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Until now, Korn Ferry Tour members who qualified for the US Open faced a difficult decision. The US Open generally crossed over with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics of Korn Ferry.
This put golfers who qualified for the US Open in a sticky spot as they would miss an opportunity to improve their standings on the Tour. However, now the PGA Tour and the advisory council on the Tour have formally announced that Tour members who earn FedEx points on the US Open will have them count toward their total on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
This policy will start from the 2023 US Open, scheduled from June 15-18 in Los Angeles. Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin spoke about this announcement.
"We have immense pride in the talent level of our Korn Ferry Tour members, and it's always thrilling to see them compete - and contend - in major championships. This policy change is something we've been exploring with our membership and our Player Advisory Council for a few years, and we look forward to cheering on our members as they compete in the U.S. Open this season and beyond."
"It's going to be a huge change for Korn Ferry Tour players," - Taylor Montgomery
This is an enormous change for Korn Ferry members. Twenty members qualified for the US Open in 2022.
Nine members made the cut, and had this rule applied then, MJ Daffue would have finished ranked no. 8 as opposed to no. 11. His T31 finish at the US Open would have earned him 26.06 non-member FedEx points.
PGA Tour rookie and Tour class of 2022 graduate Taylor Montgomery spoke about this big announcement.
"I think it’s an awesome change. At a U.S. Open, you want the best players in the world, and a lot of the best players in the world are on the Korn Ferry Tour. I think you’ve seen that the last couple years with guys like Will Zalatoris, Sahith (Theegala), guys like that, and there are only going to be more to come from that Tour."
He further added that this would affect Tour members.
"It’s going to be a huge change for Korn Ferry Tour players, just not having to decide whether they should play on the Korn Ferry Tour or in the U.S. Open."
This is the second prominent announcement made in the last year. In January 2022, it was announced that the no. 1 player on the Tour Points List at the end of each season would be granted an exemption into the US Open the following year, the USGA (United States Golf Association) announced in January 2022. For the 2023 US Open, Justin Suh received the first such exemption.
The no. 1 spot will also offer an exemption on the PGA Tour the next year and at the Player's Championship.
The US Open points announcement is a part of several changes that will be implemented in 2023. The most significant change is that the top 30 players (up from 25) will now qualify for PGA TOUR membership at the end of the season thanks to the additional five PGA TOUR cards awarded through the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
The top 75 players on Korn Ferry and nos. 126–200 in the FedExCup standings will no longer compete for PGA Tour cards at the revamped Korn Ferry Tour Finals. The last four events of the season, known as the Finals, will feature members competing for increased purses and point allocations. Each winner of the four Finals events will receive 600 points, and the event will feature a $1.5 million prize purse. The minimum purse for the first 22 events on the schedule will be $1 million, representing a 67% increase from 2021 to 2023. 500 points will be awarded to winners.
PGA Tour cards will also be given to the top five competitors and ties in the 2023 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (Q-School). This is the first time since 2012 that TOUR cards will be given through Q-School.
The Korn Ferry season will begin at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. It is scheduled to take place from January 15-18. The season-opening competition will be the first back-to-back event in the Bahamas. The tournament will feature 26 events.
