11 golfers to watch this week at Korn Ferry Tour’s stop in the Midlands
The Korn Ferry Tour makes its first stop in the Midlands this week for the Colonial Life Charity Classic at The Woodcreek Club.
The tour is filled with future PGA Tour hopefuls and former PGA Tour members in the 156-player field. It’s the 10th event of the season.
Here are 11 golfers to know for this week’s event.
Blades Brown
At 18 years old, Brown is the youngest member of the Korn Ferry Tour and is in his second season after conditional status a year ago. Brown has played in some PGA Tour events, including the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, and fired a single round of 12-under-par at the American Express in January.
Brown has two top-three finishes this season on the Korn Ferry Tour and is 10th on the points list.
Jonathan Byrd
Played at Spring Valley High School in Northeast Columbia and is a member of the school’s Hall of Fame. Byrd was a three-time All-American at Clemson and played in almost 500 PGA Tour events. He is a five-time winner on the PGA Tour and was the Rookie of the Year in 2002.
Byrd has made four starts this season, missing the cut in three of them.
Cameron Champ
The Texas A&M grad is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, with his last victory coming in 2021. Champ is back on the Korn Ferry Tour this year with hopes of moving back up. His best finish this season is a tie for sixth at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January.
Alistair Docherty
The 32-year-old Canadian was one stroke short of getting his PGA Tour card twice in 2024 and was in top-50 on the Korn Ferry Tour last year. Docherty won earlier this year at the Visa Argentina Open in February and is second in the tour’s points and money list.
Ian Gilligan
The Florida grad missed the cut at the first two events this year but has four top-four finishes in his last six times out on the Korn Ferry Tour. Gilligan is 11th on the tour’s money list.
Ian Holt
The Ohio native leads the Korn Ferry Tour in wins (2) this season after back-to-back tournament victories in January. He is one win away from gaining automatic status on the PGA Tour for the rest of the year. Holt is tops on the tour points and money list with $431,816 and earned a special exemption to next week’s PGA Championship.
Dylan Menante
The 24-year-old is the most recent winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning the Tulum Championship on April 16. Prior to the victory, his best finish on the season was 34th. That moved him from 68th to sixth in points after the victory.
Trent Phillips
South Carolina native won three S.C. High School League championships at Boiling Springs before going on to an All-American career at Georgia. Philips finished third at the first tournament of the season but also has four missed cuts and stands No. 32 in the money list. His best career finish on tour was runner-up in 2023.
Ryo Ishikawa
(Pronounced REE-oh, EE-shee-kah-wah) The 34-year-old Japanese golfer won in Japan as a 15-year-old and has 20 victories in his home country. Ishikawa was on the PGA Tour from 2013-17 and played in the Presidents Cup for the International team in 2009 and 2011. He has one top-10 finish this season.
Bryson Nimmer
The Bluffton native and former Clemson standout won on the Korn Ferry Tour last season. He finished sixth in the season opener but has missed the cut in the last two events and is 53rd on the money list. Nimmer and his father, Tony, who also played at Clemson, are the first father-son All-ACC duo in Clemson golf history.
Doc Redman
The former Clemson standout won the U.S. Amateur back in 2017 is in his third season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Redman is having his best year on the tour, winning the Astara Chile Classic in March. He has made the cut in all nine events this year and is fourth on the money list.
Colonial Life Charity Classic
Where: The Woodcreek Club
Parking, shuttle: Free at the former Verizon Call Center, 501 Spears Creek Church Road, Elgin
Dates and times: Public gates open at 6:30 a.m. daily Thursday to Sunday (May 14-17)
Tee times: 6:40 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 6:40 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Tickets: $22.64 daily. Kids 15 and under get in free with a ticketed adult. Tickets include access to post-round concerts. Military tickets are free and include one guest admission.
