The grueling final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School presented by Korn Ferry concluded Sunday at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., with just five players securing full PGA Tour cards for the 2026 season. Across four demanding rounds with no cut, these golfers emerged from a field of 176 competitors to earn one of the most coveted prizes in professional golf, fully exempt status on the PGA Tour.
Q-School has always been one of the sport’s toughest tests, a week where careers can change dramatically with every swing. With only five cards awarded under the Tour’s updated exemption system, margins were razor-thin and pressure intense throughout the final stage.
A.J. Ewart Tops the Leaderboard
A.J. Ewart led all competitors at 14-under-par over four rounds to top the Q-School leaderboard and secure his first fully exempt PGA Tour card. The Canadian played steady golf all week, finishing with rounds of 66-67-67-66 for a 266 total that kept him ahead of the pack.
Ewart’s performance was noteworthy not just for his consistency, but also for his ability to handle pressure in a setting where every shot can have season-defining implications. His strong showing reflects success on other circuits as well; earlier in 2025, Ewart competed on PGA Tour Americas, where he had four top-10 finishes and a runner-up result among seven top-25s.
“I came here with the goal to win a golf tournament,” Ewart said. “It wasn’t necessarily to finish in the top five or 25. It was to go and prepare to win a golf tournament. So to do it feels great. It’s kind of like the old saying of ‘aim small, miss small.’ I try to look at any tournament you go out and try to win. If you set your standards a little below that, you’re going to sell yourself short a little bit.”
With this achievement, Ewart joins a growing Canadian contingent on the PGA Tour that will include established names like Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie Hughes and Sudarshan Yellamaraju in 2026.
Svensson, Tosti and Rozo Also Get Full Status
Tied for second at 12-under were Adam Svensson, Alejandro Tosti and Marcelo Rozo, all of whom earned their own PGA Tour cards alongside Ewart. Svensson, also from Canada, has previously competed extensively on the PGA Tour, playing 159 events since 2019 and winning the RSM Classic in 2022.
The top-five finishers tied at 12-under highlight the depth of competition in Q-School; Tosti (Argentina) and Rozo (Colombia) both held their own amid a stacked international field. Their performances reflect success at other professional stops, including Korn Ferry Tour starts and global events, and solidify their place among the Tour’s newest membership class.
Dylan Wu Wins Playoff for Final Card
The final PGA Tour card, the fifth and most dramatic, came down to a sudden-death playoff between Dylan Wu and Ben Silverman. On the opening hole of the playoff, Wu made a clutch birdie to clinch the final spot, capping a memorable week for the young pro.
Wu’s path to Tour status was defined by resilience. Already experienced on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he has competed in more than 100 events, Wu’s ability to convert in the most pressure-packed moment of the week underscored his readiness for the next level.
That playoff finish provided some of the most dramatic moments of Q-School, a reminder that in this high-stakes environment, qualification often hinges on a single putt or tee shot.
Pressure of Q-School Leads to Withdrawals, Disqualification
For many players, PGA Tour Q-School represents the most stressful week of their careers, with livelihoods and future playing rights on the line. The high-pressure environment leaves little room for error, and once a player falls well off the pace, the reality of missing out on status can quickly set in.
That reality played out during this year’s final stage, as four players (Carson Young, Trey Mullinax, Robby Shelton and Braden Thornberry) withdrew following their rounds on Thursday and Friday. In addition, one competitor was disqualified for failing to report to his tee time, a rare but sobering reminder of how unforgiving the process can be.
The disqualification involved Norman Xiong, who opened with an 8-over-par 78 at Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass, leaving him more than 10 shots back of the top five positions required to earn a PGA Tour card. Xiong was scheduled to tee off Friday morning at Sawgrass Country Club, but officials later confirmed he did not show up for his 10:25 a.m. tee time, resulting in an automatic disqualification.
Xiong, a former Haskins Award winner (2018), has bounced between the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour Americas throughout 2025. He earned his PGA Tour card for the 2024 season and won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 and 2023, but injuries slowed his momentum. This year, he made four of eight cuts on the PGA Tour and two of six on the Korn Ferry Tour, illustrating the fine margins that define life at golf’s highest levels.
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