2025 Korn Ferry Tour Graduates
Meet the 20 Newest PGA Tour Members
I have follwed the PGA’s developmental tour for over 30 years now. The name of the tour has changed names six times since its inception in 1990. What began as the Ben Hogan Tour has subsequently changed names to the Nike Tour, The Buy.com Tour, The Nationwide Tour, The Web.com Tour and now is known as the Korn Ferry Tour.
My passion for following this tour has its roots based in Central New York. I started by tracking Skaneateles’ finest golfer, Tom Scherrer, who was runner-up to Justin Leonard in the 1992 US Amateur. Tom went on to win three times on the Korn Ferry Tour and broke though and won the 2000 Kemper Open to secure his first ever PGA Tour title. But first he had to graduate from the grind of the Korn Ferry Tour in 1995 and 1998. More recently, I have tracked Syracuse natives, Kevin Roy and Dan McCarthy in their quest to earn a PGA Tour card through their play on the Korn Ferry Tour. Kevin finally secured his card in 2024 and has earned over $1.6 million dollars this past season on the PGA Tour. Dan, a previous winner on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, is still in search of his first PGA Tour card. He finished 86th on the Korn Ferry Tour season Long Points List this year and will have to earn his way onto the PGA Tour with a stellar 2026 season.
Prior to the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season, The PGA Tour announced that only the top 20 players on the season Long Points List would earn full PGA Tour membership for 2026. Previously the threshold was the Top 30. This made the competition more intense in order to punch a ticket to the big time. For each player, making “The 20” marks a major milestone, they now move from the feeder tour up to the holy grail of the PGA Tour, with its larger purses, bigger fields, more visibility and a chance to leave a golf legacy in this great game. I wanted to take the time to congratulate and recap all of the recent Korn Ferry Tour graduates. Golf is truly a global game as “The 20” represent nine different countries (Belgium, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, United States)
No. 1 Johnny Keefer
Finished atop the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List off the strength of victories at the 2025 Veritex Bank Championship and 2025 NV5 Invitational. Led the Tour in top-five finishes (six), top 10s (nine), top 25s (15) and broke the Korn Ferry Tour record for single-season scoring average (67.95) previously established by Luke Guthrie (68.33 in 2012).
Johnny is a huge fan of the popular television show “The Office;” he claims to have watched the show in its entirety more than 10 times.
No. 2 Chandler Blanchet
In what was his fourth season on the Korn Ferry Tour, earned his first PGA TOUR card off the strength of victories at the 2025 Price Cutter Charity Championship and the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
No. 3 Austin Smotherman
A three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner returning to the PGA TOUR after victories at the 2025 BMW Charity Pro-Am and 2025 Memorial Health Championship. Ranked tied for third on Tour with 13 top-25s this season, only trailing Johnny Keefer (15) and Chandler Blanchet (14).
Graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour for a second time, having previously accomplished the feat upon conclusion of the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour season, when he finished No. 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and earned the last available TOUR card from the standings; previously earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time after a No. 4 finish on the 2019 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit.
No. 4 Neal Shipley
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time off the strength of comeback victories at the 2025 LECOM Suncoast Classic, where he overcame a four-stroke 54-hole deficit and defeated fellow graduate S.T. Lee in a playoff, and 2025 Ascendant, where he trailed by seven strokes through 54 holes and closed in 8-under 64 for a one-stroke victory.
Earned exemptions for the 2024 Masters Tournament and 2024 U.S. Open from his runner-up finish at the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship (lost to future PGA TOUR winner Nick Dunlap in the championship match) and subsequently became the first player since Viktor Hovland (2019) to earn low amateur honors at both major championships in the same year; featured in Season 3 of the Netflix documentary series “Full Swing.”
No. 5 Emilio Gonzalez
Gonzalez secured PGA TOUR membership for the first time with a victory at the 2025 Albertsons Boise Open in what was his third consecutive season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Previously finished No. 49 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and No. 172 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie, though he missed a significant portion of 2023 while recovering from appendicitis.
Grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he and his siblings honed their games at Club de Golf Malanquin. Becomes the sixth player from Mexico to earn PGA TOUR membership via the Korn Ferry Tour.
No. 6 Hank Lebioda
Secured a return to the PGA TOUR off the strength of his first Korn Ferry Tour title – a playoff win over fellow graduate S.H. Kim at the season-opening The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island – and four additional top-five finishes. Previously graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour following the 2018 season and maintained PGA TOUR membership through the end of the 2022-23 season, with a 2021 FedExCup Playoffs appearance being a highlight of his time on TOUR. Finished No. 75 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, the final position which awarded fully exempt status for the 2025 season.
No. 7 Adrien Dumont de Chassart
Dumont de Chassart clinched his return to the PGA TOUR with a record-setting victory at the 2025 Compliance Solutions Championship, where his winning score of 33-under 251 marked the lowest 72-hole score relative to par in Korn Ferry Tour history, as well as the second-lowest 72-hole score in Tour history (250/Stephan Jaeger/2016 Ellie Mae Classic). Also carded an 11-under 59, the 14th sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history, at the 2025 Wichita Open
Hails from Villers-la-Ville, Belgium, a municipality roughly 40 minutes from Brussels, and remains one of only two Korn Ferry Tour graduates to represent Belgium (Thomas Detry/2022).
