After seesaw journey, Germany’s Jeremy Paul earns first PGA TOUR card

Anyone can start strong. Jeremy Paul knows how to end strong.

Paul won the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season-opening event in January and converted it into a PGA TOUR card at No. 21 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance in October. Paul, a native of Frankfurt, became one of five players from Germany to earn PGA TOUR membership via the Korn Ferry Tour.

The top 30 after the Korn Ferry Tour Championship earned 2025 PGA TOUR membership, receiving their cards in a ceremony last Sunday evening at French Lick Golf Resort’s Pete Dye Course in southern Indiana.

Paul and his identical twin brother Yannik both grew up as soccer players and casually played golf at their grandparents’ club in Germany. They started playing competitive golf around the age of 12, and thanks to coaching and training support provided by their country, were recruited by the University of Colorado in 2013. Jeremy played nearly four seasons there, earning PING All-Region and honorable mention honors as a junior during the 2015-16 season.

Paul finished T72 at Final Stage of the 2016 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (now PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry) as a college junior, which left him with conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour. He finished No. 169 on the season-long standings in 12 starts as a rookie in 2017, not enough to retain status, leading to three seasons on PGA TOUR Canada (2018, 2019, 2021).

“I would say after like two, three years into my professional career and playing in Canada and then COVID happening, it was definitely a challenging time,” Paul said. “It’s taken a while and it's just not fun … but fight through the tough times and then there's sunshine at the end.”

The sunshine was in sight. Paul regained status via Q-School in 2021, then finished No. 37 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List in 2022 and No. 56 in 2023 before breaking through at the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season-opening The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. Paul converted a shared 54-hole lead into his first victory on the Tour. His 17-under 271 winning total ranked second in tournament history.

Paul credited his progress to working with a mental coach. “I feel like that's the difference-maker if you're playing on TOUR because everybody out here can play,” he said. “I think that's what I've been working on a lot recently in the last year, and so far, so good. It's a long progress, a long work and just trying to work on myself and get in a good mindset.”

He attributes his consistency to his residence in Arizona, where he can play golf year-long at Desert Forest Golf Club and practice with other players like Korn Ferry Tour pro Wil Bateman.

"Coming from Germany, I didn't have that advantage,” Paul said.

Paul never took his eyes off the end-of-season trophy. "Winning the first tournament put a little more pressure on myself,” he said. “Now I have to get a TOUR card.”

He stayed in the top 30 all season, racking up eight top-25 finishes, including three top-10s, and entered the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at No. 22 on the season-long standings, essentially guaranteeing his first TOUR card. After a T9 finish, he was #TOURBound and ready to celebrate with his support system: his wife, whom he met freshman year in the Colorado dorms, and his family.

“Our parents always told us … if you believe in something, then you can achieve something,” Paul reflected ahead of the event. “You know, the toughest part is really believing it for yourself, so but having that support … everybody grows up having doubts, especially in golf. I mean, in golf 90% of time you’re disappointed because it didn't go the way that you hoped it would go, so it's very important to have people that are encouraging in your life and kind of believe in your dream almost more than you.”

About Jeremy Paul

• Age: 30
• Hometown: Frankfurt, Germany
• Alma mater: University of Colorado
• PGA TOUR starts: 0

Notes: Had three top-10 finishes and made 18 of 25 cuts in the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season ... Enjoys traveling, trying new foods and hobbies (including pickleball) and hiking in Arizona ... Has lived in Arizona since 2017 … Would be a business consultant if not for a professional golfer … Has a German Shepherd.