Upstate New York's Kevin Roy circles wagons, earns PGA TOUR return

Two years ago, Kevin Roy rode the energy of a "Have More Fun" hat to his first PGA TOUR card in dramatic fashion at the Korn Ferry Tour's Regular Season finale. It was the culmination of a lifetime of work, and although Roy lost his card after his rookie season, he has earned a second go-round at the game's highest level.

Roy finished runner-up at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron to clinch his top-30 spot on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List for a 2025 PGA TOUR card. The Long Beach State alum has notched nine top-25 finishes this season; he finished second at the season-opening Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay and has remained inside the top 30 on the season-long standings ever since.

The Syracuse, New York native ranks No. 10 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List with three events remaining; the top 30 after the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR status. Roy cannot fall outside the top 30 and is hence #TOURBound.

"I can't wait to celebrate with my wife and daughter and ... couldn't be happier," said an emotional Roy, his voice breaking, after Sunday's final round in Boise. "It feels just as good at the first time. My dream has always been to play out there, and can't wait to get back out there."

Roy turned pro in 2012 and grinded on various circuits including the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and mini-tours before sweating out the bubble in the final hours of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season finale (when 25 TOUR cards were awarded via the Regular Season), ultimately finishing 24th to secure his TOUR dream. After spending a decade working toward that dream, though, he lost it a year later with a No. 161 finish on the 2023 FedExCup Fall standings, outside the top 150 to retain any status. That meant a trip back to the Korn Ferry Tour, and rather than wallowing in any disappointment, the new dad deployed a steady determination to return to the game's highest level.

Roy began the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals at No. 19 on the season-long standings, on the verge of his card but not yet secure. He expressed a goal of clinching his #TOURBound status before the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, and with a second-place finish at the Finals-opening Albertsons Boise Open, he did just that.

About Kevin Roy

Age: 34
Hometown: Syracuse, New York
Alma mater: Long Beach State
PGA TOUR starts: 32
Cuts made: 10
Best PGA TOUR finish: T8, 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Notes: Has made 100 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, with 59 made cuts including three runner-up finishes ... His dad Jim has played on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions. Father has caddied for son and vice-versa ... Worked in medical sales for a stint in his 20s ... Ball marker is always a quarter from the 1960s ... Finished T12 at the Valspar Championship in his lone TOUR start of 2024.