 Written by Staff @KornFerryTour Chan Kim officially locked up his first PGA TOUR card in historic fashion Sunday at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, as he carded a second consecutive bogey-free 7-under 64, totaled 28-under 256 and tied the fourth-lowest 72-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history, in addition to becoming the first player since the Tour’s establishment in 1990 to win an event without making a single bogey.
Kim, who won last week’s inaugural Magnit Championship, also became the 12th player (and 13th occurrence) in Korn Ferry Tour history to win back-to-back events. The last occurrence of back-to-back wins on the Korn Ferry Tour came in 2021, when Cameron Young and Mito Pereira both recorded back-to-back victories across four consecutive weeks. “This is what I came here to do,” said Kim, who became the seventh player declared #TOURBound, signaling he is assured of finising in the top 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and earning PGA TOUR membership for the 2024 season. “That was my goal from the beginning of the year. I took the risk of coming over here to play instead of just playing in Japan.” Kim played the first three holes of Sunday’s final round in 3-under par, making a birdie at the par-5 second and eagle at the par-5 third. After consecutive birdies at the par-4 ninth and 10th, it appeared Kim would lap the field and win in dominant fashion. However, David Kocher, a two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner who entered the week with a career-low round of 62, made some history of his own at Hillcrest Country Club. Kocher eagled the par-5 16th and birdied the par-4 18th as he recorded a 12-under 59, the 10th sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history. Kocher joined Mac Meissner and Michael Feagles as the third player to card a 59 this year, marking the first time in Tour history three sub-60 rounds were logged in a single season. Kocher’s 59 was also the second sub-60 round posted at the Albertsons Boise Open, one of three events played every year since the Korn Ferry Tour’s inaugural 1990 season. Kocher’s furious rally took him to 26-under 258 for the week, marking the second-lowest score by a runner-up in Korn Ferry Tour history. Only Rhein Gibson, who totaled 23-under 257 and finished seven strokes behind Stephan Jaeger at the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae, posted a lower score as a runner-up on Tour. “I knew for sure somebody was going to go low today,” Kim said. “I was watching the leaderboard the whole day. Then I heard a roar on No. 16… to shoot 59 in the final round is just unbelievable golf. He gave me a run for my money, and I just had to keep my head down and really get after it.” Kim birdied the par-4 12th and reached 27-under par, but Kocher’s 59 only left him with a one-stroke cushion down the stretch. A two-putt birdie at the par-5 16th gave Kim an insurance stroke he didn’t actually need in the end. Sunday’s win made Kim the third multi-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, joining Pierceson Coody and Ben Kohles. It also marked Kim’s 10th victory worldwide, with his previous eight wins coming on the Japan Golf Tour. Kim, a native of South Korea who grew up in Hawaii, turned professional in 2010 after two seasons at Arizona State University and played Q-Schools all over the world, searching for a circuit to play full time. Kim eventually landed on the Japan Golf Tour in 2015, and he spent eight years chasing Official World Golf Ranking points and PGA TOUR membership via non-member FedExCup points at major championships (he qualified for 12 of them) and World Golf Championships. Kim’s back-to-back wins are all the more stunning considering the fact, just three weeks ago, he simply hoped to finish top 75 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and maintain membership for next season. Prior to last week’s win in New Jersey, Kim stood 54th on the Points List with three missed cuts and a T66 in his last four starts. In his mind, the only lower points in his career were a 2016 slump which sent him back to Japan Golf Tour Q-School, and a back injury after a breakout 2017 season which saw him win three times and finish T11 at The Open Championship. Kim saw eight different doctors in the United States and Korea and, although he avoided surgery, ultimately missed all of 2018. Kim returned to form at the 2019 Japan Open Golf Championship, one of the tour’s major championships. Two years later, Kim won thrice more and finished atop the Japan Golf Tour’s 2020-21 Order of Merit, earning a five-year exemption on the circuit. Last season, Kim capitalized on his PGA TOUR playing opportunities and qualified for the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which also granted him an exemption for Final Stage of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament. For Kim, who maintained a residence in Arizona while he played in Japan, it was time to walk another path to the PGA TOUR. “For some reason, I felt like I was getting a little too comfortable out there,” Kim said. “When the world ranking points were great, it was great, but now that the world ranking points dropped out there and there’s 30 cards here compared to 25 last year, I just felt it was the right time to come over. And on my off weeks I can sleep in my own bed, so that’s a bonus.” Seeing as last year’s Albertsons Boise Open was where Kim’s Korn Ferry Tour quest began, there was perhaps no more fitting venue for Kim’s #TOURBound declaration. “It has been a long journey,” Kim said. “The end goal was always to play the PGA TOUR, and I’d love to No. 1 in the world. It’s going to be a grind, but I enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to it.”  In front of 800 tournament sponsors, local media partners and special guests, Albertsons and Chevron executives announced a record-breaking charity donation of more than $3 MILLION during the Hershey Company Pro-Am Dinner at the Boise Centre. The donation is the largest by any event in the 34-year history of the Korn Ferry Tour and takes the 34-year charity donation total for the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron to nearly $36 MILLION.
