Nebraska, United States: Five former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) participants have earned their PGA Tour cards for next season.

Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu Chun-an, China’s Carl Yuan Yechun and Marty Dou Zecheng, Korean Kim Seong-hyeon and Australian Harrison Endycott all finished among the top-25 in the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season to graduate to the PGA Tour for next season.

Despite missing the half-way cut in the Pinnacle Bank Championship at The Club at Indian Creek in Nebraska, Yu finished in 20th position on the final Regular Season Eligibility Points List.

It was the perfect birthday gift for Yu, a former World Amateur Golf Ranking number one, who turned 23 earlier in the week and who appeared in the AAC on six occasions with four top-six finishes and a best of tied fourth at Hong Kong’s Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club in 2015.

The following year he placed sixth at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea before sharing sixth at New Zealand’s Royal Wellington Golf Club in 2017 and ending tied fifth at China’s Sheshan International Golf Club in 2019.

“It’s amazing,” said Yu after receiving his PGA Tour card. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was five years old and since I started to play golf. Now it’s a dream come true.”

Yu joins close friend, CT Pan, another former AAC contender, as only the second Chinese Taipei player to earn a PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour. Yu posted two runners-up and a solo-third this season, his second year on Tour.

Following a decorated career at Arizona State University (ASU), Yu secured status on the Korn Ferry Tour after finishing fourth in the inaugural PGA Tour University Class of 2021. He made an immediate impression in the professional ranks by contending twice in his first four starts last season.

After watching a congratulatory video message from his ASU coach Matt Thurmond on Sunday, Yu teared up. “A lot of emotions right now. I went through a lot of stuff from college to now. I’ve been dreaming of this for a while … 20 years is a long time,” added Yu, who learned the game at a driving range his father owned in Chinese Taipei.

After concluding his Korn Ferry campaign as number one, Dalian native Yuan is looking forward to his first stint on the PGA Tour. He is the third mainland Chinese, after Dou and Zhang Xinjun, both in 2018, to hold a Tour card.

“It’s going to be a new experience. New courses, new challenges … maybe pair up with some big names, learn from them. Everybody has contributed a lot, including my coach, wife, caddie, parents, friends. Everybody surrounding me, making me who I am,” said Yuan.

“A big thank you to all of them that make me where I am now,” added the 25-year-old, who recorded three top-three finishes in his first five starts of 2022 and secured a win at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Mistras.

Yuan graced the AAC on three occasions, finishing tied for third in 2017, ninth in 2016 and joint 20th in 2014 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club where Dou ended in a share of fifth place in what was the last of his three AAC appearances.

Before that he was joint 18th at Thailand’s Amata Spring in 2012 and tied for fourth, alongside Australian Lucas Herbert, at China’s Nanshan International Golf Club in 2013.

After finishing fourth on the final Korn Ferry rankings, Dou has earned a second crack at the PGA Tour. Dou won the 2016 PGA Tour Series-China Order of Merit at age 19 for Korn Ferry Tour membership and, along with countryman Zhang, became the first mainland Chinese golfers to secure a Tour card with his 2017 AdventHealth Championship title.

Now aged 25, Dou won his third Korn Ferry Tour title at this year’s The Ascendant presented by Blue to secure his PGA Tour return. “It feels real now,” Dou said. “The first year I got there, I kind of felt I wasn’t ready. But it’s been three years now from that time, and I feel like all parts of my game are set for the big Tour.”

Kim, who missed the half-way cut the only time he performed at the AAC, in New Zealand in 2017, finished 12th on the final Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Eligibility Points List.

The 23-year-old advanced through First, Second and Final Stages of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament last fall to secure guaranteed starts on the number with a tied 39th at the Final Stage.

A four-time winner in Asia, with notable victories at the 2021 Japan PGA Championship and 2020 Korean PGA Championship, Kim recorded three top-three finishes in his first seven Korn Ferry Tour starts and clinched his first PGA Tour card by early May.

Now based in Dallas, Texas, Kim counts eight-time Tour winner KJ Choi as a mentor and often they play together in Fort Worth.

“When I first came to compete on the Korn Ferry Tour, I promised myself I wanted to be consistent, and that consistency really paid off,” Kim said. “I think everything came down as planned. I’m surprised it all came quickly, but I worked hard on and off the course to be where I am,” Kim.

Sydneysider Endycott, who claimed his maiden professional win with a five-stroke victory at this year’s Huntsville Championship, finished 21st in the standings.

A two-time AAC participant (2016, tied 26th and 2017, tied 10th), Endycott, who grew up playing Avondale Golf Club in Pymble, New South Wales, turned professional in the fall of 2017. He played two seasons on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica (2018 and 2019) and the last three years on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xinjun has kept alive his hopes of also making his way onto the PGA Tour next season.

Zhang, who tied 11th in the inaugural ACC at China’s Mission Hills in 2009 and shared 40th spot in Japan in 2010, survived a nervous finish for a final round 68 and tied 16th position at the Pinnacle Bank Championship. In so doing he has qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) Finals, a three-tournament series starting this week.

The top-75 players from the KFT rankings are eligible for the Finals and will be joined by players who finished 126th to 200th from the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings. The top-25 after three tournaments will also earn PGA Tour cards.