Trevor Ng
The Korn Ferry Tour is a developmental golf tour that identifies and develops players ready to compete and win on the PGA Tour, the main professional golf tour in the United States. The Korn Ferry Tour offers Official World Golf Ranking points, with the winner earning a minimum of 14 points (provided at least 54 holes were played) and 20 for the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Since 1997, a player who wins three tournaments in one year on the Korn Ferry Tour receives an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour for the remainder of the year and the following year. The Korn Ferry Tour has visited various countries, including Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Panama, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Identifying and developing players ready to compete and win on golf's biggest stage |
| Operated by | PGA TOUR |
| Tournament structure | Similar to the main PGA Tour, with a regular season followed by a season-ending series of tournaments |
| Number of ending series tournaments | Four |
| Tournament type | 72-hole stroke play events with a cut made after 36 holes |
| Tournament player field | 144 or 156 players, depending on the time of year and available daylight hours |
| Cut | Top 65 players and ties |
| OWGR points | No minimum points for any tour; winner's points in 2024 ranged from 11.08 to 14.63, averaging 13.13 |
| Prize | 18% of the total purse |
| Qualification | Top 50 golfers at qualifying school after the top 25 and ties; those who finished between 26th and 60th on the previous year's money list; 126–150th on the previous season's PGA Tour money list; formerly fully exempt on the PGA Tour |
| Exemptions | Around 14 open qualifying spots given during the Monday of tournament week; top 25 of a Korn Ferry event automatically exempt into the next tournament |
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What You'll Learn
The Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament
The Korn Ferry Tour is a series of golf tournaments organised by the PGA Tour, serving as a developmental tour for aspiring golf players to earn their PGA Tour card. The 2025 Korn Ferry Tour qualifying tournament in North Texas will be held on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the following golf clubs:
- Bridlewood Golf Club, Flower Mound, TX
- Waterchase Golf Club, Fort Worth, TX
The Northern Texas PGA operates out of an address in Frisco, Texas and can be contacted by phone during business hours, which are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM CT.
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Korn Ferry Tour Finals
The Korn Ferry Tour Finals is a series of four golf tournaments that conclude the season on the Korn Ferry Tour. The top 156 players in the Korn Ferry Tour points system through the end of the regular season qualify for the first Finals event. The Korn Ferry Tour Finals feature a playoff format, with players eliminated after each of the first three tournaments. The number of participants is reduced each week of the Finals based on the season-long points ranking.
The 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Finals featured two new courses. The Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation took place in Nashville, Tennessee, moving from The Grove to Vanderbilt Legends Club's North Course. The Korn Ferry Tour Championship, presented by United Leasing & Finance, moved across southern Indiana from Victoria National Golf Club to French Lick Golf Resort's Pete Dye Course. The Albertsons Boise Open, presented by Chevron, remained at Hillcrest Country Club, and the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship remained at the Ohio State University Golf Club's Scarlet Course.
The first three events feature a standard tour cut, while the Tour Championship does not have a cut. Each event has an enhanced purse of US$1,500,000 and awards more points than the standard Korn Ferry Tour event. At the end of the Finals, the top 30 players on the season-long points list earn PGA Tour membership for the following season ("Tour cards").
The Korn Ferry Tour Finals also finalizes exempt and conditional Korn Ferry Tour status for the next season, via the top-75 and top-100 thresholds, respectively.
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Korn Ferry Tour structure
The Korn Ferry Tour is a developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, featuring professional golfers who have either not reached the PGA Tour or failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to maintain their status. The top 30 golfers on the Korn Ferry Tour's money list at the end of the year are awarded PGA Tour memberships for the following season. The tour has served as a path to the PGA Tour since its inception, with 83% of the PGA Tour's current members being Korn Ferry Tour alumni.
Since 2013, the Korn Ferry Tour has been the primary route to earning a PGA Tour card. The Korn Ferry Tour has a similar structure to the main PGA Tour, with a regular season followed by a series of season-ending tournaments. The Korn Ferry Tour Finals comprise four tournaments, coinciding with the main tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, and feature at least 150 players. These include the top 75 on the regular-season money list, players finishing 126-200 on the FedEx Cup points list, non-PGA Tour members who would have earned enough FedEx Cup points to finish 126-200, and PGA Tour players with medical extensions for the next season.