“Thanks to the amazing support of Albertsons, Chevron, our treasured sponsors, the great fans of Boise and our 800 hard-working volunteers, we are thrilled to announce this record-breaking contribution to deserving charities,” said Jeff Sanders, CEO of Jeff Sanders Entertainment, the event’s management company. “We look forward to entertaining our fans, showcasing PGA TOUR golf by day and sold-out concerts by night.” The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron is the first event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, featuring the top 156 Korn Ferry Tour players as they compete to earn their PGA TOUR cards for the 2023-2024 PGA TOUR season. So far this PGA TOUR season, 32 tournaments have been won by players who came through Boise on the Korn Ferry Tour in recent years including the top ranked player in the world Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Victor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, and more. Again this year, the event will feature three concerts after golf, August 24-26 on the 18th fairway at Hillcrest Country Club. The concerts will kick off following golf on Thursday, August 24th with nine-time Grammy winner, Sheryl Crow. Crow’s first nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven charted in the Top 10, and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Most recently, the full-length documentary film based on Crow’s life and career, entitled Sheryl, premiered to critical acclaim at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival ahead of its network premiere on SHOWTIME. Following golf on Friday night, rock and roll legend Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will take the stage. Formed in 1979 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classic “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” On Saturday night, American rock band Weezer will rock the stage with their numerous chart-topping megahits “Buddy Holly,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Say It Ain’t So,” “El Scorcho,” “Hash Pipe,” “Island In The Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans,” and more. Weezer has won Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, and more throughout their career and sold 10 million albums in the U.S., and over 35 million records worldwide. Tickets for the concert days are sold out but Sunday tickets are still available for only $10. The concerts are sponsored by Smithfield Foods on Thursday, Tyson Foods on Friday and Wayne-Sanderson Farms on Saturday. In addition to the great golf and concert admission, all tickets will include admission to four on-course hospitality venues - the Albertsons Wine Bar & Chill Zone, Corona Premier Beach Club, Michelob Ultra Fan Pavilion & Beers Fore Birdies featuring the Albertsons Signature Café, and the Coors Light Fan Deck. Sunday’s Final Round will feature Junior Day sponsored by Pacific Office Automation. Junior Day will include a free tournament logo’d hat and lunch for the first 500 kids in attendance as well as free golf games and golf lessons from PGA Professionals. For more information, please visit www.AlbertsonsBoiseOpen.com  The 34th annual Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron kicked off the week at Hillcrest Country Club with a surprise, private concert for 500 sponsors and VIP guests from American pop rock stars, the Jonas Brothers.
