Noles in the pros: 2023 FSU Golf

With Brian Harmon dominating the Open Championship in Liverpool, the last of the year’s four majors has passed. Now it’s time for the big boys to cash some (big) checks in the final events of the year, and for everyone else to scramble for opportunities to play professionally in 2024. All the tours are winding toward their respective playoffs, and here’s where Florida State alumni stand.

Since there are more tours than even hardened golf fans can track, the golfers are listed in order of their Official World Golf Ranking.

For anyone unfamiliar with how golf works, each tour typically has a points system, and if you rank high enough then you get to maintain your status for the following season. If not, you’ve got a problem. There are also all sorts of benefits which come with winning and with being ranked in the top-50 in the world.

Brooks Koepka (OWGR: 14)

FSU’s alpha golfer has had a great bounce back year after struggling with nagging injuries in 2022. After defecting from the PGA Tour to collect some of that Saudi cash, his big win this year is obviously the Liv Golf Orlando tournament which he won wearing shorts.

In addition he played in the four majors and won the PGA Championship for the 3rd time in his career. He now has nine PGA Tour wins which is 3rd for FSU golfers behind Ken Green (19) and Paul Azinger (12). He’s now responsible for five of the nine majors won by Noles.

Vincent Norrman (164)

VN is the newest Nole to win on the PGA Tour, winning the Barbasol Championship which was played the same week as the Scottish Open. He’s the 11th FSU player to win on Tour all time. Winning makes him exempt through 2025, and gets him into three prestigious 2024 events: the PGA Championship, the Player’s, and the Tournament of Champions. He’s also up to 59th in the FedEx Cup standings, and the top-70 make the first playoff event (top-50, top-30 for the final two) where you’re basically printing money because there’s no cut.

Daniel Berger (222)

Berger hasn’t played since the 2022 US Open due to injuries. The plan was to return for this year’s US Open, but that got put on hold.

Chase Seiffert (324)

In 2022 Seiffert finished 169th on the PGA Tour and was demoted to the Korn Ferry Tour. He’s currently 28th in points, and the top-30 earn PGA Tour cards. The Korn Ferry playoffs no longer award 25 additional PGA Tour cards, so he really needs to stay in the top-30.

Dan Bradbury (335)

In November, 2022, Bradbury played on a sponsor’s invitation at Joburg Open and went ahead and won the thing. That made him a full-time member of the DP World Tour where he’s currently 45th in points.

Cristobal Del Solar (345)

Another current Korn Ferry member, he’s got some work to do as he’s currently 53rd in points. The good news is that at worst he’ll be returning to Korn Ferry next year.

Hank Lebioda (656)

His once promising career has not gone well of late. He’s made just six cuts in eighteen starts on the PGA Tour and is 197th in points. But as Dan Bradbury and Vincent Norrman have shown, all it takes in the golf world is one week to upgrade your life.

Jonas Blixt (671)

The three-time PGA Tour winner has split his time between the few PGA events he can get into, and the Korn Ferry Tour (and one DP World Tour event). He hasn’t played great anywhere and is in danger of being hung out to dry after this season unless he can pull off some magic.

John Pak (786)

After sweeping the college golf awards in 2021, Pak’s highly anticipated professional career quickly fizzled. He missed a bunch of cuts and lost all status. After playing his way onto the PGA Tour Canada he entered the winner’s circle at June’s Saskatchewan Open and is No. 2 in points. The top-5 advance to the Korn Ferry Tour.

Jack Maguire (883)

Maguire Monday-qualified for a Korn Ferry event in March, and finished 4th. That earned him status to finish the season, but his best finish since then is 43rd, and he’s 107th in points. There are four more regular season events.

Bjorn Hellgren (920)

Hellgren is wrapping up his 2nd season on the Asian Tour and is 61st on their Order of Merit, and he has to finish in the top-60 to maintain his status. While the Asian Tour is currently on break, he played in a Nordic Golf League event and won, so that’s something. It was his 7th professional win on fringe European tours.

Josh Lee (1134)

After coming out of nowhere to survive DP World Tour Q-School he’s played 19 events and is struggling at 184th in the standings.

Harry Ellis (1242)

Perhaps the most highly decorated amateur to play at FSU in recent years, his professional career has never taken off. He’s made one of five cuts on PGA Tour Canada, and missed the cut in his only event on the Challenge Tour, which is the European version of Korn Ferry.

George McNeill (2130)

As McNeil limps toward Senior Tour eligibility (turns 48 this year) he’s made two of five cuts on the PGA Tour and is somewhere near last in points.