'Unfortunate error' allows wrong player into field at Korn Ferry Tour event
Rayhan Thomas should've still been in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday evening. Instead, the 25-year-old Korn Ferry Tour was back in Stillwater, Oklahoma, having just completed the nearly seven-hour drive home.
Thomas had hung around The Club at Indian Creek all Thursday, waiting to see if he'd earn entry into the Pinnacle Bank Championship as an alternate.
That call, mistakenly, never came.
In what the Korn Ferry Tour is calling an 'unfortunate error,' M.J. Daffue gained access into the field for the penultimate event of the KFT's regular season via an incorrect category. So, when Scott Gutschewski withdrew before his first-round tee time, that opening was given to first alternate Runchanapong Youprayong, the Thai rookie who should've already been in. Thomas was next on the alternate list behind Youprayong.
Monday Q Info's Ryan French first reported the story, and a KFT spokesperson confirmed the human error to GolfChannel.com.
By missing the cut at last month's Barracuda Championship, Daffue failed to satisfy his non-exempt major medical extension on the PGA Tour. That's when Daffue was supposed to be placed in the KFT's reorder category along with the next 25 players and ties from Q-School and Nos. 2-10 from last year's PGA Tour Americas points list. But he was accidentally coded into the category for PGA Tour members not exempt for current PGA Tour events (Nos. 126-150).
Unlike the LPGA's clerical error involving Sophia Popov earlier this year, when Popov had her points retroactively removed after playing in three events that she wasn't eligible for, Daffue remained in the field and will be allowed to accrue official points. The mistake could prove massively fortunate for Daffue, who is currently tied for third and two shots off the lead through 36 holes.
OMAHA, NEBRASKA - AUGUST 08: MJ Daffue of South Africa chips onto the ninth green during the second round of the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse 2025 at The Club at Indian Creek on August 08, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by)
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The KFT spokesperson, in a statement, added, 'We have communicated this situation with the player who was impacted and are working to provide an equitable solution.'
That player is Thomas, who arrived at the course at 6:15 a.m. Thursday, a half hour before the first tee time. The morning wave passed with Thomas still waiting, and after a quick meal break, he returned to the course until 2:20 p.m. when the last threesome teed off.
When reached by phone Friday evening, Thomas said he was bummed that his father had flown in from Dubai to watch him play, but he also expressed understanding of the situation.
'The Tour is trying to find a way to rectify it, and I'm sure that we'll come to an agreement and figure it out,' Thomas told GolfChannel.com. 'I'm pretty confident that things will be made right. I think the Tour has good intentions. Obviously, they made a mistake, and they were regretful about it.
'Now, I'm back in Oklahoma, trying to get ready for Boise. In my head, regardless of MJ getting in or not, I just didn't play good enough to get into the field, so I need to play better, and hopefully Boise will be a good chance for me to move up the rankings a little bit.'
Any make-good by the KFT will likely come after the season, when Thomas solidifies what his status for next year will be.
Thomas, at No. 107 in points entering this week, will easily get into next week's Albertsons Boise Open, which fills its field based on the current standings. He will also qualify for the first two playoff events, which have fields of 156 players and 144 players, respectively. The 120-man Compliance Solutions Championship in Owasso, Oklahoma, is still in question, as Thomas has missed 13 of 20 cuts in his rookie season while posting only one top-10 finish, his T-7 at the second event of the year in Bahamas.
The top 75 players in points after Compliance not only advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship but earn full KFT status for next season as well.
'That is priority one to get into the top 75, and if we can go on a really good run, maybe top 20,' Thomas said. 'But yeah, getting to the finals would be damn good. … The year hasn't gone as good as I'd hoped. It was a good start and that gave me a lot of confidence, but as things have progressed, I've not played as sharp and just not been as tidy with my game, and my scores have shown that. It's been a lot of golf, and I'm just trying to figure it out week by week.
'But from what I've seen, one good week can really help you and move you up the rankings really quickly, so I'm still quite optimistic about the rest of the season.'
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