Five new players joining PGA Tour in 2024 after LIV Golf exits

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Harrison Endycott will play on the PGA Tour once again after winning Final Stage
Harrison Endycott will play on the PGA Tour once again after winning Final Stage

Five new players have earned their PGA Tour cards ahead of the 2024 season with fresh talent set to replace the likes of Jon Rahm who left for LIV Golf.

For the last 10 years, Q-School served as a source of Korn Ferry Tour status rather than as a route to the PGA Tour. However, that changed earlier this year when the path to the professional arena was cleared for the first time since 2012, serving as a qualifier for the PGA Tour.

With the new season on the horizon amid the ongoing drama surround the merger with LIV Golf, PGA Tour Q-School concluded at Final Stage where a top-five finish guaranteed a spot on the main tour. Ultimately, Harrison Endycott took the win, shooting a final round of 67 on Monday at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley.

The final round was postponed Sunday due to significant rainfall in northeast Florida, but Endycott won by four strokes. A rookie on the PGA Tour last year, he was forced to reclaim his card after narrowly missing out on the top 125 in the FedExCup which would have secured his playing rights for 2024.

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As he already had clinched a conditional status for next year, Endycott could play with the security of a safety net. Without the burden of pressure, the Australian thrived; he made 16 birdies to just three bogeys.

This past season, Endycott struggled with inconsistency, missing 20 of 33 cuts. But he has had success before; he helped Australia to victory in the 2016 World Amateur Team Championship, partnering with PGA Tour star Cameron Davis and Korn Ferry Tour player Curtis Luck. Endycott turned pro in late 2017 and eventually worked his way to the Korn Ferry Tour after two seasons on PGA Tour Latinoamerica (2018 and 2019).

Finishing behind Endycott, Trace Crowe was in contention to earn his PGA Tour card at this year’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship, but he failed to deliver and slipped outside the top 30 on the points list. Crowe ensured he wouldn’t fall short a second time; he carded a bogey-free front nine and made four birdies down the stretch to finish 11-under-par - and tied for second.

Blaine Hale Jr. will be a new face on the Tour. Hale began Q-School with no status, having only made one PGA Tour-sanctioned event appearance in his career at the 2022 Veritex Bank Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Five new players joining PGA Tour in 2024 after LIV Golf exitsBlaine Hale Jr. has clinched his spot on the PGA Tour next year

Hale was a member of Oklahoma’s 2017 NCAA Championship team as a sophomore before graduating in 2019. He attempted to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour through Q-School multiple times but never succeeded, although he performed well on the All Pro Tour this year with five top 10s in 10 events before finishing solo third at Final Stage.

Hayden Springer finished atop PGA Tour Canada’s points list this season. The Nashville native won two of his seven PGA Tour Canada starts this season - his first professional victories - and finished inside the top 10 in another two. They were Springer's first two professional victories.

Springer attended Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club, Texas, and went on to win the 2019 Big 12 Championship at TCU. The 26-year-old, who tragically lost his three-year-old daughter Sage just weeks ago, finished 8-under and tied for fourth to secure his spot on the PGA Tour.

Finally, Raul Pereda will be the only active player to be from Mexico on the PGA Tour in 2024. He played four years at Jacksonville University before turning pro, spending the last four seasons playing primarily on PGA Tour Latinoamérica.

Pereda made a name for himself at the Mexico Open at Vidanta back in April, climbing the leaderboard in his first PGA Tour start after shooting an opening round. 65 before sliding back down. On Monday, Pereda chipped in for birdie twice on the back nine to secure his PGA Tour card by a single shot.

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