The Stakes of PGA Tour Q-school

Status on the PGA sanctioned Tours is complicated. And the final stage of Q-school, filled with players who already have varying status for next season, make that even more confusing. In this article we try our best to simplify it as much as possible. So put some tape around the center of your glasses, hike up your pants, and get ready to get your full nerd on. 

‍Breakdown of cards given out

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• Top 5 & ties earn PGA Tour cards
• The next 40 and ties earn guaranteed Korn Ferry starts
• The first 25 and ties of that 40 get 12 guaranteed starts. 
• The remaining players in the top 40 & ties get eight guaranteed starts

‍What does that mean?

‍PGA TOUR: 

Four of the five players who graduated from Q school to the PGA Tour last year got into 24 to 26 events in the 2024 season (the other, Harrison Endycott, has been out of action since the ISCO Championship in July).

• None of them played a single major
• None of them played a single signature event

The number of starts the Q school grads earn could change in 2025 and not in a good way. Q school grads struggled to get into early regular events in 2024, but after March, were consistently getting into all the regular and opposite field events through the Fall season. Some of those starts, however, were because the Tour extended the size of the field to get all their exempt players into events.  With only 100 cards available at the end of the 2025 season, exempt players are likely to take fewer weeks off, which would result in fewer starts for the Q school grads. If there is a large tie for fifth, the tied players could really struggle to get into fields. 

‍Complexity

The KFT guaranteed starts from Q school can become complex as there are a lot of players in the final stage field who already have full status for 2025. Those players are solely focused on winning a PGA Tour card. However, they still count in the top 25 and 40 listed above. 

For example, Joe Weiler finished 46th in KFT points in 2024. He is fully exempt for the entire 2025 KFT season. He is currently T10 and has a chance at a PGA Tour card. If he finishes outside the top five, he cannot improve his KFT status, however, Weiler does count against the next 25 and ties. KFT doesn't add a player who finished one stroke out of “next 25” because Weiler is in there (I hope some of you are still reading). 

Below is a list of players at the final stage who are already fully, or partially exempt for next season on KFT and playing at final stage. 

‍Players who finished 126th to 150 in points on PGA Tour in 2024: These players get full KFT status for 2025 for the entire season. However, if they are in the PGA Tour (they are conditional PGA Tour members) event, they MUST play, unless they get into the Tour field after the commitment deadline; that is the only time they have a choice. These players are playing Q school for PGA Tour cards only. 

‍Players who finished 31st to 75th on KFT in 2024: These players are exempt for the entire season on KFT and cannot be shuffled out. These players are playing for PGA Tour cards only. 

‍Winners of KFT events in the last two seasons that lost PGA Tour status: These players are fully exempt on KFT. They are only playing for PGA Tour cards. 

‍Winner of the Americas Tour Order of Merit: John Keefer is fully exempt for the entire season on KFT, he is playing a PGA Tour card only. 

‍Players who finished 2nd thru 10th on the Americas Tour points list: These players get 12 guaranteed KFT starts, so are also only playing for PGA Tour cards

‍Medalists (and ties) from each second stage Q school site: These players can improve their status by finishing in the top 25, which would give them 12 guaranteed starts instead of eight. 

‍Players who finished 151st to 200th in PGA Tour points: These players get four guaranteed starts on KFT so they can improve their status by finishing in the top 40. 

‍KFT Guaranteed Starts

If a player finishes in the next 25 & ties (after the pga tour cards) range, they will receive 12 starts on KFT. For the first 12 events, if they choose to commit, they have their spot solidified and no one can bump them from the field. The same remains for those who receive eight starts. 

Once the first eight events are finished, players who were guaranteed eight starts will be subject to the reshuffle. The reshuffle, in simplified terms, is the rearranging of the players eligibility on the KFT based on points earned in the first eight events. Reshuffles then happen every four events until the end of the regular season. 

As we stated above some players are exempt for the entire KFT season (example 31st to 75th in 2024 KFT points), so they are not part of the reshuffle. 

For example, if you finish 40th at the final stage and play the first eight events and miss every single cut, you will be shuffled out. So you can still sign up for every event after but you will not get another start the rest of the season based on your ranking. 

This is probably a good time to introduce priority rankings and make this more complicated. Each field (PGA, KFT, Americas) is built on priority ranking. There is a list of categories in those rankings numbered one thru whatever, depending on the Tour. Players must commit to an event usually the Friday prior. The field then goes down the priority ranking based on who committed until a field is full. 

Players vying for the top 40 position will not get much TV time in the final round, but they will be feeling the pressure to lock up those starts and get their season started in the Bahamas in 2025. 

‍The Dreaded Conditional Status

Every player who finishes below the guaranteed spots at the final stage receives conditional status on the KFT. But not all conditional status is created equal. Some players may still receive starts based on their Q school finish, and some will not get into any events at all next season. The dropoff of exempt players after the reshuffle following the eighth event plays a critical role in determining priority.

Example: if a player (lets call him Bob) has conditional status and receives only one start in the first eight events, but finishes solo 30th place, Bob receives 28 points. If a player who only has the first eight events guaranteed (Time), makes only one cut and finishes solo 31st place, Tim will receive 26.5 points.

In this scenario Bob will be ranked higher than Tim for the next four events. After that set of four events, the reshuffle happens again, based on total points from the entire season. The further you go in the season, the harder it is to move up the reshuffle. 

Multiple players a year who start with conditional status play their way into a relatively full schedule on the KFT. Some play their way to a PGA Tour card. In 2024, four players earned PGA Tour cards who started the season with conditional status. 10 more who kept their full KFT card (meaning they finished 31st to 75th) for 2025, started the season with conditional status. Finishing the final stage without guaranteed starts doesn’t mean that the season is over, it means the climb is more difficult. 

It’s hard to predict exactly how many possible starts a player may receive from their conditional status. Each event the number of players changes based on many factors, including how strong (or weak) the PGA Tour event that week is. The stronger the PGA Tour field, the more Tour members who drop down to play KFT that week. Other factors include distance and expense to travel to the KFT event, who Monday qualifies, and other less significant factors.

In 2024, a player who finished one stroke outside of the guaranteed starts got into five of the first eight events. 

A player who finished tied for 91st in last year's final stage  (7 shots from top 40 finish) still got into two of the first eight events. 

If a player finishes 100th or below, they may get one start in the first eight if they are lucky, and possibly none.

Conditional members can get into fields via Monday qualifiers and/or sponsor exemptions. Even if you get into the field on an exemption and make the cut, you accrue points. Getting an early season exemption and making the cut can be life changing. 

So, not finishing inside the top 40 at Q school doesn’t spell doom, but the players who receive minimal starts in the beginning of the year need to gain enough points to eventually play the rest of the season after reshuffles. 

Although the focus on the TV will likely be on the top five, there will be many numbers that are important. And even if a player is well down the leaderboard, a good final round could mean one or two extra starts and is vital to their season. 

If you got to the end of this article and are not utterly confused, seek help.

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