Status up for grabs, seasons on the line, and careers hanging in the balance. This week’s RSM Classic is a must-watch event.
One shot this week — or sometimes just a few shots over the entire year — might mean the difference between another season of courtesy cars and grinding it out on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Here’s what’s at stake with so many players in the mix:
Important Numbers
Top 100 in points: Players finishing inside the top 100 retain full status for next season.
101–125: These players will retain conditional status, and according to field guru Robopz on Twitter, they will get into most of the non-signature events.
126–150: These players also retain conditional status, but it’s unknown how many events these players will get into.
101–175: Players finishing 175th or better have at least some KFT status for 2026.
176 and below: These players must return to Second Stage of Q-School and will not have status unless they make it to the final stage. If they are a KFT winner from the past two seasons or have played five consecutive exempt years on the PGA Tour, they will have playing privileges somewhere.
First 40: The first forty players finishing 101st or worse who commit to playing Q-School are exempt to Final Stage. Meaning, if the player in 101st decides not to play (because their status can only improve slightly), then the player in 141st gets in; if 102nd skips, 142nd becomes exempt to Final Stage, and so on until 40 spots are filled.
This is done to control the field size at Final Stage. Everyone else who had PGA Tour status and finished below 175 goes back to Second Stage.
51–60: The ten players who aren’t already in next season’s Signature Events (the top 50 are locked in from the playoffs) will earn spots in the AT&T and Genesis.
A Lot on the Line
These players will be doing a lot of scoreboard watching — the three who will be watching most closely if they don’t play well (Max Homa is 101st and exempt next year based on previous wins, so the points ahead are relative to 102nd):
96. Thorbjorn Olesen: 38 points ahead of 102nd.
97. Danny Walker: 35 points ahead. Walker skipped Mexico thinking he was safe — and he should be — but it’s not guaranteed.
99. Takumi Kanaya: 20 points ahead. A short miss on the 72nd hole last week in Bermuda could prove costly for the eight-time Japan Tour winner.
(Michael Brennan and Karl Vilips are 98th and 100th and both exempt for next season based on their wins.)
Work to Do
These players are so close they can taste a full card.
102. Matt Wallace: 12 points behind 100th. A missed cut last week in Bermuda really stung.
103. Beau Hossler: 13 points behind. The Texan finished T14 in Mexico but also missed the cut in Bermuda and needs a solid week to move up.
104. Isaiah Salinda: 35 points behind. There is a big drop-off in points from Hossler to Salinda, so the former Stanford star has his work cut out for him. A T13 at the Procore and a T18 last week gave him a chance to jump into the top 100.
Need a Great Week
114. Justin Lower: 87 points behind 100th (solo 7th is worth 90 points). A T3 in Utah gave the longtime grinder an outside chance.
117. Joel Dahmen: 91 points behind. Can he pull it off two years in a row? Last season at this event he shot a final-round 64 to retain his status. Let’s see if he can do it again.
Which Way Do I Look?
Staying in the top 125 will be vital, as no one is sure how many starts players from 126–150 will get. These players would love to have a great week and secure a full card, but staying inside the top 125 is likely their real priority.
123. Lanto Griffin: 116 points behind 100th, 14 points ahead of 126th. Last season Griffin lost his full card but regained it through Q-School. After a 3rd-place finish at Procore to start the fall, he has missed three cuts and withdrawn once with injury.
124. Frankie Capan III: 119 points behind 100th, less than a single point ahead of 126th. I called Capan the “Rookie to Watch,” but he has struggled this year. However, his two best finishes have come in the fall, including last week’s T3, which gave him a chance to retain conditional status.
125. Doug Ghim: 119 points behind, less than a single point ahead of 126th. Capan, Ghim, and 126th-place Brandt Snedeker are separated by just 0.6 points.
Love Me Conditionally
Finish inside the top 125 and you will likely get most of the non-signature events. Finish 126th and you may need to turn your attention to the KFT.
These players are currently outside the top 125 and would love to find their way to good conditional status.
126. Brandt Snedeker: Less than a point out of 125th. The nine-time winner finished T9 in Utah to give himself a chance.
129. Seamus Power: 13 points out of 125th. After a career-changing win at the Barbasol in 2021, Power has enjoyed some great seasons, including another win in 2023. But this year has been a struggle and he finds himself on the outside looking in.
130. Hayden Springer: 18 points out of 125th. As I’ve said many times, one of my favorite people in golf, and I openly root for him. His caddie Michael Burns is also a wonderful person, and I would love to see them get it done this week.
132. Harry Higgs: 38 points out of 125th.
138. Adam Hadwin: 83 points out.
142. Ben Silverman: 98 points out.
