Five ‘Cinderellas’ competing at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – There was a profound scene in the 1990s Disney classic “Angels in the Outfield” where young protagonist Roger Bowman asked his foster mom Maggie if she believed in angels. She considered the question and dropped a pearl of wisdom that framed the movie’s subsequent events.

“The possibility of miraculous things happening,” Maggie told Roger, “is what makes every day of our lives worth getting up for.”

Yes, Maggie believed in angels. There’s too much magic in this world to think otherwise. Chances are, some sort of magic will unfold this week at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

The top five finishers and ties at Q-School’s Final Stage, contested across 72 holes at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in northeast Florida (two rounds at each course) will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership. There’s plenty of strong TOUR pedigree in the field – think multi-time TOUR winners like Scott Piercy, Nick Watney and Sean O’Hair – and players who narrowly missed out on full TOUR status via the 2024 FedExCup Fall, like Hayden Springer, Pierceson Coody and Alejandro Tosti. There are also those who narrowly missed a card via the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season-long standings like Sam Bennett, Zach Bauchou and Alistair Docherty.

There’s another category, though, of players who have toiled at golf’s lower levels for several years and could dramatically punch up their career fortunes with four days of strong play in northeast Florida. Some competed on smaller circuits this past season, in the United States and across the world, gearing up through a Q-School foray that could shift their career fortunes. While some players were exempt directly to Final Stage, others began at either pre-qualifying, First Stage or Second Stage, navigating varying tests across multiple months to punch their ticket to this week’s Final Stage extravaganza.

Once they’re here, though, all competitors will begin on a level playing field – whether it’s a TOUR veteran like Scott Piercy (410 TOUR starts, with four wins) or Army alum Marcus Plunkett (zero TOUR starts). Therein lies the beauty of professional golf’s meritocracy, no better illustrated than at Q-School.

Here’s a look at five underdogs seeking a PGA TOUR card at Final Stage of Q-School, and don’t be surprised if one (or more) delivers a #TOURBound moment come Sunday afternoon. The angels would approve, after all.

1. Will Cannon

Three months ago, Cannon won the PGA TOUR Americas’ season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship in dramatic fashion, moving from No. 60 to No. 6 on the season-long standings and earning direct access to Q-School’s Final Stage. Cannon then grew emotional in his winner’s interview, reflecting on the influence of his dad John in both golf and life. The elder Cannon was battling cancer, and his son took the opportunity to share what his father meant to him.

Shortly thereafter, John Cannon passed away. The younger Cannon shared a heartfelt Instagram post that included a montage of memories with his father, writing in a caption, “Our hearts will never be the same, but we are lucky to have had the best dad in the entire world.”

This week, Cannon looks to fulfill their shared dream of a PGA TOUR card. Cannon, 30, has made 50 career Korn Ferry Tour starts – he played the circuit extensively from 2019-21 – but recorded just two top-10 finishes in that span. He caught fire earlier this summer on PGA TOUR Americas, notching three top-15s in five starts leading into the season finale, which he won at 5-under on a grueling TPC Toronto layout, one stroke clear of Sandy Scott.

Prior to the PGA TOUR Americas finale, Cannon was projected to begin Q-School at First Stage. By earning his first TOUR-sanctioned title at an opportune time, he was able to jump directly to Final Stage, bypassing both First Stage and Second Stage. This week, the ninth-year pro looks to author a special moment for himself and his family – propelled by his dad’s eternal love and support.

2. Zack Fischer

Fischer has a 66.7% success rate of medaling at Q-School’s Final Stage, his 2-for-3 record an enviable percentage in any golf-related endeavor. The one catch: both of his victorious forays (2013 and 2022) came in a decade-long period where Q-School did not offer access to the PGA TOUR.

Fischer, 35, has yet to earn a PGA TOUR card, but he could break that drought this weekend in northeast Florida. Fischer advanced through Q-School’s Second Stage in Savannah, Georgia, last month – where he punched his ticket, fittingly, on his 10th wedding anniversary.

Fischer, who played collegiately at the University of Texas-Arlington, is a veteran of 138 Korn Ferry Tour starts, and he spent the 2024 season on PGA TOUR Americas, making seven cuts in 13 starts and finishing No. 61 on the season-long Fortinet Cup. He has paid his dues in pro golf, and he’ll look to sync form and opportunity at this Final Stage. Karma would suggest it’s only right.

