Wood, Jelley shine in PGA Tour First Stage qualifiers
By Ken MacLeod
Playing golf is hard. Earning a PGA Tour card is really hard. With 14 PGA Tour First Stage Q School Presented by Korn Ferry events now in the books, let’s see who has earned the right to advance to one of five Second Stage events coming up in early December.
Just making it to second stage guarantees some status on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2026. Those who advance out of second stage will compete in the Final Stage Dec. 11-14 at TPC Sawgrass, where five PGA Tour cards for 2026 will be on the line as well as full KFT status for those who make it that far.
One of the interesting names to make it to second stage is Hayden Wood, son of Willie Wood who will be inducted into the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame Sunday. Hayden didn’t just make it, he shot 23-under par to tie for first at his First Stage event at Lake Caroline Golf Club in Mississippi.
Also with a dominating performance at first stage was Tulsa native Brendon Jelley, who tied for second at 19-under at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz.
Wood and Jelley were both reserve members of the dominating Oklahoma State team that won the 2018 NCAA Championship and could easily have won in 2019. That team immediately sent players such as Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff on to professional careers while Austin Eckroat is a two-time PGA Tour winner, Kris Ventura has had a PGA Tour card and Zach Bauchou just earned his first PGA Tour card this fall through his performance on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Giving Wood and Jelley more hope is that fellow OSU reserve on that team Sam Stevens of Wichita has not only earned his card but continually risen up the ranks and last year finished 48th in the FedEx Cup standings. Wood and Jelley would be the seventh and eighth members of that team to earn PGA Tour status if they make it.
Other players with Oklahoma ties to advance included Luke Morgan of Guthrie, who tied for second at the First Stage event at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kan., tying former OSU star Jonas Baumgartner. Also advancing in that event were Jonathan Brightwell of Oklahoma City and Tyson Reeder of Edmond.
Former OSU player Leo Oyo got through at his event at Bear Creek GC in Murrieta, Calif. Another former Cowboy, Rayhan Thomas, advanced at Wilderness Ridge, Neb.
Former University of Tulsa player Logan McCracken of Oklahoma City shot a solid 15-under to tie for fifth at Sugar Tree Golf Club in Lipan, Texas.
You can view all of the results for the First Stage events and follow second stage events here.