For the first time since 2012, Q-School will award PGA TOUR cards this week. The Final Stage will be contested across 72 holes at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club from Thursday to Sunday. Each player will play two rounds at each course, and there is no cut. The top five and ties after 72 holes will earn 2024 PGA TOUR membership, while the next 40 and ties will get guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. The next 20 and ties will earn guaranteed starts on PGA TOUR Americas. All players who tee it up at Final Stage will receive conditional Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas status at minimum.
An array of rising stars and experienced veterans will compete for status at PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry’s Final Stage. Here are ten players to watch:
- Keita Nakajima
The 23-year-old Japan native is a highly accomplished golfer at various levels. He was ranked the world’s No. 1 amateur for 87 weeks and has six titles on the Japan Golf Tour, including three wins in the last six months. Nakajima earned direct access to Final Stage as the No. 1 player on the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit, and he aims to secure one of the top five spots. He has made 11 career TOUR starts, including six this season, and stands No. 94 on the Official World Golf Ranking. - Sam Bennett
Bennett made an impression at this year’s Masters Tournament, playing in the final group during the third round at Augusta National and finishing T16. The 23-year-old Texas A&M senior gained direct access to Final Stage via the top five on the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking. Bennett made 10 TOUR starts this year after turning pro, highlighted by a T20 at the RBC Canadian Open. - Fred Biondi
Biondi was a senior at Florida this year and won the clinching point for the Gators in the NCAA Division I Championship’s title match against Georgia Tech. He also won the individual title at Grayhawk Golf Club outside Phoenix. Biondi finished No. 2 on the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking and enters Final Stage on the strength of back-to-back top-25 finishes on TOUR at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and The RSM Classic. - Aldrich Potgieter
Potgieter won The Amateur at age 17 in 2022 and made the cut at this year’s U.S. Open. The 18-year-old South African earned medalist honors by four shots at Second Stage of Q-School in Valdosta, Georgia, securing guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts at minimum in 2024. - Hayden Springer’s year has been a mix of triumph and tragedy. He won the 2023 PGA TOUR Canada’s Fortinet Cup but lost his daughter Sage to Trisomy 18 in November. Springer, 26, will compete at Final Stage to honor Sage’s memory and earn his first TOUR card. He won twice in seven PGA TOUR Canada starts this summer and qualified for Final Stage as a top-five finisher on the Fortinet Cup.
- Marcus Byrd has had a successful season on the APGA, winning four titles. He advanced through First Stage and Second Stage of Q-School this fall and is now aiming for a PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour card. Byrd played at the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines and won the event by four strokes.
- John Pak, the former college golf star, is seeking redemption this fall. He advanced through Second Stage to earn a shot at his first TOUR card. Pak finished No. 1 on the 2021 PGA TOUR University Ranking and made six TOUR starts that summer, but only made one cut and finished No. 145 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List. He fought back with an eighth-place finish on the 2023 PGA TOUR Canada’s Fortinet Cup and is now four rounds away from completing his climb to the TOUR.
- Julian Suri, a northeast Florida native, will be returning to his childhood practice range at The Golf Club at South Hampton for Final Stage. Suri played at Duke University and has won on the Challenge Tour and DP World Tour. He has competed in four major championships and made just two TOUR starts since 2019. He advanced through First Stage and Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School this fall and is hoping for a magical week at Final Stage.
- Chandler Blanchet won PGA TOUR Latinoamerica’s Totalplay Cup in July, securing full 2024 Korn Ferry Tour status and direct access to Final Stage. Blanchet played at West Florida and was named 2017 Division II Player of the Year. He won twice in 11 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this year and recorded six other top-25 finishes. He’ll be well-rested for Final Stage after concluding his season with a playoff victory at the Bupa Tour Championship in early July.
- Ryan Gerard appeared to be on the fast-track to the PGA TOUR earlier this year, finishing fourth at The Honda Classic as a Monday qualifier and securing Special Temporary Membership with a T11 finish at the following week’s Puerto Rico Open. However, he only recorded one top-25 finish in his next 20 TOUR starts and finished the year with non-member points between Nos. 126-150 in the FedExCup Fall standings. He qualified for Final Stage but faces the task of finishing top-five to earn a TOUR card or returning to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024.