No. 8 S.H. Kim
Retained PGA TOUR membership and improved his status for the 2026 season with a victory at the 2025 AdventHealth Championship and a pair of runner-up finishes.
Graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour for a second time, having previously accomplished the feat as a rookie in 2022.
No. 9 Christo Lamprecht
Secured PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his first full season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Won the 2025 Pinnacle Bank Championship in dramatic fashion, as he holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole of regulation for a walk-off birdie and a one-stroke victory. Previously played the second half of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season via PGA TOUR University performance benefits from his No. 2 finish in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking.
Counts fellow South African Ernie Els as a family friend.
No. 10 Davis Chatfield
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his third consecutive season on the Korn Ferry Tour; he was one of six players to finish in the top 20 of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List without a victory this season.
Posted runner-up finishes at the 2025 Astara Chile Classic and 2025 UNC Health Championship, and logged six of his nine career top 10s on Tour this season.
No. 11 Zach Bauchou
Secured PGA TOUR membership for the first time with a win at the 2025 Simmons Bank Open, the first of four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events.
Played his way onto the bubble for PGA TOUR cards last season and held the 36- and 54-hole leads at the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, but carded a final-round 76 and ultimately fell three strokes short of TOUR membership.
No. 12 Pierceson Coody
A three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner who secured a return to the PGA TOUR with seven top 10s, including runner-up finishes at the 2025 Astara Golf Championship and 2025 BMW Charity Pro-Am.
One of six players to finish in the top 20 of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List without a victory this season.
No. 13 S.T. Lee
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Tallied six top-10 finishes, including a playoff runner-up finish (lost to Neal Shipley) at the 2025 LECOM Suncoast Classic.
Ranked second on Tour with 21 made cuts (Pontus Nyholm/22).
No. 14 Jeffrey Kang
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his second season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Solidified his place in the top 20 of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List with a top-25 finish at the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Stood No. 57 on the Points List through 18 events, but moved into the top 20 with runner-up finishes at the 2025 NV5 Invitational and 2025 Albertsons Boise Open, along with a T4 at the 2025 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (the second of four Korn Ferry Tour Finals events) in his final eight starts; one of six players to finish in the top 20 of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List without a victory this season.
No. 15 Kensei Hirata
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Posted four top-three finishes, including co-runner-up finishes at the 2025 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club and 2025 Utah Championship.
Becomes the fifth player from Japan to earn PGA TOUR membership through the Korn Ferry Tour, following Ryuji Imada (2004), Ryo Ishikawa (2013), Hiroshi Iwata (2015), and Kaito Onishi (2024).
No. 16 Trace Crowe
Retained PGA TOUR membership and improved his status for the 2026 season, as he maintained a position in the top 20 of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List even though he missed all four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events with a wrist injury; a first-time Korn Ferry Tour graduate who earned his second career win at the 2025 UNC Health Championship.
No. 17 John VanDerLaan
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his fifth consecutive season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Stood No. 52 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List with three events remaining and earned a place in the top 20 with his first Korn Ferry Tour win at the 2025 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, the second of four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events.
Finished in the top 75 of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List each of his four previous seasons on Tour, with his career-high finish being No. 42 in 2023.
No. 18 Zecheng Dou
A three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner who secured a return to the PGA TOUR with a late-season surge in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. In the final three events of the season, posted back-to-back runner-up finishes at the 2025 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (T2) and 2025 Compliance Solutions Championship (solo second), followed by a top-25 at the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship. One of six players to finish in the top 20 of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List without a victory this season.
Graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour for a third time, having previously accomplished the feat after the 2017 and 2022 seasons.
No. 19 Sudarshan Yellamaraju
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his second season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Won the 2025 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, the second event of the season, and added a pair of top-five finishes en route to his TOUR card.
No. 20 Pontus Nyholm
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his fourth consecutive season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Defeated fellow graduate Johnny Keefer in a playoff at the 2025 Visit Knoxville Open for his first Korn Ferry Tour title. Becomes the ninth player from Sweden to earn PGA TOUR membership via the Korn Ferry Tour, following recent graduates Vincent Norrman (2022) and Tim Widing (2024); has yet to make his PGA TOUR debut.
In summary, the top 20 players from the Korn Ferry Tour Points List have earned the right to compete on the PGA Tour for 2026. Their achievement reflects consistent high-level play through a long season of 26 events, and now they face the next challenge – making their mark among golf’s elite on the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour is special because it represents the highest level of professional golf, where the worlds best players compete weekly on iconic courses for prestigious titles and major championships. It combines elite competition with rich traditions, global reach, and life changing rewards. Its blend of of history, drama, and excellence makes it the ultimate stage for “The 20” to prove themselves and inspire fans around the world.
Music & Events Calendar
