Five players on bubble watch into The Ascendant presented by Blue
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WICHITA, KANSAS - JUNE 16: Akshay Bhatia of the United States plays his shot from the 14th tee during the first round of the Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics at Crestview Country Club on June 16, 2022 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Akshay Bhatia, Pierceson Coody narrowly outside The 25 with five events to play in Regular Season
Written by Kevin Prise
Bubble watch season has commenced.
The Korn Ferry Tour awards 25 PGA TOUR cards upon the conclusion of the Regular Season-ending Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna in early August. The chase for spots in The 25 is set to build toward a crescendo over the final five events of the Regular Season, as preparations are underway for this week’s The Ascendant presented by Blue at TPC Colorado.
Moving down the Points List, another pivotal benchmark exists at the No. 75 position. Upon the conclusion of the Pinnacle Bank Championship, the top-75 players on the Points List will gain entry into the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, with another opportunity to earn a TOUR card via The Finals 25.
Players who finish the Regular Season inside the top-75 also secure full Korn Ferry Tour status for 2023. (Nos. 76-85 gain direct entry to Final Stage of Q-School; Nos. 86-100 advance directly to Second Stage.)
Here’s a look at five players on the bubble with five events remaining in the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season …
Ryan McCormick (No. 24)
The eight-year pro has worked diligently in recent years to gain distance off the tee, and the efforts have borne fruit in a strong 2022 season as he eyes his first TOUR card. The St. John's alum has heated up this summer with back-to-back top-10 showings, a T3 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD Synnex followed by a T8 at last week’s Live and Work in Maine Open.
McCormick, 30, began the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour season with conditional status and after traversing the east coast in his car during the pandemic hiatus, he Monday qualified into the first event of the Return to Golf, finishing T14 at the Korn Ferry Tour Challenge at TPC Sawgrass to better his position on the Priority Ranking. He didn’t look back. He qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals for the first time in 2021 and has carried the momentum into this season, recording two top-three finishes among 11 made cuts in 17 starts and moving to the verge of his TOUR dream.
With 674 points accrued this season, he stands 4 points clear of No. 25 Carson Young, 24 points ahead of No. 26 Harrison Endycott.
Akshay Bhatia (No. 27)
The 20-year-old North Carolina native made headlines earlier this month when he rented a U-Haul at the Wichita Open Benefitting KU Pediatrics, and he has maintained a positive, adventurous attitude through the ups and downs of his rookie Korn Ferry Tour campaign.
Bhatia won the season-opening Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay to take massive strides toward his first PGA TOUR card, but he has struggled to maintain consistency throughout most of the season, steadily drifting toward the top-25 bubble. His best finish since his victory in the Bahamas came at the AdventHealth Championship in late May (T16) and he had missed back-to-back cuts before a T26 at last week’s Live and Work in Maine Open, which included a spirited third-round 65. He’ll aim to carry that momentum westward to Colorado, aiming to cut into a 29-point deficit on current No. 25 Carson Young.
Pierceson Coody (No. 31)
After finishing No. 1 on the inaugural PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global Ranking, the Texas alum gained automatic Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the Regular Season. With a T4 in Wichita followed by a resounding five-stroke victory at last week’s Live and Work in Maine Open, he has quickly taken advantage.
Not only has the Dallas-area native secured his spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals (and full Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, at minimum), he has moved into the conversation to earn a spot in The 25 and resultant TOUR card upon the conclusion of the Pinnacle Bank Championship in early August. He has accrued 623 points in just three starts, trailing No. 25 Carson Young by a modest 47 points.
“The one day I was in Dallas before I went to the BMW (Charity Pro-Am for his Korn Ferry Tour debut), I had breakfast with my agent, and we talked about how getting top-75 was just the big goal,” said Coody after his victory in Maine. “That’s what we wanted, just stack some nice weeks together and see where it takes us.”
He has accomplished that goal and now sets his sights on a new one.
Spencer Ralston (No. 72)
After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2021, Ralston earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour status via a T105 finish at Final Stage of Q-School last November. As a conditional member, he knew that the first order of business was to take advantage of any opportunities provided.
The Georgia native did just that at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Club; playing on a sponsor invite, he made the cut (T53) to improve his position on the Priority Ranking. He gained entry into the Huntsville Championship on his number and finished T9 to further better his position. A good friend of fellow Georgia alum Davis Thompson, who won the REX Hospital Open to move to the verge of a TOUR card, Ralston aims to follow suit. He has recorded three top-25s in nine starts and has moved into the all-important top-75 with five events to play, aiming to secure a Finals berth and perhaps even a TOUR card.
Ralston currently holds 265 Korn Ferry Tour points, 16 clear of No. 75 Chase Parker.
MJ Maguire (No. 76)
The University of North Florida product announced himself as a force in professional golf with a fifth-place finish on the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit, highlighted by a victory at the Shell Open in December 2020. He finished T133 at Final Stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, though, and began the 2022 campaign on conditional status.
Maguire, 29, gained entry into both 2022 season-opening Bahamas events on his number and took advantage, finishing T38-T28 to improve his status for the remainder of the season. He has caught fire in recent weeks with a T8 in Wichita followed by a T10 in Maine, moving to the precipice of a coveted top-75 position.
The Florida native has accrued 240 Korn Ferry Tour points to date this season, 9 points back of No. 75.
