Golf Draft Kit: 2019-20 Korn Ferry Qualifiers

Golf Draft Kit: 2019-20 Korn Ferry Qualifiers

This article is part of our Golf Draft Kit series.

The following golfers won 2019-20 PGA Tour cards from last season's Korn Ferry Tour.

The top-25 finishers on the regular-season Korn Ferry points list earned PGA Tour cards. An additional 25 PGA Tour cards were awarded to the top finishers at the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Conditional status golfers who finish 126-150 on the PGA Tour points list can play the Finals to earn full PGA Tour status. This year, five golfers went that route. 

The list below includes PGA Tour card winners from:

• Korn Ferry Points List (K)
• Korn Ferry Finals (F)
• Conditional Status Players via KFT Finals (C)

PGA Tour rookies are not included. For a list of rookies who won 2019-20 PGA Tour cards from the Web.com Tour, check out our rookies rankings.

Grayson Murray — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $1,300,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $125,511 
2018-19 Events: 14

A back injury kept Murray sidelined from April's Valero Texas Open through the end of the regular season, but he managed to return on the Korn Ferry Tour in early June when he tied for second at the Rex Hospital Open. Playing against lesser competition became quite a positive for Murray throughout the remainder of the summer as he went on to finish T23-T11-T7 during the KFT Finals, retaining his card for the 2019-20 season. Murray has given fantasy owners headaches in the past with his numerous withdrawals for seemingly minor injuries, but his driving distance and birdie average metrics are upside indicators to combat

The following golfers won 2019-20 PGA Tour cards from last season's Korn Ferry Tour.

The top-25 finishers on the regular-season Korn Ferry points list earned PGA Tour cards. An additional 25 PGA Tour cards were awarded to the top finishers at the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Conditional status golfers who finish 126-150 on the PGA Tour points list can play the Finals to earn full PGA Tour status. This year, five golfers went that route. 

The list below includes PGA Tour card winners from:

• Korn Ferry Points List (K)
• Korn Ferry Finals (F)
• Conditional Status Players via KFT Finals (C)

PGA Tour rookies are not included. For a list of rookies who won 2019-20 PGA Tour cards from the Web.com Tour, check out our rookies rankings.

Grayson Murray — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $1,300,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $125,511 
2018-19 Events: 14

A back injury kept Murray sidelined from April's Valero Texas Open through the end of the regular season, but he managed to return on the Korn Ferry Tour in early June when he tied for second at the Rex Hospital Open. Playing against lesser competition became quite a positive for Murray throughout the remainder of the summer as he went on to finish T23-T11-T7 during the KFT Finals, retaining his card for the 2019-20 season. Murray has given fantasy owners headaches in the past with his numerous withdrawals for seemingly minor injuries, but his driving distance and birdie average metrics are upside indicators to combat the risk.

Robert Streb — C 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $1,100,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $796,525 
2018-19 Events: 28

Streb has made the playoffs four of his seven seasons on the PGA Tour, with the outlier being his 2015 season when he posted nine top-10s and 16 top-25s, including his lone PGA Tour win as he banked nearly $4 million. Since then, he's had a couple solid seasons, but his two most recent seasons on the PGA Tour have left a lot to be desired. Streb's 2017-18 season was the low point. He fared much better last season, though he only made 12-of-28 cuts and ranked 160th in SG: Total, finishing 128th on the points list. A trip to the Korn Ferry Finals earned his card for this season. Just don't expect anything near his 2015 numbers.

Brandon Hagy — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $925,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $14,555 
2018-19 Events: 13

Hagy hit his stride as a rookie throughout the 2016-17 season when he made 17 cuts and racked up over $850k in earnings thanks in part to six top-25s, but a wrist injury cut his 2018 campaign short and he then made just one cut in 13 starts during the 2019 season. He'll be back on the PGA Tour despite finishing outside of the top-250 in the FedEx Cup standings, however, having notched back-to-back top-5s during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and Albertsons Boise Open. Hagy ranked third in driving distance and 27th in SG: Off-the-Tee back in 2017, so there is ball-striking upside upon his return to full health now.

