Johnny Keefer closed out the 2025 NV5 Invitational at The Glen Club in Glenview, Illinois, with a final-round 69, finishing at a tournament-record 26-under‑par (258) to secure his second Korn Ferry Tour victory this year.
His wire-to-wire consistency–underlined by back‑to‑back 62s in the first two rounds–built the momentum he never relinquished. Though he had to hold off a charging field over the weekend, Keefer remained steady, playing a bogey-free final ten holes to seal the two-stroke win.
The victory carries major implications: Keefer vaults to No. 1 on the 2025 Points List, earning #TOURBound status and locking in his PGA Tour card for 2026. With $180,000 in earnings and the tour spotlight firmly on him, Keefer has quickly established himself as a rising force on the Korn Ferry circuit.
Pressure Building, but Keefer Stayed Under Par
Entering the final round with a comfortable four‑stroke lead, Keefer faced a stern challenge from a stacked leaderboard–Jeffrey Kang lurked in second, while Neal Shipley, Davis Chatfield, and Kensei Hirata trailed in a logjam three back at 23-under. Kang threatened with a decisive eagle on the par‑5 18th, carding a 65 and finishing at 24-under, but Keefer’s composure kept him ahead.
Keefer’s final‑round 69 did include a couple of mid‑round bogeys, but timely birdies countered any slips, highlighting his ability to close under pressure. It was his poise on the closing stretch–particularly the final nine without a misstep–that sealed the day. In contrast, the other contenders produced low rounds—Shipley closed with a scorching 63, while Chatfield and Hirata both fired rounds in the high‑60s—but couldn’t make up the early deficit.
T3 Finishers Signal Depth of Korn Ferry Field
Davis Chatfield, a notable amateur-to-pro transition story, posted a final‑round 67 to finish tied for third at 23-underalongside Shipley and Hirata. Chatfield’s week included a sensational third-round 64, rounding into form late–characteristics that signal readiness for a PGA Tour opportunity.
Neal Shipley’s final-round 63 mirrored that Heat–also anchored him into the −23 logjam. Shipley’s ability to bounce back under pressure was on full display, and though he missed out on the title, his performance underlined the strength and depth of the Korn Ferry leaderboard. Hirata, meanwhile, quietly put together consistent play across all four rounds to stick with the frontrunners late into Sunday.
PGA Tour Cards, Rankings & Momentum
Keefer’s dominant win not only cements his second-season success but gives him a clear ascendancy toward finishing inside the top 30 in the season-long points race–key to earning a PGA Tour card. With two victories already, he’s one of only two multi-winners this season alongside Austin Smotherman. Those solid credentials put him in elite Korn Ferry company and nearly secure a spot in the 2026 PGA Tour lineup.
For runners-up like Kang and the T3 group, strong performances like this can provide meaningful momentum heading into the season stretch. Chatfield, Shipley, and Hirata all added to their credentials for potential promotion, even without the title–finishing tied for third earns significant Tour points and confidence as the season heads deeper into August and beyond.
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