See who advanced, fell short at Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry
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With his dad on the bag, Ethan Ng advances through Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School
Written by Kevin Prise
There are just a handful of truly defining moments in the career of a professional golfer, but one tournament is a near-universal fork in the road for those who pass through: Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
Second Stage is the premier method to earn Korn Ferry Tour membership, and by extension, a legitimate chance to earn a PGA TOUR card. Players without status who fall short at Second Stage are faced with a year of uncertainty – think mini-tours, Monday qualifiers or writing for sponsor exemptions – before their next go-round at the TOUR’s annual qualifying steeplechase, regarded by some as the Fall Classic.
This week, five Second Stage sites were contested across America, with 88 players punching their ticket to next week’s 72-hole Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in Northeast Florida.
Players who tee it up at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry are guaranteed conditional Korn Ferry Tour status at a minimum, with a chance to improve their status at Final Stage and chase the ultimate prize – the top five finishers (no ties) will earn 2026 PGA TOUR membership.
Here’s a quick roundup of the best moments from Second Stage on Friday afternoon:
Twenty-two players advanced at 13-under 275 or better.
Hunter Eichhorn earned medalist honors at 21-under 267, three strokes clear of Luke Long and Marshall Meisel.
Iowa State product Luke Gutschewski, son of longtime PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour pro Scott Gutschewski, closed in 8-under 64 to qualify with two strokes to spare. “It’s a lot of hard work from a lot of people that have helped me along the way, and for it to happen today is pretty cool,” he said afterward.
With his dad on the bag, Stanford alum Ethan Ng closed in 3-under 69 to advance with a shot to spare on a Friday that he described as “probably the most stressful day of my life.”
With his dad on the bag, Ethan Ng advances through Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School
Notables to miss included TOUR winner Austin Cook (11 under) and former U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett (9 under).
Seventeen players advanced at 7-under 281 or better.
University of North Florida alum Nick Gabrelcik earned medalist honors at 17-under 271, three strokes clear of Nick Infanti and Jorge Fernandez Valdes.
Cut-line drama centered around Ohio State alum Maxwell Moldovan, who made birdie on the 72nd hole to post 7-under and then waited for roughly an hour to see if his score would hold up. “It felt really good for a while, and then it started looking kind of bleak, like it might not hold on,” he said after. “I’ve played some awesome golf this year, and I’ve had some really tough moments. I feel like the way this year’s been, that was the way it was supposed to happen today. It was stressful, but I’m really grateful that it happened the way it did.”
Maxwell Moldovan survives Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School in dramatic fashion
Notables to miss included PGA TOUR winners Tyler Duncan and Adam Long.
Seventeen players advanced at 6-under 210 or better (the event was shortened to 54 holes).
With his dad on the bag, Sam Choi earned medalist honors at 13-under 203, two strokes clear of David Carey, who once carded a round of 57 on Europe's Alps Tour. It marked a redemption story of sorts for Choi, who lost his Korn Ferry Tour card after a dismal 2024 rookie campaign (just two made cuts in 12 starts) but will now begin 2026 with strong Korn Ferry Tour status at minimum.
Sam Choi earns medalist honors at Second Stage of Q-School, Korn Ferry Tour status
Fred Biondi, a former NCAA champion at the University of Florida, continued his successful run through PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry with a T3 showing – after advancing through First Stage in North Carolina on the number with a 20-foot birdie on the 72nd hole.
Notables to miss included Blades Brown, 18, who will be fully exempt on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour after finishing inside the top 75 on the 2025 season-long standings.
Eighteen players advanced at 5-under 211 or better (the event was shortened to 54 holes).
University of North Carolina alum Ryan Burnett earned medalist honors at 14-under 202, two strokes clear of Hunter Wolcott. It marked a redemption story for Burnett, who finished No. 104 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List in his first full year on the circuit and followed in the Tar Heel footsteps of Ryder Cupper Ben Griffin – even living in the same Chapel Hill campus-adjacent house where Griffin once resided. Griffin has sent Burnett encouraging texts throughout the season, and a confident Burnett will now enter 2026 with strong Korn Ferry Tour status at minimum – and a puncher’s chance at a TOUR card at Final Stage.
Korn Ferry Tour veteran Matt Atkins (who played the PGA TOUR in 2018) tied for ninth at 7-under, two strokes inside the number, and quipped afterward that he’d stay the night in Valdosta before making the two-hour drive to northeast Florida for Final Stage because he wasn’t quite ready to get behind the wheel – a testament to the unique pressure of Q-School. “My mind right now, I don’t want to be in a car,” Atkins said. “Q-School is hard, man. I just want to sit and do nothing. I don’t want to be thinking. I’ve thought a lot the last little while. In the car, you’ve got to think, and I just want to do nothing.”
Matt Atkins discusses mental drain of surviving Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School
Notables to miss included 2016 PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker and two-time The RSM Classic winner Robert Streb.
Fourteen players advanced at even-par 280 or better.
With demanding conditions all week in the desert, Tyler Leach and James Song shared medalist honors at 4-under 276. Leach was three strokes outside the cut line with nine holes to play but closed in 7-under 28, one of the more mind-boggling efforts in recent Q-School memory.
Taylor Swift enthusiast Eddy Lai was seven strokes off the cut line into Friday’s final round but closed in 7-under 63 to punch his ticket to Final Stage without a shot to spare.
Notables to miss included TOUR winners Andrew Landry, Sean O’Hair and Scott Piercy.
