PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Five-time PGA TOUR winner Camilo Villegas finds himself one shot back of the lead (T6) heading into the weekend at PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry after a bogey-free, 6-under 65 on Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass on Friday.

Villegas, 43, is one of the older, more accomplished players in the field this week and is competing in just his third Q-School in his long professional career. Now, at the 2025 edition, he finds himself in a familiar position: in the heart of competition.

“I think if you've played on the PGA TOUR as long as I've played, you love competition, you love to grind, you love to be challenged. And again, that's why we're here," Villegas said after his bogey-free round Friday.

“There's so many young guys wanting to get on TOUR, and at the end of the day, we are getting a little bit older, so it's become tough to play on TOUR in your 40s,” said Villegas. “Obviously, I've been able to do it three years in my 40s, win in my 40s, which is pretty cool, but here we are. So at the end of the day, it's just whatever I did in the past, doesn't matter. It's kind of where we are right now.”

After finishing 155th in the FedExCup Fall standings, Villegas signed up for Final Stage of Q-School to regain full TOUR status for the 2026 season. He called the decision a “no-brainer.”

“Man, after having a pretty bad year finishing 155 on the FedExCup, I was happy I got straight into this one, and it all of a sudden becomes the most important tournament of the year, just because somebody has to finish top five. Hopefully that will be me, one of those come Sunday,” said Villegas. “I mean, whatever I did the last couple years doesn't matter.”

Villegas struggled in 2025, making just 13 of 27 cuts. After missing the FedExCup Playoffs, he turned the page to the FedExCup Fall, where positive results were hard to come by. A T36 at the Baycurrent Classic and a T9 at the Bermuda Butterfield Championship were his only made cuts in seven starts.

It has been over two years since Villegas last won on TOUR. His last victory was an emotional one at the Bermuda Butterfield Championship, 22 months after losing his daughter. The win ended a nine-year winless drought and granted Villegas status through the 2025 season.

“I love the game,” said Villegas. “I love waking up in the morning, trying to get better. I love the challenge. I love to compete. Obviously, the game and my job is a lot more fun when you're playing good, it can be frustrating and tough when you're not.”

Villegas faces plenty of question marks heading into 2026, but a top-five finish at Q-School this week would grant him fully exempt status into every full-field event next season.

Projected TOUR cards

The top five after 72 holes will earn full status for the 2026 PGA TOUR season. Through 36 holes, here’s who could earn a TOUR card.

T1. Michael Feagles (7-under) – Best known for shooting 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023, Feagles has struggled to get regular starts on any PGA TOUR-sanctioned event over the last two years. The 28-year-old University of Illinois alum is well on his way to remedying that.

T1. Trevor Cone (7-under) – A miserable season on the PGA TOUR could get a lot better. Cone, 33, finished 161st in the FedExCup, losing all status in the process. He’s on track to gain it right back.

T1. A.J. Ewart (7-under) – A hole-in-one on the fifth hole at Dye’s Valley on Friday has the PGA TOUR Americas member in position to jump the Korn Ferry Tour entirely and head straight to the main circuit.

T1. John Pak (7-under) – Pak struggled in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR, finishing 152nd in the FedExCup. The 26-year-old is a former standout collegiate player at Florida State. He swept the three major college golf awards in his senior season and turned pro in 2021.

T1. Kota Kaneko (7-under) – The top finisher on Japan Golf Tour this year, Kaneko has played just one TOUR-sanctioned event in his career. The 23-year-old finished T33 at this year’s Baycurrent Classic. He won twice in Japan this season.

Korn Ferry Tour bubble

The next 40 finishers and ties will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2026 season, with the first 25 finishers and ties being subject to the third reshuffle (occurs after 14th event), and any remaining finishers being subject to the second reshuffle (occurs after 10th event)

Through Round 2, 49 players are 2-under or better, making that the current cutoff for Korn Ferry Tour status. Among the notable names of the group:

T6. Adam Svensson (6-under) – The former RSM Classic winner lost full PGA TOUR status for the first time since 2020, so he’ll be shooting for more than just Korn Ferry Tour status.

T14. Luke Gutschewski (5-under) – He graduated this summer from Iowa State and is looking to follow in his father’s (Scott Gutschewski) footsteps by making it to the PGA TOUR.

T27. Doc Redman (3-under) – A former PGA TOUR member, Redman would settle for just another year on the Korn Ferry Tour. He finished outside the top 100 on the circuit’s points list in 2025, jeopardizing his status for 2026.

T37. Ryo Ishikawa (2-under) – The 20-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour is making a push to play again in the U.S. It’s unclear whether Ishikawa, 34, would settle for Korn Ferry Tour status or if he’s playing just to get back on the PGA TOUR. Ishikawa has made 161 career TOUR starts.

T37. Spencer Levin (2-under) – The 41-year-old Korn Ferry Tour grinder would benefit from a top-45 finish to improve his status. He finished outside the top-75 this season. He’s spent the last six seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour after a seven-year stint on the PGA TOUR.

Notables

T6. Camilo Villegas (6-under) – The five-time PGA TOUR winner finished outside the top-150 of the FedExCup, leaving him with only past champion status and little guarantee of many starts. Villegas is just one shot off the top five.

T50. Nick Hardy (1-under) – One-half of the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans winning tandem, Hardy faces an uncertain 2026 without improvement this week. Hardy finished 175th in the FedExCup.

T50. Jim Herman (1-under) – The oldest player in the field at 48 years old, Herman is pushing for an improbable return to full TOUR status. Herman has three TOUR wins, most recently the 2020 Wyndham Championship.

T66. Harry Higgs (even-par) – Nearly a winner on the PGA TOUR earlier this year at the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic, Higgs is instead fighting for his job. After an opening round 73, Higgs bounced back with a 3-under round on Friday. He will need a much better weekend to re-earn TOUR status.

T90. Adam Hadwin (1-over) – The struggles continue for the one-time TOUR winner. Hadwin has full Korn Ferry Tour status for next year, so any finish outside the top five does nothing for the Canadian.

Norman Xiong (DQ) – Tied for last after 18 holes, Xiong did not show up for his second round tee time, resulting in a disqualification. Xiong, a former top amateur in the world, spent one year as a full member on the PGA TOUR in 2024.

PGATOUR.COM’s Paul Hodowanic contributed to this report.