Fresh off their back-to-back sell outs of Yankee stadium and TD Garden and between dates in Toronto and Indianapolis as part of the North American leg of their world tour, “The Tour,” the band came to Boise to perform for Albertson’s guests following the Monday Hershey Company Pro-Am. “Despite the weather challenges that Hurricane Hillary brought us, the Jonas Brothers were the perfect start to a great week of entertainment at this year’s Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron,” said Jeff Sanders, CEO of Jeff Sanders Entertainment, the event’s production company. The Albertsons Boise Open Presented by Chevron will also feature three nights of public concerts after golf on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, August 24-26 at Hillcrest CC. The concerts will kick off on Thursday, August 24th with nine-time Grammy winner, Sheryl Crow. Crow’s first nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven charted in the Top 10, and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Most recently, the full-length documentary film based on Crow’s life and career, entitled Sheryl, premiered to critical acclaim at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival ahead of its network premiere on SHOWTIME. She will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this coming November. Following golf on Friday night, rock and roll legend Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will take the stage. Formed in 1979 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classic “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” On Saturday night, American rock band Weezer will rock the stage with their numerous chart-topping megahits “Buddy Holly,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Say It Ain’t So,” “El Scorcho,” “Hash Pipe,” “Island In The Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans,” and more. Weezer has won Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, and more throughout their career and sold 10 million albums in the U.S., and over 35 million records worldwide. The concerts will be held at Hillcrest CC on the 18th fairway and will start immediately after golf concludes. Concert admission is included with the purchase of daily tickets and four-day passes - there will not be any additional charges or upgraded tickets needed to enjoy the concerts after golf on the night our fans purchase their daily ticket. The concerts are sponsored by Smithfield Foods on Thursday, Tyson Foods on Friday and Wayne-Sanderson Farms on Saturday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday tickets for golf and the concerts are already sold out. In addition to the great golf and concert admission, all tickets will include admission to four on-course hospitality venues – the Albertsons Wine Bar & Chill Zone on the 16th green, the Corona Premier Beach Club on the 10th green, the Michelob Ultra Fan Pavilion featuring Beers Fore Birdies and the Albertsons Signature Café on the 16th green, and the Coors Light Fan Deck behind the 18th green. Sunday’s Final Round will feature Junior Day sponsored by Pacific Office Automation. Junior Day will include a free tournament logo’d hat and lunch for the first 500 kids in attendance as well as free golf games and golf lessons for juniors of all skill levels. Plus, all juniors can enjoy the final round action and witness the crowning of the Champion! Daily tickets are $30 for Thursday - Saturday (sold out) and just $10 for Sunday’s final round and Junior Day. Kids 15 and under get in free with a paid adult all four days. For more information, please visit www.AlbertsonsBoiseOpen.com · Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron is 8 weeks away
· Thursday and Saturday tickets already sold out; Friday sellout expected soon · 100% of ticket sales go to local charities via Mondelez Tickets Support Charity Program · Sunday tickets for the Final Round and Junior Golf Day presented by Pacific Office Automation are only $10 BOISE, IDAHO – Today at Hillcrest Country Club, the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron hosted 150 members of the media, tournament sponsors, media partners, Hillcrest CC Board President and Albertsons Executives for the official 2023 Media Day hosted by Coca-Cola. The event included tournament and charity updates from Albertsons Companies EVP and Chief Operations Officer, Susan Morris and Jeff Sanders Entertainment (JSE) CEO, Jeff Sanders as well as a Q&A with World Golf Hall of Fame Member and former NBC Golf Analyst, Roger Maltbie. As part of the exclusive interview for those in attendance, Maltbie discussed the great golf over the years and the record-breaking charity results at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron. So far this PGA TOUR season, 25 of the 36 tournaments have been won by players who came through Boise on the Korn Ferry Tour in recent years including World Number 1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley, Max Homa, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and many more. The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron will be the first of three Korn Ferry Tour Finals events to feature the top 156 Korn Ferry Tour players from the 2023 regular season as they compete for 30 PGA TOUR cards for the 2023-2024 PGA TOUR season. Albertsons EVP and Chief Operations Officer, Susan Morris spoke about the Albertsons Boise Open’s rich history of supporting charity, raising nearly $33 Million since 1990. She explained that once again a significant portion of the money raised for charity will again come from the Mondelez Tickets Support Charity Program, where 100% of all ticket sales support local charities. Through the Mondelez Tickets for Charity program, all ticket purchasers will select one of 40 local charities that their ticket purchase will support. Following Morris, Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron Executive Director and JSE CEO, Jeff Sanders, spoke to the crowd about the new fan enhancements at the event this August 24-27. Again this year, the event will feature three nights of concerts after golf on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, August 24-26 at Hillcrest CC. The concerts will kick off following golf on Thursday, August 24th with nine-time Grammy winner, Sheryl Crow. Crow’s first nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven charted in the Top 10, and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Most recently, the full-length documentary film based on Crow’s life and career, entitled Sheryl, premiered to critical acclaim at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival ahead of its network premiere on SHOWTIME. She will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this coming November. Following golf on Friday night, rock and roll legend Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will take the stage. Formed in 1979 