Richy Werenski — C 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $900,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $851,329 
2018-19 Events: 27

What a crazy season for Werenski. He notched four top-25s in the 2018-19 season, but only one in his final 22 starts. He finished just outside the top 125 during the regular season and just inside the top 25 in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to retain his playing privileges on the PGA Tour. This is Werenski's fourth season on the PGA Tour, and if it's like his previous three, it will be a battle all season just to stay in the top 125. Ball striking is where he needs to improve the most, as the only strokes gained category he ranked inside the top 100 was putting. Werenski has earned $850k to $1.1 million in each of his previous three seasons on the PGA Tour. He will need to take advantage of the fall portion of the schedule, as he did last year, if he wants to get back into the playoffs in 2019-20.

Bronson Burgoon — C 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $900,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $814,673 
2018-19 Events: 20

Burgoon posted a career-high $1,179,616 in 2017-18 and finished 111th to 135th in three consecutive full seasons on the PGA Tour. A runner-up at the 2018 CIMB Classic and another fifth-place finish were not enough to retain status without an appearance in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, as those were his only two finishes inside the top 30 in 20 starts. Burgoon ranked 54th or better in both GIR percentage and driving accuracy on the PGA Tour during the 2018-19 campaign, but he also finished the season at an elite ranking of eighth in proximity from over 200 yards. The 32-year-old was also nearly 100 positions worse in SG: Total. Burgoon is a boom-or-bust pick in salary cap formats for the 2019-20 season.

Hank Lebioda — C 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $900,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $656,802 
2018-19 Events: 23

Lebioda was a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2018-19 and fared pretty well, making 15-of-23 cuts with three top-25s in five events in April and May.  His ball striking was solid, ranking 62nd in SG: Tee-to-green and 25th in GIR percentage. Although he did not finish in the top 125, he did crack the top 150 and also managed a spot inside the top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to retain his PGA Tour card for this season.  The Florida State product was also 23rd in birdie average. Putting is where the improvement needs to be made, but that's easier to fix than the long game. At just 25, Lebioda has time to improve, which he will this season.

Ryan Brehm — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $875,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $0 
2018-19 Events: 0

Brehm had dipped as low as No. 1,375 in the Official World Golf Ranking following a missed cut at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship in April, but the Michigan State product rapidly ascended back inside of the top-300 late in the Korn Ferry Tour season as he picked up a victory at the LECOM Health Challenge. Brehm tallied nine top-25s and amassed over $250k in official earnings throughout his 2019 campaign, allowing a comfortable position among "The 25" on the KFT. At 6-foot-4, 220, the 33-year-old still harnesses enough power to stay relevant on longer tracks as he ranked 10th in driving distance, 14th in GIR percentage and 12th in birdie average.

Zac Blair — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $800,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $6,660 
2018-19 Events: 2

Blair went back to the drawing board after finishing outside of the top-100 in the FedEx Cup standings in four consecutive seasons from 2015-2018. Back-to-back top-10s at the Korn Ferry Tour's Pinnacle Bank Championship and Price Cutter Charity Championship in late July would foreshadow a win at the Ellie Mae Classic where Blair posted a 65.75 scoring average and locked up his PGA Tour card for the 2019-20 campaign in the process. He ultimately finished 12th on the KFT's Regular Season Points List and nearly led the entire Tour in driving accuraxcy. Blair is short off the tee, but he ranked 15th in both GIR percentage and putting average among his peers.

Cameron Davis — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $750,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $477,467 
2018-19 Events: 25

Davis was a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2018-19, and although he played well in spots, he never found any consistency and ended up outside the top 150 on the FedEx Points list. He played well enough down the stretch, however, to earn his card for the this season by finishing in the top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. It's not uncommon for young golfers to struggle in their first attempt on the PGA Tour, and with a year under his belt, expect Davis to show some improvement this season.

