Smotherman’s Steely Summer Secures PGA TOUR Return
After three long seasons and a pair of dazzling June victories, Austin Smotherman is heading back where he belongs
Las Vegas - After three long seasons and a pair of dazzling June victories, Austin Smotherman is heading back where he belongs
Veteran Korn Ferry Tour professional Austin Smotherman clinched his PGA TOUR return Tuesday, thanks to two wins in June and a commanding lead atop the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
The 30-year-old from Loomis, California, now based in Dallas, delivered a blistering stretch with triumphs at the BMW Charity Pro-Am and the Memorial Health Championship, plus a trio of additional top-10 finishes across 16 starts this season. Those results handed him an unassailable 1,641 points — and #TOURBound status.
“It’s been a long grind, but this summer has been something special. I knew I had to make it count,” said Smotherman, who played three straight PGA TOUR seasons before slipping back to the Korn Ferry Tour after 2024.
Smotherman, an SMU alumnus, turned pro in 2016 and first made his mark on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, winning the 2018 Mexico Open. He graduated to the PGA TOUR through the extended 2020–21 Korn Ferry campaign and logged dozens of top finishes before falling out of the FedExCup top 125 last autumn.
With nine Korn Ferry Tour events still on the schedule, including October’s season finale at French Lick, Smotherman could yet earn a rare three-win promotion before 2026. “There’s still plenty left to play for,” he added with a grin.