🎓 2026 PGA TOUR Q-School Live Hub
🔥 Latest 2026 PGA TOUR Q-School Update
- As of October 12, Pre-Qualifying is complete, and the 14-site First Stage begins in three waves from October 20 through November 6.
- Second Stage is scheduled for December 1-4 at five sites, with the complete Final Stage field taking shape after those results become official.
- Final Stage will be played December 10-13 at TPC Sawgrass' Dye's Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach.
- The 72-hole Final Stage awards five PGA TOUR cards for 2027, followed by multiple Korn Ferry Tour priority categories and PGA TOUR Americas membership.
- The official 2026 Final Stage prize pool is $1.25 million, with A.J. Ewart entering the season as the reigning Final Stage medalist.
Golf's pressure-packed pathway to the PGA TOUR
The 2026 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry is a four-stage stroke-play competition that begins at eight Pre-Qualifying sites and ends with Final Stage in Ponte Vedra Beach. Players may begin at different stages based on their eligibility, but every route leads toward the same December test and the chance to secure playing status for 2027.
Final Stage is a 72-hole, four-round competition played from December 10-13. The top five finishers earn PGA TOUR membership, and the rest of the leaderboard determines Korn Ferry Tour priority and PGA TOUR Americas opportunities. Every position matters, even well beyond the five-card line.
2026 PGA TOUR Q-School schedule
The field narrows across multiple sites before Final Stage. First Stage and Second Stage medalists can also secure 2027 membership benefits even if they do not improve their position later.
Open the CaddyBytes 2026 Q-School Stage Results & Status Tracker
Players and storylines to follow
The Final Stage field is not complete yet. It will combine exempt entrants with players who survive Second Stage in early December. CaddyBytes will replace this field watch with the official player list, withdrawals, alternates, tee times, and course rotation once released.
- Reigning medalist: A.J. Ewart won 2025 Final Stage at 14-under 266 and headlines the most recent graduating class.
- Card comeback stories: experienced PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour players will try to rebuild status alongside rising professionals.
- Second Stage survivors: five December sites determine the final wave of players reaching Ponte Vedra Beach.
- Young talent: top amateurs, collegiate standouts, mini-tour winners, and international players add depth to every stage.
- Caddie pressure: course rotation, conservative targets, wind decisions, emotional control, and clean communication matter across four demanding rounds.
- The fifth-card line: unlike a normal tournament cut, the defining number is fifth place, with a hole-by-hole playoff used if necessary.
Two Ponte Vedra Beach tests
Final Stage uses two par-70 courses. The split-course format asks players and caddies to adapt quickly while keeping pace with the same leaderboard and status lines.
TPC Sawgrass — Dye's Valley Course
Dye's Valley rewards disciplined positioning, confident approach play, and precise distance control around water and visual pressure. Players must create birdie chances without forcing shots that bring large numbers into play.
Caddie focus: start-line commitment, safe-side misses, wind checks, and knowing when the player can attack.
Sawgrass Country Club — East/West
Sawgrass Country Club provides a distinct coastal challenge where wind, tree lines, water, and changing angles test patience. Good scoring depends on controlling trajectory and leaving approaches from the proper side.
Caddie focus: coastal wind trends, club selection through gusts, preferred approach angles, and steady pacing under card pressure.
How 2027 status is awarded at Final Stage
Q-School does not end at the medalist. The final leaderboard creates several membership and priority categories, making every shot and every finishing position valuable.
| Final Stage Finish | 2027 Result | Priority Note |
|---|---|---|
| Top five | PGA TOUR membership | A playoff decides the fifth and final card if required. |
| Next 25 positions and ties | Korn Ferry Tour membership | Subject to the third periodic reorder. |
| Remaining positions through the next 40 and ties | Korn Ferry Tour membership | Subject to the second periodic reorder. |
| Players after the next 40 and ties | Conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership | Subject to the first periodic reorder. |
| All remaining Final Stage finishers | PGA TOUR Americas membership | Subject to the first periodic reorder, in addition to applicable status above. |
The top 45 and ties also receive at least $15,000 from the Final Stage prize pool before the remaining purse distribution is applied.
From First Stage through Q-Sunday
Stage Results
Qualifiers, medalists, advancing numbers, site results, and players moving into the next stage.
Open stage resultsFinal Field
Exempt players, Second Stage qualifiers, withdrawals, alternates, tee times, and course rotation.
Open the field trackerFour-Round Scoring
R1-R4 scoreboards, leaders, course splits, low rounds, major moves, and the live top-five line.
Open Final Stage scoringCourse & Weather
Ponte Vedra Beach conditions, wind shifts, setup differences, playing strategy, and caddie decisions.
Status Tracker
PGA TOUR cards, Korn Ferry Tour priority categories, PGA TOUR Americas membership, and playoff notes.
Open the status trackerRecaps & Video
Round recaps, interviews, featured stories, official video, and the complete Final Stage finish.
2026 PGA TOUR Q-School video area
Official preview, stage highlights, player interviews, and Final Stage video will be added here as coverage becomes available.
2026 PGA TOUR Q-School Video Coming Soon
Paste the official YouTube embed here when available.
From the six-round marathon to the modern card chase
PGA TOUR Q-School dates to 1965 and has long been one of professional golf's most unforgiving gateways. Its structure has changed, but its identity remains the same: one scoreboard, enormous pressure, and careers decided one shot at a time.
2025 Final Stage
Ewart earned medalist honors. Adam Svensson, Alejandro Tosti, Marcelo Rozo, and Dylan Wu joined him in earning PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Venue: Dye's Valley and Sawgrass Country Club
2024 Final Stage
Griffin closed with a 63 to take medalist honors. Six players ultimately earned PGA TOUR cards under the top-five-and-ties format used that year.
Modern theme: veterans and emerging players shared the card line.
2023 Return of TOUR Cards
The reworked Q-School again awarded direct PGA TOUR membership at Final Stage, restoring the event's clearest route to the top level.
Turning point: five PGA TOUR cards returned to Final Stage.
The classic era: Q-School became famous for six-round Final Stage pressure, with players trying to protect a card through a long week in which one swing could change a career. Major champions and longtime TOUR winners including Tom Kite, John Daly, David Duval, and Jim Furyk passed through the qualifying school pathway.
The pathway changed: after 2012, the qualifying tournament primarily awarded Korn Ferry Tour status. Direct PGA TOUR cards returned at Final Stage in 2023, creating today's four-stage system and restoring a December route to PGA TOUR membership.
The 2026 chapter: the Final Stage format is now four rounds rather than six, but the closing stretch still produces the same defining moments—players inside the top five trying to finish the job while everyone behind them fights for the strongest possible 2027 status.