Lanto Griffin tops leaderboard at Final Stage of Q-School, 49 players earn guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts

Lanto Griffin (First/9-under)

• PGA TOUR winner who improves his status for the 2025 TOUR season; Griffin entered Final Stage with only conditional TOUR status as a past champion beyond the 150th position on the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings.
• Earned an exemption to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry after a No. 158 finish in the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings (top 40 available applicants below the 125th position were exempt to Final Stage)
• Three-time FedExCup Playoffs qualifier who won the 2019 Texas Children’s Houston Open en route to a career-high No. 18 finish in the 2019-20 FedExCup standings
• Turned professional in 2010 out of Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was teammates with fellow PGA TOUR winner Rafael Campos

Hayden Buckley

(Second/6-under)

• Regained PGA TOUR membership for the 2025 TOUR season after a No. 156 finish in the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings
• Two-time FedExCup Playoffs qualifier who finished No. 104 in the 2021-22 FedExCup standings and No. 70 in the 2022-23 FedExCup Fall standings
• Previously earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time via the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals
• Finished No. 32 on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie off the strength of a victory at the 2021 LECOM Suncoast Classic, where he gained entry to the field 15 minutes before a 7:17 a.m. first-round tee time
• Turned professional in 2018 after four seasons at the University of Missouri (2014-18), where he won four individual titles as a senior and garnered a 2018 All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection

Takumi Kanaya (Third/5-under)

• Earns PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his first career appearance at Final Stage of Q-School
• Will be a first-time PGA TOUR member, but not a TOUR rookie in 2025 (made nine starts in the 2021-22 TOUR season)
• Advanced to Final Stage via Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry; he was exempt to Second Stage by virtue of being in the top five of the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit at the entry deadline
• Finished No. 1 on the 2024 Japan Golf Tour money list and was named the 2024 Japan Golf Tour Most Valuable Player
• Seven-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour with victories in 2019 (as an amateur), 2020, 2021, 2023 (two wins) and 2024 (two)
• Boasts two top-10s in 25 career starts on the PGA TOUR (T7/2021 Baycurrent Championship; T9/World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play)
• Former No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking

Alejandro Tosti (T4/4-under)

• Retains PGA TOUR membership and improves his status for the 2025 TOUR season; he entered Final Stage with only conditional TOUR status after a No. 137 finish in the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings as a rookie
• Earned an exemption to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry (top 40 available applicants below the 125th position in 2024 FedExCup Fall standings were exempt to Final Stage)
• Previously earned his first PGA TOUR card via a No. 3 finish on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List (top 30 earned TOUR membership) off the strength of a win at the Pinnacle Bank Championship
• A two-time winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica who won the 2022 Abierto del Centro memorial Eduardo Gato Romero en route to a No. 5 finish on the 2022 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit
• Turned professional in 2018 out of the University of Florida, where he played four seasons (2014-18) and won four individual titles, with the crown jewel being medalist honors at the 2017 Southeastern Conference Championship

Will Chandler (T4/4-under)

• Earns PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his first appearance at Final Stage of Q-School, will be a PGA TOUR rookie in 2025 and has yet to make his TOUR debut
• Advanced to Final Stage via Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry; he was exempt to Second Stage by virtue of finishing No. 85 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• Began the 2024 season without status on a PGA TOUR-sanctioned circuit but successfully open qualified into four Korn Ferry Tour events, and eclipsed the points threshold for Special Temporary Membership with a T2 finish at the Magnit Championship
• Played the 2023 season on PGA TOUR Canada and finished No. 81 in the Fortinet Cup standings
• Played five seasons at the University of Georgia (2016-21) and turned professional in 2021

Matthew Riedel (T4/4-under)

