Tommy Gainey has withdrawn from the Korn Ferry Tour opener, giving younger players a chance to break through.
The 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season opener will take place without a former champion participating. Tommy Gainey, the 50-year-old winner of the 2020 Bahama Golf Classic, has chosen not to participate to give younger players an opportunity to make their breakthrough. He was eligible to play in this event until this year due to his previous victory.
Tommy Gainey: ‘It Is Ten Times Harder Than in My Day’
Gainey joined the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Nationwide Tour) in 2007 and won two tournaments in 2010 to earn his full PGA Tour card. He quickly found success there and peaked in 2012 by winning the McGladrey Classic with a final round of 60, his only PGA Tour victory.
After years of struggles on and off the course, Gainey returned to the winners’ circle at the Korn Ferry Tour 2020 Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, securing his third tour win and earning an exemption to play in that tournament through 2026.
However, Gainey declined the invitation through tournament director Josh Franklin, preferring to allow young players a chance to prove themselves on the Korn Ferry Tour and earn their way to the PGA Tour. He expressed his love for the event but recognized how difficult it is nowadays to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour. Given all the changes on the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours, he felt it was more important that a player who has fought their way up gets to enjoy the starting privileges.
He was directly quoted saying, \”It is ten times harder than in my day. I didn’t want to take anyone’s spot. These young players are so good that any one of them can win, even the last player in the field.\”
Champions Tour Victory Makes This Possible
Upon turning 50 in August, Gainey gained another option besides the Korn Ferry Tour: the Champions Tour. Last year, he played nine events on the senior circuit and won the Constellation Furyk & Friends tournament in October. His results earned him a full Champions Tour card for this year, freeing him from relying on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Nonetheless, it is commendable that Gainey is foregoing the chance at the $1,000,000 prize money to give other players the opportunity to establish themselves in professional golf.
Tommy Gainey was in the @BahamasKFTour next week as a past champion of the event. It’s his last year for his past champion exemption.
A friend of his called me and said he WD, so a young guy could get a start. So I called him.
Of course Tommy picked up. Said he loves the…