sungjae Im, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris, the last three recipients of the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, is indicative of the quality and talent on the Korn Ferry Tour.”
New events:
Astara Chile Classic, March 30-April 2, Santiago, Chile
Compliance Solutions Championship, June 22-25, Norman, Oklahoma
Magnit Championship, August 17-20, Jackson Township, New Jersey.
All four Korn Ferry Tour Finals events will be broadcast on Golf Channel, as well as the BMW Charity Pro-Am and Utah Championship.
“Stretching our season into October while maintaining a 26-event schedule allowed us to compose a strong tournament calendar with natural breaks, optimal golf course conditions, as well as providing our 30 graduates with time to prepare for their transition to the PGA Tour, which will begin in January 2024,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin.
2023 Korn Ferry Tour regular season
Date
Event
Course
Location
Purse
Jan. 15-18
The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay
Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Club
Great Exuma, Bahamas
$1,000,000
Jan.22-25
The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club
The Abaco Club on Winding Bay
Great Abaco, Bahamas
$1,000,000
Feb. 2-5
The Panama Championship
Club de Golf de Panama
Panama City, Panama
$1,000,000
Feb. 6-12
Astara Golf Championship
Country Club de Bogata
Bogota, Colombia
$1,000,000
March 20-26
Club Car Championship
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club
Savannah, Georgia
$1,000,000
March 30-April 2
Astara Chile Classic
Prince of Wales Country Club
Santiago, Chile
$1,000,000
April 13-16
Veritex Bank Championship
Texas Rangers Golf Club
Arlington, Texas
$1,000,000
April 20-23
LECOM Suncoast Classic
Lakewood National Golf Club
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
$1,000,000
April 27-30
HomeTown Lenders Championship
The Ledges
Huntsville, Alabama
$1,000,000
May 18-21
AdventHealth Championship
Blue Hills Country Club
Kansas City, Missouri
$1,000,000
May 25-28
Visit Knoxville Open
Holston Hills Country Club
Knoxville, Tennessee
$1,000,000
June 1-4
UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH
Raleigh Country Club
Raleigh, North Carolina
$1,000,000
June 8-11
BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX
Thornblade Club & Carolina Country Club
Greer, South Carolina
$1,000,000
June 15-18
Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics
Crestview Country Club
Wichita, Kansas
$1,000,000
June 22-25
Compliance Solutions Championship
Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club
Norman, Oklahoma
$1,000,000
June 29-July 2
Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS
Panther Creek Country Club
Springfield, Illinois
$1,000,000
July 13-16
The Ascendent presented by Blue
TPC Colorado
Berthoud, Colorado
$1,000,000
July 20-23
Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper
Highland Springs Country Club
Springfield, Missouri
$1,000,000
July 27-30
NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank
The Glen Club
Glenview, Illinois
$1,000,000
Aug. 3-6
Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank
Oakridge Country Club
Farmington, Utah
$1,000,000
Aug. 10-13
Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna
The Club at Indian Creek
Omaha, Nebraska
$1,000,000
Aug. 17-20
Magnit Championship
Metedeconk National Golf Club
Jackson Township, New Jersey
$1,000,000
2023 Korn Ferry Tour Finals
Date
Event
Course
Location
Purse
Aug. 24-27
Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron
Hillcrest Country Club
Boise, Idaho
$1,500,000
Sept. 14-17
Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation
The Grove College
Grove, Tennessee
$1,500,000
Sept. 21-24
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
Ohio State University Golf Club
Columbus, Ohio
$1,500,000
Oct. 5-8
Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance
The path for elite men’s college golfers to get to the PGA Tour is being upgraded.
The path for elite men’s college golfers to get to the PGA Tour is being upgraded.
PGA Tour University announced Wednesday enhanced performance benefits to the top college seniors before the start of the 2022-23 season.
Entering its third year, PGA Tour U will increase the number of graduates who earn tour membership. It also reaffirmed those players will receive exemptions into a new PGA Tour Q-School, and it will also be more advantageous for players who take PGA Tour exemptions the summer after graduation.
There are now 20 total graduating spots, up from 15 in the first two years. The grads will also be split into three groups, earning benefits based on their final position in the standings.
The first team, which is spots 1-5, will be exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour for its current season and exempt on an international tour the following season. For the second team, spots 6-10, they also earn conditional KFT cards. They will play out of the PGA Tour U category and get into tournaments through one of those allotted slots if any of the top players decide not to play. The sixth in the rankings would have first priority, and so on. The players could also earn more status through the points list. Nos. 6-10 are also exempt for that summer’s Canada season and the following Latinoamerica season. The third team, the remaining 10, receive full Canada status for the current season and full Latinoamerica status the following season.
