FRENCH LICK, Ind. — The final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance lived up to the drama promised at the week’s genesis. The final event of the Korn Ferry Tour season provided elation, heartbreak and the kind of pressure that turns dreams into reality for some and agony for others.

When the dust settled on a wild Sunday at The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Golf Resort, Chandler Blanchet delivered a blistering round of 66 to capture the championship, while Pontus Nyholm narrowly survived the final bubble battle to claim the 20th and last PGA TOUR card for 2026.

Blanchet, 29, started the day chasing Barend Botha, Sandy Scott and Neal Shipley. Blanchet wasted no time asserting himself, opening with three straight birdies and adding four more against just one bogey to seize control of the leaderboard.

“I knew there was a TOUR card coming at the end of the day, but this is just the cherry on top,” Blanchet said after hoisting the trophy.

Already secure inside the top 10 of the Points List entering the week at No. 7, Blanchet’s win vaulted him to No. 2 overall. The Gainesville, Florida, native has made only three career PGA TOUR starts, his fourth will now come with a win in his last outing.

For Botha, the story was nearly one of a dream realized. The 23-year-old South African entered the final round knowing that only a win would be enough to jump from outside the top 50 into the top 20. For 54 holes, it looked possible. But despite leading overnight, Botha faded late, missing the promotion threshold and finishing 28th in the final standings.

It was a bitter pill, but not a total loss. His performance earns him direct access to the Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School, where five more TOUR cards will be on the line.

While Blanchet’s surge secured the trophy, it also indirectly saved Pontus Nyholm’s PGA TOUR future.

The 26-year-old Swede began the day at No. 20 on the Points List, knowing he had no room for error. He stumbled, shooting a 3-over 75 that left him exposed to a host of scenarios that could have knocked him off the line, including a win from Botha or Scott, or a surge into the top three from Justin Suh.

“It was a weird day because I knew what I had to do. … I knew I had to pass Sudarshan (Yellamaraju) or Marty (Zecheng Dou) on the points for it to be in my own hands, otherwise it was gonna be up to Neal Shipley or Christo (Lamprecht) or Chandler (Blanchet) to get it done for me,” Nyholm said.

Yellamaraju, sitting one spot ahead at No. 19, finished 2-under for the week. However, the pressure of the situation showed down the stretch, as the Canadian bogeyed three of his last five holes to leave Nyholm’s fate hanging by a thread.

“I was disappointed after the round, went back to the hotel, had some food, turned on the golf. Just reflecting,” Nyholm said.

He didn’t have to wait long. When Blanchet’s final putt dropped, Nyholm knew he had survived.

“I am a huge Chandler Blanchet fan,” he said with a smile.

As Blanchet walked into scoring, Nyholm greeted him with a high five. It was the gesture and acknowledgement of a man whose future had just been saved by another’s brilliance.

“The flight and the travel will certainly be a little bit easier now than it would have been if I finished 21st,” Nyholm said.

For Nyholm, and several others heading down the mountain on which The Pete Dye Course is carved, survival meant salvation.