When the calendar flips to September, the PGA Tour, and in most cases the whole Pro Golf will be half-sleep. Outside the race finish stretch to Dubai on the Ryder Cup, FedEx Cup Autumn Series and the DP World Tour, the golf takes the back seat in the fall. As the PGA Tour moved the FedEx Cup playoffs in August, it doesn’t contradict football and gives members time to have the “offseason” before the Sentry rolls in January.
However, professional golf doesn’t get completely cold in the “offseason.” For the people in the arena, there is another goal. This is an arena that offers something rare in professional golf.
A real stake.
Whether it’s the PGA Tour or the Corn Ferry Tour, the focus for winning most tees in October and November is not about padding your bank accounts or peaking for a major championship. It’s about keeping your dreams alive.
That tracking is exhausting. Climbing professional ladders is tough and there is little resilience needed to stay there.
The highlights of the final round of Sanderson Farm
PGA Tour Fall is about players trying to stay or stay on the right side of the top 100 bubbles to maintain full exemption status. With a few players jockeys to take part in the first two signature events of 2026, some of the top players may start here and there.
But most of the time, that’s about Land Griffin. He finished third in the Procol Championship behind two guys (Scotty Schaeffler and Ben Griffin). The victory would have meant Griffin, who had a career victory and entered the fall, 142nd in the rankings, but would have been exempt for two years. Instead, Griffin sits at 105 after missing a cut at Sanderson, only a few weeks to jump through five spots.
He also has one top-10 finish on his resume, with one top-10 finish, sitting outside the top-100, for Steven Fisk, a 28-year-old PGA Tour rookie who arrived in Jackson, Mississippi.
With only a few weeks left to win the card in 2026, Fisk fired a back-to-back 65 to push him into the competition, shooting a Sunday 64, tracking down Garic Higugo to assert the first PGA Tour victory and the peace of mind that comes with it.
“Self-belief. Grit. I know it’s good enough. I thought I could do it,” the emotional Fisk said after his victory.
“It’s a lifelong dream. Honestly. You can doubt yourself. I don’t know. I knew I could do that.
Hours before Fisk tapped to wash away his worries, the former PGA Tour member beat the pedals on Sunday to bring his career to life.
Doc Redman’s final PGA tour start took place at the 2023 RSM Classic. He missed just a little bit of regaining his card at last year’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship. However, the 2025 season was difficult for KFT’s Redman. The former Clemson star finished 138th on the points list and has no status for next season unless he passes Q School. However, Redman entered the Sanderson Farms with a three-way playoff in qualifying Monday, shooting 65-67 over the weekend, finishing in a ninth tie at 16 under. That top-10 finish led Redman to the Utah Bank Championship, where he can continue to accumulate non-member points and earning KFT begins next season.
Redman needed a birdie on Sunday the 18th. He hit a drive 330, thrust his approach into seven feet, rolling a birdie putt and punching a ticket to Utah. Even if his climb is a food stall, Redman’s self-esteem remains.
“So, unless I have a bad attitude or something like that, there’s really no bad outcome,” Redman said he would remain positive even when professional golf becomes difficult. “So I think it’s enough, so I’ve come to trust it.”
This period will be even more intense this time of the year with the Corn Ferry Tour, with players going to have to finish in the top 75 on the points list to ensure status for the upcoming season. The top 75 cutoff comes after the third round of the Corn Ferry Tour Final, the Compliance Solutions Championship.
First, go to the Cole Hammer.
The Texas product entered the week at No. 79 in the points rankings and needed a strong final round to secure its place in the final. Due to his job situation on the line, the Hammer fired a bogeyless 64, dived into the top 15, finishing 72nd in the rankings. Hammer could exhale as his KFT privilege was secured in 2026.
“To be honest, I’m very relieved,” Hammer said after his round. “But I’m even more proud of how I fought. I’ve had to rely on my experiences all year. I knew I was in a similar position (as I did last year), but that’s not easy.
“I might have been calm outside, but I felt like there was a bumblebee inside me. I was very busy. It’s difficult to do on the three footer in the final hole. …I know that for some of these events, the other events are just too stressful experiences.
Among others who buckled Sunday at the Patriot Club in Owasso, Oklahoma was Blade Brown. The 18-year-old script was chosen to forget to switch to college. He started the season without status and had to finish in the top 75 to have full playing status in KFT.
Brown played the final seven holes at 3 under, finishing in a tie in 43rd place and entered the Corn Ferry Tour Finals with a total of 75.
“I can’t feel or explain words or explain words about the last few holes,” Brown told Golf Channel. “I remember my hands shaking at No. 17. ‘What the heck, the blade? You have a pitching wedge in your hand. You just hit it where you want it.” I learned a lot about myself under unrealistic pressure. ”
James Nicholas entered the points in Week 78, but shot 23 to finish third and finished in the top 75.
In professional golf, dreams are always Right there. It’s one swing, one distance away, one more time. The fall is about people still chasing it – furious at the still dying light.
Some have been successful. They continue to climb using inertia and self-belief as fuel. Others know that they have been left to continue their pursuits and have chosen pursuits that cannot be forged. The only way is to put the ball in the hole.
“I think the right answer is to focus on where they fall and what you have control over,” said Sam Ryder, who sits at No. 111 on FedEx Fall. “You can’t control how people play. You really know. It’s really process-oriented. I know very much where you’re. You know that all year round. You get texts every week that tell you exactly where you’re on FedEx.
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