“it’s going to be great,” Fischer said at Second Stage. “To have a chance to possibly win Q-School for a third time, it’s really cool … Everybody believes in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. I feel like everybody has more confidence sometimes than I even have, which is awesome … and the Lord has not given me a sign that I need to stop playing golf. Every single year, I’ve always had something that keeps me going.

“Hopefully that could be a PGA TOUR card. You never know.”

3. Jake Scott

Scott hasn’t taken the conventional path to Final Stage, his first appearance at this event since autumn 2013. He has spent time as a college assistant coach and teaching pro, among other pursuits, but has rededicated himself to the professional game in recent years. It could lead to his biggest payoff yet.

Scott, 37, advanced through Q-School’s Second Stage in Savannah, Georgia, last month to secure 2025 Korn Ferry Tour membership – with a chance at his first TOUR card this week at Final Stage. Scott competed full-time on PGA TOUR Americas in 2024, finishing No. 68 on the season-long Fortinet Cup, after playing on PGA TOUR Canada from 2021-23. He held conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership in 2014 but made just two starts and has otherwise yet to make an imprint at the game’s highest level. But professional golf has welcomed a litany of late bloomers through the years, and perhaps Scott will add his name to the list.

“The game is changing a lot, and you can play for a long time now,” Scott said at Second Stage. “I’m 37 right now and I feel like I’m only kind of getting started in golf; you can play all the way until your mid-60s, your 70s at this point. It’s something that I enjoy doing. I feel like I’m getting better at it every year, which is not something a lot of athletes can say at my age, so we’ll see where it takes me.”

In contrast to several players in the Final Stage field who have been inspired by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods, the veteran Scott lists names like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as inspirational figures. It’s a timeless ethos that could serve him well amidst Q-School’s rigors.

4. Sebastian Szirmak

Szirmak, 34, was born in Canada, now resides in Mexico and has embraced a globetrotting lifestyle in professional golf – spending time most recently on the Challenge Tour and Mexican Tour, while also previously dabbling on PGA TOUR Canada (31 starts) and PGA TOUR Latinoamerica (17 starts), among other worldwide circuits.

The 13th-year pro is now attempting to earn a PGA TOUR card for the first time, and things appeared bleak midway through Second Stage last week in Valdosta, Georgia. Szirmak opened with a 7-over 79 at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club (his mindset at the time: “Let’s quit golf”) and after a second-round 72 he stood eight strokes off the eventual 1-under cut line to qualify for Final Stage. He needed something special, and he delivered with rounds of 65-71 to advance squarely on the number. It made for an emotional Friday afternoon after a hot finish in the wintery chill.

“At points I can catch on fire and start making birdies, and that was my mindset,” Szirmak said afterward. “Had a lot of trouble with traveling to all those tournaments from living on this (Eastern) time zone, so my goal for this season upcoming was just to stay somewhere where I can fly there without having to go seven, eight hours, plus-minus.

“We’ve all put so much time into it; it’s always so difficult just to throw all that hard work aside. Really grateful that there’s stuff like a Q-School where you can just come and just play your heart out, and hopefully it’s good enough to get onto the next Tour.”

That could mean a full schedule on the upcoming season Ferry Tour – or maybe a 2025 PGA TOUR card.

5. Travis Trace

A make-or-break putt for a job can be the stuff of dreams, or nightmares. For a player who has reached a ceiling at Second Stage ever since turning pro, the stakes of a status-altering putt on the 72nd hole can be magnified.

Draining the putt can make it all worth it, creating intangible energy that can last throughout one’s life and career. Trace faced this moment on the 72nd hole at Second Stage in Valdosta, Georgia, needing to hole a 15-foot birdie putt to advance to Final Stage for the first time. It had been a long, taxing day for Trace, who entered the final round at 3-under total (two strokes inside the eventual number) but played his first nine holes in 6-over 42 before battling back with three birdies on the final nine leading to the crucial par-4 18th hole, which measures 501 yards and is no easy par, let alone birdie.

Trace accepted the challenge and drained the putt, left-center, slapping his thigh in an emotional response that conveyed the moment’s significance. He allowed himself a moment to exhale, still a bit amazed about how the day unfolded and what it meant.

“Still a little shocked,” Trace said afterward. “This is a long, long day … got in on the number, all that matters. Turned pro in 2019, missed at Second Stage every year … it feels good.

“I knew I probably needed one more (birdie). That was the biggest one I’ve ever made.”

What did it mean? Trace, 28, will be a Korn Ferry Tour member for the first time in 2025, after competing mostly on PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Americas in his early years as a pro. With four strong rounds in his home region of northeast Florida, he could even be on the PGA TOUR in a few weeks’ time.