Robby Shelton — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $750,000 
2018-19 Earnings: NA 
2018-19 Events: 0

The 23-year-old University of Alabama product was scorching hot from April to May as he tallied wins at the Korn Ferry Tour's Nashville Golf Open and Knoxville Open en route to a quartet of top-4 finishes in a span of five starts. This blistering stretch ultimately led to runner-up honors on the KFT's Regular Season Points List, despite Shelton being restrained by seven total missed cuts and a WD. The 2019-20 campaign will mark Shelton's first season as a full-status cardholder on the PGA Tour, but he won't be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award after playing in eight events during the 2016-17 season when he made five cuts and posted a T16 at the 2017 Valero Texas Open.

Xin-Jun Zhang — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $725,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $55,000 
2018-19 Events: 1

Perched atop the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List, Zhang collected a pair of wins at the Dormie Network Classic at Briggs Ranch and the Lincoln Land Championship to go along with seven total top-10s in 20 events played this season. Albeit it at a lower level of competition, it was quite a bounce-back effort for Zhang, who had missed the cut in 16 of 28 starts as a PGA Tour rookie the year prior. That disappointing campaign came on the heels of controversy as Zhang became infamous on the Chinese Tour in 2014 due to signing for incorrect scores, on more than one occasion. On the KFT, Zhang ranked second in both scoring and birdie average thanks in large part to stellar putting statistics.

Beau Hossler — C 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $700,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $645,795 
2018-19 Events: 27

Hossler relied on a red-hot flat stick throughout his 2018-19 rookie campaign as he ranked 10th in SG: Putting and seventh in putting from inside 10 feet, but his overall play took an evident turn for the worse after cashing nearly $2.5M the season prior. He only collected three top-25s in 27 starts, including zero in his last 17 starts as the former Longhorn standout missed 11 cuts and failed to pick up a single top-10, falling to 145th in the FedEx Cup standings, more than 100 spots off his  2017-18 ranking. He'll retain his card thanks to a T2 at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals' Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship. Hossler has always been a strong putter, but his ball striking has to improve if he wants to consistently contend. Last year he was 178th in SG: Tee-to-green. Hossler is still only 24 and has shown talent, so a bounce back season would not be out of the question. 

Tom Hoge — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $700,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $573,464 
2018-19 Events: 32

After struggling to retain his card during his first three seasons on the PGA Tour, Hoge had a breakthrough season in 2017-18, when he cleared more than $1.3 million and finished 80th on the FedEx list. Last season, however, Hoge regressed to his previous form and again battled the entire season to get into the top 125, which he failed to do. He got his card back via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He has shown some upside, but he's also shown just average ability in four of five seasons on the PGA Tour.

Henrik Norlander — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $675,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $14,592 
2018-19 Events: 1

Norlander fell off the PGA Tour's radar after tying for second at the 2016 RSM Classic, spending the next three seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour as he struggled to remain in a groove before winning the Wichita Open this June, propelling him to an 11th-place finish on the Regular Season Points List. The Swede also posted back-to-back top-4s at the Nashville Golf Open and KC Golf Classic earlier in the season, adding to his nine total top-25s in 21 events played. Norlander ranked top-10 on the KFT in ball striking, GIR percentage, driving accuracy and par-3 scoring.

Tyler Duncan — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $640,000
2018-19 Earnings: $595,502 
2018-19 Events: 29

Duncan has made the cut in 34 of 60 total starts on the PGA Tour over the last two seasons, but he's only compiled a trio of top-10s during this span and has yet to surpass the $1M mark in single-season earnings. He dropped to 163rd in the FedEx Cup standings to end the 2018-19 campaign, though he ranked 14th in driving accuracy and 41st in GIR percentage despite losing strokes from tee to green. Duncan's clutch top-5 at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship will allow him to retain status, but a lousy putter continues to hinder his birdie or better percentage.

D.J. Trahan — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $600,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $507,919 
2018-19 Events: 14

Trahan has spent the better part of the last decade just trying to get back onto the PGA Tour full time and he finally has another chance this upcoming season. The problem is, Trahan hasn't accomplished much on the PGA Tour since 2010 and the odds of are resurgence this season are slim. It would be a major accomplishment just to get inside the top 125 this season.

