It wasn’t clear to Brandon Harkins if he wanted to participate in the Korn Ferry sponsored PGA TOUR Q-School. At worst, he has full status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour. The prospects of getting a TOUR card at the Final Stage are high, with 165 players competing for five cards (and ties).
Joel Dahmen was one of the people who had to push Harkins.
“Put your ass back out there. He encouraged me to do it, for sure. I know he wants me to go back out there since he’s a dear friend of mine.” Harkins said.
Thus, two weeks ago, Harkins participated in Q-School’s Second Stage, where he progressed on the hole after the cut was moved by the bogeys produced by Alex Chiarella and William Mouw on the 72nd hole. Harkins had to perform a tightrope act to get here, but he made it. He now commands attention this weekend in northeastern Florida, where he has a good chance of winning a PGA TOUR card by competing at Sawgrass Country Club and TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course.
At 5-under 135 after one 1 at each course, Harkins, 37, is tied for 6th place. Harrison Endycott, Kyle Westmoreland, and Blaine Hale, Jr. are the 3 players at 7 under, while Harry Higgs and Trace Crowe are at 6 under. The top 5 players and ties after 72 holes will be invited to the PGA TOUR in 2024. In Round 3, the field is repaired, with Sawgrass Country Club on Saturday and Dye’s Valley Course on Sunday for the top half of the field. It will be vice versa for the lower half of the field.
At this moment, it appears that Harkins made the right choice in choosing to attend Q-School. He is grateful for his support system, which includes Dahmen.
“I was simply exhausted. This last year wasn’t the best for me. I enjoy spending time with my loved ones at home. It goes without saying that I enjoy a little off-season. I believe I needed only a few days to unwind and think before I was good to go.” After the Korn Ferry Tour season, when he battled to maintain full status down the stretch, Harkins spoke about his mindset.
With gusts predicted to exceed 40 mph close to the Atlantic coast south of Jacksonville, Florida, Harkins is prepared for the next weekend. It might be wild and wet, both literally and figuratively.
To many players, the Final Stage of the PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry Tour signifies different things. Players like Harkins, who have attained no less than full status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, are in the first group.
This comprises the positions 31–75 on the Korn Ferry Tour, the positions 126–150 on the FedExCup standings of the PGA TOUR, and a few other categories (such as the top-ranked player on the PGA TOUR Canada, Hayden Springer, who is tied for 6th place with Harkins and Japanese pro-Keita Nakajima). These athletes are capable of thinking bust or top-5. The 165th position and the 6th position are identical.
“This week, a 6th-place result doesn’t mean anything to me; however, it means a lot to many guys. It’s attempting to strike a balance,” stated Endycott, a rookie on the TOUR who placed No. 139 in the FedExCup Fall standings.
In fact, a major criterion for a lot of players is the next 40 and ties, which come after the top five and ties. These athletes will receive guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, and the following twenty players and ties will receive guaranteed starts on the PGA TOUR Americas. The remainder of the finishers will hold conditional Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas status their 2024 schedule is far from certain.
On Friday, Harkins performed with veteran Michael Johnson, who is currently in the running for a guaranteed spot on the Korn Ferry Tour. Johnson held his wedge firmly with both hands over his knees after his chip shot on the par-4 18th hole drifted past the hole. He was clearly upset, but he refrained from acting on it. Still, the image spoke a thousand words. Johnson is one stroke away from securing a start this weekend at even-par 140 after missing an 8-footer for par.
Johnson just missed full Korn Ferry Tour eligibility earlier this year after missing the cut at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. As a result, he dropped from No. 73 to No. 77 in the rankings (the top 75 after Nationwide kept full status). He’s in a similar bubble going into the weekend at Q-School’s Final Stage.
“Nothing compares to Q-School’s stress. It’s a creature. Honestly, it’s just not enjoyable. It somewhat detracts from the enjoyment of the game.” Johnson stated two weeks ago at Second Stage.
Johnson moved forward and said those things. That’s the amount of energy that Q-School can drain from you.
After 36 holes, two players (Endycott and Higgs) aim to improve their conditional TOUR status, 1 (Westmoreland) wants to regain TOUR status, and 2 (Hale and Crowe) are looking for their maiden TOUR card. These players round out the expected top 5. This weekend will see competition amongst players from all levels of professional golf, marking the first time since 2012 that PGA TOUR cards will be awarded from Q-School.
Harkins is here for that reason, after all. He participated in the 2018 and 2019 TOUR. His career as a professional golfer doesn’t define who he is as a husband and father of two. Not at all. But from an obscure college player to the top of the game, he has gradually improved his skills via the TOUR’s Pathways circuits. Knowing what it takes, he knows he has it.
He can demonstrate it this weekend.
“I always knew, deep down, that I could pull it off. The pinnacle of my career was undoubtedly reaching the PGA TOUR via the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour. helped me kind of realize that I’m capable of doing it. I expect to be there now. It’s funny how your expectations or attitude can change slightly over time. That’s definitely my opinion of where I should be.” Harkins stated following his Friday round of 66 at Dye’s Valley Course, which was clean of bogeys
