For the first time in 10 years, PGA Tour cards are at stake at the qualifying school presented by Korn Ferry final stage starting today, and it presents a rare chance for aspiring Asian golfers to make their dreams come true.
The likes of upcoming Japanese star Keita Nakajima, South Korea's Ham Jeong-Woo, Khemkhon 'KK' Limbhasut of Thailand, China's Yi Cao and Jason Hak Shunyat of Hong Kong are amongst a strong 165-man field who will battle over four days at TPC Sawgrass' Dye's Valle Course and Sawgrass Country Club.
The top five finishers and ties will earn PGA Tour cards for 2024.
For others like South Korea's Kang Sung and Noh Seung-Yul, Satoshi Kodaira of Japan, who are winners on the PGA Tour, and China's Marty Zecheng Dou, who lost his card after finishing outside the top 125 of the FedEx Cup, this week is an opportunity to fight back.
Nakajima, a Japanese native aged 23, is accomplished at various levels of golf where he was ranked the world's No.1 amateur for 87 weeks and has since won six times on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO), including three in the last six months.
China's Dou, who completed his second season on the PGA Tour last month, goes back to school armed with the knowledge that he already has conditional status next season which will guarantee limited starts on tour.
After grinding through stage one and two over the past two months, Thailand' Khemkhon, better known on tour as KK, will be determined to end his campaign on a high note.
Khemkhon, who was co-medallist in one of the stage 2 venues, attended Cal-Berkeley in California where he was teammates with two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and became firm friends.
He cut his professional teeth on the Korn Ferry Tour and is yearning for a breakthrough by earning a PGA Tour card. Only Kiradech Aphibarnrat has previously held a tour card for Thailand.
"We've been super close for a while and we talk almost every day. We talk like he's my brother," Morikawa said of Khemkhon.
"It's awesome to see players that are my age, who I know really well, play well on the Korn Ferry Tour and hopefully make their way out here."
After the top five and ties who earn PGA Tour cards, the next 40 finishers (and ties) will receive guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts and the next 20 and ties at will earn exempt status for the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA Tour Americas season.