Korn Ferry Tour Finals update: See who’s fighting to keep job Sunday at Nationwide

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sunday’s final pairing at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship features two players who have already secured a 2025 PGA TOUR card – Frankie Capan III and Kevin Roy – each seeking their first Korn Ferry Tour title. They’ll likely feel the pressure down the stretch at the Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course, but it will pale in comparison to the tension felt by several players a bit further down the tournament leaderboard at the third leg of the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

The top 75 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List after the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will advance to the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance – after which the top 30 earn PGA TOUR cards – and will, crucially, secure fully exempt status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour.

Sunday represents the final question in professional golf’s ultimate performance review, with several players around the top-75 bubble facing a make-or-break final round in central Ohio. The drama will begin early, with Jack Maguire (projected No. 75) and Cooper Dossey (projected No. 76) paired together in an 8:05 a.m. tee time at the Scarlet Course. The two began the week separated by less than two-tenths of a point on the season-long standings – whoever outplays the other on Sunday will finish higher on the Points List. It could be the difference between a trip to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and an uncertain future in professional golf.

Endless permutations are in play, but one thing’s for certain: the projections will move fast and furious Sunday in central Ohio.

Here’s a look at five players with high stakes into Sunday at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.

Davis Shore (entered week No. 81 on Points List, projected No. 70)

The University of Alabama alum is no stranger to battling adversity – he was sidelined for the large part of two-and-a-half years (from the second semester of his sophomore year through his senior year) due to injury. He underwent surgery for a torn hip labrum, and he had a serious fracture in his L3 vertebrae.

There were two silver linings – the finance major got better grades, as he spent ample time in the library, and he cultivated a resilient mindset that has served him well this week. Shore carded a third-round, 6-under 65 at the Scarlet Course, Saturday’s low round, to jump 46 spots into a tie for 16th on the leaderboard after making the cut on the number at 1 over. Entering Sunday, he’s projected to move inside the top 75 on the Points List and secure a fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour card in 2025.

There’s a long way to go, and he knows Sunday won’t be easy. But the Tennessee native has deployed a relaxed demeanor this week, for the most part, that he intends to carry into a pressure-packed final round.

“I saw some of the interviews (Friday) … I was fighting for my season as well, making the cut on the number, and a lot of people were like, ‘I was so nervous’ … I felt nervous because I care and I want to make it, but I think I’m OK with whatever result happens,” Shore said Saturday, “because I really just feel fortunate to be here and I love playing golf, and when you don’t get to play the sport you love for two years, you just miss it.

“Whether I’m playing on the PGA TOUR, or whatever I’m doing in the future, I’m definitely going to be playing golf, because I just love playing.”

Cole Hammer (entered week No. 79 on Points List, projected No. 68)

The University of Texas alum said Friday’s second round was the most nervous he has ever felt on the golf course – a strong statement for the Houston native who has competed in the U.S. Open, Walker Cup and NCAA Championship. He channeled those nervous into a second-round 67, making the cut with three strokes to spare and earning a chance to move inside the top 75 this weekend.

Hammer kept that momentum rolling with a third-round 68 at the Scarlet Course, punctuated by three birdies in his last four holes, and he stands T16 on the leaderboard into Sunday. He’s projected to move inside the top 75 with seven positions to spare, although his wiggle room is sparse – two bogeys would project him to No. 76. He has a chance, though, which is all he wanted.

Cooper Dossey (entered week No. 71 on Points List, projected No. 76)

It has been an emotional week for the Baylor alum, who scratched and clawed to a made cut with a birdie-par finish in Friday’s second round – a 16-foot birdie from off the green at the long par-3 17th, and an up-and-down par from just short of the green at the par-4 18th. He spoke afterward of the support from those in his corner, particularly his wife, and how much it means to him.

Now he rides the bubble into Sunday’s final round at the Nationwide, projected outside the all-important top 75 by a mere .164 points. It’s a virtual tie with Jack Maguire, who is projected No. 75 and will be his playing partner Sunday morning at the Scarlet Course in a virtual match-play situation that will potentially determine the Korn Ferry Tour Championship’s final berth. This marks Dossey’s rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour; he has made 13 cuts in 25 starts with six top-25 finishes, highlighted by a T9 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX. There have been good times and bad, along with ample learning experiences – which he’ll look to apply in Sunday’s pressure cooker.

Jack Maguire (entered week No. 70 on Points List, projected No. 75)

In contrast to the Korn Ferry Tour rookie Dossey, his Sunday playing partner Maguire is a savvy veteran; the Florida State alum has made 136 career starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, on which he first held status in 2016.

Maguire is no stranger to the top-75 bubble at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship; last year he entered the week at No. 76 on the Points List but missed the cut with rounds of 69-79. This week has brought a slice of redemption; he made the cut on the number with a birdie on his final hole Friday, and he carded a third-round 72 to hang onto the projected 75th spot with one round remaining.

Maguire, 30, moved from No. 83 to No. 70 on the Points List with a T8 at last week’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, carding a final-round 65 for a season-best finish. A similar effort Sunday would go a long way.

Dan McCarthy (entered week No. 87 on Points List, projected No. 72)

The wily veteran has joined Kevin Roy (solo second into Sunday), a fellow Central New York native, in authoring some strong play this week – and it comes at an opportune time. McCarthy knew he needed something special in Ohio to secure exempt status and earn a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, and he has delivered thus far with rounds of 70-66-70 at the Scarlet Course. He’s tied for ninth into Sunday, which would project enough to move inside the top 75.

McCarthy, 39, has made 157 career Korn Ferry Tour starts – including a win at the 2019 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, one stroke clear of Scottie Scheffler – and he has won dozens of mini-tour titles throughout a 17-year pro career. It has been an eclectic ride, and he looks to deliver a high point Sunday – he doesn’t have much wiggle room, as just one bogey would project him outside the top 75, but he has a chance.

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The top 30 players on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship marks the penultimate event of the season; the top 75 on the Points List after the Nationwide will advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and secure fully exempt status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour.

Nos. 76-100 on the Points List after the Nationwide will retain conditional status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour, with the chance to improve their position at PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

Here’s a look at who’s projected to move inside/outside the top 30 after the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship’s third round.

Projected in

Noah Goodwin (No. 31, projected No. 25). The Southern Methodist alum shared the 36-hole lead at the Scarlet Course, but he trails 54-hole leader Frankie Capan III by three strokes after an even-par 71 on Saturday. Goodwin stands T5 into the final round, which would project enough to move inside the crucial top 30 with one event remaining.

Projected out

Trent Phillips (No. 30, projected No. 31). The University of Georgia alum is the only player projected to fall outside the top 30 as things currently stand in Ohio. Phillips missed the cut at the Nationwide with rounds of 74-71, two strokes outside the number.