There are also changes coming to PGA Tour Q school, where Nos. 1-5 will be exempt into the final stage of Q school. Nos. 6-20 will be exempt into the second stage.
Additionally, the top-20 finishers will compete against each other for future eligibility. The three players with the highest combined point total in events played on the then-current PGA Tour and KFT seasons will be exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour for the following season.
Florida’s Fred Biondi is the top-ranked player in the PGA Tour U rankings to begin the season. Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg is second, Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett, the U.S. Amateur champion, is third, with North Carolina’s Austin Greaser and Texas’ Travis Vick rounding out the top five.
Lingmerth may want to consider buying some property in Central Ohio.
David Lingmerth may reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, but the 35-year-old Swede might want to consider buying some property in Central Ohio.
After starting the week with a blistering 9-under 62 at The Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course in Upper Arlington, Ohio, Lingmerth held tough for the next 54 holes to win the 2022 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship by two shots at 17 under. The victory punched Lingmerth a ticket back to the PGA Tour, where he won the 2015 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, a Columbus suburb.
Lingmerth was steady over the front nine and made the turn at 2-under before adding his third birdie of the round on the par-5 12th. His lone blemish of the day came with a bogey on the par-3 17th, but was soon washed away with a winning birdie on the final hole.
Paul Haley II finished second at 15 under, followed by Zecheng Dou third at 13 under, Michael Gligic fourth at 12 under and Ben Taylor in fifth at 11 under.
The Korn Ferry Tour season ends next week, Sept. 1–4, with the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
Will Gordon earned more than a tournament win at the 2022 Alberton’s Boise Open.
Will Gordon parred the first playoff hole while Philip Knowles and Will Daffue each double-bogeyed it, allowing Gordon to escape with the title at the Albertson’s Boise Open, the first leg of the three-tournament Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Gordon also locked up his PGA Tour card for the 2022-23 season.
Gordon and Erik Barnes each fired final-round 63s on Sunday, the best scores of the day. Gordon punctuated his 63 with birdies on Nos. 12-16. He parred the last two to make it into the playoff.
Knowles had the round of the week, a 10-under 61 on Thursday, doing so with two eagles, eight birdies and two bogeys. He followed that up with a 64 on Friday and after his 68 on Saturday, he led by two and was threatening to go wire-to-wire but couldn’t quite get it going on Sunday, closing with a final-round 1-under 70. On 18, he had two putts to win but needed three to find the hole.
There have still been no wire-to-wire winners on the Korn Ferry Tour this season. Despite coming up short in the playoff, Knowles secured his PGA Tour card for next season. He came into the event needed a solo fifth or better and got a tie for second to seal the deal.
Up next
The Boise Open is the first of three Korn Ferry Tour Finals events in 2022. Next week, it’s the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Columbus. The season finale is the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, Sept. 1-4, at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
At the conclusion of the KFT Championship, 25 players will have earned their 2022-23 PGA Tour cards.
“He doesn’t need me to really do more than just to clean his ball and tell him a joke or two.”
Joel Dahmen played in 26 events during the 2021-22 season, including last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events, and collected three top 10s. He wasn’t able to secure a spot in Delaware this week at the BMW Championship, so he had some free time on his hands.
Instead of playing golf, he’s carrying someone’s bag.
Brandon Harkins is playing in the first Korn Ferry Tour playoff event this week, the Albertsons Boise Open, and has enlisted Dahmen for his services.
Harkins fired an opening-round 2-under 69 Thursday. Dahmen sat down with The Caddie Network and discussed his experience so far.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on but stuff and then by the time you’re out there five hours and he at home and you have lunch and you finally lay down. I was just out. It’s hard work,” Dahmen said. “I always knew caddies work hard and it’s hard work carrying that bag but it’s just there’s a lot of stuff going on and you’re always thinking about the next shot and what you can do to help and what to say and what not to say, more importantly sometimes.”
Regarding their friendship, Harkins and Dahmen live near each other in Wisconsin and have been close for over a decade.
“He needed a change,” Dahmen said. “I was done with my year and he called me on Sunday and he’s like, hey, do you have any interest in doing this? I could use a friend for the week.
“He’s one of the best golfers in the world. He’ll be back on Tour. It’s just a matter of time, so he doesn’t need me to really do more than just to clean his ball and tell him a joke or two.”
"I'd give myself like a B." 😂@Joel_Dahmen is caddying this week for @BrandonDHarkins at the first KFT Playoff event. So naturally, @Rathouz sat down with Joel to hear how it's going… ⬇️
Twenty-five golfers earned their PGA Tour cards on Sunday.
The Korn Ferry Tour regular-season finale in Omaha wrapped up Sunday, and with that came a life-changing opportunity for 25 golfers who earned their PGA Tour cards for the 2021-22 season.
