Taylor Dickson earns first Korn Ferry Tour title at Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank

Taylor Dickson earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday at the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank, defeating Trey Winstead with a par on the first playoff hole at Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile.

Dickson, 31, began the final round in 10th place, seven strokes back of Winstead, but the North Carolina native rallied with a 6-under 66 to post the clubhouse lead at 17-under 271. Winstead, a Korn Ferry Tour rookie, closed in 1-over 73 to match that number and force extra holes. Dickson got up and down from a greenside bunker for par on the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th, and won after Winstead – who incurred a penalty on his tee shot – couldn’t save par from 20 feet.

Garett Reband and Matt McCarty shared third place at 16 under, one stroke outside the playoff.

With the win, Dickson moves to No. 6 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List, well positioned to earn his first PGA TOUR card. The top 30 after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership.

“Just kind of shocked,” Dickson said afterward. “Waiting around and went to a playoff and got the job done; it's still surreal.

“It’s unbelievable … I didn't know I would win this quick. I always knew I could, but believing and doing it or two different things, and it's surreal.”

Dickson, who played collegiately at Winthrop, is well on his way to a redemption story in 2024. Last season, he finished runner-up at the Magnit Championship in August, moving to No. 31 on the season-long standings into the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He looked to be trending toward finishing inside the top 30 and earning a TOUR card, but he finished no better than T17 across the four Korn Ferry Tour Finals events and finished the season at No. 39 on the Points List.

Still, it was Dickson’s best season on the Korn Ferry Tour, and he entered the offseason encouraged by his progress.

"True motivation,” Dickson said of coming so close in 2023. “The goal is to get to the PGA TOUR and this will definitely help. Just even more motivation after this. I want to get a second win.

“Coming in this year, I had full status for the first time, which is huge, so it's kind of a weight off my shoulders … There’s still a lot of work to do, but I'm just so excited. This is crazy.”

Everything coalesced on Sunday in Chile. Dickson played the front nine in a bogey-free, 3-under 33, then added a birdie at the par-3 11th before suffering his first bogey of the day at No. 12. He rallied with three birdies in his final four holes, including a slightly disappointing two-putt birdie from 6 feet at the par-5 18th, to post the clubhouse lead and give Winstead a number to think about.

Winstead was 3-over Sunday through 13 holes before making eagle at the par-5 14th to draw back even with Dickson at 17 under. The LSU alum made bogey on No. 15 but bounced back with a birdie on No. 16, then made par on the last two holes to enter a playoff. Winstead had 20 feet for birdie and the regulation victory, but he could not convert. In overtime, Dickson took advantage.

The Korn Ferry Tour season will resume at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, April 4-7 in Savannah, Georgia, which will be broadcast on Golf Channel for all four competition rounds.

Notes:

• Outright 54-hole leader Trey Winstead (2nd / -17), who entered the final round with a four-stroke lead, posted a final round 1-over 73 to enter a playoff with eventual champion Taylor Dickson
  • In the second round, Winstead matched his career-low round with a 7-under 65; posted a bogey-free 5-under 65 in the first round of The Panama Championship earlier this year
  • With the runner-up finish, Winstead rose 35 spots on the points list from 45th to 10th
• 36-hole leader Garett Reband (T3 / -16) bounced back from a third-round 3-over 75 with a final-round 6-under 66 to finish T3 and record the first top-five finish of his career, previous best finish was a T18 at the 2022 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open
  • With the top-10 finish, Reband earned a start in the Korn Ferry Tour’s next event, the Club Car Championships at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club -
• Reband entered the week 157th on the points list and now sits at No. 35
• Third-year member Matt McCarty (T3 / -14), who has made the cut in all six events this season, recorded a final-round 4-under 68 and notched his first top-10 finish of the season
  • McCarty rolled in all five of his birdies on the front nine (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 6, 9) and capped off his round with an eagle on the par-5 18th
• Brandon Crick (T5 / -15) carded a final round 6-under 66, matching his season low (R1/Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard) and clinching his first top-five finish of the season
  • Marks Crick’s first top-10 finish since the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX last season where he finished T3
• Ricky Castillo (T5 / -15), who finished No. 53 in the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, recorded a 2-under 70 in the final round at Prince of Wales Country Club for his fifth top-25 and third top-10 of the season
  • Last season, Castillo had two top-25s and one top-10, a win in his first professional start at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open
• Canadian Jared du Toit (T8 / -14) carded a final round bogey-free 7-under 65 to reach 14-underearning him entry into the Club Car Championships at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club next month
• Chris Baker (T8 / -14), who posted a final round 6-under 66 with seven birdies (Nos. 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 17) against one bogey on par-4 16th, posts his first top-10 finish since the 2019 season
• Korn Ferry Tour winner T.J. Vogel (T11 / -13) posted the low round of the day with a final-round 8-under 64 to earn his first top-25 finish of the season