Columbia local Ross Steelman wins Korn Ferry Tour season-long points race

You can find Columbia's Ross Steelman at Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass and at a PGA Tour stop near you in 2027.

Steelman, a former Rock Bridge High and Missouri men's golf player, secured the season-long points list title on the Korn Ferry Tour on Sunday. By winning the yearlong points race, Steelman earned a spot in both the 2027 U.S. Open and the 2027 PLAYERS Championship.

The Columbia local moved ahead of Scotland's Sandy Scott in the final week of the season with a tied-for-12th finish at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, which was played Thursday through Sunday in Virginia. Scott finished tied for 43rd, giving Steelman enough points to climb back into first place in the season-long standings.

The top 20 players on the Korn Ferry Tour points list earned PGA Tour cards. Steelman had already secured his PGA Tour status earlier this year.

Finishing No. 1, however, comes with extra benefits.

The U.S. Open, one of golf's four major championships, will take place at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links from June 17-20 in California. As it stands, that will be Steelman's first major championship appearance.

The PLAYERS Championship, which is the marquee event on the PGA Tour schedule, will be played at TPC Sawgrass in March in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Steelman won twice this year on the KFT, taking home the trophy at the The Blue Championship in July in Colorado and at the Albertsons Boise Open in August in Idaho. Those were his first victories since turning professional in 2023.

He will have full status on the PGA Tour in 2027.

Steelman spent three seasons at Mizzou between 2018-21. He won two collegiate events, including Missouri's home tournament at The Club at Old Hawthorne in 2021. Steelman transferred to Georgia Tech for his final two years of college and was a first-team All-American in 2023.

While at Rock Bridge, Steelman won the MSHSAA Class 4 individual title in 2018, also helping the Bruins to the team championship.

Steelman is currently ranked No. 74 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Fellow former Missouri golfer Hayden Buckley finished 65th in the season-long race, missing out on a berth to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Buckley retained conditional status for the Korn Ferry Tour next season.

Two former Mizzou golfers — Charlie Crockett and Jack Lundin — are competing for Korn Ferry Tour cards this coming weekend at the PGA Tour Americas Tour Championship.

Crockett and Lundin currently sit sixth and seventh, respectively, the tour's season-long race. They need to finish in the top-10 to earn a Korn Ferry Tour card.