Barjon wins final Korn Ferry event to get PGA Tour card. Tuten loses out on a penalty
NEWBURGH, Ind. (AP) — Paul Barjon had a big weekend at the right time, closing with a 4-under 68 on Sunday for a three-shot victory in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship to move him into the top 30 of players who earned PGA Tour cards for 2024.
Barjon came into the final event at No. 45 on the points list, and then he went 64-68 to secure his card.
On an typically emotional day at Victoria National, Shad Tuten and Rafael Campos were on opposite ends.
Tuten thought his 74 was going to be just enough to finish in the top 30. But after his round, video showed that he took an improper drop in the 15th fairway and he was assessed a two-shot penalty. That dropped him to a 76, and he fell outside the top 30.
Campos missed a birdie putt on his final hole and was in tears. He was at No. 31 but moved to No. 30 when Tuten was penalized.
Tuten’s penalty amounted to a short cut. He went to lift, clean and place his ball in the fairway on the par-5 15th. The ball moved slightly forward. Rules official Jim Duncan said he was supposed to place his ball in the same spot, and if rolled again, he was to find a spot where the ball would stay put.
Video showed Tuten did not try to place it in the same spot, instead moving it slightly to the right to find a place it wouldn’t move.
Barjon was among five players who moved into the top 30 to earn PGA Tour cards for next year. The others were Mac Meissner, Josh Teater, Wilson Furr and Roger Sloan of Canada.
Teater couldn’t afford to drop a shot coming in, and he holed a 15-foot par putt on the 17th hole. Teater hit the fairway and green for a simple two-putt par on the final hole to earn his return to the PGA Tour.
Ben Kohles locked up No. 1 on the points list, giving him a spot in The Players Championship and the U.S. Open.
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