Michael Brennan showed up in Utah last October with no PGA Tour card and a sponsor’s invite. In his first PGA Tour start as a professional, he closed with a 5-under 66 and won the Bank of Utah Championship by four shots. Earlier that year he had been 451st in the world when he finished the first leg of PGA Tour Americas. The win let him skip the Korn Ferry Tour and earned him a two-year exemption on the big stage.
It was not a fluke. Brennan won a second PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship in August. This week he returns to Black Desert to defend his first triumph.
Starting with this tournament, the next seven fall events will finalize the top 100 players in the FedExCup rankings, all of which will get full status for 2027. Players ranked 101 to 125 keep conditional status. Finishing 51st through 60th gets a player into the first two signature events of 2027 through the Aon Next 10.
Here are five players who could break through this fall:
Ben James
James finished first in the PGA Tour University rankings this year, and he has made the most of it. He turned pro in June and shortly after at the Wyndham in August, he closed with a 61 and finished third.
In Asheville, James shot another final-round 61 to finish second at 24 under. In only nine starts this year, he has climbed to 66th in the FedExCup standings.
James is six spots away from the Aon Next 10.
Neal Shipley
After an underwhelming 2026, including 12 missed cuts, Shipley found his form in Asheville.
He was bogey-free through 54 holes and shot a career-low 62 in Round 2. He lost some steam in the final round and tied for third. The finish was his best on Tour and moved him from 183rd to 135th in points.
Shipley knows how to get the job done. Last year he won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, and we’re confident his time will come soon.
Ben Kohles
Kohles is 36-year-old journeyman who has played four full seasons on the big tour. But he’s spent his fair share of years grinding on the Korn Ferry Tour, the longest stretch from 2014-21.
He’s pursuing a sort of dual degree right now on both tours, sitting at 90th in the FedExCup standings and 17th in the Korn Ferry Tour standings.
He already has one win on the Korn Ferry Tour this year and is searching for his first on the PGA Tour. In Asheville two weeks ago, Kohles headed into Sunday one shot back but closed with a lukewarm 73 to finish tied for 15th. In July, he needed to birdie the 72nd hole to win the John Deere Classic but rinsed his approach shot. Not to be forgotten, Kohles also missed a 3-foot bogey putt and dropped into a tie for third — costing him 100 FEC points (which would have him currently in the top 75).
Kohles in the field this week in Utah, not playing in the KFT’s penultimate event of the season.
Eric Cole
Cole is a legend on the mini tours, the ultimate grinder. In the 2022-23 season, at age 35, he finally made it to the PGA Tour and earned rookie of the year.
His future for 2027 looks promising. He finished 49th in the FedExCup after the playoffs and is locked into every signature event next year.
He is, however, searching for what has proved to be an elusive first PGA Tour win. He’s had a few chances, the most recent at Colonial in May where he lost in a playoff.
In Asheville, he was in the final group Sunday but his 73 wasn’t enough to get the job done.
A win in Utah would guarantee him a place in the Championship Series for 2028. Eric Cole has proved that he’s patient, but he’s as ready as anyone to break through.
Max Greyserman
Greyserman has been close. Very close. As a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2024 he was runner-up three times. He has struggled for stretches this year but has had flashes of brilliance with some very low rounds scattered throughout.
After the Wyndham, he had five weeks away from competition to reset, then opened with a 64 in Asheville to share the lead. He eventually finished tied for 10th at 19 under.
Greyserman seems to have found something, and he looks poised to capitalize on that momentum at the Bank of Utah Championship to grab his first PGA Tour win.
This week in Utah, it’s a good bet that one of these five players will finally get their big break.
