Watch the high-stakes battle at the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Championship where the top 20 players secure PGA TOUR cards for 2026. This video breaks down the top contenders on the bubble, including Marty Dou, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Mitchell Meissner, Julian Suri, Jeremy Gandon, and Justin Suh. Get insights on their backgrounds, recent performances, and what it takes to earn a PGA TOUR card. Stay updated on all the key moments from the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Golf Resort.
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The highstakes drama unfolding at French Lick. Who will survive the corn ferry tour’s most brutal week? By Jimmy Rainman. French Lick Indian. Imagine standing on a golf course knowing that four rounds of play will determine whether you’re competing alongside the world’s best or grinding through Monday qualifiers for another year. That’s the reality facing dozens of professional golfers this week. The mission sounds straightforward enough, yet the pressure is absolutely crushing. Following this week’s Corn Ferry Tour Championship, presented by United Leasing Finance, only the top 20 finishers on the Cornferry Tour points list will receive their golden tickets, 2026 PGA Tour cards. Everyone else, they’re heading straight back to what many consider professional golf’s most unforgiving battleground. For competitors like Marty Du, Sudarian Yellow Maraju, and numerous other players teetering on the edge, the next four days at French Lick Golf Resorts Pete Die course represent everything. One course, four rounds, careering consequences. With 11 of those coveted 20 cards already secured by players who’ve clinched their spots, let’s examine six of these bubble boys. golfers who desperately need one final stellar performance this week to earn their shot at competing on golf’s most prestigious stage. Zeshang Du, currently number 19, Zeshang Marty Du arrives at the Cornferry Tour Championship, desperately clutching the second to last projected PGA Tour promotion position, hoping to orchestrate yet another return to professional golf’s premier level. Do who proudly represented China alongside fellow countryman Carl Yuan at the 2024 Paris Olympics has accumulated 69 career PGA Tour starts throughout his journey but has managed to secure just a single top five finish. Recognized as a prodigy from his earliest competitive days, Doe absolutely dominated the PGA Tour China series back in 2016, capturing four victories and claiming the Order of Merit title while still in his teenage years. The very next year, he made history by becoming the first mainland Chinese player to capture a victory on the Cornferry Tour, which earned him his initial PGA Tour card for the 2018 season. Zachchang do drains Eagle Putt on number 16 at Compliance Solutions. His debut season on the PGA Tour proved incredibly challenging, ultimately sending him back to golf’s developmental circuit, where he would remain until successfully earning promotion once again in 2022. But here’s where it gets interesting. The now 27-year-old has demonstrated significantly improved form throughout this year. Most notably highlighted by his runner-up finish at last week’s Compliance Solutions Championship, which stands as his strongest performance of the entire season. That crucial result catapulted him inside the top 20 in points as he heads into French lick. Due now confronts a familiar challenge, maintaining composure under immense pressure. A solid showing on the notoriously demanding Pete Dai layout could secure his third return trip to the PGA Tour and represent a significant comeback story for one of China’s pioneering golf talents. Sedarian Yela Maraju, currently number 20, Canada’s Yellow Maraju, occupies the critical number 20 position on the corn ferry tour points list, fighting to earn his first ever PGA Tour card following a remarkably rapid ascent through professional golf’s developmental system. Yellow Maraju generated significant headlines early in 2025 by capturing victory at the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, which was only the season’s second tournament. It represented a genuine breakthrough moment for the 24 year old who had struggled considerably as a rookie throughout 2024, managing merely two top 25 finishes across 25 starts and ultimately finishing number 99 in the final standings. That performance, however modest, preserved his conditional status and provided the doorway to another opportunity. He transformed that second chance into a determined run through all three stages of PGA Tour Q School presented by Korn Ferry, finishing T36 at final stage to guarantee himself eight starts this season. He hasn’t looked back since that moment. Sudarian Yelamaraju captures his first win at the Bahamas Great Abico Classic. Born in India and subsequently raised in Canada, Yellow Maraju began hitting golf balls inside a Winnipeg golf Dome at the tender age of six before making the bold decision to turn professional at just 19 years old. I didn’t go to college because I couldn’t afford to, he candidly revealed after his Bahamas victory. Now his unconventional and inspiring journey could potentially reach professional golf’s highest level if he can steady his nerves and perform for just one more crucial week. Mitchell Meisner currently. No. 21. Mitchell Meisner will carry the distinction of being the first player outside the promotion bubble when he steps onto the tea. Thursday, entering the corn ferry tour championship, positioned at number 21, precisely one spot outside the promotion cutoff. The Rice University graduate finished T33 at last year’s season finale at French Lick, then underwent a second surgical procedure on his right wrist just days afterward. His resilience and