Korn Ferry Tour Finals update: Alistair Docherty craves big moments, perhaps none bigger than weekend ahead

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – In leaner times, Alistair Docherty’s career remained afloat via a chance meeting with Barstool Sports’ Sam “Riggs” Bozoian, who wrote him a $50,000 check to keep playing professional golf.

That sparked a run to a memorable 2024 season, where he finished runner-up at the TOUR’s Myrtle Beach Classic and has qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance for the first time. Docherty, 30, could turn “memorable” into “storybook” this weekend at French Lick Golf Resort’s Pete Dye Course. He has opened in rounds of 70-69 at the mountainous venue and shares fourth place into Saturday’s third round at the Korn Ferry Tour season finale.

Docherty, who entered the week at No. 46 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List, has a tall task ahead as he looks to break inside the top 30 and earn his first PGA TOUR card. He needs a two-way tie for second, at minimum, for a chance to finish the week in the all-important top 30. But he’s just one stroke off a two-way T2 into the weekend in southern Indiana, and he’s 36 holes away from a lifelong dream.

As he met the media Friday afternoon, Docherty expressed a hunger for the moment. He wants a make-or-break situation on Sunday afternoon, where a putt on the 72nd hole could be the difference between a PGA TOUR card and a return to the Korn Ferry Tour. Those are the types of putts that a player remembers forever, and Docherty won’t shy away from that challenge. At the TOUR’s Myrtle Beach Classic in June, his first time in contention on TOUR, he made three birdies in his last four holes to vault into second place. He has routinely mastered the challenge of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, most recently as last fall where he advanced through Second Stage in Savannah, arguably golf’s most daunting test.

Docherty spent time caddying at Silverleaf Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, (where he met Bozoian) to keep his pro golf dreams afloat. He played well in front of Bozoian, inspiring the “Fore Play” podcast host to offer key funding at a potential crossroads. Docherty craves the pressure and has found it again at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.

“For some reason, when it’s a bigger stage and there’s more on the line, I tend to lock in a little better,” Docherty said Friday. “I guess that’s a good thing. I’ve been staying in the moment; I’ve been trying to give myself lots of opportunities, but it’s tough out here … You’ve got to be patient and allow it to all come to you at the right time.”

With two strong rounds at brawny French Lick, Docherty looks to have found it at the right time.

Moving in

Zach Bauchou (No. 35, projected to No. 13): Bauchou followed up his first-round 68 with a Friday 66, taking a commanding lead at the midway point of the tournament and solidifying his spot in the projected top 30, making a 22-point jump in the Points List. Citing improved iron play and a return to AimPoint, the Oklahoma State alum and former teammate of TOUR winners Viktor Hovland and Austin Eckroat looks to hold on for two more days and secure his TOUR card.

Moving out

Sam Bennett (No. 30, projected to No. 31): Bennett started the week as Mr. 30, the bubble boy of the Points List with a small margin between Nos. 26 and 30 (Nos. 26-30 on the Points List were separated by less than 10 points at the start of the week), and Bennett finds himself within the smallest of them all: less than a full point separates him and No. 30 Trevor Cone. With less than a point separating him and his dream of earning a PGA TOUR card, Bennett has two more days to make his move.

Biggest movers

Doc Redman (No. 57, projected to No. 34): The savvy Clemson alum has made 122 career PGA TOUR starts, and this marks his first full Korn Ferry Tour season, where he has made 15 cuts in 23 starts with six top-25 finishes. He’s still chasing his first top-five, and no week would be better than now. Redman shares second place into the weekend at 6 under but is still projected outside the top 30; he needs a solo second at minimum for a chance. “It's always a long year, ups and downs, but I think I've really put it together here of late,” Redman said Friday. “Try to just do the best I can and finish strong and be proud of that.”

Alvaro Ortiz (No. 55, projected to No. 44: Ortiz’s parents are in attendance this week, and he noted Thursday the positive impact of their presence, saying he doesn’t think he has missed a cut with them on-site. There’s no cut this week, but the trend has continued. Ortiz has opened in rounds of 68-71 at French Lick and stands T4 into Saturday. He needs a solo second at minimum for a chance at his first TOUR card, and he’s giving it a run.

Rick Lamb (No. 73, projected to No. 65): After dramatically earning a Korn Ferry Tour Championship berth with a gutsy final-round 67 for a T13 finish, Lamb is keeping the pedal down at the season finale. The University of Tennessee alum has opened in rounds of 69-72 and shares 11th place into the weekend. He needs a win for a chance at moving inside the top 30, but he has a bid.

Bubble watch

Trevor Cone (No. 29, projected to No. 30): Cone, who began the week at No. 29 in the Points List, faltered in and out of the bubble all day, ultimately sneaking in by less than a point over Bennett with his second-round 74. The 31-year-old is looking to return to the PGA TOUR after earning his card for the 2022-23 season through the Korn Ferry Tour.