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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open presented by Syndeo: Pre-tournament notes, storylines, more

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A view of Crestview Country Club ahead of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open presented by Syndeo. (PGA TOUR Americas)

Written by Staff

The summer portion of the PGA TOUR Americas season begins this week with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open presented by Syndeo at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kansas. The tournament was played on the Korn Ferry Tour from 1990 to 2025, and this year marks its debut as part of the PGA TOUR Americas schedule.

Each of the season’s first six winners are in the field, highlighted by points leader Patrick Flavin. The 156-player field features 14 players from the PGA TOUR University Class of 2026 who will make their professional debuts, as well as five players who competed in last week’s U.S. Open.

Canada’s Joey Savoie is also coming off an appearance in his national open, as he made the cut in his third career start at the RBC Canadian Open. Savoie is No. 4 on the points list after winning the Kia Open de Ecuador presentado por Diners Club, and fellow countryman Étienne Papineau is No. 19 on the points list after a T2 at the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship.

Player notes

Patrick Flavin (Highwood, Illinois) has three top-10 finishes, including a win at the Abierto del Centro Zurich presentado por Personal, and has topped the points list each of the last five weeks. Flavin is one of six players who have made the cut in all six events this season.
Drew Doyle (Louisville, Kentucky) is No. 3 on the points list after winning the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship. Doyle first earned status in 2024 when he advanced from pre-qualifying all the way to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry Tour. As a PGA TOUR Americas conditional member in 2025, he recorded three top-10 finishes in nine starts and finished No. 52 on the points list to retain membership for 2026.
Thomas Ponder (Dothan, Alabama) leads the tour with a 67.88 scoring average and has carded 21 rounds in the 60s. He has posted five straight top-10 finishes, including a T10 two weeks ago at the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship, and he is currently No. 5 on the points list.
Joey Savoie (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) will make his first start on PGA TOUR Americas since winning the Kia Open de Ecuador presentado por Diners Club. Since that victory, Savoie competed in the RBC Canadian Open for the third time and made the cut for the first time (T67), and he returns to PGA TOUR Americas competition as the No. 4 player on the points list.
Étienne Papineau (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) is coming off a T2 finish at the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship, a finish that propelled him to No. 19 on the points list and greatly improved his position on the eligibility priority list.
Joseph Winslow (Overland Park, Kansas) has played this event twice on the Korn Ferry Tour (T38/2013, T14/2019). In his first two seasons on PGA TOUR Americas, he finished No. 57 (2024) and No. 70 (2025) on the points list to retain membership, and this season he’s No. 15 off the strength of a third-place finish at the Diners Club Peru Open. Joseph’s brother, Michael Winslow, played collegiately at Wichita State (2021-25) and is in the field on a sponsor exemption.
Amateur Jose Carletta (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) will make his PGA TOUR Americas debut after shooting 62 to advance from the Monday qualifier. The 21-year-old played two seasons at Wichita State (2024-26) and as a senior, he finished with the team’s second-best scoring average (72.2).