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classic “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” On Saturday night, American rock band Weezer will rock the stage with their numerous chart-topping megahits “Buddy Holly,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Say It Ain’t So,” “El Scorcho,” “Hash Pipe,” “Island In The Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans,” and more. Weezer has won Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, and more throughout their career and sold 10 million albums in the U.S., and over 35 million records worldwide. Thursday and Saturday tickets for golf and the concerts are already sold out and Friday tickets are expected to sell out soon. The concerts will be held at Hillcrest CC on the 18th fairway and will start immediately after golf concludes. Concert admission is included with the purchase of daily tickets and four-day passes - there will not be any additional charges or upgraded tickets needed to enjoy the concerts after golf on the night our fans purchase their daily ticket. The concerts are sponsored by Smithfield Foods on Thursday, Tyson Foods on Friday and Sanderson Farms on Saturday. In addition to the great golf and concert admission, all tickets will include admission to four on-course hospitality venues – the Albertsons Wine Bar and Chill Zone on the 16th green, the Corona Premier Beach Club on the 10th green, the Michelob Ultra Fan Pavilion featuring Beers Fore Birdies and the Albertsons Signature Café on the 16th green, and the Coors Light Fan Deck behind the 18th green. Sunday’s Final Round will feature Junior Day sponsored by Pacific Office Automation. Junior Day will include a free tournament logo’d hat and lunch for the first 500 kids in attendance as well as free golf games and golf lessons for juniors of all skill levels. Plus, all juniors can enjoy the final round action and witness the crowning of the Champion! Daily tickets are $30 for Thursday (sold out), Friday (still available), and Saturday (sold out) and just $10 for Sunday’s final round and Junior Day. Kids 15 and under get in free with a paid adult all week. For more information, please visit www.AlbertsonsBoiseOpen.com The 34th annual Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron announced the concert lineup for this year’s event to be held August 24 – 27 at Hillcrest Country Club. The first event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron features four days of PGA TOUR golf with three concerts at Hillcrest in the evenings following the first three tournament rounds.
Last year, the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron set the Korn Ferry Tour charity record delivering THREE MILLION DOLLARS to charities. The event will continue its rich history of supporting charity by adding to the nearly $33 Million raised since the inaugural event in 1990. A portion of the money raised for charity will once again come from the Mondelez Tickets Support Charity Program where 100% of all event ticket sales support local charities. Through the Mondelez Tickets Support Charity program, all ticket purchasers will select the local charity their ticket purchase will support. The concerts will kick off following golf on Thursday, August 24th with nine-time Grammy winner, Sheryl Crow. Crow’s first nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven charted in the Top 10, and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Most recently, the full-length documentary film based on Crow’s life and career, entitled Sheryl, premiered to critical acclaim at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival ahead of its network premiere on SHOWTIME. Following golf on Friday night, rock and roll legend Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will take the stage. Formed in 1979 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classic “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” On Saturday night, American rock band Weezer will rock the stage with their numerous chart-topping megahits “Buddy Holly,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Say It Ain’t So,” “El Scorcho,” “Hash Pipe,” “Island In The Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans,” and more. Weezer has won Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, and more throughout their career and sold 10 million albums in the U.S., and over 35 million records worldwide. “We are excited for another entertaining year of exciting PGA TOUR golf by day and amazing concerts at night at Hillcrest Country Club,” said Jeff Sanders, CEO of Jeff Sanders Entertainment, the company that promotes and operates the event. “Last year the event set charity records and thanks to our amazing sponsors Albertsons, Chevron, over 100 additional major sponsors and 800 loyal Boise volunteers, we hope to do that again while hosting the most fan friendly and affordable event here in Boise.” The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron will be the first of three Korn Ferry Tour Finals events to feature 156 Korn Ferry Tour players as they compete to earn their PGA TOUR cards for the 2023-2024 PGA TOUR season. The tournament has hosted many of the best golfers in the world over the years on their way to PGA TOUR stardom including current PGA TOUR stars Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Victor Hovland, Will Zalatoris, Xander Schauffele, and many more. The concerts will be held at Hillcrest CC on the 18th fairway and will start immediately after golf concludes. Concert admission is included with the purchase of daily tickets and four-day passes - there will not be any additional charges or upgraded tickets needed to enjoy the concerts after golf. The concerts are sponsored by Smithfield Foods on Thursday, Tyson Foods on Friday and Sanderson Farms on Saturday. Tickets go on sale today, April 4th at 9:00 am and include admission to the golf tournament by day and concerts at night. Daily tickets are only $30 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday and just $10 for Sunday’s final round. A limited number of 4-day passes will also be available for $75 that include admission to all four days of the golf tournament and all three evening concerts. In addition to the great golf and concert admission, all tickets will include admission to three on-course hospitality venues - the Albertsons Fan Pavilion on the 16th green featuring Michelob Ultra Beers Fore Birdies and Albertsons Signature Café, the all-new Albertsons Wine Bar also located on the 16th green and the Coors Light Fan Deck behind the 18th green. For more information, please visit www.AlbertsonsBoiseOpen.com  The Albertsons Companies Foundation along with Albertsons Executives announced today the distribution of charity dollars from the Mondelez Tickets Support Charity Program by which 100% of all ticket sales from the 33rd annual Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron were given to local charities.
