PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry: PGA TOUR Americas players to watch at Second Stage

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – Several talents who have already locked up 2024 PGA TOUR Americas exempt status are set to start Second Stage of the PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. With their hopes set on advancing to Final Stage for a chance to make it to the PGA TOUR or the Korn Ferry Tour, the following are five players to watch (along with their 2024 PGA TOUR Americas status) at each of the three venues kicking off Tuesday in Dothan, Alabama, Port St. Lucie, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia.

DOTHAN, ALABAMA
Nov. 14-17 at Highland Oaks Golf Course (Highlands/Marshwood)

Marcus Byrd – Cleverly, Maryland, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

The 26-year-old is coming off a four-win season on the APGA Tour that saw him lock up Player of the Year honors and secure his PGA TOUR Americas status. Byrd made four starts on the PGA TOUR in 2022-23, including The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption.

Luis Gerardo Garza – Leon, Mexico
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

A PGA TOUR Q-School First Stage medalist last month in Muskogee, Oklahoma, this 25-year-old closed the 2023 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season with four top-15 finishes in his last five starts to finish 39th in the Totalplay Cup Standings. He has also been honing his game on the Mexican Tour, where he earned his first pro win last April.

Chase Sienkiewicz – Sacramento, California, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

Instrumental in the University of Arizona’s Pac-12 Conference Championship win in 2021, Sienkiewicz finished 19th on the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking. Having secured PGA TOUR Canada status as a Q-School runner-up, he went on to finish the season ranked 49th in the Fortinet Cup Standings.

Joey Vrzich – La Mesa, California, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

A Pepperdine University alum and a key part of the Waves’ 2021 NCAA Championship-winning team, Vrzich finished 17th on the 2022 PGA TOUR University Ranking. This 24-year-old has already spent two full seasons on PGA TOUR Canada, including three top-25s this past season to finish 39th in the Fortinet Cup Standings for the second consecutive year.

Toni Hakula – Espoo, Finland
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

On the verge of his 10th season as a pro, this University of Texas alum is coming off his best season on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. A victory at the 2023 Kia Open in Quito, Ecuador, last May, helped him finish eighth in the Totalplay Cup Standings.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA
Nov. 14-17 at The Tesoro Club (Palmer)

Davis Shore – Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

After finishing 2023 ranked 13th on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, with his best performance a runner-up finish at the Brazil Open, Shore went on to win the Osprey Valley Open on PGA TOUR Canada and finish ninth in the Fortinet Cup Standings. The 25-year-old University of Alabama alum has qualified for the U.S. Open twice (2021, 2022).

Marcos Montenegro – Loberia, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

After making only six cuts in 22 starts as a Korn Ferry Tour rookie in 2022, Montenegro restored his confidence with a strong 2023 season on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. Claiming his first pro win at the Diners Club Peru Open, he went on to finish the Latin season ranked 10th in the Totalplay Cup Standings and seventh in total birdies.

John Pak – Scotch Plains, New Jersey, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

The No. 1 player in the 2021 PGA TOUR University Ranking after a decorated career at Florida State University, Pak left his mark on PGA TOUR Canada this past season. With a four-shot win at 2023 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open as his highlight, he went on to finish eighth in the Fortinet Cup Standings. Aside from his 10 starts in Canada, the 24-year-old has made 14 starts on the PGA TOUR and 16 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Cooper Dossey – Austin, Texas, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

A winner of three collegiate events and a two-time All-American at Baylor, this 25-year-old spent the last two seasons on PGA TOUR Canada. After finishing 16th in the Fortinet Cup Standings in 2022, he went on to finish 53rd in 2023 to lock up his 2024 PGA TOUR Americas card. He made the cut in 13 of 19 starts in Canada, with his best career finish a solo third at the 2022 Royal Beach Victoria Open.

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Status: Conditional for the Latin America Swing

As the winner of the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship, this 23-year-old earned spots in the Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship fields. Having secured PGA TOUR Canada status as No. 16 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, he made his pro debut with a tie for sixth at the Osprey Valley Open at TPC Toronto. He went on to finish 87th in the Fortinet Cup Standings, making the cut in two of his four starts.

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Nov. 14-17 at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club – Deer Creek

Noah Steele – Kingston, Canada
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

After making 18 starts between PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada in 2022, Steele focused solely on his nation’s Tour in 2023 for a solid campaign of four top 10s in 10 starts in Canada. He tied for fifth twice and finished the season ranked 15th in the Fortinet Cup Standings. He also made the Tour’s top 15 in total birdies (151), sub-par rounds (24), and scoring average (68.56).

Brandon Hoelzer – Fremont, Ohio, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

With a tie for fourth at the Commissionaires Ottawa Open as the best of his three top 10s on PGA TOUR Canada, this 28-year-old went to finish 17th in the Fortinet Cup Standings. He had solid numbers across the season, finishing first on par-5 scoring average (4.30 strokes), second in par-5 performance (73-under for the season), fourth in total birdies (164), and ninth in scoring average (68.41).

Connor Howe – Ogden, Utah, U.S.
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

This 23-year-old Georgia Tech alum followed an 18th-place finish on the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking with a 20th-place finish in the Fortinet Cup Standings. His best of two top 10s across 10 starts in Canada was a tie for second at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open.

Corey Shaun – Encinitas, California
Status: Exempt for the Latin America Swing

A tie for ninth at the ATB Classic and a solo 11th at the Fortinet Cup Championship were his highlights during a 2023 PGA TOUR Canada season where he finished 37th in the Fortinet Cup Standings. This 27-year-old was second on the 2021 Forme Tour (the alternative to PGA TOUR Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic) to make it to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022.

Evan Brown – Newark, Delaware, U.S.
Status: Conditional for the Latin America Swing

Although he made the cut in four of his seven starts on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, his high finishes didn’t earn him much ground as he finished the season ranked 129th. Back in the U.S., he had a solid summer highlighted by a playoff victory at the 2023 Waterloo Open. The 24-year-old Ole Miss grad makes it to Georgia only two weeks after tying for seventh at the Dev Series Final in Mazatlán, Mexico.

Aside from this week’s trio of events, there will be two more Second Stage stops in two weeks (Nov. 28 – Dec. 1) in Valdosta, Georgia, and Valencia, California.

Medalists and ties at all five Second Stage sites will earn guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, with approximately the top 25% of each site advancing to Q-School’s Final Stage in December. The top five and ties at Final Stage will earn 2024 PGA TOUR membership, with the next 40 and ties earning guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts. The following 20 finishers and ties will earn exempt status for the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season, while also earning conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership. All remaining finishers will earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership and conditional PGA TOUR Americas membership for the 2024 season.