Johnny Keefer is comfortable on the bubble. Only 25 years into his professional career, and only a few years old, the former Baylor Bear has already experienced a time in his career at a notable breaking point that could change the trajectory of his development. So it’s no surprise that he ends up participating in another season in his first season on the PGA Tour.
Kiefer, 71st in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the 3M Open, would become the first man eliminated from the postseason when it begins today. Good news for him. it’s not. With three weeks left in the PGA Tour regular season, Kiefer finds himself in a familiar and comfortable position.
“That’s out of my control,” Kiefer told CBS Sports. “I think I’ve done a really good job so far in my career of just making it happen. And I know that no matter what happens, I’ve done everything I can to be successful. If I don’t succeed, well, but the good thing is I’ve done a pretty good job of not thinking about it and just moving forward and just swinging.”
“… Good golf solves a lot of problems. And you’re always going to want to jump into it, whether you’re in the bubble or not. And I don’t think it changes anything.”
As a fifth-year college student, Kiefer finished 25th on the PGA Tour University, the final ranking on the PGA Tour’s college pathway that earns him status on the PGA Tour Americas. Kiefer took full advantage of that, playing with a sense of freedom and earning his Korn Ferry Tour card.
“I was definitely more optimistic than the 11th-place guy who narrowly missed the Korn Ferry card and had to play the PGA Tour Americas,” Kiefer said. “He probably didn’t feel as good as I did. I definitely felt like I was just trying to have fun and just soak it all in and understand that I was playing for a professional.”
“I had a job, so I was trying to enjoy it as much as I could. I think that was my zone, so to speak. So I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it light and keeping it fun up to that point. And, as always, it’s fun to make a lot of birdies.”
On the Korn Ferry Tour, Kiefer became the third player to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors in the same season, following Sung-Jae Im and Scottie Scheffler. But the bubble watch didn’t stop with his rise to the PGA Tour, as he started running again towards the end of the 2025 calendar year.
Hoping to secure an invitation to his first Masters, Kiefer received a sponsorship exemption for the RSM Classic, the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup fall finale. He stepped up to the challenge, finishing in the top 10 and securing a spot on the tee sheet at Augusta National the following April.
Kiefer will likely need to be called up for something similar with three weeks left in the regular season. In a run of golf that has included two top-10 finishes in the last seven tournaments, highlighted by a career-best T3 at the Scottish Open, he seemed to be hitting his stride at the right time, perhaps building momentum towards his first playoff appearance in his first season on the PGA Tour.
Unfortunately, missing the cut at this week’s 3M Open didn’t help matters.
“There’s still a lot of golf left and a lot of points left,” Keefer said. “I think I put a little bit of pressure on myself early on, but to be honest, I think I did a pretty good job of resetting and getting everything right. I feel like I’m playing on free rent right now.”
“I feel like I’m just rolling. If I play well, great, and if I don’t, it’s just golf. It’s not really a big deal. I mean, to be honest, it’s not that big of a deal to me. I think it’s kind of a good attitude. It’s just golf. I’m going to go home. I’m going to live. I’ll be fine. Hit a 76 or 66. It doesn’t really matter if I hit the ball.” There are a lot of other good things going on in my life, so if I just go out there and figure it out and try to play as freely as I can, and good golf comes along, that’s great. ”
Watch the entire conversation with Johnny Keefer below.
