Korn Ferry Stars Earn PGA TOUR Cards at Tulum Championship

Photo: (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

ast May, secured their place among the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, guaranteeing PGA TOUR membership for 2026.

Mexican golfer Emilio González led the international contingent, finishing fifth overall on the Points List. González posted a tie for 39th at the Tulum Championship, part of a consistent season that included a tournament victory and 12 finishes inside the top 25.

He also claimed both the top Latin American and top international spots among the 20 card earners.

Record-Breaking Tulum Championship

The four Americans who finished ahead of González – Johnny Keefer, Chandler Blanchet, Austin Smotherman, and Neal Shipley – all competed at PGA Riviera Maya. These four players distinguished themselves as the only competitors to capture two tournament wins during the 2025 season.

Keefer’s campaign proved historic. The Baylor graduate shattered the Korn Ferry Tour’s scoring average record with 67.95 strokes per round, breaking the previous mark while winning the Veritex Bank Championship and NV5 Invitational.

His Tulum Championship ended early when he withdrew after playing just four holes of the third round. Despite that setback, Keefer dominated the season after entering as the former PGA TOUR Americas No. 1 and 25th-ranked player in the 2024 PGA TOUR University standings.

A Return to PGA Riviera Maya

Chandler Blanchet has a special connection to PGA Riviera Maya. After winning the 2023 Bupa Championship here (a victory that earned him PGA TOUR Americas Player of the Year honors and his Korn Ferry Tour promotion), Blanchet returned to Tulum in May and tied for 12th.

He capped his season by winning the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, his second victory of 2025, securing the No. 2 position on the Points List.

South Korea‘s S T Lee posted the best Tulum Championship result among the new PGA TOUR members, tying for third. That performance ranked as his second-best finish of the season and helped propel him to 13th on the final Points List.

International Representation Strong

Bryson Nimmer’s playoff victory at the Tulum Championship represented the highlight of an otherwise challenging season. This top player from the United States finished 47th on the Points List, while runner-up Stuart Macdonald placed 43rd. Neither earned automatic PGA TOUR cards, though both remain eligible for December’s Q-School Final Stage.

The 20 card earners represent nine countries: Belgium (Adrien Dumont de Chassart), Canada (Sudarshan Yellamaraju), China (Zecheng Dou), South Korea (S.H. Kim, S.T. Lee), Japan (Kensei Hirata), Mexico (González), South Africa (Christo Lamprecht), Sweden (Pontus Nyholm), and the United States (11 players).

Twelve of these players will compete as PGA TOUR rookies in 2026, including both Keefer and Lamprecht, who graduated from PGA TOUR University in 2024 (ranked 25th and 2nd, respectively, in their class).