Kris Ventura’s Olympic gamble pays off – he’s headed back to PGA TOUR

Kris Ventura took a gamble this summer. He represented Norway at the men’s Olympic golf competition, knowing it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even though it could put his PGA TOUR return in jeopardy.

Turns out, Ventura’s banner year included the best of both worlds. He donned his home country’s colors and is headed back to the PGA TOUR. Ventura finished at No. 24 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List, among the top 30 to earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership. His spot in the top 30 was finalized Sunday afternoon at the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, where he tied for seventh at French Lick Golf Resort’s Pete Dye Course and crossed the stage to receive his PGA TOUR card.

“There was definitely pressure,” Ventura said. “I just knew I still had to play good golf; I didn’t want to take anything for granted. Obviously I wish I would have played better before this week so it was all locked in, but a cool way to finish the season.”

Ventura turned pro in 2018 after an acclaimed college career at Oklahoma State, where he was on a 2018 NCAA Championship-winning team that included his countryman Viktor Hovland. The two earned their TOUR cards together via the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour – Ventura via the top 25 on the Regular Season standings, in a campaign that included two victories, and Hovland via the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals. The duo shared practice rounds together during that Finals, and they proceeded to partner at the TOUR’s 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing T25. They represented Norway together at the Paris Olympics, as well.

Ventura lost his TOUR card after the 2021 season, finishing No. 165 on the season-long FedExCup standings, and he has refined his game over the past three years on the Korn Ferry Tour. He finished No. 111 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, No. 87 in 2023, and took a substantial leap in 2024 with 10 top-25 finishes in 23 starts, including a playoff loss at the 117 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro. It proved enough for a TOUR card – his second core memory of 2024.

“Just staying in the village and hanging out with the other athletes, and obviously Viktor and the caddies, it was a really cool experience,” Ventura said of the Olympics. “(The decision) wasn’t easy … I think I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t go. Overall, really happy I made that decision and enjoyed that experience. We don’t get to represent our country very often, so to be able to do it on that stage and with that many people watching was pretty cool.”

Class of 2024, no regrets.

About Kris Ventura

Age: 29
Hometown: Moss, Norway
Alma mater: Oklahoma State University
PGA TOUR starts: 51
Cuts made: 18
Best PGA TOUR finish: T6, 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship

Notes: Made 16 cuts in 23 starts on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, with 10 top-25 finishes … Born in Puebla, Mexico, to a Mexican father and Norwegian mother. Spent his first 12 years in Mexico where he played golf and soccer. At age 12, moved to Norway where he continued golf and took up skiing … Speaks Spanish and Norwegian and is learning Italian and German.