Former Air Force captain highlights key movers in Round 1 at Korn Ferry Tour Championship

GLEN ALLEN, Va. – The forecast for Sunday calls for rain – lots of it – but Thursday’s opening round could not have been more perfect: minimal wind, bright sunshine and low scores aplenty at The Federal Club.

Every player in the field of 59 at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship has a mathematical chance at earning a 2027 PGA Tour card. Many are hoping to reach the sport’s most elite level for the first time.

Here are five players who played their way into, or near, the top 20 on the season-long Points List, cracking open a window to finish the season inside the key threshold.

Kyle Westmoreland (Min. finish needed: win)

A former active-duty Air Force captain, Westmoreland stepped onto the first tee Thursday knowing that nothing short of a win could move him inside the top 20. He answered with a 5-under 66 in the opening round, putting himself in position to make a run at a second PGA Tour card.

“I’m just going to come out here, try to play aggressive, try to play like I don’t have anything to lose, because we don’t, and have some fun,” Westmoreland said.

Now 35, the Air Force Academy graduate is chasing his second trip to PGA Tour membership via the Korn Ferry Tour Points List. He finished No. 25 in 2022, just 4.5 points clear of No. 26, earning the final card that year. Last season, he finished inside the top 75 for the third time in four years (2022, 2024, 2025).

Westmoreland got off to a fast start, knocking his tee shot inside 10 feet on the par-3 second and playing the front nine in 2 under. He really heated up after the turn, opening with a birdie on the par-5 10th, draining a 35-footer for birdie at No. 11 and hitting his approach tight on No. 12 for a third straight birdie.

Only time will tell if the Air Force veteran can fly up the Points List and earn one of the seven cards still up for grabs.

James Nicholas (Min. finish needed: two-way T3)

Nicholas needs at least a two-way T3 to have a chance at his first career PGA Tour card, and he took a big step toward that Thursday. He posted a 5-under 66 and now sits within striking distance of the top 20.

It is a familiar spot for Nicholas. Last season, he entered the Compliance Solutions Championship at No. 78 on the Points List and finished T3 to jump to No. 75 and into the following week's Korn Ferry Tour Championship. The finish also earned him full Korn Ferry Tour status this season.

“But now needing a win essentially coming into this week takes that pressure off,” Nicholas said. “Allows me to play more free, allows my game to shine more than hinder and play with that sort of tension that I think I did in the middle of the season.”

Nicholas has had a roller-coaster 2026 season that includes a win at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in February and nine missed cuts.

His form has improved of late, with cuts made in five of his last six starts. That carried into The Federal Club, where Nicholas went out in 1-under 35 and caught fire on the back nine. Five birdies in a six-hole stretch from Nos. 11-16 launched him into a share of the lead, but a bogey on the difficult par-3 17th dropped him to T3 by day’s end.

“I’m not looking at the leaderboard,” Nicholas said of the packed standings. “I honestly just don’t even watch, ’cause all I can control is the way I play. I can’t control what everybody else shoots. … But I know if I can go and play my best golf, I should be near the top of the leaderboard and give myself a chance.”

Nicholas knows staying present will be key as the week progresses.

“I’ve talked about it a lot with my mental coach, Dr. Joe Parent, just being in the mix is fun,” he said. “You get those nerves, you get that pressure, and that’s why we play this game. Everybody’s out here for the same reasons, and to be in the mix.”

Barend Botha (Min. finish needed: solo second)

The 23-year-old South African was a win away from a PGA Tour card last year at The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort, where he held a narrow one-shot, 54-hole lead. After opening with a superb 6-under 65, he hopes to have another crack at a win this weekend.

He scrambled effectively, converting all four opportunities, and rolled in just more than 95 feet of putts. Botha took advantage of softer conditions at The Federal Club.

“Played difficult today still,” Botha said after his opening round. “But with it being a little softer, you could be a little bit more aggressive. I mean, I just hit my irons well. Didn't miss a lot of fairways, either. Then the putter worked nicely."

There were lessons to be learned from his experience a year ago.

“It felt great, it was a great feeling,” Botha said. “We didn’t get it done so a little disappointed afterwards, but still happy with the way I played last year. Only positives to take from it.”

The biggest takeaway?

“Just try and hit good golf shots, don’t worry about hitting a bad shot,” he said. “I mean, pick your targets and fire at them.”

Botha needs a solo second to have a mathematical chance at cracking the top 20, which he thinks frees him up in Richmond.

“(I’m) playing with house money. Just go out, try and win. Nothing to lose, so why stress about it,” Botha said.

There is no better time than the present for redemption.

Drew Nesbitt (Min. finish needed: solo second)

After missing the cut in each of his first five starts this season, Nesbitt now has a shot to finish inside the top 20. It’s a pretty impressive turnaround for the 31-year-old Canadian.

He played a clean round Thursday, opening the championship with a 5-under 66.

Nesbitt earned full Korn Ferry Tour status this year by finishing No. 8 on the PGA Tour Americas Points List in 2025, a season that included a win at the Times Colonist Victoria Open presented by Andrew Sheret Limited.

In June, Nesbitt won the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS after an opening-round 60.

Twelve years after turning pro, he has as good a look at a PGA Tour card as ever.

Caleb VanArragon (Min. finish needed: solo 15th)

VanArragon is the only player after Round 1 to move inside the top 20. The 25-year-old Kentucky native is T13 with his eyes set on earning a PGA Tour card in just his second professional season.

He finished No. 56 on the 2025 Points List as a rookie with three top 10s in 25 starts.

He is as elite a ball-striker as anybody on the Korn Ferry Tour, ranking fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach this year. But that’s not what carried him Thursday – it was the flat stick.

VanArragon gained more than 4.4 strokes on the green en route to a 5-under 66. He was 2 under when he stepped onto the 16th tee, then made a massive eagle on the par-5 16th, followed by a closing birdie.

Can VanArragon finish the job and stay inside the top 20? It’s the Korn Ferry Tour Championship … why not?