Forty local Treasure Valley charities received donations from the event thanks to the Mondelez Tickets Support Charity Program which allowed ticket purchasers to choose which local charity would receive 100% of the money from their ticket purchase. Albertsons Intermountain Division President, John Colgrove, met with five of the benefitting charities today to hand deliver their donations:
In total, the 2022 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron generated a Korn Ferry Tour charity record $3 Million for Charities. The Albertsons Companies Foundation will continue to distribute funds from the 2022 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron throughout the year. The 34th annual Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron will take place August 24 – 27, 2023 at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise. For more information, please visit www.AlbertsonsBoiseOpen.com.  Given the low scores at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron this week, it was only fitting the champion carded the low round of Sunday’s final round. Will Gordon carded an 8-under 63, a score only one other player in the field managed Sunday afternoon at Hillcrest Country Club, erasing a seven-stroke deficit to secure his first Korn Ferry Tour victory and a return to the PGA TOUR.
Gordon made an eagle at the par-5 second, a birdie at the par-4 third, and a run of five birdies in a row from Nos. 12-16 as he posted 63 around the time the final pairing made the turn. A native of Davidson, North Carolina, Gordon teed off one hour and 50 minutes before Philip Knowles, who held the outright lead through each of the first three rounds. “I just went in the locker room and hung out,” Gordon said of the wait. “I called a couple buddies who had called me and just talked to them. When somebody bogeyed No. 18 and Phil [Knowles three-putted for par at] No. 15, I was like, ‘Better go hit some balls.’ I was honestly just hoping I had a chance. I would say it went well into my mentality the whole year: I’m going to control what I can control, and what I could control during that time was trying to conserve energy, keep a positive mindset and be ready if the opportunity came.” With Gordon in the clubhouse atop the leaderboard, MJ Daffue, who already earned his first PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season, birdied Nos. 16 and 17 and matched him at 21-under par. Knowles retook the outright lead at 22-under par twice on the back nine, first with a birdie at the par-4 12th, and again with a birdie at the par-5 16th. However, a bogey at the par-4 14th, a three-putt par at the drivable par-4 15th, and a failed up-and-down attempt from just off back of the 18th green left Knowles tied with Gordon and Daffue. All three returned to the par-4 18th for a sudden-death playoff. Gordon was the only member of the trio who clubbed down and hit 2-iron off the tee. He was also the only one who made par. Gordon flew his approach near the back hole location, but watched helplessly as it spun backwards and rolled downhill all the way to the front of the green. Before Daffue and Knowles played challenging shots from off the back of the green, Gordon lagged a birdie putt within 2 feet of the cup. Daffue drove a putter through an awkward lie in the rough and left himself a par putt similar to the birdie attempt Gordon had only moments prior. Knowles, perhaps still influenced by what happened from a similar spot in regulation, left his birdie putt from the fringe well short and above the hole. Knowles’ slick par putt slid past the hole, leaving Gordon with little more than a tap-in par for the win. “It just happened so fast,” Gordon said. Gordon grew up in Davidson, North Carolina and starred at Vanderbilt University, where he was named 2019 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and an All-America First Team selection as a senior. Gordon earned medalist honors at 2019 PGA TOUR Canada Q-School’s Santee, California site amid his senior season at Vanderbilt, awarding him fully exempt status on the circuit for the summer. Gordon posted two top-10s in nine starts on PGA TOUR Canada. Later that fall, Gordon finished two strokes off the cut line for Korn Ferry Tour membership at Second Stage of the Qualifying Tournament. With his upward climb to the PGA TOUR at somewhat of a standstill, Gordon extended his 2019 season with sponsor exemptions into three fall TOUR events. The third exemption resulted in a T10 at The RSM Classic, giving him a chance to chase Special Temporary Membership early in 2020. Gordon played the Farmers Insurance Open as a sponsor exemption in January and open qualified into Puerto Rico Open in February, posting top-25s in both starts. Four months later at the Travelers Championship, the third PGA TOUR event following the COVID-19 pandemic hiatus, Gordon finished T3 as a sponsor exemption and secured Special Temporary Membership. By the end of the 2019-20 season, Gordon earned enough non-member FedExCup points to secure membership for 2020-21 via the Top 125 Non-Member category, meaning had Gordon been a full member he would have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs. Despite a full schedule of 31 events in 2020-21, Gordon finished No. 159 in the FedExCup Standings, relegating him to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Three missed cuts sent him to Final Stage of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament last November, where he finished T19 and earned guaranteed starts for the first eight events of 2022. “The whole year, I