Bubble watch: Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna
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Nos. 23-27 separated by less than 14 points into Regular Season finale in Omaha
Written by Will Doctor
Nos. 23-27 separated by less than 14 points into Regular Season finale in Omaha
The final week of the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season has arrived at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna in Omaha, Nebraska. It marks the final chance for players on the bubble of the top 25 to earn a PGA TOUR card for 2022-23. It's also the last call for players on the cusp of the top 75 to secure their place in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
Last week at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank, 23-year-old Andrew Kozan shook off 11 consecutive missed cuts to win his first Korn Ferry title with rounds of 63-70-67-63. Kozan, a former standout at Auburn, ascended from No. 153 to No. 41 on the Regular Season Points List.
Following the Regular Season finale in Omaha, the three-tournament Korn Ferry Tour Finals will begin at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, then to the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship before the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing and Finance.
The Korn Ferry Tour awards 25 PGA TOUR cards upon the conclusion of the Pinnacle Bank Championship. The chase for spots in The 25 has built toward a crescendo during the season's final events, and will continue to do so over the course of play at The Club at Indian Creek.
Moving down the points list, another critical benchmark exists at No. 75. Upon the conclusion of the Pinnacle Bank Championship, the top 75 eligible players gain access to the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, with another opportunity to earn a TOUR card via The Finals 25.
Justin Suh, a 25-year-old All-American from the University of Southern California, moved from No. 17 to No. 7 after a T2 finish at the Utah Championship to secure his PGA TOUR card for the 2022-23 season. It was Suh's fifth top-15 over his last six starts.
Players who finish the Regular Season inside the top 75 also secure full Korn Ferry Tour status for 2023. Nos. 76-85 gain direct entry to Final Stage of Q-School; Nos. 86-100 advance directly to Second Stage.
Ashton Van Horne, a rookie on the Korn Ferry Tour, placed T2 at the Utah Championship and moved from No. 117 to No. 58. It was the 28-year-old's first top-10 of the season.
Here's a look the five players squarely on the bubble with one event remaining in the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season. Nos. 23-27 are all separated by a mere 13.603 points. A solo-44th finish this week nets 13.6 points.
Ben Taylor (No. 23)
After the disappointment of missing 23 cuts in 36 starts on the PGA TOUR between 2019-21, Taylor has mended his game this season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The 30-year-old from England has notched eight top-25 finishes in 20 starts this season, with his best finish coming at the Huntsville Championship (solo second) in early May.
Taylor, a member of LSU's 2015 national championship squad, has one top-20 in his last three starts and sits 9.969 points ahead of the No. 25 spot.
Vincent Norrman (No. 24)
There aren't many rookies who have displayed the consistency Norrman has produced in 2022.
Norrman, a 24-year-old out of Florida State, ranks ninth in driving accuracy percentage and first in greens in regulation on the Korn Ferry Tour. The stellar display of ball striking has guided him to six top-25 finishes in 20 starts this season.
The sweet-swinging Swede's best finish this season was T2 at the REX Hospital Open with rounds of 66-69-65-68.
Norrman's only knock comes on the greens, where he ranks 130th in putting average on the Korn Ferry Tour. After a solid week at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank (T30), Norrman will need one more respectable finish in Omaha to secure a PGA TOUR card for 2023. He currently sits 2.493 points ahead of No. 25.
Michael Kim (No. 25)
Michael Kim, the 2018 John Deere Classic winner, has made an impressive move up The 25 points list with eight top-20 finishes in his last 10 events since the Visit Knoxville Open in mid-May.
Before this season, 29-year-old Kim spent seven seasons on the PGA TOUR before being relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour after missing 29 cuts in 45 starts between 2019-21.
Kim, 2013 Jack Nicklaus Award winner at Cal-Berkeley, has regained form and shown glimpses of success on the PGA TOUR this year. In March, he finished T16 at the Puerto Rico Open after opening with rounds of 65-69. Kim finished seventh at the Barbasol Championship in early July. He holds PGA TOUR past champion status but has focused the majority of his season on the Korn Ferry Tour for a better chance at earning more substantial TOUR status next season.
After his fifth-place finish at the Utah Championship, Kim moved from No. 31 to No. 25 on the points list and will look to avoid higher stakes at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals with a solid finish in Omaha.
Brandon Harkins (No. 26)
The 36-year-old enters the Pinnacle Bank Championship one spot outside The 25. After withdrawing from last week's Utah Championship, Harkins dropped from No. 21 to No. 26 on the points list.
Harkins, a PGA TOUR member from 2017-19, won the second Korn Ferry Tour event of the season in a two-hole playoff at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club. In addition to the victory, he has recorded four top-25 finishes in 18 starts.
The California State University-Chico alum will look to take advantage of his precise iron play (27th in GIR) to regain a position in The 25. Harkins sits 3.005 points behind No. 25 Michael Kim, needing a solo 73rd at minimum for a chance at a card this week.
Ryan McCormick (No. 27)
After a trio of top-15 finishes between the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX and The Ascendant presented by Blue, McCormick climbed to No. 23 on the points list and looked comfortably positioned for a PGA TOUR card.
But since finishing T13 at TPC Colorado, McCormick hasn't placed better than 37th over the last three events and fell to No. 27 on the points list after a missed cut at the Utah Championship.
This year, McCormick has proven he has the tools from tee to green to compete on the PGA TOUR. The St. John's alum ranks 11th in driving distance (317.5) and 16th in greens in regulation and will need to parlay those two weapons in Omaha to have a chance to re-enter The 25 before the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
McCormick sits 3.634 points behind Michael Kim (No. 25), needing a two-way T68 at minimum for a chance at a card. He has never held status on the PGA TOUR.





