See who advanced from Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry
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ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 06: Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa plays his second shot on teh second hole during Day Two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Championship Links at Carnoustie Golf Links on October 06, 2023 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
VALDOSTA, Ga. – Nothing compares to Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
It’s the perfect blend of high stakes and ultimate finality. Players who advance are guaranteed 2024 Korn Ferry Tour membership at minimum, with a chance to secure guaranteed starts – and chase five PGA TOUR cards (and ties) – at Final Stage in mid-December. Players who finish outside the cut line, without any backup status, are faced with an uncertain future in professional golf.
This week featured two Second Stage sites, with the top finishers advancing to Final Stage (12 and ties in Valdosta, Georgia; 13 and ties in Valencia, California). Final Stage will be contested Dec. 14-17 across TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club (two rounds at each course).
Previously, three Second Stage sites were contested in mid-November, with 47 players advancing across three sites.
The medalist and ties at each Second Stage site have secured eight guaranteed starts on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour. Bryson Nimmer (pictured above), Connor Burgess, Mark Goetz, KK Limbhasut, Danny Walker and Aldrich Potgieter (pictured above) have earned this distinction so far. Click here for a breakdown of all status and eligibility implications at Final Stage of Q-School.
Here's a capsule look at the players to advance from Second Stage of Q-School. (Click here for a full schedule of Q-School sites).
Valdosta, Georgia
Nov. 28-Dec. 1 at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club
The top 12 and ties advanced to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Thirteen players advanced at 5-under 283 or better.
Players to advance: Aldrich Potgieter, James Nicholas, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Dawson Armstrong, Blaine Hale, Thomas Giroux, Michael Johnson, Trey Winstead, Brian Carlson, Ryan Hall, Taylor Funk, Rob Oppenheim, Curtis Thompson
Aldrich Potgieter earned medalist honors at 13-under 275, carding rounds of 67-69-68-71 on a difficult Kinderlou Forest track that played to nearly 7,800 yards. Potgieter, 19, continues to display his vast potential in the game, finishing four strokes clear of the field in south Georgia. The South African won The Amateur in 2022, becoming the second youngest to win the 127-year-old event, and he has competed in three major championships, including a made cut at this year's U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He turned pro the following week and hit the Monday qualifying circuit this summer; including a par-4 ace at the TOUR's John Deere Classic Monday qualifier (he missed by one shot). He has spent time back home in South Africa this fall, including some unplug time (he enjoys fishing to decompress), and he returned to the United States for Second Stage with refreshed vibes. With his dad in attendance at Kinderlou Forest, Potgieter put on a show and has secured guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts for 2024. Now he'll have a free roll at his first PGA TOUR card.
Notables to advance: Yale alum James Nicholas finished T2 at 9-under 279, continuing a whirlwind fall that has seen him earn DP World Tour membership by advancing through all three stages of that circuit's Q-School ... Michael Johnson, who missed the cut at the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour's penultimate event to fall outside the top 75 on the standings and narrowly miss retaining his full card, finished T5 at 8 under ... Trey Winstead, son of longtime LSU men's golf coach Chuck Winstead, finished T8 at 6 under ... Brian Carlson, who finished No. 61 on the 2023 PGA TOUR Canada season-long Fortinet Cup to miss retaining his card by one spot, finished T8 at 6 under ... Taylor Funk, son of eight-time TOUR winner Fred Funk, carded a final-round 66, including seven birdies in his last 11 holes, to advance on the number at 5 under ... Longtime bubble boy Rob Oppenheim was at it again, advancing on the number at 5 under, hanging on after a bogey at No. 17 and double bogey on No. 18 ... Korn Ferry Tour veteran Curtis Thompson, who held PGA TOUR status in 2021-22, battled back from a triple bogey on No. 10 to play his last eight holes in 1 under and advance on the number at 5-under total.
Notables to miss: Michael Gligic finished T24 at 1 under, four off the number to advance. The Canadian finished No. 206 on the TOUR's 2023 FedExCup Fall standings ... Tag Ridings, 49, finished T30 at even-par, five off the number to advance. Ridings has made 239 career PGA TOUR starts ... George Bryan IV finished T33 at 1 over, six off the number. Bryan made the cut at last month's Butterfield Bermuda Championship and has gained acclaim for the "Bryan Bros Golf" YouTube channel ... Mark Baldwin finished T58 at 8 over; the Notre Dame alum is a digital content writer for Monday Q Info and has previously held Korn Ferry Tour membership.
Valencia, California
Nov. 28-Dec. 1 at Valencia Country Club
The top 13 and ties advanced to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Nineteen players advanced at 1-under 287 or better.
