Korn Ferry Tour Finals

The Korn Ferry Tour Finals is a series of three golf tournaments that serve as a means of earning PGA Tour membership for the following season ("Tour cards"). The series, which until 2019 consisted of four tournaments, replaced the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in 2013.

Official logo.

The Finals take place after the Korn Ferry Tour regular season. In total, fifty players earn cards: the top 25 players on the regular-season standings (known as "The 25") and the top 25 players on the Finals standings (known as the "Finals 25"). From 2013 to 2018, the standings were based on money earned. Since 2019, the standings are based on a points system similar to the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour.[1]

The initial PGA Tour priority ranking of the 50 graduates is determined by alternating members of The 25 (ordered by their total points, including the Finals) with members of the Finals 25 (ordered by their earnings in the Finals); however, they are re-ordered, or reshuffled, based on their position in the FedEx Cup several times throughout the PGA Tour season. The member of The 25 with the most combined points and the player with the most points in the Finals (even if he is a regular-season graduate) are both exempt from reshuffles and remain at the top of the graduate priority rankings; this is also true of any players who won three times in the Korn Ferry Tour season.

Tournaments

From 2013 to 2015 the Finals consisted of the following four tournaments:

In 2016, the DAP Championship[2] and the Albertsons Boise Open replaced the Hotel Fitness Championship and Small Business Connection Championship. This lineup remained through 2018, though the order of the tournaments changed.

Beginning in 2019, only three tournaments will be played in the Finals with the DAP Championship being eliminated.[3]

Each event has a purse of US$1,000,000[4] (the 2013 purses for other tournaments range from $550,000 to $800,000 with a median purse of $650,000).[5] They feature a 36-hole cut of the top-60 and ties (standard Korn Ferry Tour cut).[4] The first three events are worth a minimum of 16 points for the Official World Golf Ranking, up from 14 points for regular season Korn Ferry Tour events. The Korn Ferry Tour Championship is worth a minimum of 20 points as the Tour's flagship event, as in the past.[6]

Qualification

There are four ways to qualify for the Finals:[4][1]

  • Finish in the top-75 on the Korn Ferry Tour's regular season standings (money list from 2013 to 2018, points from 2019).
  • Finish the PGA Tour's regular season ranked 126–200 on the FedEx Cup points list. Not all players with this criterion will compete, as some are already exempt through other means.
  • As a non-member of the PGA Tour, earn enough FedEx Cup points to place 126–200 on the points list.
  • Special medical exemptions.[7]

Tour cards

In 2013, the top-25 on the regular season Web.com Tour money list were guaranteed PGA Tour cards regardless of their performance in the Finals and the Finals determine their priority ranking. Money earned in the four Finals events determined the remaining 25 PGA Tour cards. The leading money winners on the regular season Web.com Tour money list and the Finals money list were fully exempt on the PGA Tour; the remaining 48 players were ranked for PGA Tour priority purposes based on their Finals earnings.[4] In addition, the money leaders in both the regular season and the Finals received places in the following year's Players Championship.

In 2014 the determination of the priority ranking changed. The top 25 from the regular season money list carried their earnings to the Finals, competing among themselves for priority. The top 25 earners in the Finals only, not including the top 25 from the regular season, again earned PGA Tour cards. The priority rankings were then determined be a "zipper method" with the top 25 in combined regular and Finals earnings taking rankings 1, 3, 5, ... and the top 25 from the Finals taking rankings 2, 4, 6, ...[8][9]

Those who win their third event of the season during the finals are also fully exempt on the PGA Tour. Players who finish in the top 50 on the Finals list and Top 75 on the regular season standings also are guaranteed full Korn Ferry Tour status for the next season. The remainder will either attempt to regain their cards through Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School or make use of limited PGA Tour status if available.

Criticism

One unintended consequence of the change in Q school is that more amateurs are turning professional earlier in the year (June instead of August) in order to have a better chance at earning a PGA Tour card through high finishes via sponsors' exemptions.[10]

Winners

Tournament winners
YearNationwide Children's
Hospital Championship		Albertsons Boise OpenKorn Ferry Tour
Championship
2019 Scottie Scheffler Matthew NeSmith Tom Lewis
YearNationwide Children's
Hospital Championship		DAP ChampionshipAlbertsons Boise OpenWeb.com Tour
Championship
2018 Robert Streb Kramer Hickok Bae Sang-moon Denny McCarthy
YearNationwide Children's
Hospital Championship		Albertsons Boise OpenDAP ChampionshipWeb.com Tour
Championship
2017 Peter Uihlein Chesson Hadley (2/2) Nicholas Lindheim Jonathan Byrd
YearDAP ChampionshipAlbertsons Boise OpenNationwide Children's
Hospital Championship		Web.com Tour
Championship
2016 Bryson DeChambeau Michael Thompson Grayson MurrayCanceled*
YearHotel Fitness
Championship		Small Business Connection
Championship/Chiquita Classic		Nationwide Children's
Hospital Championship		Web.com Tour
Championship
2015 Henrik Norlander Chez Reavie Andrew Loupe Emiliano Grillo
2014 Bud Cauley Adam Hadwin Justin Thomas Derek Fathauer
2013 Trevor Immelman Andrew Svoboda Noh Seung-yul Chesson Hadley (1/2)

*Tournament canceled due to Hurricane Matthew

Money/points leaders
YearRegular season
winner		Finals winnerOverall
winner
2019 Zhang Xinjun Scottie Scheffler Scottie Scheffler
2018 Im Sung-jae Denny McCarthy Im Sung-jae
2017 Brice Garnett Chesson Hadley Chesson Hadley
2016 Wesley Bryan Grayson Murray Wesley Bryan
2015 Patton Kizzire Chez Reavie Patton Kizzire
2014 Carlos Ortiz Derek Fathauer Adam Hadwin
2013 Michael Putnam John Peterson Chesson Hadley

Bolded golfers received full exemptions for the PGA Tour not subject to re-order. In 2013, golfers who led the regular season money list and the Finals money list received full exemptions.[11] Since 2014, golfers who led the overall money list and the Finals money list received full exemptions.[12] Points replace money beginning in 2019.

References
  1. "Korn Ferry Tour Points System: How it works: System of standardized results, similar to Tour's FedExCup, implemented for 2019 season and beyond". PGA Tour. January 9, 2019.
  2. Warsinskey, Tim (December 7, 2015). "Web.com Tour championship coming to Canterbury, affiliated with LeBron James charity". cleveland.com. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  3. "PGA Tour announces 2019 Web.com Tour schedule". PGA Tour. September 20, 2018.
  4. "Eligibility for the 2013 Web.com Tour Finals". PGA Tour. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  5. "2013 Web.com Tour – Tournament Schedule". PGA Tour. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  6. "Official World Golf Ranking Board Announces Adjustments To Ranking System". OWGR. August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  7. "Field study: Web.com Tour Finals". PGA Tour. August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  8. "Eligibility for the 2014 Web.com Tour Finals". PGA Tour. June 1, 2014.
  9. Hoggard, Rex (May 30, 2014). "Major Web.com Tour Finals changes midway through season". Golf Channel.
  10. Herrington, Ryan (June 18, 2014). "Why so many top amateurs are turning pro this week – and the unintended consequence". Golf Digest.
  11. "Meet the graduates: 2013 Web.com Tour Finals top 50". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  12. "Meet The 50: Who's headed to the PGA Tour for the 2014-15 season?". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
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