The Korn Ferry Tour Championship is underway, and the stakes are high. The top 20 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List will earn PGA TOUR cards. We take a look at six players on the bubble, including Zecheng ‘Marty’ Dou, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Mitchell Meissner, Julian Suri, Jeremy Gandon, and Justin Suh. Who will make the cut and earn a spot on the PGA TOUR?
The Corn Ferry Tour Championship is more than just a tournament. It’s a fierce battleground where dreams of reaching the PGA Tour hang by a thread. This week, the pressure couldn’t be higher as the top 20 players on the Cornferry Tour points list. After the event will earn coveted PGA Tour cards for the 2026 season. For those outside this elite group, the journey continues with the relentless demands of the Cornferryy Tours grind. But here’s where it gets controversial. Who among the so-called bubble players will rise to the occasion and who will fall short? And this is the part most people miss. They aren’t just competing against others. They’re battling themselves under immense pressure in what could be the defining stretch of their careers. In French Lick, Indiana on the challenging Pete Dye course at the French Lick Golf Resort. Six players fighting for one of the last spots have everything to gain or lose in the coming four days. The stage is set and fortunes will pivot on the most crucial rounds of the season. Here’s a detailed look at these contenders teetering on the edge of PGA Tour promotion. Zetchang Do number 19 holding the 19th position. Zetchang Marty Do is clinging to the second to last spot that would grant him a return to the PGA Tour. Do’s career is a compelling story of early promise and resilience after representing China at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside fellow player Carl Yuan. Do has started 69 PGA Tour events, but only cracked the top five once. His rise began spectacularly on the PGA Tour China Series in 2016. When still a teenager, he won four times and topped the Order of Merit. In 2017, he made history as the first mainland Chinese winner on the Cornferry Tour, earning his PGA Tour card for the 2018 season. The rookie year was tough, pushing him back to the developmental tour until a strong comeback in 2022. This year, Due’s momentum surged with a second place finish at the Compliance Solutions Championship, marking his best showing of the season and propelling him into the top 20. Now experiencing the familiar challenge of weathering pressure on a demanding course. He has a chance to secure not just his third PGA Tour promotion, but also revive his role as a pioneer for Chinese golf. Sudarian Yalamaraju, number 20. Right on the bubble at number 20. Canada’s Sudarian Yelam Maraju is eyeing his first ever PGA Tour card after rapidly ascending through the ranks. Early 2025 marked a turning point when he captured victory at the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic. This win was a breakthrough for the 24year-old who had struggled during his 2024 rookie season with only two top 25 finishes in 25 starts. ultimately ranking 99th. That year’s performance, though not stellar, preserved his conditional status and opened the door for another shot. Sudarian’s journey is a testament to perseverance. He fought his way through all three stages of the demanding KGA Tour Q School presented by Kornferryy, finishing tied for 36th in the final stage, which guaranteed him eight starts this season. Born in India and raised in Canada, Yelamaraju learned golf inside a Winnipeg dome when he was six and turned pro by 19. He has admitted financial constraints prevented college attendance, making his rise all the more inspiring. Now, with nerves and opportunity balancing equally, one strong week could crown his unconventional path with PGA Tour status. Mitchell Mesner, number 21. At 21st, Mitchell Mesner is the closest contender to the promotion zone, poised as the first player outside the bubble. A product of Rice University, Mesner has battled adversity both on and off the course. After finishing tied for 33rd at last year’s season finale in French Lick, he underwent a second surgery on his right wrist, testing his resilience. His goal to join his younger brother, M. Mesner, who already competes on the PGA Tour, a family milestone still just out of reach. Mitchell’s story almost ended during college due to struggles with the putting yips to the point of considering a consulting career. His breakthrough came from switching to putt left-handed, a risky move that restored his confidence and career trajectory. However, the season’s results have been inconsistent with no finish better than tied for 22nd since midsummer and three missed cuts in his last six tournaments. Despite this rocky patch, if he can harness his grit at French lick, the brothers could share a unique legacy in professional golf. Julian Suri, number 22, a champion of second chances. Julian Suri’s journey sinks perfectly with this pivotal week. The 34year-old from New York lies just two spots shy of securing a PGA Tour card. Siri’s resurgence came with a powerful win at the Utah Championship where a closing round of 63 vaulted him from 56th to 16th on the points list. His first cornfairy tour triumph after 39 attempts. This marked only his second official global title, the first being the 2017 Danish Golf Championship on the DP World Tour. A former Duke University star and Jacksonville, Florida native, Suri’s diverse career includes serving as the official golf ambassador for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018. With the Jaguars recently defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, could that hometown energy fuel Guliam to clinch a top 12 finish? If so, his experience and composure might finally earn him the place on the PGA Tour he’s long sought. Jeremy Gandon, no. 23. Francis Jeremy Gandon has made an impressive cornfairy tour debut season. The 28-year-old earned his first win at the club car championship, joining the ranks of Frenchman Paul Barjon as one of only two French players with corn ferry tour titles. Entering the championship at number 23 in points, Gandon has shown consistent performance with seven top 25 finishes this year. Yet to break into the top 20, he’ll likely need a top five finish to seal his promotion. A standout at Kansas State University and the 2018 Big 12 individual co-ch champion, Gandon represents the growing impact of French golf internationally. Securing promotion here would not only reward his perseverance, but also highlight France’s increasing prominence on golf’s biggest stages. Justin Su, number 24. No one understands the stakes quite like Justin Su, a former world amateur number one and 2022 Kornferryy Tour player of the year. Now ranked 24th, S is chasing another chance to reclaim his PGA Tour card, needing one final extraordinary performance. Earlier this year, he rediscovered his winning form by capturing the Visa Argentina Open, marking his second cornferry tour victory. However, S’s journey hasn’t been without setbacks. after losing his PGA Tour card in 2024 due to making just 12 cuts in 29 starts and finishing 165th in the FedEx Cup fall standings. Saw has had to battle injuries, the pandemic’s impact, and the exhausting cycle of Monday qualifiers since turning pro in 2019. He famously dominated this exact event two years ago, though played on a different course to secure the top overall spot and his initial PGA Tour promotion. Now 27 and a USC alumnus, Saw faces a critical hurdle. He likely must place tied for third or better at French lick just to finish the comeback story he’s been writing since turning pro. The Cornferryy Tour Championship is not just about talent, but who can handle the pressure when everything is on the line. Which of these players do you think has what it takes to break through? And who might crack under the weight of expectations? Share your thoughts. Do you believe experience Trump’s hunger or can a fresh face shock the golf world? Let the debate begin.
