ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – There’s an old saying among veteran PGA TOUR pros that you don’t really have your TOUR card until you keep your card. Seven rookies finished inside the top 100 on the FedExCup Fall standings, finalized after The RSM Classic on Sunday, the threshold to cement exempt PGA TOUR status for 2026.

Conversely, Ricky Castillo finished one shot – and just a few rotations – outside that mark.

Castillo, who played collegiately at the University of Florida and earned his card via the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, arrived in coastal Georgia for the season finale at a distant No. 135 on the FedExCup Fall standings, knowing he needed a top-two finish for a chance to move inside the top 100 and keep his exempt card for 2026.

Despite four straight missed cuts into the week, Castillo found a groove at Sea Island Golf Club, particularly on a Sunday where he charged up the leaderboard with a final-round 62 to give himself a legitimate shot at that top-two finish. Sporting his trademark puka shell necklace (a tribute to his late grandmother) and with his brother Derek on the bag, Castillo nearly pulled off a round for the ages.

He shared second place as he signed his card, projected to move inside the top 100.

Alas, Max McGreevy drained a 30-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to grab second place alone and bump Castillo into a solo-third finish. Castillo finished No. 102 on the FedExCup Fall to earn a level of conditional status that should offer ample starts next season – but in the immediate aftermath of his nearly historic final round, he assured that he plans to compete at Final Stage of Q-School presented by Korn Ferry to improve that status.

That’s the fate for players outside the top 100 of the FedExCup Fall standings, a trip to professional golf’s annual Fall Classic – known as Q-School. Following the top 100, the next 40 highest applicants from the 2025 FedExCup Fall will be exempt directly to Final Stage, with the remaining applicants required to compete at Second Stage of Q-School in early December to earn their place at Final Stage. (Exemptions directly to Final Stage will extend beyond No. 140 on the FedExCup Fall, as some players outside the top 100 are already exempt for 2026 and some may choose not to compete in Q-School).

Players who finished Nos. 101-150 on the FedExCup Fall will retain conditional TOUR status for 2026, with category cutoffs at Nos. 110, 125 and 150. Rookies Castillo and Isaiah Salinda (No. 106) finished in that preferred conditional range, 101-110, and can be expected to receive ample starts in 2026 regardless of their Q-School fate.

Two rookies finished within the next conditional apron – No. 111 Jesper Svensson and No. 124 Jackson Suber – and should also receive a decent number of starts in 2026, although they will likely see some time on the Korn Ferry Tour if they desire a full season. Players in the 126-150 range, although they will retain some level of PGA TOUR status, will likely need to fill out their schedule with a heavy dose of Korn Ferry Tour events; rookies Frankie Capan III (No. 127), Jeremy Paul (No. 134), Noah Goodwin (No. 142) and Paul Peterson (No. 143) finished within this conditional apron.

For rookies who finished outside the top 150, the directive is simple: earn back their TOUR card via PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, or return to the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2026 season. With only five PGA TOUR cards available at Final Stage of Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, this fate is especially cruel for players who finished just outside the top 150, including rookies Thomas Rosenmueller (No. 151) and John Pak (No. 152).

Of the seven rookies to keep their exempt card for 2026, five are guaranteed exempt status through 2027 as PGA TOUR winners in 2025: No. 56 Aldrich Potgieter (Rocket Classic), No. 73 Steven Fisk (Sanderson Farms Championship), No. 89 William Mouw (ISCO Championship), No. 98 Michael Brennan (Bank of Utah Championship), and No. 100 Karl Vilips (Puerto Rico Open).

Two rookies finished inside the top 100 without a victory: No. 84 Rasmus Højgaard and No. 97 Danny Walker. Højgaard finished runner-up alongside his twin brother Nicolai at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and added a T3 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Walker also finished T3 at the Sanderson Farms and added a crucial T6 at THE PLAYERS Championship, into which he gained access on Thursday morning of tournament week when Jason Day withdrew with an illness.

Note: By finishing inside the top 100 on the FedExCup Fall, Michael Brennan is considered a 2025 PGA TOUR rookie. Brennan finished No. 1 on the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas’ season-long Fortinet Cup standings and then won this fall’s Bank of Utah Championship on a sponsor exemption.