OWASSO, Oklahoma – It could prove to be the most consequential par of Nicolo Galletti’s career.
The 31-year-old Galletti, in only his second full season on the Korn Ferry Tour, entered this week’s Compliance Solutions Championship, the tour’s penultimate playoff event, ranked 60th in points and firmly on the bubble to advance to next week’s KFT Championship. When he stepped on tee box at The Patriot Golf Club’s par-5 first hole, which features a 50-yard dropoff to the fairway, he was 5 under and hovering just above the projected cut line with nine holes to play.
A missed cut would surely end not only his tournament but his season.
Then Galletti proceeded to hit his tee ball well right into the woods. His provisional he cooked left and into the penalty area. At worst, he was looking at a long iron into the green for his fifth shot.
“That was a nerve-racking cart ride,” Galletti said. “I knew if I didn’t find the first one it was going to be least a double or a triple, which was the last thing I needed with how I was playing and where I was at.
“Luckily, I found my ball. Very lucky. It was way up on the hill, and even luckier to have a shot out of there.”
Nicolo Galletti made an insane par from the trees 😱
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) October 2, 2026
Every shot matters when you come into the week at No. 60 on the Points List, with the top 60 advancing to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. pic.twitter.com/V0WvKBgv55
Galletti punched out to 192 yards and later got up and down from 35 feet just short of the green. He found himself again in the trees on the third hole and bogeyed, but a birdie at the par-3 sixth coming in helped ensure he’d make the cut with a couple shots to spare.
However, at T-47, Galletti is projected to drop to 64th in points. Helping matters, Nos. 57 and 58, Will Chandler and Phichaksn Maichon, missed the cut, though behind Galletti, Nos. 61 and 63-65 (Hayden Buckley, Rayhan Thomas, Matt Atkins and Jackson Van Paris) all made the weekend.
Andrew Kozan, Chad Sewell and Chris Francouer are the current projected Nos. 58-60, though all sit at T-6 or better, so any drop on the leaderboard could be costly.
This weekend, Galletti knows, will feature plenty more uncomfortable, pressure-packed shots.
“Just keep grinding, never give up, and all year I’ve just had the mindset that every point is going to matter at some point, so keep your nose to grindstone and keep trying to do the best you can,” Galletti said. “I’ve been a grinder my whole life. Gone through stuff in my life, had a lot tougher things to deal with than playing bad golf.”