wasn’t in a great place,” Gordon said. “Last year toward the end of the year, I was injured, I had a lot going on, and this whole year I just kind of looked at it as a growth process. Things just really haven’t gone my way when it’s come down the stretch. I’m just happy it worked out my way.” Prior to this week, Gordon’s rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour featured five top-10s, all of which were finishes of T6 or higher. In the two events leading up to this week’s Albertsons Boise Open, Gordon recorded back-to-back T5s, moving him up to No. 33 on the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Eligibility Points List. “I would say since January my game’s been good,” Gordon said. “I’ve just been doing the little things a little better. I’ve been leaving the ball on the correct side of the hole and I’ve been a lot more patient with myself. You keep believing, you keep believing. Until you see results, it’s hard. I’ve seen results for the last month and it’s been really rewarding. “I’ve been on the PGA TOUR, I got there quickly, I lost my card,” Gordon continued. “I’ve seen both sides of it, so understanding it’s not life and death has helped me a lot this year, because it felt like life and death last year. Going through all the different processes of this profession, (if) I go out and just play free… over time it’s going to pay off. Gordon is not the only one headed to the PGA TOUR. While Knowles settled for a T2 finish, he secured another one of the PGA TOUR cards available via The Finals 25, as the Korn Ferry Tour is currently using 220 points (the equivalent of a solo-fifth finish) as a fail-safe threshold for players to finish within The Finals 25. Knowles will be a rookie on TOUR this fall. The three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals continue with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship Thursday, August 25 at the Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. After entering the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season with conditional status and zero guaranteed starts, 24-year-old Philip Knowles will enter Sunday’s final round at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron with a chance to become the first wire-to wire winner of the year and just the second since 2018.
Knowles, who held a four-stroke lead coming into the day, carded a 3-under 68 to reach 20-under through 54 holes, earning him a two-shot cushion over Taylor Montgomery in solo-second. For a brief moment late in the round, Knowles lost the lead after a bogey on the 13th followed by a double bogey on 14, but he rallied with three birdies on the final four holes, including a chip-in on No. 18 that received a roar from the crowd. “I told Jack, my caddie, after we walked off No. 16, let's get to 20. We had been there multiple times throughout the day and it was just an absolute battle all day,” Knowles said when asked about his birdie on the final hole. “It goes in and I let out a fist pump. I'm not big on emotion on the golf course, like I don't fist pump very often. There was just a ton of pent-up frustration. Honestly, months' worth of pent-up frustration and rounds like that – I made two doubles and two bogeys. I made three bad golf swings all day. “So yeah, a lot of energy.” Knowles’ round got off to another solid start Saturday afternoon, going birdie-eagle-birdie on Nos. 2-4. Through three rounds of play, Knowles is 12-under par total on the first four holes at Hillcrest Country Club. The first blemish of the day came at the par-4 fifth, where Knowles tallied his first double bogey of the week. With another birdie at the seventh and a bogey at the ninth, he sat at 2-under after nine holes. On the back, Knowles rolled in four birdies at Nos. 10, 15, 16 and 18, against the aforementioned bogey-double bogey spurt on Nos. 13 and 14. “I got a couple of good breaks and today it just, like every shot that was a little bit off, trees in the way or ball in the hazard, bad golf swing, but the drop wasn't easy,” Knowles said. “It feels like that's kind of what this whole season has been like, but I'm excited that I got that round out today. I was able to continue moving into the right direction. I got to 20 and even though I made a lot of mistakes, the birdie production is still there. Good parts of the game are still there, so I'm excited to play tomorrow.” Knowles earned the start this week by playing his way into the top 75 on the Regular Season Eligibility Points List last week. He entered the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna No. 87, which would have left him out of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, and a T10 finish propelled him up to 67th, giving him access to the three-event Finals. With a finish of solo-fifth or better this week, Knowles will secure a spot on The Finals 25 and secure his first PGA TOUR card for the 2022-23 season. Despite being so close to locking up a spot on the TOUR, Knowles knows that the journey doesn’t stop there. “It would be a dream come true and that's the aspiration, to go play against the best in the world on the PGA TOUR,” Knowles said. “The thing that is not to be lost is the fact that just there's a difference between just getting a TOUR card and actually getting your TOUR card with a good position within your category. Wins are huge for that perspective, especially when you're only playing three (Finals events). Getting a TOUR card, that's the dream, but the thought will come into my mind certainly tomorrow at some point and I'll just let it pass through.” With a win this week, Knowles would become the first player since Cameron Young last year to win in wire-to-wire fashion (2021 AdventHealth Championship). “The goal is not just to go get a TOUR card,” Knowles said. “The goal is to go win.” Final-round pairings will tee off from 7:10 a.m. through 1:00 p.m. local time off the first tee. Coming into the day as the 18-hole outright leader, Philip Knowles extended his lead on the field to four strokes as he sits atop the leaderboard heading into the weekend at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron. After a career-low 61 in the first round, Knowles followed up with a 7-under 64 Friday to claim the first 36-hole lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career.