Robby Shelton won the Pinnacle Bank Championship, moving to second in the KFT standings. Shelton finished with a 6-under 65 for a 17-under 267 total, one shot better than Ben Taylor, who also secured his card. Kevin Dougherty finished in a tie for third, but a win would’ve clinched a PGA Tour card for him. It’s the second win of the year for Shelton, the only player on the KFT to win twice this season, earning $153,000.
Carl Yuan, the 2021-22 points leader, finished tied for fifth at The Club at Indian Creek. He won only once on the season but finished runner-up an astounding six times. He shot 9 under during his third round.
Tyson Alexander got his card for the first time since going pro 12 years ago. Paul Haley is back on the PGA Tour after losing his card nine years ago. 16 of the 25 will be PGA Tour rookies, and there are nine countries represented in the group.
Next up for those whom missed the top 25? An additional 25 Tour cards will be awarded following the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Playoffs. Those finishing Nos. 26-75 in the KFT standings as well as non-member qualifiers and medical extensions can still earn their cards through the Korn Ferry Tour Playoffs. The three-event playoffs will also feature PGA Tour golfers who finished Nos. 126 to 200 in the FedEx Cup points race.
The three KFT playoff events are:
Albertsons Boise Open, Boise, Idaho, Aug. 18-21
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 25-28
Korn Ferry Tour Championship, Newburgh, Indiana, Sept. 1-4
Often times golfers struggle with the pressures of the game and may not even realize it.
It’s no secret that great golf comes from between the ears. Often times golfers struggle with the pressures of the game and may not even realize it. There are many factors that go into the mental game of golf like how you talk to yourself or how you visualize a shot.
Jamie Glazier is an Australian Mental Performance Coach (NLP Master Practitioner), specializing in the sport of golf for nearly 20 years. We asked him why some golfers prefer to seek mental performance coaches vs. sports psychologists.
Sports psychology and mental performance coaching can overlap at times, but both practices focus on enhancing an athlete’s cognitive performance and ability to remain focused and calm during high-pressure situations. All athletes face systemic elements that play an important role of an athlete’s performance.
This topic is controversial to some. but you may be wondering what that main differences of the two are. It’s important to note that mental performance coaches are not psychologists.
“I would clarify the difference by saying a sports psychologist comes from a clinical background that targets any persistent or distressing life problems that can cause stress, anxiety, or depression,” said Glazier. “A Mental Performance Coach focuses more on looking at where the athlete currently is at, their cognitive behaviors and looking forward to what the athlete would like to achieve or what patterns they would like to change.”
Many golfers seek out Mental Performance Coaches over sports psychologists because they provide a more practical structure to the athletes mental game training program. They can provide exercises to help build a specific cognitive function that can aid the golfer in closing out a round of golf without letting the pressure interrupt a streak of good play.
Some players may solely want to focus on the sport and don’t have any past trauma or outside issues they want to address and don’t need the psychology aspect of help.
“Some of the key areas I work in with a golfer are expectation management, enhancing focus, self-belief, achieving clarity, cognitive flexibility, enhancing commitment with shots, self-identity/athletic identity and achieving a balance between life and golf just to name a few,” said Glazier.
Glazier offers an online training platform for elite and club level golfers where they can begin to build their mental game with approximately eight courses, a members forum and weekly mental game tips.
“This is a market we’ve been targeting for some time.”
The Korn Ferry Tour is heading to Norman, Oklahoma.
Compliance Solutions and the Korn Ferry Tour announced Wednesday a new five-year partnership to host a professional golf tournament, the Compliance Solutions Championship, beginning in June 2023. The inaugural event will be played June 22-25, 2023, at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma. Jimmie Austin is the home of the University of Oklahoma’s men’s and women’s golf teams.
“We are thrilled to partner with Compliance Solutions to bring Korn Ferry Tour golf to The Sooner State,” said Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin. “Oklahoma is home to incredibly passionate golf fans, and this is a market we’ve been targeting for some time. Our membership is excited about the opportunity to compete at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club at The University of Oklahoma.”
The Compliance Solutions Championship will be a 72-hole tournament featuring 156 players.
The course has previously hosted the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links, the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, and NCAA regionals in 2012, 2018, 2022 (men’s) and 2013, 2019 (women’s) and is already scheduled to host NCAA regionals in 2023 and 2025.
Max McGreevy, a PGA Tour pro who earned his card on the Korn Ferry Tour, said he and others associated with the OU golf program are excited because this is something they’ve wanted for a long time.
“I’ve talked to some of the grounds crew, and they’re super thrilled,” McGreevy, an Oklahoma native and former OU golfer, said. “It’s a golf state; I think you saw that at Southern Hills a little bit, and I think you’ll see it at Jimmie Austin, as well.
“It’s tricky, but you can get after it if you get it going.”
