Hayden Buckley at Q School on Friday.
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If the grueling pressure of the battle for five coveted PGA Tour cards wasn’t enough, cold and wind descended on North Florida on Friday, sending everything sideways at the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Q-School — everything, including apparently, a whole bunch. of golf balls.
The basics from this weekend’s Q-School are as follows: 171 players are vying for five PGA Tour cards, and there are an additional 40 spots for Korn Ferry Tour status up for grabs. There are PGA Tour pros and KFT pros with secure status who are here taking a “free spin” and chasing one of those five cards to get status in the big tournament. There are young people who follow the status for the first time. And there are dozens and dozens and dozens of talented professionals with varying status levels in between.
Given the field, then, it was somewhat of a shock to see the results that were achieved Friday at two Ponte Vedra Beach sites. course.
-The 36 hole shot was placed at three under par
-Only eight players were under par in two rounds
-The first-round leader followed his 61 with a 76
-Dye’s Valley course averaged more than two and a half shots over par
-Sawgrass Country Club averages more than five shots over par and did not produce a single sub-par round
As Saturday’s round begins, there is a three-way tie for the lead between Alistair Docherty, Corey Shaun and Matthew Riedel.
The chase for that fifth spot is also hot: four players are T5 at one under, including PGA Tour mainstay Lanto Griffin.
There’s also a catch around the top 40: two over par is T23, which sounds safe, but four over par puts you at T52. Play hard, guys!
There are some notable names on the right and wrong side of those numbers, including familiar PGA Tour faces Hayden Buckley, Matt NeSmith and Richy Werenski (all T9 under par), Nick Watney and Austin Cook (T15 in another) all the way. down through Doc Redman (T33, three over), Alejandro Tosti (T65, five over), Scott Piercy (T79, six over), Justin Suh (T99, seven over), Chez Reavie (T112, eight over), Sam Bennett (T135, 10 over) and many others. Most have guaranteed status through 2025, but their presence is a reminder of an increasingly competitive top of the PGA Tour landscape.
There are names you may never have heard of, too, each player with a specific dream and unique story. These weeks become sliding-door moments, introductions to those stories and previews of what you’ll see at PGA Tour events next year and beyond.
There’s Corey Shaun, who missed a shot in Australia by one stroke – otherwise he wouldn’t be here. He opened with a 61 and sits T1 despite Friday’s conditions.
Thomas Longbella is chasing a second chance at major status after wrist surgery cut short his promising season.
Co-leader Alistair Docherty finished 32nd on the KFT points list, just outside of PGA Tour status. Now he has another opportunity to advance.
He is halfway there. The WDs started leaking Friday evening; some pros have already seen the writing on the wall, and that writing doesn’t include a top-five finish. But most will implement it over the weekend. This is their big chance for a big break, after all. And some good time birds can go a long way.
You can see the results here. And you can watch the high-stakes action on the Golf Channel on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