Players to advance: Jeffrey Kang, Christian Banke, Thomas Longbella, Jared du Toit, Kevin Velo, Dylan Healey, Isaiah Salinda, Charles Porter, Stuart Macdonald, Michael Feuerstein, Braden Thornberry, Tanner Gore, Raul Pereda, Blake Elliott, Callum McNeill, Brandon Harkins, William Mouw, Charlie Beljan, Alex Chiarella
Jeffrey Kang earned medalist honors at 11-under 277, three strokes clear of Christian Banke and Thomas Longbella. Kang built a reputation as a Monday qualifying maestro in 2023, qualifying for five PGA TOUR events across the past two seasons. He finished T31 at this year's World Wide Technology Championship in early November and parlayed the momentum right to Second Stage. Kang, 32, played collegiately at the University of Southern California, where he was named an honorable mention All-American as a sophomore in 2011-12. He was also ranked by Golfweek as the No. 1 high school golfer in 2010. Kang has stayed true to his professional golf dreams and has now secured guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts for the first time; he has only made three career starts on the circuit. He can free-wheel at Final Stage for a PGA TOUR card, as well.
Notables to advance: Jared du Toit finished T4 at 5-under 283. The Canadian played collegiately at Arizona State (teammates included Jon Rahm) and has made 63 career starts on PGA TOUR Canada ... Isaiah Salinda finished T6 at 4-under 284, three strokes inside the number. The California native played collegiately at Stanford and helped the team to a national title as a senior in 2019 ... There was chaos down the stretch as William Mouw and Alex Chiarella each made bogey at the par-5 18th to post 1-under total, moving the cut line to 1-under and allowing five other players to join them at Final Stage: Charlie Beljan, Brandon Harkins, Callum McNeill, Blake Elliott and Raul Pereda. Beljan is a past TOUR winner at the 2012 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, and he is known as a cryptocurrency enthusiast. Mouw played collegiately at Pepperdine and finished No. 6 on the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking; he recorded six top-25 finishes in 12 Korn Ferry Tour starts this summer after turning pro.
Notables to miss: Michael Feagles finished T20 at evem-par 288, one stroke off the cut line. The University of Illinois alum shot a 59 at this year's BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX on the Korn Ferry Tour ... Notre Dame alum Davis Chatfield also finished at even-par 288 to miss by one. The Massachusetts native finished No. 62 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List to secure full status for next season ... Longtime TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour pro Jamie Lovemark finished T37 at 6-over; he earned full 2024 Korn Ferry Tour status with a No. 71 finish on the season-long standings ... Nick Watney, a five-time PGA TOUR winner, finished T44 at 10 over.
Savannah, Georgia
Nov. 14-17 at the Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Deer Creek)
The top 15 and ties advanced to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Seventeen players advanced at 8-under 280 or better.
Players to advance: Bryson Nimmer, Luke Long, Brandon Crick, Noah Goodwin, Daniel Summerhays, Spencer Ralston, Julian Suri, Reid Davenport, Andre Metzger, Grant Hirschman, Alistair Docherty, Tain Lee, Connor Howe, Noah Hofman, Ryan Blaum, Zach Bauchou, Joshua Creel
Bryson Nimmer earned medalist honors at 15-under 273, punctuated by a sizzling 10-under 62 in Friday’s final round, matching the week’s low score. Nimmer played collegiately at Clemson, turned pro in 2019 and has made 38 career starts between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, highlighted by a T10 at this year’s Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club – contested at the same Deer Creek track he mastered this week. Nimmer made just six cuts in 22 Korn Ferry Tour starts this season, finishing No. 141 on the season-long standings and bringing an uncertain future. Now though, the newly engaged 27-year-old has cemented guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts for 2024 – and he’ll chase his first TOUR card at Final Stage.
Notables to advance: Luke Long matched the week’s low score with a final-round 62 to finish tied for second at 14 under. The University of Houston alum played the 2021-22 season at the University of Arkansas as a graduate transfer, earning second-team All-SEC honors, before turning pro … Two natives of McCook, Nebraska, advanced at the Savannah site. Brandon Crick finished T2 at 14 under, perhaps the beginning of a redemption story after ending the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season at No. 76 on the Points List, missing full status by a single position. Crick’s fellow McCook native Noah Hofman finished T12 at 8 under, draining a 4-footer for par at the 72nd hole to advance on the number … Perhaps the wildest bubble story went to Oklahoma State alum Zach Bauchou, the college roommate of Viktor Hovland, who finished with a triple bogey at No. 17 and a double bogey at No. 18, advancing squarely on the number at 8 under … Dakotas Tour legend Andre Metzger, 41, carded a final-round 65 to post 9-under 279 and advance with one shot to spare.
