PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Cooper Dossey is 18 holes away from achieving full PGA TOUR status in 2026 and holding his first career TOUR card. Dossey is one shot back of the lead, heading into the final round at 10-under after a third-round 64 on Sawgrass Country Club at PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

After turning pro in 2021, Dossey, 27, has been competing primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour the last two seasons. His best finish came back in July at The Ascendant presented Blue, where Dossey finished T4. But Dossey says he has always doubted whether he could get all the way to the PGA TOUR.

“I've always wanted to get there, and I've always dreamed of being there, but never really, like full transparency, believed that I could get there,” said Dossey. “I know I'm good enough. I mean, my last years in the Korn Ferry have shown that to me, but it's still hard. Golf's hard. It's even harder now with the route to the TOUR, there's so many good golfers out there, and just to be able to say that I've been competing with them for the first, you know, three days that's given me a ton of confidence. But, yeah, to hold my card would be something special."

Three weeks ago, Dossey and his wife, Ashley, welcomed their son, Tucker William, into the world.

“If my wife hears this, I'm sorry, but I've gotten a lot of sleep this week," Dossey joked after the third round. "It's been great. I think my work has turned into a sleep vacation.... It's hard, but it's beautiful hard, and to watch her go, to watch her go through what she did, makes golf feel less important. I think I'm easy to be analytical and negative, but when you have them on your mind, it's a lot easier to play good golf.”

Dossey says he knows how to change a diaper, but is still trying to figure out his identity both on and off the golf course.

“I'm a very emotional golfer, whether that be tears or whether that be anger," said Dossey. "I think that before having a kid, I've struggled a lot with identity and golf and that being who I am, and I think that now, being a dad, and, like I said, honestly, watching my wife go through the process of labor has made golf less important, and that still means I care. I still want to play really badly. I want to play really well tomorrow and get my TOUR card, but I feel like I'm safe because of what my savior did on the cross. And I think that seeing the greatest miracle that he allows us to experience on earth through birth has changed my perspective a lot out there.”

Dossey has full Korn Ferry Tour status for 2026, but says he is playing with house money this week.

“I mean, this week was a free role for me. I mean, I got my card locked up on the Korn Ferry next year, so I have a place to play, but it's not a free role anymore. I'm in a position where I can go get a TOUR card,” said Dossey. “It's been a dream of mine for a long time. It gets me emotional thinking about it. I've always wanted to get there before my grandparents passed, so tomorrow would be a pretty cool day if I could make that happen.”

His grandparents are the ones who introduced Dossey and his two brothers to the game. Heading into the final round of Q-School, the goal is to bring a TOUR card home to the ones who first showed him the game he loves.

“They used to be rules officials at the USGA, and they rated golf courses for Golf Digest, and that's who taught us how to play, and they've been with us every step of the way, sometimes overstepping, and that's just because they care a lot and feel like a lot of what I do is for my family, my friends, but I got to play the Byron Nelson my first year as a pro, and that was pretty cool to have them there," Dossey explained. "But I've always wanted to hold a card and bring it back to them, so it'd be pretty sweet to see my nana and papa with a TOUR card.”

After Saturday's play, here’s how the field sits for the week:

Projected TOUR cards

The top five after 72 holes will earn full status for the 2026 PGA TOUR season. Through 54 holes, here’s who could earn a TOUR card.

T1. Ben Kohles (11-under) – The former Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year is hoping not to go back down next year, and he’s in a position to assure it. Kohles finished 145th in the FedExCup this season with just one top-10 finish. Kohles very nearly won THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson in 2024, losing on the last hole of regulation to Taylor Pendrith.

T1. Marcelo Rozo (11-under) – There’s no need to protect status tomorrow for Rozo, who finished top-75 in the Korn Ferry Tour and can only improve his status by making the PGA TOUR. Rozo, 36, has spent the last five years on the Korn Ferry Tour. He has played just four TOUR events in 14 years as a professional.

T3. Cooper Dossey (10-under) – The Korn Ferry Tour member called this week a “free roll,” but said it isn’t anymore as he stares down the very real reality that a TOUR card is within his grasp. Dossey has an nerve-racking 18 holes ahead.

T3. John Pak (10-under) – Pak struggled in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR this year, 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.

T3. A.J. Ewart (10-under) – A hole-in-one in his second round has aided his efforts. The 26-year-old PGA TOUR Americas member is one round from skipping the Korn Ferry Tour entirely and heading straight to the main circuit.

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 3, 50 players are 4-under or better, making that the current cutoff for Korn Ferry Tour status. Among the notable names of the group:

T6. Spencer Levin (9-under) – The 41-year-old journeyman had a chance at a TOUR card heading into the final day of Q-School in 2023. It didn’t come to fruition then, but Levin said he still believes he can play on the PGA TOUR. He’s playing like it this week. At a minimum, he stands to improve on his existing Korn Ferry Tour status.

T6. Kota Kaneko (9-under) – The top finisher on the Japan Golf Tour’s money list this year, Kaneko has played just one TOUR-sanctioned event in his career. He’s in a prime position to change that. The only question is whether it will be on the PGA TOUR or the Korn Ferry Tour. The 23-year-old won twice in Japan this year.

T30. 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.

T35. Ryo Ishikawa (4-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.

T51. Marshall Meisel (3-under) – One of five players in the field who advanced all the way from pre-qualifying, the recent Wake Forest grad has already secured the best status of his young career. He could improve on it if he cracks the top 45. He’s one stroke back entering the final round.

Notables

T12. Frankie Capan III (8-under) – A rookie on the PGA TOUR this season, Capan is hoping to avoid a one-and-done fate. Finishing outside the top-125 in the FedExCup, he will need a top-five to assure that.

T21. Jim Herman (6-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. He rocketed up the leaderboard with a 5-under 65, leaving himself a puncher’s chance entering the final day.

T21. 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 regressed on Saturday after a strong second round. He will need something special to crack the top five.

T102. Harry Higgs (1-over) – Nearly a winner on the PGA TOUR earlier this year at the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic, Higgs is instead fighting for his job. His chances of a TOUR card are slim after two consecutive underwhelming rounds.

T117. Nick Hardy (2-over) – 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.

T117. Adam Hadwin (2-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.