With PGA TOUR cards at stake for the first time in more than a decade, GOLF Channel and Peacock will broadcast eight hours of live weekend coverage at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, officially scheduled for December 14-17 at the Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
In addition, Korn Ferry, the umbrella sponsor of the Korn Ferry Tour since June 2019, is expanding its partnership with the PGA TOUR and will be the presenting sponsor for PGA TOUR Q-School.
“With PGA TOUR membership on the line at Q-School for the first time since 2012, one week can change a player’s life, forever,” said Alex Baldwin, who oversees PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Americas, and PGA TOUR University. “This is something golf fans have been clamoring for, and we’re thrilled to host the Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry at two incredible – and very demanding – golf courses in Ponte Vedra Beach. The Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Country Club will challenge Q-School competitors and set the stage for an incredibly dramatic finish as we award PGA TOUR membership for the 2024 season.”
Coverage will be hosted by Shane Bacon, with analysis provided by James Nitties, on-course reporting from Gary Christian, and post-round interviews conducted by Hailey Hunter. The talent of Bacon, Nitties, and Christian also serves as the crew for the Korn Ferry Tour’s six televised events on GOLF Channel during the 2023 season, beginning with next month’s BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX, which were contested June 8-11 at Thornblade Club in Greer, South Carolina.
“Korn Ferry is pleased to expand our relationship with the PGA TOUR as a sponsor of Q-School – a destination where passion, performance and potential will take center stage,” said Gary D. Burnison, CEO, Korn Ferry. “With an immediate advancement to the PGA TOUR on the line for the first time in more than a decade, and with many paths to eligibility and exemptions in play, the stakes have never been higher. PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry will no doubt bring out the best from the best players and immediately change lives.”
Designed by Pete Dye and Bobby Weed, along with player consultant and 1982 PLAYERS champion Jerry Pate, Dye’s Valley is adjacent to THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Opened in 1987, Dye’s Valley previously hosted the Korn Ferry Tour’s Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open from 2010 through 2012, the Korn Ferry Tour Championship from 2013 through 2015, and the 2020 Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass, one of the first events in the Return to Golf.
Sawgrass Country Club hosted THE PLAYERS Championship on its East-West Course from 1977 through 1981. Both the East and West nines underwent major renovations from May 2013 through fall of 2015. The club also hosts the prestigious John Hayt Invitational, with its most recent medalist being Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, one of the world’s top amateurs. Sawgrass Country Club is recognized as a Platinum Club of America, an honor bestowed by Club Leaders Forum since its creation in 1997, and as a Distinguished Club through BoardRoom Magazine’s team of industry specialists, which recognizes select private clubs based on member experience.
As the PGA TOUR previously announced in June 2022, the top five finishers and ties at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry will earn PGA TOUR membership for the 2024 season.
The field at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry will feature players who advanced through the various stages of Q-School – including Pre-Qualifying, First Stage, Second Stage – and others who automatically qualify for Final Stage by meeting the criteria of at least one exemption category.
In addition to awarding PGA TOUR cards, PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry will determine Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas eligibility for the 2024 season.
- Top five finishers and ties at Final Stage will earn PGA TOUR cards
- Next 40 finishers and ties at Final Stage will earn exempt status through multiple reshuffles of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, with the first 25 finishers and ties being subject to the third reshuffle, and any remaining finishers within the category being subject to the second reshuffle
- All remaining finishers at Final Stage will have Korn Ferry Tour membership, in addition to being exempt through the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season
The PGA TOUR Policy Board also approved performance benefits for players who earn medalist honors at First and Second Stage sites of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
The medalist (and ties) from each First Stage site will be exempt through the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season. The medalist (and ties) from each Second Stage site will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership and, provided they do not improve their status at Final Stage, will be subject to the second reshuffle of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, and be placed in the Korn Ferry Tour Priority Ranking after the first 40 finishers and ties who did not earn a PGA TOUR card at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
Initially established as the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, the now renamed PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry replaces the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, which operated from 2013 through 2022 and only awarded varying levels of Korn Ferry Tour membership.
Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry will see the last set of TOUR cards awarded prior to the 2024 season, with the others coming from the 2022-23 DP World Tour season (top 10 players from Race to Dubai Rankings not already exempt) and the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season (top 30 players on final points list).
Registration information, as well as a complete list of exemption categories, sites and competition dates for each stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, will be announced in June.
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