Tune in to the dramatic conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship on GOLF Channel, 3-6 p.m. ET, full coverage details here.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. — The tension is reaching critical mass at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, where players with vastly different paths find themselves on the brink of realizing lifelong dreams ahead of Sunday’s final round at the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Golf Resort.

Each story carries its own brand of drama. From a Scottish rookie rebounding from injury and a South African looking for a storybook breakthrough, to veterans chasing second chances and bubble men fighting to hang on, the stakes couldn’t be higher on the final day of the Korn Ferry Tour season.

Here are five players with everything on the line ahead of Sunday’s final round.

1. Barend Botha

Leading the field into the final round is Barend Botha, a 23-year-old from South Africa, who fired a back-nine 30 on Saturday to post 10-under and take sole possession of the lead. After opening with a sluggish front nine, Botha roared to life with six birdies on the closing stretch, punctuating a round that could define his young career.

For Botha, who entered the week in the mid-50s on the Points List, the math is a simple equation: Only a victory earns a PGA TOUR card. But his journey to this point has been anything but straightforward.

The former University of Toledo standout endured a midseason slump so severe that he missed nine of 10 cuts. The grind of travel and isolation began to take its toll, prompting a pivotal decision where he enrolled his older brother, NJ Botha, who also played college golf at Toledo, to carry his bag for emotional support.

“I went through a rough patch in the middle of the year, and I kind of just needed family close by,” Botha said Saturday. “It was tough being on the road, and I just needed some family, so I asked him if he wanted to come carry the bag. We got him a visa, and he ended up on the bag.”

The results were immediate. Since the switch, Botha has missed just one cut in his last nine events and finished runner-up at the Utah Championship and T7 at last week’s Compliance Solutions Championship. On Saturday, his Toledo college teammates even made the short drive from Purdue to cheer him on.

“I don’t really look at the scoreboards,” Botha said. “I just play my own game. Whatever happens, happens. I know I have to go win, so I’ll do my best to give it a fight. I have nothing to lose.”

2. Sandy Scott

Just one shot behind sits Sandy Scott, a 27-year-old rookie from Inverness, Scotland, whose story feels tailor-made for golf’s redemption arc. Starting the week at No. 63 on the Points List, Scott needed nothing short of a win to have a chance at earning his PGA TOUR card, a near-impossible task that now suddenly feels within reach.

His comeback is made all the more remarkable by the fact that, just five years ago, Scott wasn’t sure he’d ever play golf again. As a standout at Texas Tech, he suffered a devastating wrist injury after hitting from a French drain during a college event. The next day, he couldn’t even hold a club. The torn ligaments in his right wrist required two surgeries that cut short his senior season, and what was supposed to be a short recovery turned into an 18-month layoff that tested his faith in the game he loved.

“It’s kind of crazy to look back on,” Scott said. “When I was going through that, I didn’t think I’d play golf again. To be in an opportunity like this is amazing. I play golf with a lightness now that I probably never would have had I not gone through that.”

Now healthy and playing the best golf of his young career, Scott has rediscovered his rhythm, sitting at 9-under, just one stroke behind Botha heading into Sunday.

“I tried to avoid that question,” Scott said when asked if he ever thought about quitting. “Although it was asked a lot. … I just love golf so much, and I think it would be hard for me to leave the game entirely. To be able to fulfill my dream and play it as a professional is amazing.”

3. Justin Suh

For Justin Suh, this week represents a chance at redemption as much as reward. Once the top-ranked amateur in the world, the USC alum has seen the heights and heartbreaks of professional golf. He’s played in five majors and made 90 PGA TOUR starts, but consistency has been elusive.

Suh’s breakthrough moment came at this very tournament in 2022, when he won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship to earn his first PGA TOUR card. After a rocky 2024 season that saw him lose that card, finishing No. 165 in the FedExCup Fall standings, he’s fighting once again to climb back.

“There’s such a big gap between me and 20 that it kinda just gives me free rule to be aggressive,” Suh said. “Hopefully everything just kinda takes care of itself.”

Suh reignited his confidence earlier this season with a win at the Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro, his second career Korn Ferry Tour victory. Now 27, he enters Sunday T7 at 6-under after a third-round 68, likely needing a top-three finish to return to the TOUR.

“I’ve kinda learned that golf is a humbling sport,” Suh said. “When you’re playing good it feels great. You don’t really know how you’re gonna play. I just want to be at a level where I can compete and get better.”

4. Zecheng Dou

Few players have been hotter than Zecheng “Marty” Dou, who’s played himself from the brink of elimination into prime position for a TOUR return. The 27-year-old from China entered the playoffs 58th on the Points List, then ripped off finishes of solo second and T2 in back-to-back weeks to climb to No. 19 entering French Lick.

Dou, who represented China at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has been on a mission ever since, showing the blend of precision and patience that once made him a standout on both the PGA TOUR China and Korn Ferry Tour circuits.

He likely needs only a steady Sunday to hold his position inside the top 20 and lock up a PGA TOUR card for 2026. For Dou, who’s already proven his mettle under pressure, one more solid round could cap off one of the most impressive late-season surges in recent memory

5. Pontus Nyholm

Sweden’s Pontus Nyholm will likely sleep with the leaderboard on his mind more than most. Entering the week No. 18 in points, Nyholm has slid to No. 21, the dreaded first man out, after a difficult opening three rounds at French Lick.

Sitting T42 at 2-over, the 27-year-old needs to fire something in the 3- or 4-under range on Sunday to leap back inside the promotion zone. It’s a tall task, but Nyholm’s season resume gives him reason for belief. He's made 21 cuts in 25 starts, earned a playoff win in May at the Visit Knoxville Open and has three top-20 finishes in his last five starts.

Now, everything rides on one more round.