Monday Qualifiers

For years, Monday qualifiers took place at every PGA Tour stop in the country. Local pros, journeyman pros and amateurs alike ponied up some cash to take their shot at playing a PGA Tour event. Starting in 2026, seven PGA Tour events will no longer hold Monday qualifying events due to reduction of field sizes. The tour stops which will still have Monday qualifiers will reduce the number of spots available from 4 to 2. The Korn Ferry Tour will continue to offer Monday qualifiers with 8 spots available.

Many of those attempting to qualify on the PGA Tour travel from event to event and tee it up on Mondays attempting to earn a spot in the field. But there is more to gain than just earning a spot in the field. They are chasing a dream, something which drives them beyond what seems possible. Some eventually make it onto the PGA Tour. The vast majority simply fade away realizing the dream is out of reach.

Mondays teach you whether you are good enough, if you’ve worked hard enough and if you can handle being on the road and living out of a suitcase. Players experience a level of tournament pressure they have likely never felt. Those who become tempered in the process can end up on the PGA Tour. Those who fall short walk away.

The odds are long, but Monday qualifiers have won the tournament they Monday qualified to play. Since 1980, five Monday qualifiers have won the tournament following qualifying on Monday. The latest occurred in 2019 when Corey Conners won the Valero Texas Open. Corey Conners currently has his PGA Tour card and is a well-known player on tour. In 2023, he won the Valero Texas Open for the second time and his second PGA Tour victory.

This past week, Kevin Hall Monday qualified into the Korn Ferry Tour event the NV5 Invitational. His story caught the attention of major golf accounts on social media. Hall is a 42-year-old African American golfer who has been grinding away at professional golf for years. But what makes Hall’s story compelling is his infectious personality and the fact he is deaf. He plays with a smile on his face. Playing partners rave there is no one nicer than Hall in all of professional golf. Everyone roots for him to succeed. And, while he has fallen short of his dream of playing the PGA Tour so far, Hall keeps teeing it up in APGA events and Monday qualifiers.

Unfortunately, Hall missed the cut by one shot in the NV5 Invitational after rounds of 65-71. Despite falling short by one shot, Hall kept smiling.

It’s stories like Hall’s which make Monday qualifiers important. Sure, the Korn Ferry Tour will still have Monday qualifiers, but the PGA Tour is eliminating Monday qualifiers from 7 tour stops and reducing the number of available spots from four to two at the other tournaments. As a result, players like Kevin Hall will have fewer chances to make their dreams come true. And we as fans will miss out on the great stories like Kevin Hall and Corey Conners.

As always, be thankful when you play. Be grateful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!