Johnny Keefer almost deleted the most important email of his career.
The message that landed in his inbox at 12:49 p.m. CT Monday read: John Keefer, you are invited to compete in the 107th PGA Championship.
“It almost looked like something that could’ve been spam,” Keefer said from his San Antonio home. “But then I saw the top header and was like, ‘Whoa!'”
Keefer, currently No. 93 in the Official World Golf Ranking, didn’t even realize he was in contention for a PGA Championship spot until last week. During a pro-am at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Tulum Championship in Mexico, he shared a group with a PGA of America official who casually asked, “See you at Quail Hollow?” Confused, Keefer thought to himself, What’s at Quail Hollow? That’s when he learned the PGA Championship traditionally fills its field with players ranked inside and just outside the top 100.
Other bubble players receiving invites include David Puig (107), while Keith Mitchell (90), Gary Woodland (94), Beau Hossler (98), Justin Lower (100), and Sami Valimaki (106) are likely candidates. Amateur Luke Clanton sits at No. 103, though the PGA typically doesn’t invite amateurs based solely on world ranking.
It’s uncommon for full-time Korn Ferry Tour players to earn PGA Championship spots, with Tim Widing being a rare exception just last season.
Mike McGraw, Keefer’s coach at Baylor, once told him to save a ticket for his first major. “I just didn’t think it’d happen this quickly,” McGraw said.
Neither did Keefer.
Less than a year ago, he barely squeezed into the top 25 of PGA Tour University rankings. His T-11 finish at the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa put him at exactly No. 25, securing the final PGA Tour Americas card.
“If I finished one shot worse, I could’ve theoretically been playing APTs (All Pro Tour events) right now,” Keefer said.
Instead, he headed to Canada last summer feeling completely unprepared, or as he put it, “in shambles.” What followed was remarkable – one win, four runner-up finishes, and four more top-6 showings in just 10 starts. That dominant performance earned him a Korn Ferry Tour card, where he’s continued his strong play with four top-6 finishes, including a win two weeks ago at the Veritex Bank Championship in Dallas.
His only recent setback? A stomach virus that forced him to withdraw mid-round in Tulum after “violently puking” on the fourth tee box.
“It feels like just yesterday I was in Canada, and now it’s major time,” Keefer said. “I can’t really describe it… I don’t think I could’ve expected anything like this.”
Keefer, Baltimore-born but Texas-raised, admits he knows little about Quail Hollow, which hosts the PGA Tour’s annual Truist Championship and last held the PGA Championship in 2017. But his longtime instructor, Bryan Gathright, recently assured him: “You’ll love this place. It’s right in your wheelhouse.”
His game transformed during his fifth year at Baylor. By choosing to double major in business management rather than pursuing an MBA in accounting, Keefer gained more time for golf. He invested in a launch monitor and refined his wedge distances – a significant improvement for someone who previously aimed 30 feet from flags from just 130 yards out.
Now his all-around game is impressive. He ranks ninth in total driving on the Korn Ferry Tour, 22nd in greens in regulation, sixth in scrambling, and 26th in putting average. Those stats have him sitting second in points behind only Hank Lebioda, though he’ll miss next week’s Kansas City tournament to play in the PGA.
With only 20 PGA Tour cards available through the Korn Ferry Tour this year (down from previous seasons), Keefer has less margin for error. But he’s confident in his abilities.
Since turning pro, he’s fired an eye-popping 17 rounds of 64 or better in PGA Tour-sanctioned events. For perspective, Scottie Scheffler has 11, Ludvig Åberg eight, and Rory McIlroy three.
“I just watched Scottie shoot 31 under on a pretty good course,” Keefer said. “I know what No. 1 in the world looks like. I know what Rory looks like when he’s on. But it doesn’t really scare me… On any level, Korn Ferry, Americas, PGA Tour, signature events, major championships, good golf is going to play really well. I’m really excited to test myself against them and against a major championship course because obviously I’ve never played in one.”
“Just go out there, try and have some fun, try and shoot some low numbers, and hopefully have a really late tee time on the weekend.”