Lanto Griffin — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $600,000 
2018-19 Earnings: NA 
2018-19 Events: 0

Relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour after a PGA Tour rookie campaign in 2018 that included missed cuts in half of his 26 showings, Griffin rebounded in a big way by finishing sixth on the KFT's Regular Season Points List in 2019. He won the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship in late April and threatened to go back-to-back the following week at the Dormie Network Classic, but Xinjun Zhang steered five strokes clear of his peers at the top of the leaderboard by tournament's end while Griffin tied for second. Griffin reached double-digit top-25 finishes on the KFT as he ranked eighth in birdie average and seventh in putts per round. The 31-year-old journeyman owns four total wins as a professional, but Griffin has yet to make his presence felt at the PGA Tour level.

Kramer Hickok — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $550,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $494,424 
2018-19 Events: 26

After consecutive missed cuts at the Barracuda and Wyndham Championship left Hickok on the outside of the top-150 in the FedEx Cup standings through the end of the 2018-19 PGA Tour season, he quickly rebounded by going T19-T5-3 during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to retain his card. Hickok owns just one top-10 in 30 career starts, but he ranked top-40 in both SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Around-the-Green this past season, ultimately making the cut in half of his 26 performances.

Anirban Lahiri — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $525,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $419,620 
2018-19 Events: 23

Finishing outside of the top-125 in the FedEx Cup standings for the first time since 2015, Lahiri had no choice but to participate in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals after notching just two top-25s on the PGA Tour this past season. He'll retain his card thanks to top-10s at the KFT's Albertsons Boise Open and Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, but Lahiri's value remains extremely limited moving forward as he ranked just 176th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 177th in GIR percentage during his 2018-19 campaign.

Rhein Gibson — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $475,000 
2018-19 Earnings: NA 
2018-19 Events: 0

The Aussie has grinded away on the Korn Ferry Tour since losing his PGA Tour card following the 2015-16 season, when he missed 11 cuts in 20 events and collected just $155,578 in earnings while falling to 199th in the FedEx Cup standings. He'll regain status for the 2019-20 campaign, however, as a win at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in early June allowed Gibson to finish 10th in the KFT's Regular Season Points List. He racked up a quartet of top-10 results in 2019, more than he had over the previous two seasons combined. Gibson ranked 16th in scrambling, 21st in GIR percentage and 24th in birdie average on the KFT.

David Hearn — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $470,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $397,677 
2018-19 Events: 18

Hearn's 2018-19 earnings of just $397,677 are by far his lowest total since becoming a regular on the PGA Tour in 2011, and the Canadian subsequently slipped to 174th in the FedEx Cup standings as a result of his poor play. Hearn tied for fourth at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to secure his card for another season, but his lack of power off the tee is catching up to him against better competition. Hearn ranked just 142nd in SG: Off-the-Tee despite finishing the season 13th in driving accuracy.

Fabian Gomez — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $450,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $433,027 
2018-19 Events: 20

Gomez has appeared in at least 20 PGA Tour events throughout each of the last five seasons, and he'll retain his card again for the 2019-20 campaign despite finishing just 169th in the FedEx Cup standings. It took a runner-up effort at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship to keep his status, having collected only four top-25s in 20 starts on the PGA Tour this past season. Nonetheless, he managed to post a couple top-15s late in the summer at the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship, picking up steam before the KFT Finals. The 40-year-old Argentinian was 39th in SG: Around-the-Green, but ranked 100th or worse in the remaining Strokes Gained subcategories.

Cameron Percy — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $400,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $387,612 
2018-19 Events: 16

Percy has spent a lot of time on the PGA Tour over the past decade, both as a member and as the benefactor of sponsor's exemptions. The problem is, he hasn't really parlayed all of those starts into much. In 136 starts, Percy has just one top-3 and six top-10s. He has made more than $3 million on the PGA Tour, but his average of little more than $22k per start is a number that would leave him outside of the top 150 each season. Percy will struggle to get into the top 125 this season and ultimately fall short.

