Some old-school, cutthroat pro golf drama broke out on Monday at the Q-School finale, and by the end of the day, five golfers had earned PGA Tour cards and full status for 2024.
This year, for the first time in a decade, Q-School offered a direct path to the PGA Tour, instead of only awarding status on the Korn Ferry Tour. But to secure it, players would need to finish in the top five at the Final Stage of Q-School, a four-round tournament at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye Valley course with everything on the line.
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The final round was postponed on Sunday due to powerful storms that blew through the area. The so the grand finale was pushed to Monday. There, more than 140 golfers — from past PGA Tour winners to Korn Ferry stalwarts to mini tour pros — battled it out to get their hands on five cards up for grabs.
Here are the five players who made the most of Q-School and sealed their dreams to become PGA Tour members.
5 golfer who secured PGA Tour cards at 2023 Q-School
Harrison Endycott
Endycott is no stranger to the PGA Tour. The 27-year-old pro made 33 starts last season and narrowly missed out on the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings. As a result, he had only secured conditional status for 2024, that is until he shot a three-under 67 on Monday to win Q-School outright and claim his PGA Tour card.
Trace Crowe
Crowe, 27, played on the Korn Ferry Tour last year and nearly made the top 30 to earn his card earlier this year. No matter. The up-and-coming pro, who has made just three PGA Tour starts in his career, carded rounds of 68-67 on Saturday and Monday to finish in second place and secure his PGA Tour card for 2024.
Blaine Hale Jr.
Hale Jr., who entered the Final Stage of Q-School ranked No. 4,120 in the OWGR, has never played a PGA Tour event. In fact, he’s only ever played one Korn Ferry Tour event, back in 2022, and he teed it up in Florida with no status.
Now the 26-year-old pro will instantly go from anonymity to playing alongside the best golfers in the world in 2024, thanks to a final-round 71 that put him in third place.
Hayden Springer
Springer starred on the PGA Tour Canada circuit last year, recording two wins and finishing atop the Tour’s standings to earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2024.
Not that he’ll need it anymore. The 26-year-old pro tied for 4th with a score of eight under at the Final Stage of Q-School, so he’ll be playing with the big boys on the PGA Tour next year.
Raul Pereda
Pereda, 27, who made the most of his only career PGA Tour start by impressing at the 2023 Mexico Open, pulled off some heroics to earn his PGA Tour card on Monday.
The Mexican pro chipped in for birdie twice on the back nine to finish T4 with Springer, one shot clear of sixth place.