determination have been thoroughly tested since, but he’s now tantalizingly close to joining his younger brother, PGA Tour member M. Mesner, on golf’s biggest stage. Mitchell Meisner chips in for Eagle at Compliance Solutions. Misner’s story nearly concluded during his college years where he battled the dreaded putting yips and was actively lining up a consulting job before deciding to give golf one final chance. In what seemed like a desperate lastditch move, he made the radical switch to putting left-handed despite being naturally right-handed. The unconventional experiment actually worked, reviving his shattered confidence and ultimately saving his professional career. Results throughout this season have been frustratingly inconsistent. He hasn’t finished better than T22 since midsummer, experiencing three missed cuts in his last six tournament starts. But the door to the PGA Tour remains slightly open. A strong finish this week at French Lick could completely rewrite the Meisner brothers family narrative and create an incredible story of sibling success. Julian Sururi, currently number 22, Julian Suri has built an entire career around comebacks and resilience, and this week presents yet another opportunity at Revival for the well-traveled journeyman. The 34year-old New York native sits just two positions outside the critical top 20 cutoff as he pursues his first ever PGA Tour card. Suri surged dramatically into contention with a victory at the Utah Championship presented by Zion’s Bank and Inter Mountain Health, firing a spectacular closing 63 to rocket from number 56 all the way to number 16 in the standings. It marked his first cornfairy tour victory in 39 starts and just his second official world golf ranking sanctioned title, joining his 2017 triumph at the Danish Golf Championship on the DP World Tour. Julian Suri discusses mentality being number 22 on Cornfairy Points list. A former Duke standout originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Suri’s professional journey has literally spanned continents and multiple tours. He even served in the unique role of official golf ambassador for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2018. Perhaps Suri can channel his hometown team’s impressive winning performance over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday into a top 12 finish this week. that would likely prove sufficient to land the season professional on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career. Jeremy Gandon, currently number 23, Jeremy Gandon’s rookie season on the Cornferry Tour has been nothing short of a revelation. The talented Frenchman captured the club car championship at the Landings Golf Athletic Club for his first tour title and now stands on the precipice of promotion, entering the finale, positioned at number 23 in points. Gand followed directly in the footsteps of countryman Paul Barjon, becoming only the second French player in history to win on the cornfairy tour. His remarkably steady play throughout the entire season has featured seven top 25 finishes, though he’ll realistically need a top five result at French Lick to break through that crucial top 20 barrier. Jeremy Gandon Birdy’s playoff hole to seal win at Club Car Championship. The 28-year-old honed his skills at Kansas State, where he earned recognition as the 2018 Big 12 individual co-ch champion and established himself as one of the conference’s most consistent and reliable performers. A strong finish on the challenging Pete Die course could stamp Gandon’s ticket to the PGA Tour and mark another significant milestone in France’s steadily growing presence on golf’s global stage. Justin Sue, currently number 24. But here’s where it gets controversial. Justin Sue knows exactly what it takes to win this specific event. The former world amateur number one won one and 2022 corn ferry tour player of the year enters this week positioned at number 24, needing one more exceptional performance to return to the PGA Tour. But is being a former champion at this event actually an advantage or does it add even more pressure? SA rediscovered his winning formula earlier this year with a victory at the 118 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro, his second Cornferryy Tour title. It represented a timely rebound after losing his hard-earned PGA Tour card in 2024 when he made just 12 cuts in 29 starts and finished a disappointing number 165 in the FedEx Cup fall standings. Justin Su makes eagle putt on number 16 at compliance solutions. Two years ago, S absolutely dominated this same event, albeit on a different course to clinch the top spot on the seasonl long standings and earn his first tour promotion. The question is, can lightning strike twice? Now 27, the USC product has endured injuries, pandemic related setbacks, and the exhausting grind of Monday qualifiers since turning professional in 2019. But a major hurdle remains. He will realistically need a T3 or better this week to complete his challenging road back to the PGA Tour. And this is the part most people miss. These aren’t just statistics and rankings. These are real people whose livelihoods, families, and dreams hang in the balance over four rounds of golf. The Cornferryy Tour system is designed to identify the best players. But is it too brutal? Does having such a hard cut off at exactly 20 players create the right incentives? Or does it unfairly punish players who’ve had solid seasons but fall just short? What do you think? Is the current system fair, or should more players earn PGA Tour cards? Should there be a different qualification structure? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. We’d love to hear whether you think this high pressure format brings out the best in players or creates unnecessary stress that might not reflect true ability. Buddy.