Mark Hubbard — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $400,000 
2018-19 Earnings: NA 
2018-19 Events: 0

Hubbard, who failed to collect a single top-10 finish from 2015-2017 despite playing in 82 PGA Tour events during this span, was relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour over the past two seasons where he failed to reach even $85k in earnings last year. The 2019 campaign was a positive development for Hubbard, however, amassing 10 top-25s and a win at the LECOM Suncoast Classic as he finished ninth in the KFT's Regular Season Points List and re-gained full status on the PGA Tour for 2019-20. Hubbard hit just over 70 percent of the greens in regulation and ranked 28th in driving accuracy on the KFT, but his upside is somewhat capped against stronger competition at more difficult venues given his lack of power off the tee.

Mark Anderson — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $350,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $0 
2018-19 Events: 1

Despite making his PGA Tour debut a decade ago in 2009, Anderson is still only nearing the $1M mark in career earnings through 66 total starts. He teed it up at the highest level just once during the 2018-19 season, however, missing the cut at the RBC Heritage. Anderson was essentially playing on house money knowing he had his PGA Tour card for the 2019-20 campaign wrapped up at that point, having won the Korn Ferry Tour's Country Club de Bogota Championship all the way back in early February. He also went on to earn runner-up honors at the Knoxville Open in July, but complacency kept in since that point. Anderson has fallen to 122nd on the KFT in ball striking and 132nd in putting average.

Tim Wilkinson — K 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $335,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $8,624 
2018-19 Events: 1

The 41-year-old vet has earned nearly $4M on the course throughout a lengthy PGA Tour career spanning 162 events from 2003 to now, but Wilkinson has spent the past two years on the Korn Ferry Tour after finishing just 156th in the FedEx Cup standings during the 2016-17 season. Wilkinson's 2019 campaign on the KFT was highlighted by five top-10s, including a T3 at the Knoxville Open and a solo-second at the LECOM Health Challenge as he barely snuck inside of the Regular Season Points List. He led his peers in sand save percentage and ranked 26th in driving accuracy, but Wilkinson averaged less than 290 yards off the tee.

Brendon Todd — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $325,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $252,546 
2018-19 Events: 11

Todd amassed a substantial $5,205,939 in earnings over a two-season stretch in 2014 and 2015, but it's since been quite a struggle for the 34-year-old. He's missed the cut in a whopping 41 of his last 55 starts dating back to the 2016 season, though he did notch a quartet of top-25s in 2019 before also tying for second at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to retain status on the PGA Tour. Todd fell outside of the top-1000 in the Official World Golf Ranking after missing the cut at the U.S. Open in June, but he's back up to No. 506 heading into the 2019-20 opener.

Rob Oppenheim — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $250,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $0 
2018-19 Events: 2

Oppenheim has spent the last four seasons going back and forth between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours and, once again, he's back on the PGA Tour for this season. Oppenheim will turn 40 this season, and there's no reason to believe he'll find an extra gear that's eluded him on his prior attempts at staying on the PGA Tour this year. Oppenheim's best season on the PGA Tour was in 2016 when he earned little more than $460k.

Joseph Bramlett — F 
2019-20 Proj. Earnings: $225,000 
2018-19 Earnings: $0 
2018-19 Events: 1

Bramlett was a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2011 and that season did not go well. Bramlett finished well outside the top 125, and he's spent the last eight seasons trying to get back. He did just enough in 2018-19 to find his way back to the PGA Tour, but unless he improves his game, he'll have a hard time staying there. Bramlett hasn't had a lot of success on the Korn Ferry Tour  the last eight seasons, it's hard to imagine he'll have a lot of success on the PGA Tour this season.

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only Golf Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire Golf fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Bryce Danielson
Bryce covers the PGA for RotoWire and provides input on the golf cheat sheet. He also contributes to the coverage for NFL, NBA and other sports.
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
Weekly PGA Recap: Maverick Finds the Magic
Weekly PGA Recap: Maverick Finds the Magic
Read The Line Betting Breakdown: The RSM Classic
Read The Line Betting Breakdown: The RSM Classic
Weekly PGA Preview: The RSM Classic
Weekly PGA Preview: The RSM Classic
2024 The RSM Classic Betting: Picks, Odds, Predictions and Best Bets
2024 The RSM Classic Betting: Picks, Odds, Predictions and Best Bets