Notables to miss: Dan McCarthy (7 under) and T.J. Vogel (6 under), past winners of the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, narrowly missed advancing to Final Stage … Mitchell Meissner, who finished No. 1 on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica’s season-long Totalplay Cup in 2022, finished 6 under, two off the number to advance … Former PGA TOUR member Jim Knous finished 3 under, five back of the cut line.
Dothan, Alabama
Nov. 14-17 at Robert Trent Jones (Highland/Marshwood)
The top 15 and ties advanced to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Fifteen players advanced at 7-under 281 or better.
Players to advance: Connor Burgess, Mark Goetz, Steven Fisk, Bryce Hendrix, Chad Hambright, Ryan Davis, Garett Reband, Alex Schaake, Blake McShea, Michael Arnaud, Keenan Huskey, James Swash, Nyasha Mauchaza, Mickey DeMorat, Marcus Byrd
Connor Burgess and Mark Goetz earned co-medalist honors at 19-under 269. Goetz shot a 5-under 67 to close, while Burgess shot a 4-under 68. Burgess, a Virginia Tech alum, played one Korn Ferry Tour event this season (The Ascendant presented by Blue) where he missed the cut. Goetz, who went to West Virginia University, played this season on PGA TOUR Canada where he made seven of nine cuts.
Notables to advance: Steven Fisk ended up one shot back at 18 under. Fisk spent 2023 on the Korn Ferry Tour where he notched one top-10 finish at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank … Alex Schaake fired rounds of 66-66 to close things out and staged quite the comeback after opening with a 5-over 77. He climbed nine spots on the leaderboard in the final round to earn a spot at Final Stage … Marcus Byrd earned one of the last spots at Final Stage. Byrd won four times this season on the APGA Tour, a record. He played four events on the PGA TOUR this season including The Genesis Invitational where he was the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption winner.
Notables to miss: Blayne Barber finished T34 and was six shots back of the qualifying number. But how about this? Barber – who fired an opening 10-over 82 and put an emotional video on social media sharing his perspective on professional golf, and his life’s future – shot an 8-under 64 in his final round. It was the round of the day.
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Nov. 14-17 at the Tesoro Club (Palmer)
The top 15 and ties advanced to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Fifteen players advanced at 4-under 284 or better.
Players to advance: KK Limbhasut, Danny Walker, Davis Shore, Kristoffer Ventura, Van Holmgren, Brendon Jelley, Wes Homan, Alvaro Ortiz, Erik Compton, Cooper Dossey, Caleb Hicks, Dillon Board, John Pak, Dylan Meyer, Shunyat Hak
KK Limbhasut and Danny Walker earned co-medalist honors at 11-under 277, each carding 4-under 68 in the final round. Limbhasut went to the University of California-Berkeley and became fast friends with Collin Morikawa, who also majored in business. Walker played 15 events on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023, notching one top-10 finish but missing seven cuts. He’s a two-time winner on PGA TOUR Canada.
Notables to advance: Kristoffer Ventura continues his road back to the PGA TOUR. Ventura finished at 9 under, two shots back of the medalist honor. He won twice in just 11 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019 to earn a PGA TOUR card. He was back on the Korn Ferry Tour this season and notched two top-10s … Alvaro Ortiz advanced to Final Stage despite starting the week with a 1-over 73. Ortiz played a full season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 … There were plenty of solid comebacks after some high opening-round scores in difficult conditions. Caleb Hicks, who just turned pro this year after graduating from the University of Texas-Arlington, made it through after a first-round 76; he rallied to a 5-under 283 total. Dillon Board, who turned pro in 2016 but has yet to make a Korn Ferry Tour start, opened with a 74; he also finished at 5-under 283. And Dylan Meyer, who made his pro debut at the 2018 U.S. Open where he finished T20, opened with a 78 but kept clawing back; he closed in 6-under 66 to advance on the number at 4 under … Also making it to Final Stage was John Pak, who swept college golf’s Player of the Year awards in 2021, winning the Fred Haskins, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus awards.
Notables to miss: Bo Hoag, last year’s medalist at Final Stage, shot 3-over 291 and was seven shots back of the qualifying number … Matt Hill, who won seven times in 2009 at North Carolina State including the individual NCAA Championship en route to winning the Haskins Award, finished at 5 over … Ryan Ruffels finished well back of the qualifying number and couldn’t match the success of his sister, Gabriela, who won three times this year on the Epson Tour.