Korn Ferry Tour tournaments are typically 72-hole stroke play events, with a cut for the top 65 players and ties after 36 holes. Fields usually consist of 144 or 156 players, depending on the time of year and available daylight. Tournament winners receive a prize of 18% of the total purse, which is worth $1 million for regular events and $1.5 million for the finals, totalling $28 million for the 2023 season—the most in the tour's history.
The Korn Ferry Tour schedule includes international events in countries such as Mexico, the Bahamas, Panama, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Australia, in addition to tournaments across various states in the U.S. The 2025 schedule, for example, features 26 tournaments across seven countries and 17 states, while the 2023 schedule included 26 tournaments across five countries and 18 states.
The Korn Ferry Tour is subject to adjustments in its competitive structure, eligibility criteria, and Priority Ranking to maintain its position as a pathway to the PGA Tour. These changes are designed to ensure that the tour comprises the most competitive players striving to reach the PGA Tour and to align with improvements to the PGA Tour's competitive structure.
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Korn Ferry Tour locations
The Korn Ferry Tour Championship is presented by United Leasing & Finance and takes place at the French Lick Golf Resort in French Lick, Indiana, USA. The Pete Dye Course is used for the tournament.
The Pinnacle Bank Championship is presented by Woodhouse and takes place in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
The Korn Ferry Tour is a series of golf tournaments that act as a gateway to the PGA Tour for aspiring professional golfers. It is the equivalent of the PGA's "Triple-A" level, with the "Double-A" level being the PGA Tour's Canada and Latin America Tours.
The Korn Ferry Tour offers a chance for golfers to prove themselves and gain entry to the PGA Tour, with the top 25 golfers on the points list at the end of the season earning their PGA Tour card for the following season.
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Korn Ferry Tour prizes
The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to maintain their status. The Korn Ferry Tour offers a range of prizes and incentives to attract players and encourage participation.
The winner of a Korn Ferry tournament receives a prize of 18% of the total purse, which can amount to significant earnings. For example, in 2024, Matt McCarty won $180,000 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship and the Pinnacle Bank Championship. He then claimed his biggest payout of the year, $270,000, for his win at the first Korn Ferry Tour Finals event, the Albertsons Boise Open. McCarty's total earnings on the Korn Ferry Tour far exceeded the average, highlighting the potential for substantial prizes.
In addition to monetary prizes, the Korn Ferry Tour also offers Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The OWGR points system underwent changes in August 2022, and while there is now no minimum number of points for any tour, winners can still accumulate a significant number of points. In 2023, the winner's points ranged from 10.14 to 15.31, with an average of 13.05. This increased slightly in 2024, with the winner's points ranging from 11.08 to 14.63 and an average of 13.13.
Another incentive offered by the Korn Ferry Tour is the opportunity for players to earn PGA Tour cards. The top 30 players on the Korn Ferry Tour's money list at the end of the year are awarded PGA Tour memberships for the following season. Additionally, since 1997, a player who wins three tournaments in one year on the Korn Ferry Tour receives an immediate "performance promotion" to the PGA Tour for the remainder of the year and the subsequent year. This promotion has occurred 13 times, showcasing the tour's commitment to recognising and rewarding outstanding performance.
The Korn Ferry Tour also provides pathways for players to gain exemptions and improve their status. For instance, those who finish in the top 25 of a Korn Ferry event automatically qualify for the next tournament. If a Monday morning qualifier wins an event, they earn full-exempt status for the rest of the season. Past PGA Tour winners aged 48 and 49 can also use the Korn Ferry Tour to prepare for the PGA Tour Champions, while former PGA Tour winners with limited status can utilise it as a route back to the main tour. These exemptions and pathways create additional incentives for players to participate in the Korn Ferry Tour and work towards improving their rankings and rewards.
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Frequently asked questions
The Korn Ferry Golf Tour has been held in several countries, including Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Panama, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
Since the 2013 season, the Korn Ferry Golf Tournament has had a structure similar to the main PGA Tour, with a regular season followed by a season-ending series of tournaments. The ending series consists of four tournaments held during the main tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, called the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
There are several ways to qualify for the Korn Ferry Golf Tournament. From 2013 to 2022, the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament was replaced by the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, which granted playing rights only for the Korn Ferry Tour. Starting in 2023, the Qualifying Tournament awarded PGA Tour cards to the top five plus ties. Those up to 40th plus ties are fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour.