• Earns PGA TOUR membership for the first time in what was his first appearance at Final Stage of Q-School, will be a PGA TOUR rookie in 2025 and has yet to make his TOUR debut
• Earned an exemption to Final Stage by virtue of his No. 4 finish in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking
• Entered Final Stage with fully exempt status for the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season via his No. 2 finish on the 2024 PGA TOUR University Total Points List (combined FedExCup and Korn Ferry Tour points earned by PGA TOUR University Class of 2024 members)
• Finished No. 77 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List in just 13 starts after he joined the Tour via PGA TOUR University performance benefits in June; he notably finished T2 at The Ascendant presented by Blue
• Played five seasons at Vanderbilt University (2019-24), where he was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection (2023, 2024) and won his lone collegiate event at the 2022 SEC Match Play hosted by Jerry Pate, where he won medalist honors for the stroke play portion of the event.
• Finished T2 at the 2024 SEC Championship, which was won by Auburn University’s Jackson Koivun

Final Stage performance benefits earned

• Top five and ties:PGA TOUR membership for 2025
  • Lanto Griffin (first/9-under), Hayden Buckley (second/6-under), Takumi Kanaya (third/5-under), Alejandro Tosti (T4/4-under), Will Chandler (T4/4-under), Matthew Riedel (T4/4-under)
• Next 40 finishers and ties (solo-seventh through T43): Exempt for multiple reshuffles of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season
  • The first 25 finishers and ties in this category will be subject to the third reshuffle, assuring them starts in the first 12 events of the 2025 season (solo-seventh through T26)
  • NOTE: players with fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour status are omitted: Kensei Hirata (T8/2-under), Nick Watney (T8/2-under), Jin Chung (T8/2-under), Grant Hirschman (T8/2-under), Seung-taek Lee (T14/1-under), Tyler Duncan (T14/1-under), Corey Shaun (T14/1-under), Austin Smotherman (T19/Even par), Christo Lamprecht (T19/Even par), Nate Stember (T19/Even par), Rayhan Thomas (T26/1-over), Zach James (T26/1-over), Nick Gabrelcik (T26/1-over), MJ Daffue (T26/1-over), Nicolo Galletti (T26/1-over), Jonas Baumgartner (T26/1-over), Chase Sienkiewicz (T26/1-over), John Greco (T26/1-over)
  • Any remaining finishers within the category will be subject to the second reshuffle, assuring them starts in the first eight events of the 2025 season (T36 through T43) NOTE: players with fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour status are omitted: Zack Fischer (T36/2-over), James Nicholas (T36/2-over), Caleb VanArragon (T36/2-over), Sudarshan Yellamaraju (T36/2-over), Brandon Berry (T43/3-over), Marcelo Rozo (T43/3-over), Marcus Plunkett (T43/3-over), Sangmoon Bae (T43/3-over), Cole Sherwood (T43/3-over)
• All remaining finishers outside of the aforementioned categories earned conditional status for the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season, in addition to being exempt through the Latin America Swing of the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas season

Additional notes

• Kensei Hirata (T8/2-under), the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 114 in the Official World Golf Ranking and a six-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, closes in 6-under 64 at Dye’s Valley to earn guaranteed starts for the first 12 events of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season, which will be his first as a member.
• Jin Chung (T8/2-under), a 36-year-old PGA of America professional and winner of the 2021 National Assistant PGA Professional Championship, earns guaranteed starts for the first 12 events of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season in what was his first appearance at Final Stage of Q-School.
• Corey Shaun (T14/1-under),the 18-hole leader by five strokes, cards 2-over 72 at Dye’s Valley to fall out of the top five; he held a share of the 36-hole lead and entered the final round at T4.
• Christo Lamprecht (T19/Even par), who finished No. 2 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, posts 1-under 69 at Dye’s Valley to retain Korn Ferry Tour membership and earn guaranteed starts for the first 12 events of the 2025 season.
• Marcus Plunkett (T43/3-over), who attended two high schools in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (Nease High School for first three years, Ponte Vedra High School as a senior) and played college golf at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, earns guaranteed starts for the first eight events of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season in what was his first appearance at Final Stage of Q-School.
• Cole Sherwood (T43/3-over), the No. 7 finisher in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, birdies his final hole at Sawgrass Country Club to card 2-under 68 and earn guaranteed starts for the first eight events of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season.