It was never easy to earn a PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour. But it’s harder now after changes were enacted for this season. But one aspiring pro, Bryson Nimmer, added another layer of difficulty this week by earning a slow-play penalty at a Korn Ferry Tour Finals event.
Here’s what you need to know.
Pros fight for fewer Tour cards at Korn Ferry Tour Finals
The FedEx Cup Playoffs may be over, and the PGA Tour may be off, but there are Tour cards on the line this week anyway.
Pros are battling in the second of four Korn Ferry Tour Finals events at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. The field features the top 144 players in the Korn Ferry Tour standings following last week’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation. The top 120 in the standings after this week’s event will advance to the Compliance Solutions Championship.
So what are they playing for? After the final event, the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in October, the top 20 finishers will earn PGA Tour cards for the 2026 season, a life-changing development for any pro.
But that’s far fewer than last year. In November 2024, The PGA Tour ratified major changes to its membership make-up. Full-time PGA Tour cards were reduced from 125 to 100. As part of the changes, the number of full Tour cards awarded at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship dropped from 30 to 20.
That change is of crucial importance to Nimmer, who was the victim of the slow-play penalty in question.
Rules officials dish out slow-play penalty
Coming into the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course, Nimmer was ranked 36th in the Korn Ferry Tour points list. Last year, that would have put him on the bubble of earning a PGA Tour card.
But with the new rules, Nimmer would need to make some moves in the final three events to complete his dreams.
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When he arrived at the par-4 18th hole on Thursday, his ninth hole of the opening round, Nimmer was at even par. A few birdies on the second nine would position him well for a run at some serious points on the weekend.
At 18, Nimmer found the rough with his drive, the green with his approach, and then two-putted for a textbook par. Except ultimately, he’d write a 5 down on his scorecard for the par-4.
According to the Korn Ferry Tour, Nimmer took 68 seconds to play his approach shot on 18, which far exceeds the 40 seconds allotted for most shots. Worse yet, new slow-play rules adopted this season changed the penalty for a player’s first bad time from a warning to a stroke.
As a result, Nimmer was assessed a one-stroke penalty. His par became a bogey, and he finished the round with a two-over 73. Another 73 in Friday’s second round saw Nimmer miss the cut. He’s now projected to fall to 40th in the Korn Ferry Tour standings.
Though his task has grown harder, with two Korn Ferry Tour Finals events remaining, Nimmer still has an opportunity to make a run and earn his PGA Tour card.