Rhein Gibson and Tim Wilkinson return to PGA Tour
Rhein Gibson
Australian Rhein Gibson and New Zealander Tim Wilkinson will return to the PGA Tour next season following the completion of regular tour season events on the Korn Ferry Tour at this week’s Portland Open.
Gibson finished this week’s event in 11th place and as a result will complete his regular season in 10th place in the standings on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour (previously the Web.Com Tour).
Gibson, from Lismore in Northern NSW, played the PGA Tour in 2017 before returning to the then Web.Com Tour in 2018 but is back to the big stage when the new season rolls around in two month’s time.
The leading 25 players will receive PGA Tour cards for next season and so while Gibson’s fate was already established prior to this week Wilkinson had an anxious wait after missing the cut in Portland to ride out the permutations of the final day and regain the PGA Tour status he has enjoyed previously.
He would eventually finish 24th in the rankings and is heading back to the PGA Tour which he played previously in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He has been back on the Korn Ferry Tour since so this provides another opportunity for the 41-year old.
Gibson and Wilkinson will be buoyed by their graduation to the PGA Tour but for Victorian, Brett Coletta, it was week which might have been.
Heading into the week, Coletta was in 25th place in the rankings and on the cusp of gaining his first PGA Tour card.
Unfortunately for Coletta he would bogey five of his last seven holes on Friday to miss the cut and, eventually, his PGA Tour card by two spots.
Coletta, along with fellow Victorian Cameron Percy, NSW’s Jamie Arnold and New Zealander Steve Alker will be required to compete in the three event Korn Ferry Finals in their quest to gain PGA Tour status.
If they can finish in the leading 25 players of that stand alone money list then they too would play the PGA Tour next season.
