Lewis wins Korn Ferry Tour Championship, earns TOUR card

NEWBURGH, Ind. — Tom Lewis carded a final-round 65 to win by five strokes at the Korn Ferry Tour’s season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. Lewis joined 24 other players in earning 2019-20 membership through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

The Korn Ferry Tour awarded the first set of 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2019-20 season at the conclusion of the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz in August, with a second set awarded this week after the conclusion of the Finals.

University of Texas alum Scottie Scheffler earned the top spot on both The Finals 25 and the combined points list after a T7 finish on Monday, in addition to his win and T11 finish over his previous two starts. The 23-year-old earns fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR during the 2019-20 season as well as an exemption into the 2020 PLAYERS Championship. Scheffler becomes the first player to top both lists since Chesson Hadley in 2017.

"It's great to be able to play in THE PLAYERS next year," said Scheffler, who finished with 10 top-10s and two wins in 20 starts this year. "I have some family close by in Jacksonville so it will be nice to have them come out to the event. It's awesome to be able to compete against one of the best fields in golf, and becoming fully exempt, to be able to set my schedule, that's huge."

Lewis lapped the field after two separate strings of three birdies in a row during the final round. After collecting birdies at the third and fifth, countered by a bogey at the sixth, Lewis tacked on six more from Nos. 8-10 and 15-17. His 29 birdies this week was five more than anyone else in the field.

“It's always been a dream of mine to play on the PGA TOUR,” said Lewis, who finished T11 in the 2019 Open Championship. “Obviously I've achieved some good things on the European Tour and hopefully I can achieve better things on the PGA TOUR. I'm looking forward to the year I've got ahead, just to see what the future brings.”

While Lewis wrapped up a dominant performance, several other players provided dramatic finishes coming down to the final putt. Local legend Chris Baker, who grew up in Brownstown, Indiana, saved par on the 72nd hole to earn his first PGA TOUR card after more than a decade as a professional. The par save came after a double bogey at the penultimate hole to put his status in doubt. Doug Ghim, the low amateur at the 2018 Masters Tournament, got up and down out of a greenside bunker to claim his first PGA TOUR card.

D.J. Trahan and Richy Werenski tied for the 24th spot, securing the final available cards with 186 points in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Justin Harding finished 26th in The Finals 25, just 0.125 points behind Trahan and Werenski.

Four of the 25 players who secured their PGA TOUR cards solely through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals will be rookies during the 2019-20 season. Meet the top 25 here.