Five PGA Tour Cards Are Up for Grabs This Week at Q-School

For the first time since 2012, five players will earn full PGA Tour membership via Q-School. Here’s a breakdown of how the event works.

Author:
Gabrielle Herzig
Publish date:
Dec 14, 2023

For the first time this week, five players will earn full PGA Tour membership at the Final Stage of PGA Tour Q-School, otherwise known as “qualifying” school.

The culminating 72-hole event of the three-stage qualifying series gives a pool of players the opportunity to earn status on various tours for the upcoming year. For the first time since 2012, a direct path to the PGA Tour will be available for the top 5 finishers at Final Stage.

Played at TPC Sawgrass’s Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club, the tournament begins Thursday and finishes Sunday.

Here are a few key details to know as Q-School gets underway.

Who is playing?

As mentioned above, Q-School features a series of tournaments prior to Final Stage: pre-qualifying, First Stage and Second Stage. The fields of each of the varying stages are filled based on how players perform in 2023.

For example, the first 40 players ranked below the top 125 on the 2022-23 FedEx Cup points list automatically qualify for Final Stage. On the flip side, players can work their way from pre-qualifying to Final Stage with high finishes in each event.

Harry Higgs plays a tee shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament. — Fan favorite Harry Higgs is looking to regain full status this week via Q-School.
Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports

A few notable players include:

James Nicholas: A former dual-athlete at Yale (golf and football), Nicholas already secured his DP World Tour card through Q-School this season and is looking to also gain PGA Tour status. Nicholas has amassed a significant following on social media by sharing the realities of mini-tour life.

Sam Bennett: The U.S. Amateur champion and Texas A&M stand-out was exempt into Final Stage via the PGA Tour University program. He broke amateur records at the 2023 Masters, where he finished T16.

Fred Biondi: The Florida product is looking for PGA Tour status for his rookie year as a pro. Biondi’s decision to turn professional meant he had forgo his invitation to the 2024 Masters as the NCAA D-I individual champion.

Harry Higgs: The fan-favorite PGA Tour player dropped to 132nd in the FedEx Cup standings this season and is looking to regain full status.

Wesley Bryan: The full-time pro golfer and part-time YouTuber (check out Bryan Bros Golf here) is currently ranked 190th in the FedEx Cup. His best finish on Tour last season was a solo 6th at the Puerto Rico Open.

Format

There is no cut at Q-School. All 168 players in the field will finish 72 holes in order for the results of the tournament to determine their 2024 status.

Qualification Breakdown

Depending on how players finish at Final Stage, they will receive a variety of benefits for the upcoming season. Here’s what’s at stake.

Top 5: PGA Tour membership.
Next 40: Exempt status on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Next 20: Exempt status on PGA Tour Americas and conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Remaining players: Conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership and conditional PGA Tour Americas membership.

How to Watch

Because players are competing for a career lifeline, Q-School is never short of drama. You can catch the action on Golf Channel on Saturday from 2:30- 4:30 p.m ET and Sunday from 1:30- 4:30 p.m ET.