Sunday Contenders for June 27th
Another Sunday on the Korn Ferry Tour means another edition of Sunday Contenders from Monday Q Info. Will Spencer Levin smoke the field in Maine? Let's see who else has a shot this week in Sunday Contenders.
Sunday Contenders for June 27
A quick look at the Sunday Contenders Leaderboard in Maine
Chad Ramey -13
Ben Kohles -12
Brady Schnell -12
Jim Knous -12
Taylor Moore -11
Spencer Levin -11
Brett Stegmaier -11
Chad Ramey and Ben Kohles locked in on a Sunday run
Chad Ramey Age: 28 Turned Pro: 2014 College: Mississippi State He’s a great example of why I prefer to watch the Korn Ferry Tour. Ramey turned pro seven years ago and toiled on the mini-tours for a bit. After that he went to the Mackenzie Tour in 2017, had a good year and earned his 2018 KFT card at Q school. Chad struggled in ’18 and had to go back to Q school again. He had a solid year in ’19 on the KFT and now is headed to the PGA Tour next year. He’s had two runner-ups and two third-place finishes this year but has yet to win. He’s 8th in points at the moment and just about has his Tour card locked up. A win would be a cherry on top of a great season.
Ben Kohles Age: 31 Turned Pro: 2012 College: Virginia Kohles has had one of the wilder careers and it’s great to see him playing well. In 2012 Kohles turned pro and his first-ever pro event was the KFT (then Nationwide) in Ohio on a sponsor’s exemption. He opened with a 66 and went on to win in a playoff over Luke Guthrie. The next week at the Cox Classic he closed with a 62 to win again on the Nationwide Tour. Two pro starts and two wins right out of the gate. He easily earned his PGA Tour card for 2013. But he struggled on Tour, finishing 148th on the money list and ended up coming back to the KFT in 2014, where he continued to struggle. He would make just 16 of 50 cuts on KFT over the next three seasons with a best money list finish of 127th. From 2017-19 he played better, keeping his card each year. During this extended season he has consistently played well and currently sits 20th in points. A win or runner-up in Maine this week would officially lock up his Tour card for next year. Would be great to see his return to the Tour.
Brady Schnell Age: 36 Turned Pro: 2007 College: Nebraska Has really struggled this season, making just 10 of 33 cuts and currently sits 160th in points. With so many points available during this extended season, he would need a win to move into the top 75 and earn a spot in the Korn Ferry Finals. In 2019 he played his first and only season on Tour making 6 of 21 cuts and finishing 196th in FedEx Points. Has one career KFT win in Wichita in 2018.
Jim Knous Age: 31 Turned Pro: 2012 College: Colorado School of Mines Another guy I always root for. A longtime follower of the account and always quick to answer questions for me. Hoping for a great Sunday for him, as he has dealt with injuries for a bit. Knous turned pro in 2012, but didn’t make it to KFT until 2017 and lost his card that year. He was able to make it through Q school again and he earned his Tour card after finishing in the top 25 at Korn Ferry Finals. In 2019 on Tour he made 10 of 18 cuts, but his season was cut short with injuries. He has played four Tour events in 2021 on his medical but missed all the cuts. He has made just 4 of 14 cuts on KFT, so it’s great to see him in contention.
Taylor Moore Age: 27 Turned Pro: 2016 College: Arkansas Huge Sunday ahead as he sits 21st in points and a good round today would lock up his Tour card for next year. Has made a great run in the second half of this extended season to get into contention for his Tour card. Has made 11 of his last 12 cuts with six of those being top-10s. In 2019 he had a stomach bug at a tournament which led to bouts of vomiting. The next week his chest continued to hurt and on his way to an airport for the next event, he decided to go have the pain checked out. He ended up having a collapsed lung from vomiting so violently. The decision to not get on his flight could have possibly saved his life.
Spencer Levin Age: 37 Turned Pro: 2005 College: New Mexico The G.O.A.T. Not much more needs to be said. A cult following led by Tron Carter, among others. A win would be VERY popular on Twitter. I don’t condone smoking, but, man, I miss Spence with a lung dart hanging from his lips as he eyes up a putt.
Brett Stegmaier Age: 37 Turned Pro: 2006 College: Florida It took Brett seven years to get status on the KFT and since then has bounced back and forth from the Tour to KFT. This year he is far down the points at 134th, so a good Sunday today is vital step to avoid Q school for the first time since 2013. This is his 4th consecutive made cut but he’s made just 12 of 28 for the season. Stegmaier finished runner-up to Smylie Kaufman at the 2015 Shriners on Tour, where he led after the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
Knous seeking victory while Stegmaier looks to hold on
The Rest:
Dylan Wu Currently 29th in points and sitting T10 this week, a good Sunday could go a long way toward getting inside the Top 25. Wu made the cut last week at the U.S. Open. (Let’s be honest: he should have earned KFT points for that, but that is for another article.)
Lee Hodges One of the most consistent seasons on the KFT continues as he heads to Sunday in the top 10. Hodges has made 27 of 31 cuts, has a win and 13 top-25s.
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