Ben Kohles saw his PGA Tour dreams slip away in a matter of minutes during the final day of Q-School. Part of a five-way tie for the lead, Kohles’ fortunes changed dramatically after a costly mistake in the trees.
The trouble began at the par-4 eighth at Dye’s Valley Course. After his tee shot sailed right into the trees, Kohles was clearing debris around his ball when he accidentally caused it to move. That’s an automatic one-stroke penalty. He replaced the ball, punched out, and ended up with a double bogey.
Just like that, Kohles dropped to 9 under, falling two shots off the lead and into a tie for 10th. With only the top 5 finishers (no ties) earning 2026 PGA Tour cards, his margin for error had vanished.
Things went from bad to worse at the par-4 ninth. Kohles hit his tee shot into the water right of the fairway, leading to another double bogey. The back-to-back doubles plummeted him into a tie for 22nd place.
While Kohles won’t secure full Tour status, he’s not completely out of options. The next 40 finishers and ties earn guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour next season. Plus, Kohles already has limited PGA Tour status after finishing 145th in FedExCup points this past season.
It’s a brutal reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in golf, where a single moment of bad luck can alter a player’s entire career trajectory.
