In the end, Barend Botha will rue the three bogeys he made on Sunday on his way to a second-place finish in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, leaving him to miss out on a victory which would have given him a PGA Tour card.

He carded a two-under-par 70 to finish on 12-under-par for the event. Had he not dropped those shots on three, 15 and 17, his five birdies would have kept him at the top of the leaderboard, which was the spot he occupied heading into the final round.

For Botha, the story was nearly one of a dream realised. The 23-year-old South African entered the final round knowing that only a win would be enough to jump from outside the top 50 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List into the top 20. For 54 holes, it looked possible. But despite leading overnight, Botha faded late, missing the promotion threshold and finishing 28th in the final standings.

It was a bitter pill, but not a total loss. His performance earns him direct access to the Final Stage of PGA Tour Q-School, where five more PGA Tour cards will be on the line.

The championship was won by American Chandler Blanchet, who had a closing 66 to overhaul Botha and lock up his playing privileges on the PGA Tour for 2026.

Christo Lamprecht, who had already sealed his PGA Tour card the previous week, closed with a one-under 71 to finish in a share of eighth on seven-under. He finished the season in ninth on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.