“Yesterday felt very easy. Today, it was a little bit up and down, honestly,” said the 24-year-old Knowles. “I wouldn't say that it was super easy today, but there were stretches where I executed really good golf shots and made the putts and kind of built momentum there.” While he felt his play was “up and down” in the second round, Knowles’ scorecard said otherwise as the Bradenton, Florida native recorded eight birdies against just one bogey. His 17-under 125 through two rounds marks the lowest 36-hole score in a Korn Ferry Tour event since Alex Prugh’s 124 at the 2018 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae. Knowles’ 18 total birdies (16 birdies and two eagles) are the most in the field and three more than the next best – Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira has 15 birdies and sits T2. Knowles’ second round started on the front nine at Hillcrest Country Club, where he tallied six birdies at Nos. 2-4 and 7-9. Through two rounds, Knowles has played holes 1-9 at 13-under par total, shooting a 7-under 29 on the front in the first round followed by Friday’s 6-under 30. On the back, Knowles rolled in another pair of birdies at the 11th and 18th, along with his lone bogey of the day on the par-3 13th. “I kind of dinked it around that back nine and just tried to stay patient, stay patient,” Knowles said. “Making that 12, 13 footer on the last hole for birdie was the epitome of patience. I didn't have it for five holes (Nos. 13-17). I was able to kind of get that to go on the last. It was a good step into tomorrow's round.” This week’s 18-hole lead marked the second-consecutive week where Knowles was the solo leader after the first round as he achieved the same feat at last week’s Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna. Last week marked the first time Knowles held a lead of any kind on the Korn Ferry Tour and Friday marked the first 36-hole lead for him. Knowles is in his first full season on the Korn Ferry Tour and making his 17th start of the year this week in Boise. He played in two events, the 2020 and 2021 LECOM Suncoast Classic, during the 2020-21 season as a sponsor exemption but missed the cut in both starts. He began this season with conditional status after a T73 finish at Final Stage of last year’s Qualifying Tournament and once again was a sponsor exemption at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, this time finishing T22 which saw him rise on the priority list. After a string of four missed cuts in April and May, Knowles season turned around at the AdventHealth Championship, where he placed T23. Since then, he has played in nine events and logged five top-30 finishes and three top 15s, while only missing the cut one time. Knowles, who originally turned professional in 2018, has also tallied 19 starts on PGA TOUR Canada, where he earned his only win in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event at the 2021 Auburn University Club Invitational, which propelled him to a No. 7 finish on the Order of Merit, granting him an exemption to Final Stage last November. Prior to entering the professional level, Knowles played four seasons at the University of North Florida where he was a 2019 All-America Third Team selection and 2018 All-America Honorable Mention. He was named the 2019 Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year and was a three-time All-Atlantic Sun First Team selection (2017, 2018, 2019). “I was streaky in junior golf,” said Knowles when discussing his amateur career. “I got to my freshman year of college and I realized I was pretty bad at golf and I got better every year. (Head Coach) Scott (Schroeder) helped me really my first two years go from an average player to a pretty good player. (Assistant Coach) Jeff (Dennis) almost took the next step and helped me become, what I felt like, really competitive. I owe them a ton.” After his opening round Thursday, Knowles said that reminding himself to be patient has been a main focus of his recently and it’s been rewarding to, “see that patience pay off.” Despite having the outright lead for the second-consecutive day, he refuses to pay much attention to the leaderboard or get comfortable until the tournament comes to a close. “I haven't seen my name at the top of the leaderboard yet, I haven't looked. But as a golfer, you have an idea.” Third-round tee times will run from 8:10 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. local time off the first tee. Playing out of the next to last group of the afternoon wave, University of North Florida alum Philip Knowles swooped in and took the outright 18-hole lead from Min Woo Lee with a 7-under 29 on his second nine holes at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron. Knowles carded a career-low round of 10-under 61 that included two eagles and eight birdies against two bogeys.
