Inside the reshuffle: Five players who improved standing after eight Korn Ferry Tour events

Korn Ferry Tour pros frequently speak of “the reshuffle” when assessing their spot on the Priority Ranking and their prospects for gaining access to upcoming events.

So, what is the reshuffle?

Upon each periodic reshuffle, Korn Ferry Tour members who have surpassed their allotted number of guaranteed starts move into a conditional category based on their position on the season-long standings at the time of the reshuffle. The 2023 reshuffle occurs in four-event intervals, the most recent occurring after last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic, the eighth event of the season. The more points accrued at the time of the reshuffle, the higher one’s position on the Korn Ferry Tour Priority Ranking within the reshuffle interval.

Certain players are fully exempt for the 2023 season, meaning they have guaranteed starts for the entire season and can choose their schedule as they see fit. Korn Ferry Tour tournament winners from 2022 and 2023, top-75 finishers on the 2022 Regular Season standings, Nos. 126-150 on the 2022 FedExCup, the Q-School medalist, and No. 1 finishers on PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamerica are among fully exempt members.

Players who finished Nos. 11-40 and ties at Final Stage of Q-School earned eight guaranteed starts this season, meaning they have moved into the reshuffle category effective at this week’s HomeTown Lenders Championship. (Nos. 2-10 and ties earned guaranteed starts for 12 events and will be reshuffle-eligible thereafter.) Among other reshuffle-eligible conditional members are the remainder of Final Stage of Q-School finishers, Nos. 76-100 on the 2022 Regular Season standings, past champions up to 10 years, veteran members and select medical categories.

Conditional members without solidified starts can look to Monday qualifying and potential sponsor exemptions as avenues to gain tournament access, where they can then make the cut to accrue points and improve their standing in the next reshuffle. Players who finish top-25 in a full-field Korn Ferry Tour event also secure a spot in the next week’s event.

Here's a look at five players who have improved their standing on the Korn Ferry Tour Priority Ranking upon the reshuffle following last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic, the eighth event of the season …

Ben Silverman

Guaranteed starts into year: 0

Events played: 5

Cuts made: 4

Best finish: Win, The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club

Points List rank: No. 3, 692 points

After falling short at Second Stage of Q-School last fall, Ben Silverman was uncertain of his career trajectory into the season. Then came The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, where he maximized a sponsor exemption with a playoff victory over Cody Blick. Silverman, 35, had entered the season with low-level conditional status from a win at the 2017 Price Cutter Charity Championship, but nothing was guaranteed. Not only is he fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour through 2024, at minimum, but he’s on the verge of a TOUR return. He added a T3 at last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic for good measure, as well.

Spencer Levin

Guaranteed starts into year: 0

Events played: 5

Cuts made: 3

Best finish: Win, Veritex Bank Championship

Points List rank: No. 12, 517 points

After finishing T45 at Final Stage of Q-School last fall, the veteran knew he needed to take advantage of his opportunities in order to build a full schedule. The California native did that, and then some, as he Monday qualified into the Veritex Bank Championship and proceeded to win, rallying from six back into Sunday in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to secure his first TOUR-sanctioned title in 343 starts. Now he’s exempt through the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season at minimum, his sights set firmly on a TOUR return.

Dimi Papadatos

Guaranteed starts into year: 0

Events played: 2

Cuts made: 2

Best finish: Runner-up, Astara Chile Classic

Points List rank: No. 23, 303 points

The Australian wasn’t sure of his plans for this season after a T59 at Final Stage of Q-School, two strokes shy of guaranteed starts. But when Papadatos, 31, gained access to the Astara Chile Classic on his number, he flew from Down Under to Santiago and took advantage, finishing runner-up to Ben Kohles in a playoff. Suddenly the four-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner is headed to the United States for the spring and summer, his schedule essentially solidified.

Sam Saunders

Guaranteed starts into year: 0

Events played: 6

Cuts made: 3

Best finish: Runner-up, The Panama Championship

Points List rank: No. 16, 420 points

The Clemson alum has spent ample time on both the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour in his career, but after finishing No. 79 on last year’s Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List and then placing T81 at Final Stage of Q-School, starts in 2023 had the potential to be few and far between. Saunders, 35, rewrote his story with a rousing performance in Panama, finishing runner-up to Pierceson Coody in a playoff to radically change his fortunes. Saunders has essentially secured a full slate of Korn Ferry Tour starts, and a TOUR return is very much within his sights.

Cole Hammer

Guaranteed starts into year: 0

Events played: 3

Cuts made: 1

Best finish: T21, Veritex Bank Championship

Points List rank: No. 116, 36 points

The former University of Texas standout finished T59 at Final Stage of Q-School, two strokes shy of guaranteed starts, meaning any opportunity would be crucial to build a schedule. Hammer, 23, delivered at his home-state Veritex Bank Championship, converting a sponsor exemption into a T21 finish that included back-to-back closing birdies in a final-round 67. Hammer, who finished No. 5 on last year’s PGA TOUR University Ranking, now looks well positioned to earn a spot in the next four events (he’s in the HomeTown Lenders Championship by 26 spots).