Three SC golfers secure on PGA Tour, but chances to save seasons dwindling for others

The words from NFL coaching legend Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are,” ring true throughout the world of sports. They’re not what most of South Carolina’s PGA Tour contingent wants to hear in the season’s waning days.

Only Lucas Glover, Jacob Bridgeman and Andrew Novak among the Palmetto State representatives in golf’s major league can look to the upcoming playoffs and beyond with assurance.

Glover, the ageless wonder from Greenville who starred at Clemson, just keeps rolling along. Novak (Mount Pleasant/Wofford) and Bridgeman (Inman/Clemson) are reaping the rewards from breakout seasons.

The others? Well, with six events remaining, any other state player will need a performance like Glover’s late-season 2023 or an amazing fall to achieve full status for 2026. New eligibility requirements that begin next year give full status to only the top 100 — down from 125 — on the FedEx points list.

Glover, remember, won consecutive tournaments to not only ease into the playoffs but also to become part of the Ryder Cup conversation. But the odds are long.

Novak heads into the final days of the 2025 season — eight tournaments over six weeks remain after the Travelers ends on Sunday — at No. 9 in the season-long FedEx standings. A steady performer last year, he has vaulted from 123rd to 35th in the world golf rankings.

He teamed with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich tourney in New Orleans, lost in a playoff for the Heritage title and added a pair of third-place finishes in his stellar season.

“I think I’ve done a pretty good job not getting overly frustrated with the close shaves,” Novak told reporters after the Zurich win. “I’ve been trying to take as many positives from each as I can because the idea is I can put myself in that position as many times as I’m able to.”

The win earned him a two-year exemption.

Bridgeman, in his second PGA Tour season, has climbed from 189th to 70th in the world rankings, thanks for three finishes in the top four and another top 10 this year. He heads into the playoffs at No. 29.

“I played decent last year, (but) I never really had any great finishes,” he said after sharing second place in the Cognizant Classic. “Every time I’d get near the top 10, I would be on my last few holes, and I kind of just coasted in and would finish 11th, 12th, 13th, whatever it was. So, it’s good to finally get that done.”

And he kept “getting it done” with a third at Valspar, a tie for 10th at New Orleans and a share of fourth in the Truist.

Whether by design or the luck of the draw, Novak and Bridgeman were paired together for the first two rounds of the Travelers.

Glover, at age 45, continues to defy the calendar. He’s 48th in the world and 32nd in the FedEx standings. The latter will keep him eligible for the lucrative Signature events.

Sharing third place in both the AT&T at Pebble Beach and the Players plus a tie for eighth in the Valspar “made” his season, but he created more headlines with his comments condemning slow play in Tour events and his distaste for the limited-field Signature tournaments.

Carson Young (Pendleton/Clemson) heads the state’s work-to-do list at No. 153. Others include Ben Martin (Greenville/Clemson) at 172, Matt NeSmith (Aiken/USC) at 194, Jonathan Byrd (Columbia/Clemson) at 214, Tommy Gainey (Hartsville) at 217, Kevin Kisner (Aiken) at 223 and Bill Haas (Greenville) at 225. Wesley Bryan (Columbia/USC) is at 195, but he has confirmed that he has been suspended by the PGA Tour for his participation in a pre-LIV tournament event.

Only Young, Kisner (on a one-time career-earning exemption) and Martin (major medical exemption) have had full status this year. Byrd, Gainey and Haas have played on former-champion status, a low priority with limited starts. NeSmith, William McGirt (Bluffton/Wofford), Doc Redman (Clemson) and Richy Werenski (Aiken) have played Korn Ferry tournaments.

Better news for the state players comes from the Korn Ferry Tour. Trace Crowe (Greenville) won the Raleigh tournament and is sixth in points, assuring he will be in the top 20 who receive PGA Tour cards. Also, Bryson Nimmer (Bluffton/Clemson) won a Korn Ferry event and heads into the season’s homestretch at No. 20 in points.

Chip shots. Blake and Jackson Williamson (Anderson) fired a 3-under-par 68 to win the SCGA’s 56th Father-Son championship. With renovations underway at Greenville CC, the tournament’s long-time site, the 2025 event moved to Crescent Pointe GC in Bluffton. ... Sage Bradshaw (Bluffton) won the boys’ title and Elliana Buhagiar (Bowman, Ontario, Canada) earned the girls’ crown in the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea championship at the CC of Charleston.

This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Three SC golfers secure on PGA Tour, but chances to save seasons dwindling for others."