“It's my lowest round in competition,” the 25-year-old Knowles said. “Honestly, I wish I wearing some type of heart rate monitor because I never felt like my heart rate really got that elevated. It felt like I was supremely in control of everything that I was doing and so there was no need to be fearful.” Knowles’ day started on the back at Hillcrest Country Club, where he got off to a solid start with birdies at the par-4s 10 and 11. He carded two bogeys on the day at Nos. 13 and 17, which bookended a trio of birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th. After making the turn at 3-under par, the 25-year-old climbed the leaderboard late in the afternoon with the 29 on his second nine holes. “I just kept telling myself to stay patient, stay aggressive,” Knowles said of his mentality. “The golf course can lend itself to a lot of birdies if you put yourself in good positions and you can get a good feel with the putter.” Knowles played Nos. 1-3 at 5-under par after a birdie-eagle-eagle stretch. On the three par 5s, Knowles was 5-under par with two eagles (Nos. 2, 3) and a birdie (No. 16). He rolled in two more birdies at the fifth and eighth to finish at 10-under, securing his second-consecutive 18-hole lead after he achieved the same feat at last week’s Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna. “The bones of my game have been so good for months now, and it seems like I'm just catching fire all of a sudden at this peak time,” said Knowles. “Honestly, it just feels like this has been coming for me. Not to say that I'm going to go shoot 10-under every day, but it's been really rewarding last week and this week to see that patience pay off.” Knowles, who is in his first full season on the Korn Ferry Tour, entered last week’s regular season finale No. 87 on the Eligibility Points List, which would have left him out of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Powered by an opening-round 65 and a third-round 64, Knowles finished T10 and jumped 19 spots to 68th, earning him fully-exempt status for the 2023 season, but more importantly, access to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and another opportunity to chase his first PGA TOUR card. Knowles began the season with conditional status after a T73 finish at Final Stage of last year’s Qualifying Tournament. His year got off to a slow start as he missed the cut in four of his first six starts. Since then, Knowles has logged five top-25 finishes in 10 events, including the first top-10 of his Korn Ferry Tour career last week. “I've been playing really good, solid golf for a few months and the scores hadn't really been actualizing,” Knowles said when reflecting on his season. “I've been telling myself to stay patient for months now. It's not like I just caught fire in two weeks. You can go back – I was playing well in Greenville three months ago. I was right there near the lead in the middle of the front nine and ended up finishing 12th or 13th. It was there, but I made a couple of bogeys, a couple of mistakes. That's kind of been the story for the past few months.” Knowles prepped at Bradenton Christian School, where his now wife, Olivia, played alongside him on the boys golf team since it did not have a girls team. Olivia went to Clemson University and was a cheerleader, while Knowles played golf at University of North Florida in Jacksonville. The two wed in December 2018, midway through Knowles’ senior season and roughly two years after the couple reconnected. Knowles capped his four-season career at UNF with a 2019 All-America Third Team selection and Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year honors. Knowles turned professional that summer, played a full season on PGA TOUR Canada, and reached Final Stage of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament. A T105 at Final Stage left him buried on the priority ranking for what became the 2020-21 season, so Knowles played predominantly on PGA TOUR Canada. A victory at the 2021 Auburn University Club Invitational propelled him to a No. 7 finish on the Order of Merit, which granted him an exemption to Final Stage last November. Second-round tee times will run from 7:30 a.m. through 2:31 p.m. local time off the first and 10th tees. |
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