Following an off week, the Korn Ferry Tour season continues with The Ascendant presented by Blue, the 17th event of the Tour’s 26-event season. TPC Colorado has hosted every iteration of The Ascendant presented by Blue, first played in 2019.

Austin Smotherman, who is in the field, became the first Korn Ferry Tour member to earn a #TOURBound declaration and secure PGA TOUR membership for the 2026 season. Brian Campbell, who finished T2 at the 2024 Ascendant presented by Blue and earned PGA TOUR membership via the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, captured his second PGA TOUR win of the 2025 season at last week's John Deere Classic.

Eighteen-year-old professional Blades Brown is one of eight players who gained entry to the field as an open qualifier. Brown would earn Special Temporary Membership for the remainder of the 2025 season should he record at least a 2-way T35 finish (to eclipse the Special Temporary Membership threshold of 237.718 points) this week. Brown finished T2 at the 2025 Veritex Bank Championship, which marked the highest finish by a player under the age of 18 in Korn Ferry Tour history.

Cristobal Del Solar won the 2024 Ascendant presented by Blue by four strokes at 22-under 266, breaking tournament records for margin of victory and 72-hole score. Del Solar followed Benjamin Alvarado (2013) and Mito Pereira (2020-21) as the third Chilean to win on the Korn Ferry Tour. PGA TOUR winner Matt McCarty (T5) was also one of six players who finished T5 or higher at the 2024 Ascendant presented by Blue and earned PGA TOUR membership at season's end. Two of the three players who finished T5 or higher but did not earn PGA TOUR membership are in this week's field: Alistair Docherty (fourth) and Christo Lamprecht (T5).

Tournament storylines

• The field includes six PGA TOUR winners with 13 career victories, highlighted by Ben Crane with five career TOUR victories.
• The field features 43 Korn Ferry Tour winners who have combined for 66 career victories, led by four-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Robby Shelton.
• Seven players in this week’s field are in the top 200 of the Official World Golf Ranking: Johnny Keefer (No. 84), Austin Smotherman (No. 113), Pierceson Coody (No. 130), Kensei Hirata (No. 138), Neal Shipley (No. 143), Hank Lebioda (No. 154) and Trace Crowe (No. 183).
• Two past champions of The Ascendant presented by Blue are in this week's field: Zecheng Dou (2022) and Nelson Ledesma (2019).
• Conditional member Chris Korte, Korn Ferry Tour winner and Class of 2022 Korn Ferry Tour graduate Kyle Westmoreland, as well as Class of 2023 Korn Ferry Tour graduate Tom Whitney all have ties to the state of Colorado. Westmoreland and Whitney both graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, while Korte, a native of Littleton who played collegiately at University of Denver, open qualified into the field and will make his first Korn Ferry Tour start of the 2025 season.
• Additional players in the field with ties to the state of Colorado include open qualifiers Connor Jones (Colorado State University alum from Westminster, winner of the 2022 Colorado Golf Association Amateur Championship) and Sangha Park (Colorado Christian University alum), as well as sponsor exemptions Zahkai Brown (Colorado State University alum from Westminster) and 17-year-old amateur Brayden Forte (from Aurora).
• Preston Summerhays (No. 125 on 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List) leads the nine players in the field from the top 10 of the 2025 PGA TOUR University Eligibility Ranking: Ian Gilligan, Algot Kleen, Phichaksn Maichon, Omar Morales, Sebastian Moss, Pablo Ereno Perez, Brendan Valdes, and Jackson Van Paris.

Tournament facts

• Course: TPC Colorado, par 72, 8,015 yards
  • Years hosted: 2019-present
• Field: 156 players
• Scoring records:
  • 18-hole: 63, Chase Johnson (2020, Round 4), Greyson Sigg (2020, Round 4), Taylor Moore (2021, Round 1), Richy Werenski (2024, Round 1), Alistair Docherty (2024, Round 3)
  • 72-hole: 266, Cristobal Del Solar (2024)
• Defending champion: Cristobal Del Solar
• Purse: $1,000,000 ($180,000/winner)