The First Look: Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry

With the ultimate respect to April in Georgia, the holiday season in northeast Florida is a tradition unlike any other.

It’s time for the finale of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, where PGA TOUR cards are once again on the line – and lives are set to change.

The field varies wildly from international stars looking to earn TOUR status for the first time, to NCAA studs keen to take the next step, to guys who have been there and done that but are eager to lock in playing privileges in 2025.

Here’s everything else you need to know about Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, set for Dec. 12-15 (Thursday-Sunday) across TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club.

FIELD NOTABLES: Pierceson Coody was the top-ranked player on the PGA TOUR University Ranking in spring 2022. He recorded three wins on the Korn Ferry Tour across two years and finished No. 131 in the FedExCup Fall standings. He’ll look to improve on his conditional TOUR status at Final Stage … Austin Greaser had a celebrated campaign at the University of North Carolina and finished No. 3 on the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking to earn Korn Ferry Tour status. He had just five made cuts in 13 starts but a highlight came at the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS where he finished T4 … Christo Lamprecht finished No. 2 on the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking but placed No. 140 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List (and made three starts in the FedExCup Fall). He was previously No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and, of course, won The Amateur Championship in Lancashire, England. Perhaps this week will be a big breakout for the long-hitting South African as a pro … Hayden Springer earned TOUR status via his finish at Final Stage last year and came agonizingly close to regaining his TOUR card, finishing No. 127 in the FedExCup Fall standings. He notched four top-10s as a TOUR rookie and fired a 59 at the John Deere Classic … Takumi Kanaya, formerly the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, has won seven times on the Japan Golf Tour. He won the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2018 to earn starts in the Masters and The Open Championship and has made 25 TOUR starts (including 11 at majors). He advanced via Second Stage in California … Sam Bennett was the bubble boy heading into the Korn Ferry Tour season finale this year, sitting at No. 30 in the standings. He fired a final-round 78, however, and was knocked outside the magic number. Bennett, who won the U.S. Amateur in 2022 and made a spirited run at the 2023 Masters, is fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2025 after notching 10 top-25 results in 24 starts this year … Eleven players made it all the way to Final Stage after starting the process at pre-Qualifying: Luke Gifford, Jake Hall, John Houchin, John Houk, Cameron Huss, Dawson Jones, Owen Stamper, Andi Xu, Lance Yates, and Runchanapong Youprayong.

Here are the medalists from each Second Stage site, who have each secured eight guaranteed starts on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour.

WHAT THEY ARE PLAYING FOR:

• Top five finishers (and ties) will earn PGA TOUR cards
• The next 40 finishers (and ties) will earn exempt status through multiple reshuffles of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season.
  • The first 25 finishers and ties are subject to the third reshuffle (12 guaranteed starts) and any remaining finishers within the category are subject to the second reshuffle (eight guaranteed starts)
• All remaining finishers at Final Stage earn conditional status for the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season, in addition to being exempt through the Latin America Swing of the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas season

Final Stage medalist(s) will join a heady company. Major champions Mike Weir (1998), Paul Azinger (1984), Fuzzy Zoeller (1974), and Ben Crenshaw (1973) were all past field-toppers.

HOW IT WORKS: The 171-player field will play two rounds at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course and two rounds at Sawgrass Country Club. Players will compete in the same groups for the first two rounds before being re-paired for the third round and again for the final round.

The top half of the field (through 36 holes) will play the third round at Sawgrass Country Club and the fourth at Dye’s Valley, while the bottom half will play the opposite layouts. There is no cut.

Ninety-one players advanced via Second Stage, while the remainder of the field earned direct access to Final Stage via various exemption categories.

COURSES:

TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley), par 70, 6,850 yards. Sawgrass Country Club (East/West Course), par 70, 7,054 yards.

• Sawgrass Country Club – Hosted THE PLAYERS Championship on its East/West Course from 1977-1981.
• Dye’s Valley – Designed by Pete Dye, Bobby Weed, and player consultant Jerry Pate (who won THE PLAYERS in 1982), it opened in 1987 and has hosted several Korn Ferry Tour events through the years, including the Korn Ferry Tour Championship from 2013-15. Expect plenty of water and plenty of Pete Dye’s trademarks to challenge some of the game’s best.

LAST TIME: Harrison Endycott earned medalist honors after carding four rounds in the 60s to finish at 15-under 265. He topped the field by four shots. The Australian opened with a birdie on his opening hole in the final round and stayed steady enough through the balance of the day, adding three birdies on his back nine. A bogey on the closing 18th meant little, and Endycott earned the first-place prize. Trace Crowe finished second at 11-under, while Blaine Hale Jr. finished at 9-under and in third. Raul Pereda and Hayden Springer finished T4 and rounded out the group to earn PGA TOUR cards for 2024.

How to follow (all times ET)

Television

• Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel digital), 3-5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Sunday: Noon-2 p.m. (Golf Channel digital), 2-4 p.m. (Golf Channel)