Joe Highsmith has been nothing but consistent since he turned professional last year.

And all that consistency – across two years and two Tours – has resulted in the Pepperdine University product becoming #TOURBound. With back-to-back top-three finishes to conclude the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season, he finished No. 18 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List. Thirty PGA TOUR cards were awarded after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance.

“A lot of things I was battling and trying to work through in the last couple of weeks,” Highsmith told Golf Channel’s “Golf Today” a few days after his PGA TOUR card was confirmed. “I was doing my best to stay calm and commit to my shots under maybe the most pressure I’ve ever felt (in the final two weeks of the season). I was so happy to have got it done.”

Highsmith, who was a two-time All-American at Pepperdine and a three-time winner, made an immediate splash after high school, earning WCC Freshman of the Year honors in his debut campaign at the California school. He was no stranger to the big stage by the time he picked a college, having played the U.S. Amateur each year from 2018-2021, and even earning a spot in the 2021 U.S. Open after winning a qualifier in Washington.

The native of Lakewood, Washington joins a handful of others from the state on the PGA TOUR including multi-time winners Andrew Putnam, Ryan Moore and Kyle Stanley.

“Those are all guys I looked up to as celebrities … when I was 10, 11, 12 years old,” Highsmith told Sports Illustrated after getting his PGA TOUR card. “Now, I just got on the TOUR and haven’t done anything like those guys. But to get to the PGA TOUR at 23 years old is pretty crazy.”

Highsmith earned his way onto PGA TOUR Canada after finishing 10th in the 2022 PGA TOUR University Ranking and, again, made an immediate splash. He lost in a playoff in his very first event, the ATB Classic presented by Volvo Edmonton, and would go on to notch five top-10 finishes on the season.

Highsmith was seeing how some of his fellow PGA TOUR University alums were doing right out of the gate and he said he was happy with his effort in Canada. He was quick to complement the PGA TOUR University program for the opportunity it offered he and fellow alums right out of the collegiate gates.

This year, he saw even more immediate success from those who earned their way onto the Korn Ferry Tour – not to mention Ludvig Åberg’s impressive summertime stretch. Adrien Dumont de Chassart, for example, started his Korn Ferry Tour career with six straight top-10 finishes, including a win in his first start and a playoff loss the following week.

“This year all these guys are coming out of college and they’re winning in their first couple starts … so I think that program is pretty amazing,” Highsmith told “Golf Today.”

“I’ve been one to benefit from it and these guys have been as well. They’ve proven without a doubt over the last couple years that these guys are ready to play.”

Highsmith started steady on the Korn Ferry Tour when the calendar turned – he didn’t miss a cut until May and had five top-25 results in eight events, including a tie for fourth at The Panama Championship. Despite a slowed summer due to a back injury, he rallied and recovered through the sprint to the finish on the Korn Ferry Tour, and the best golf of the year came at the best time of the year – he finished tied for second at the penultimate event of the season before finishing tied for third at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance.

“On Thursday and Friday, I was well aware of where I stood and how the leaderboard was looking,” Highsmith told “Golf Today.”

“Pretty much everyone behind me on the Points List was behind me on the leaderboard. It was very stressful, but come Saturday and Sunday I tried to just turn the blinders on and focus on my game.”

Highsmith, who was one of the most elite drivers of the golf ball on the Korn Ferry Tour this season – ranking third in total driving – was also 20th in greens in regulation. With his tee-to-green effort being so dialed in, he kept giving himself chances – and capitalizing. He was 10th on Tour in birdie average for the season.

He admitted to “Golf Today” that he was not a huge goal-setter in terms of specific results. Highsmith wants to get onto the course, play his game as well as he can and try to do the same things that have led to success in college, on PGA TOUR Canada, and this year on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“The more I can do my best with the stuff that I know works and continue to get better at that – the results will come,” Highsmith said. “I’m pretty much trying to have no expectations and just trying to see what my ‘good’ can get me out there.”

So far, well, so good.