10 players who could earn first PGA TOUR card at Pinnacle Bank Championship
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FARMINGTON, UTAH - AUGUST 07: Akshay Bhatia tees off on the 9th hole during the final round of the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank at Oakridge Country Club on August 07, 2022 in Farmington, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Korn Ferry Tour set for Regular Season finale at Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna
Escrito por Kevin Prise
Korn Ferry Tour set for Regular Season finale at Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna
ELKHORN, Neb. -- Some call it the Greatest Week in Sports, and for good reason.
This week’s Pinnacle Bank Championship marks the final week of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season, where 25 PGA TOUR cards will be awarded upon the conclusion of Sunday’s final round at The Club at Indian Creek outside Omaha.
Entering the week, 15 players have crossed the fail-safe threshold (875 points) to secure a TOUR card for next season. This means that 10 spots are up for grabs across the course of competition.
Click here for the Points List into the week.
This week’s event will feature slightly elevated point totals, allowing for the potential of increased volatility. A standard Korn Ferry Tour event provides 500 points to the winner; the Pinnacle Bank Championship will provide 600 points to the winner.
Click here for a breakdown of point totals available this week.
With 15 spots at Sunday night’s TOUR card ceremony accounted for, the remainder of the 156-player field is hungry to claim the remaining 10 spots. Click here for a look Inside the Field.
(The top 75 eligible players upon the conclusion of the Pinnacle Bank Championship will also gain access to the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, with another chance to earn a TOUR card via The Finals 25.)
Here’s a capsule look at 10 players who could earn a TOUR card this week at the Pinnacle Bank Championship, and their minimum finish needed for a chance to break inside The 25.
Note: Players squarely on the bubble (between Nos. 23-27) will be analyzed in Tuesday’s bubble watch feature.
KEVIN ROY
The native of Syracuse, New York has carried a determination to maintain a positive attitude this summer, often sporting a hat that states, “Have More Fun.” The Long Beach State alum has recorded four top-15s in his last five starts, with a T14 at last week’s Utah Championship moving him from No. 26 to No. 22 on the Points List. As he enters the week inside The 25, Roy has no minimum finish requirement; various scenarios are in play. Roy, 32, has accrued 769.106 points this season and stands 14.484 points clear of No. 25, the equivalent of roughly a 43rd-place finish.
BRENT GRANT
The fiery 26-year-old drew the golf world’s attention as a teenager when he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship on his own ball. Now the sixth-year pro is looking to draw headlines as a TOUR member. Grant won the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation in May to move to the precipice of a TOUR card, but he has gone without a top-10 finish since; with a missed cut last week in Utah, he fell from No. 23 to No. 28 on the Points List. Grant, who hails from Honolulu, stands 6.955 points back of No. 25 and will need a two-way T54 finish at minimum to earn a TOUR card.
PIERCESON COODY
The University of Texas alum earned automatic Korn Ferry Tour membership via his No. 1 finish on the PGA TOUR University Velocity Global Ranking, and he didn’t waste any time in making an impact, following a T4 at the Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics with a win at the Live and Work in Maine Open in June. Coody, the grandson of 1971 Masters winner Charles Coody, finished T10 last week in Utah. He stands No. 29 on the Points List, 38.122 points back of No. 25, and will need a solo 26th finish at minimum to earn a TOUR card.
AKSHAY BHATIA
The precocious 20-year-old has developed a reputation this season for enjoying the small pleasures of the game. He wears colorful shirts and enjoys finding a chair for a quick respite mid-competition. After winning the season-opening The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, Bhatia has seen up-and-down play throughout the season, but he’s trending upward after a final-round 64 at last week’s Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank for a T14 finish. The four-year pro stands No. 30 on the Points List, 62.422 points back of No. 25, and will need a two-way T14 finish at minimum to earn a TOUR card.
JEREMY PAUL
The University of Colorado alum knows his twin brother Yannik will join him at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals; Yannik Monday qualified into last week’s Wyndham Championship and finished T36, cementing a Finals berth via non-member FedExCup points surpassing No. 200 on the standings. Jeremy has recorded eight top-25s this season, highlighted by a T3 at The Ascendant presented by Blue in early July, and he enters Omaha at No. 34 on the Points List. He stands 98.355 points back of No. 25 and will need a solo seventh finish at minimum to earn a TOUR card prior to reacquainting with Yannik at the Finals.
AUSTIN ECKROAT
The Oklahoma State alum earned 2022 Korn Ferry Tour membership with a top-five finish on the inaugural PGA TOUR University Velocity Global Ranking in 2021, but after finishing outside the top 40 at Final Stage of Q-School, he began this season with conditional status. The Oklahoma native has taken advantage of his opportunities with eight top-25s in 12 starts, highlighted by a solo second at last month’s Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS. With a Finals berth secure, he sets his sights on a TOUR card. Eckroat enters the week at No. 39 on the Points List, 142.639 points back of No. 25. He’ll need a solo fourth finish at minimum to earn a TOUR card.
ANDREW KOZAN
The Auburn alum entered last week’s Utah Championship having missed 11 consecutive cuts, 14 missed cuts in his previous 15 starts, with First Stage of Q-School very much in the realm. All he did was rally from T13 into Sunday, carding a closing 8-under 63 to earn his first Korn Ferry Tour title by a stroke over three players. Kozan, 23, jumped from 153rd to 41st on the Points List with his victory. He’ll have a chance at a TOUR card via the Finals, but why not make it happen in Omaha? The Florida native trails No. 25 by 161.089 points and will need a two-way T3 finish at minimum to earn a TOUR card.
NORMAN XIONG
The highly acclaimed junior prospect struggled at times after turning pro from the University of Oregon, but the southern California native put it all together after Monday qualifying into the Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics in June, carding a 26-under total for a statement victory. The fifth-year pro has missed two of three cuts since, finishing T63 at the Price Cutter Championship, and he will need a strong week in Omaha to break inside The 25. Xiong stands No. 47 on the Points List, 250.522 back of The 25, and he will need a two-way T2 finish minimum to earn a TOUR card.
KEVIN DOUGHERTY
The Oklahoma State alum narrowly missed a TOUR card at the 2018 Regular Season finale in Portland, a 15-foot chip to earn a spot inside The 25 hanging agonizingly on the cup’s edge. After welcoming his first child into the world this summer, Dougherty is diligently working to bring his family to the PGA TOUR. The ninth-year pro has made 14 cuts in 17 starts this season to comfortably secure a Finals berth, and he’ll aim to make magic in Omaha. Dougherty stands No. 50 on the Points List, 326.376 points back of No. 25, and he will need a solo second finish at minimum to earn a TOUR card.
ASHTON VAN HORNE
The Kentucky native has a penchant for the dramatic, having drained a 15-foot birdie on the final hole at Second Stage of Q-School last fall to earn Korn Ferry Tour membership. He entered last week’s Utah Championship at No. 117 on the Points List, on the verge of a trip to First Stage of Q-School, but he carded a final-round 64 to finish runner-up and jump to No. 58. He has all but secured a Finals berth and can now turn his attention to chasing a TOUR card. The Belmont alum trails No. 25 by 391.047 points and will need a win in Omaha to earn a TOUR card prior to the Finals.




