It’s a clean sweep for Johnny Keefer, who on Thursday became the third golfer to win both the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and the Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
The other two to pull that off? Sungjae Im in 2018 and Scottie Scheffler in 2019.
Keefer won the honors after a vote by the Korn Ferry Tour membership. He finished the 2025 campaign No. 1 on the points list, winning two events along the way. He posted six top-5 finishes, nine top-10s and 15 top-25s, demonstrating consistently throughout the year. He’ll be a member of the PGA Tour in 2026.
Keefer’s 2025 season saw him set the Korn Ferry Tour’s single-season scoring average at 67.95. It was a record that stood for 13 years. He was the only player on the circuit to finish in the top 15 in scrambling (second), total driving (fourth), putting average (10th) and greens in regulation (15th).
His finish atop the KFT points also guarantees him spots in the 2026 Players Championship as well as the 2026 U.S. Open. He checks in at No. 50 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking, which is also significant because golfers in the top 50 at the end of the calendar year, if not already qualified, earn a spot in the 2026 Masters.
Keefer kick-started his pro career after finishing 25th in the 2024 PGA Tour University Rankings.
Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year winners
- Matt McCarty (2024)
- Ben Kohles (2023)
- Justin Suh (2022)
- Stephen Jaeger (2020-21)
- Scottie Scheffler (2019)
- Sungjae Im (2018)
- Chesson Hadley (2017)
- Wesley Bryan (2016)
- Patton Kizzire (2015)
- Carlos Ortiz (2014)
- Michael Putnam (2013)
- Casey Wittenberg (2012)
- J.J. Killeen (2011)
- Jamie Lovemark (2010)
- Michael Sim (2009)
- Brendon de Jonge (2008)
- Nick Flanagan (2007)
- Ken Duke (2006)
- Jason Gore (2005)
- Jimmy Walker (2004)
- Zach Johnson (2003)
- Patrick Moore (2002)
- Chad Campbell (2001)
- Spike McRoy (2000)
- Carl Paulson (1999)
- Bob Burns (1998)
- Chris Smith (1997)
- Stewart Cink (1996)
- Jerry Kelly (1995)
- Chris Perry (1994)
- Sean Murphy (1993)
- John Flannery (1992)
- Tom Lehman (1991)
- Jeff Maggert (1990)