Korn Ferry Tour Finals update: Noah Goodwin eyes first TOUR card at Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Noah Goodwin and his dad Jeff “mutually fired” each other last Friday. It might mean the fulfillment of a shared dream.

The player-caddie duo had missed the cut at the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, the Korn Ferry Tour Finals’ second leg, with Goodwin situated near the top-30 bubble and two events remaining to cement his first PGA TOUR card. Goodwin knew his dad cared just as much as he did – “probably more,” he said – but the time seemed right for a change.

“For the entirety of the year, we did a really good job of keeping it very player-caddie whenever we’re out here. And over the last few weeks with just what’s on the line, what’s at stake, it gets a little harder at times,” Goodwin said Thursday. “We’re both really emotionally invested. I know he cares more than anybody on the planet, and he’s still here this week, just in a little different capacity, moral support and … helping me in the little things.”

It could be a win-win situation, as Goodwin opened in 5-under 66 Thursday at the Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course, good for a share of the early lead alongside Germany’s Thomas Rosenmueller, who has already clinched his first TOUR card via the top 30 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List. From the afternoon wave, three players joined the co-lead: Tano Goya, Dalton Ward and Matt McCarty.

Goodwin, 24, is chasing that same #TOURBound designation, and he’s hovering around the bubble as he strives to make that childhood dream a reality. The Southern Methodist alum entered the week at No. 31 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, just 40 points behind No. 30 Trent Phillips (the equivalent of a top-25 finish in a Korn Ferry Tour Finals event). It’s a razor-thin margin, and Goodwin’s ability was on display Thursday in central Ohio, as he played a bogey-free opening round on one of the Korn Ferry Tour’s more demanding layouts – also a venue known for producing esteemed champions, including 2014 Nationwide winner Justin Thomas and 2019 winner Scottie Scheffler.

The Scarlet Course is tough, but so is Goodwin. He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child and knew that other sports would be tough to play at a high level. Rather than wallow, he dove head-first into golf. He finished No. 12 on the 2022 PGA TOUR University Ranking to earn automatic status on PGA TOUR Canada, then won twice to earn 2023 Korn Ferry Tour membership. His rookie season didn’t go to plan, as he made just seven cuts in 23 starts and finished No. 110 on the Points List to lose status, but he advanced through the first and second stages of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry and secured Korn Ferry Tour starts at Final Stage (all with his dad on the bag).

Jeff Goodwin remained on the bag to start 2024 and through last week, with ample moments of greatness (five top-10 finishes) but some downturns, too, including back-to-back missed cuts at the first two Finals events. That pushed Goodwin from No. 28 to No. 31 on the Points List, outside the top-30 bubble with two events to play. But the story isn’t over.

A year ago, Goodwin’s season ended with a missed cut at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. The same tournament could now inspire the emotional spectrum’s opposite end.

“It sucked. It was the lowest I’ve been with golf before,” Goodwin said of his mentality a year ago. “But at the end of the day, I just had to look in the mirror and remind myself why I play the game. And it’s because I love the grind; I love the fight of it all. I love how I can get every single day out here and learning more about myself.

“I’ve wanted to play PGA TOUR golf as long as I can remember. I’ve worked really hard my entire life. There have been lots of ups, lots of downs, celebrations and sleepless nights that have gone into this. And I’m really close. It’s just time to finish.”

The top 30 players on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship marks the penultimate event of the season; the top 75 on the Points List after the Nationwide will advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and secure fully exempt status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour.

Nos. 76-100 on the Points List after the Nationwide will retain conditional status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour, with the chance to improve their position at PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

Here’s a look at who’s projected to move inside/outside the top 30 after the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship’s opening round.

Note: Projections are complicated by the five-way co-lead after Round 1, as each co-leader is projected to receive the winner’s allocation of 600 points. The event will ultimately crown a singular champion.

Projected in

Noah Goodwin (No. 31, projected to No. 8 with a win). The SMU alum has enjoyed a resurgent season after losing his card in 2023, and he has a chance to clinch his first TOUR card at the same venue where he lost Korn Ferry Tour status 12 months ago.

Tano Goya (No. 58, projected to No. 20 with a win). The Argentinian was a TOUR rookie last season and would relish a return; he opened in 5-under 66 at Ohio State University Golf Club, utilizing a more aggressive mindset knowing he needs a big finish in one of the next two weeks.

Dalton Ward (No. 36, projected to No. 11 with a win). Inspired by his mentor and friend Patton Kizzire’s victory at last week’s Procore Championship on TOUR, the easygoing 33-year-old Ward opened in 5-under 66 to share the lead into Friday.

Projected out

Trevor Cone (No. 27, projected to No. 31). The Virginia Tech alum opened in 1-over 72 and stands T54, squarely on the projected cut line into Friday’s second round.

Sam Bennett (No. 28, projected to No. 32). The Texas A&M alum opened in 1-over 72 and like Cone is on the projected cut line into Friday.

Trent Phillips (No. 30, projected to No. 34). The University of Georgia alum began the week with a 3-over 74 and faces an uphill battle to play the weekend in central Ohio.