By Evan Brent

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Smotherman secures return to the PGA TOUR, where he played three consecutive seasons as a Class of 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour graduate

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – Austin Smotherman is the first Korn Ferry Tour member to achieve #TOURBound status and secure PGA TOUR membership for the 2026 season, as announced Tuesday by the Korn Ferry Tour.

Smotherman won twice in a three-week stretch in June, earning victories at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX and Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS. The Loomis, California native and Dallas resident previously recorded a solo-fourth finish at the season-opening The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island in January, along with a T6 at The Panama Championship in February.

In total, Smotherman has five top-10s in 16 starts this season, with those finishes amounting to 1,641 points. Smotherman’s victory at the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS propelled him to the No. 1 position on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, and effectively secured one of the 20 PGA TOUR cards available through the final Korn Ferry Tour Points List.

A Southern Methodist University alum, Smotherman stands 248 points ahead of No. 2 Johnny Keefer, 301 points ahead of No. 3 Hank Lebioda, 340 points ahead of No. 4 S.H. Kim, and more than 600 points (the value of a win in one of the four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events) ahead of No. 5 Pierceson Coody.

While the top 20 players on the final 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List will earn PGA TOUR membership for the 2026 season, the player who finishes No. 1 also earns exemptions for the 2026 PLAYERS Championship and 2026 U.S. Open.

Should Smotherman earn a third victory prior to the conclusion of the 2025 season, he will secure an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR via the Three-Victory Promotion.

Smotherman turned professional in 2016 after four seasons at SMU, where he was a two-time All-American Athletic Conference Selection. After two seasons on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (which has since merged with PGA TOUR Canada and formed PGA TOUR Americas), with a win at the 2018 Mexico Open (now a PGA TOUR event) propelling him to a No. 4 finish on the 2018 Order of Merit, Smotherman earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2019 season.

Following a No. 69 finish on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie, Smotherman finished No. 25 on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and earned the last available PGA TOUR card from the 46-event, two-year season formed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Smotherman earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title at the 2021 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation (prior to its inclusion in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals), along with three other top-five finishes across 41 starts in 2020-21.

Smotherman played three consecutive seasons on the PGA TOUR, though he was relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour following a No. 169 finish in the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings.

The 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season continues this week with The Ascendant presented by Blue, the 17th of 26 scheduled events.

The finalization of the points list and awarding of the 20 PGA TOUR cards will take place upon conclusion of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, scheduled for October 9-12 at French Lick Golf Resort in French Lick, Indiana.

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About Korn Ferry Tour

Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and develops golf’s next stars, preparing them to compete and win on the game’s biggest stage. The Korn Ferry Tour, which has served as a path to the PGA TOUR since its inception, annually awards 20 PGA TOUR cards based off its points list, with the No. 1 player earning exemptions into the following year’s PLAYERS Championship and U.S. Open. With more than 700 PGA TOUR titles, 33 major championships and eight FedExCup champions, Korn Ferry Tour alumni make up 82 percent of the PGA TOUR’s current membership. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the season-long quest for PGA TOUR cards, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow the Korn Ferry Tour on social media. Nine Korn Ferry Tour events in 2025 are televised on Golf Channel in the United States, with tournament coverage available internationally in more than 170 countries and territories via 23 media partners.

COURTESY KORN FERRY TOUR AND PGA TOUR COMMUNICATIONS