Rayhan Thomas found himself driving back to Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Friday evening instead of competing in the Pinnacle Bank Championship in Omaha. The 25-year-old Korn Ferry Tour player had spent all of Thursday at The Club at Indian Creek, waiting for a call that never came.
The reason? What the Korn Ferry Tour is calling an “unfortunate error.”
M.J. Daffue got into the field for the penultimate regular-season event through an incorrect category. When Scott Gutschewski withdrew before his first round, that spot went to first alternate Runchanapong Youprayong, who should’ve already been in the field. Thomas was next on the alternate list.
Monday Q Info’s Ryan French first reported the mistake, and a KFT spokesperson confirmed the human error to GolfChannel.com.
Here’s what happened: Daffue missed the cut at last month’s Barracuda Championship, failing to satisfy his non-exempt major medical extension on the PGA Tour. He should’ve been placed in the KFT’s reorder category with other Q-School graduates and PGA Tour Americas players. Instead, he was accidentally coded into the category for PGA Tour members not exempt for current PGA Tour events (Nos. 126-150).
Unlike the LPGA’s clerical error involving Sophia Popov earlier this year, Daffue will remain in the field and keep any points he earns. That’s potentially huge for Daffue, who sits tied for third and just two shots off the lead through 36 holes.
The KFT spokesperson stated, “We have communicated this situation with the player who was impacted and are working to provide an equitable solution.”
Thomas had arrived at the course at 6:15 a.m. Thursday, waiting through the entire day until the final group teed off at 2:20 p.m.
“The Tour is trying to find a way to rectify it, and I’m sure that we’ll come to an agreement and figure it out,” Thomas told GolfChannel.com. “I’m pretty confident that things will be made right. I think the Tour has good intentions. Obviously, they made a mistake, and they were regretful about it.”
What makes this particularly disappointing for Thomas is that his father had flown in from Dubai to watch him play.
“Now, I’m back in Oklahoma, trying to get ready for Boise,” Thomas said. “In my head, regardless of MJ getting in or not, I just didn’t play good enough to get into the field, so I need to play better, and hopefully Boise will be a good chance for me to move up the rankings a little bit.”
Any compensation from the KFT will likely come after the season ends and Thomas’s status for next year is determined.
Currently ranked No. 107 in points, Thomas will easily get into next week’s Albertsons Boise Open, which fills its field based on current standings. He’ll also qualify for the first two playoff events. The 120-man Compliance Solutions Championship in Owasso, Oklahoma, remains in question – Thomas has missed 13 of 20 cuts in his rookie season with just one top-10 finish (a T-7 in the Bahamas early in the year).
The stakes are significant. The top 75 players after Compliance not only advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship but also earn full KFT status for next season.
“That is priority one to get into the top 75, and if we can go on a really good run, maybe top 20,” Thomas said. “But yeah, getting to the finals would be damn good. The year hasn’t gone as good as I’d hoped. It was a good start and that gave me a lot of confidence, but as things have progressed, I’ve not played as sharp and just not been as tidy with my game, and my scores have shown that.”
Despite the setbacks, Thomas remains optimistic: “From what I’ve seen, one good week can really help you and move you up the rankings really quickly, so I’m still quite optimistic about the rest of the season.”
