Korn Ferry Finals: Gotterup leads young guns with third place finish

November 7, 2022 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

Oklahoma Athletics photo

The former Sooner earned 12 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. Joe Highsmith, Joe Weiler, and Davis Chatfield earned eight starts.

The Korn Ferry final stage at Marshwood and the Landings in Savannah, Ga. saw 44 players players leave with various forms of exemptions for next season. The four round event is loaded with stories; longtime veterans to newly minted pros alike battle for the opportunity to continue chasing their dream - A PGA Tour card.

Bo Hoag took home the biggest prize, a first place finish and a full season exemption in the Korn Ferry Tour. He opened his final round with five straight birdies and finished at 14-under par for the tournament, edging Chan Kim by a shot.

Two shots behind Hoag was Chris Gotterup; the former Rutger Knight and Oklahoma Sooner turned professional after the 2022 NCAA National Championship. He rode a steady summer of performances into the final stage. A second round 75 could have buried him, but rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday and Monday launched him up the leaderboard.

A double-bogey on the 15th hole might have lost him a first place finish, which would have granted him a full exemption on the Korn Ferry Tour next season. He ended up two shots behind the winner Bo Hoag.

Known for his bucket hat and serious game, Joe Highsmith turned in four solid rounds to earn a 24th place finish. He carded rounds of 66-72-68-73. A quadruple bogey on the par-4 13th dropped the former Pepperdine Wave out of a top 10 finish, which would have granted him 12 starts next year. Instead, he'll start in the opening eight events.

Another name that has appeared recently on AmateurGolf is Joe Weiler. He played at Purdue and turned pro in 2022. While not as heralded as players like Gotterup and Highsmith, Weiler played stellar golf in the final two rounds firing 66-68 to finish in 12th place.

Davis Chatfield, fresh off his fifth year at Notre Dame, made bogey on hole Nos. 10 and 13 in the final round. He managed to bounce back with a birdie on the 14th hole and make pars on the way home. His 3-under total had him right on the cut line in 39th place. Along with Highsmith and Weiler, he'll play in the first eight events and hope to catapult himself into more events with solid play.

Scrolling down the leaderboard always brings about heartbreak, and some young players new to pro golf had some close calls and disappointing weeks. Making final stage but not finishing in the top 40 means players are not guaranteed starts. Most will likely receive a start or two, but most will have to battle in Monday Qualifiers.

Jacob Bridgeman, Clemson, simply ran out of holes this week. A final round 66 left him one shot short of a top 40 finish.

Trent Phillips, University of Georgia and Cole Hammer, University of Texas, both finished two shots out of top 40 with 1-under par totals.

Parker Coody, Jackson Suber, Alex Fitzpatrick round out the recent amateur graduates who will have to earn their starts in various ways this season.

About the PGA Tour Q-School Final Stage

Korn Ferry Finals: Gotterup leads young guns with third place finish

72-hole stroke play tournament for professionals and for amateurs who have advanced through the second stage of PGA TOUR Q-School. The top five finishers and ties at Final Stage will earn PGA TOUR cards, while other finishers will receive various lev...

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