Drew Nesbitt doesn’t believe in superstitions, so he wasn’t fazed by trying to get his first Korn Ferry Tour win in his 13th career start.
In fact, he only found out he was entered into the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS on Monday. It was his 13th start on the Korn Ferry Tour, and he had only 14 guaranteed tournaments to enter.
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There wasn’t time for the 31-year-old Canadian to be superstitious. In his second-to-last attempt without needing an exemption, Nesbitt, from Horseshoe Valley, Ontario, opened the event with the fifth 11-under-par in Panther Creek history on Thursday, regained the lead with a 6-under on Saturday, and won the tournament with a 5-under 66 on Sunday for a 26-under 258.
“It’s unbelievable, I’m at a loss for words,” Nesbitt said after hoisting his third professional trophy. Nesbitt has won PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Americas events.
Drew Nesbitt kisses the trophy after winning the Korn Ferry Tour Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek County Club Sunday, June 28, 2026.
Though he was the leader going into Saturday, he said he managed to keep his nerves in check.
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“I kind of knew what today was all about,” Nesbitt said. “What it means, and how do you handle yourself, and how do you get through a round of golf trying to win a tournament.
“I just managed my game really well. You’ve got to go out there and execute and do the right things, and I was able to do that.”
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Sherwood makes it close
With two eagles on his final nine holes, 24-year-old Cole Sherwood, of Austin, Texas, shot a 9-under 62 and finished one stroke back of Nesbitt.
Sherwood used a 7-under 64 on Saturday to put him within reach of the leaders, and he began Sunday’s round even through three before getting birdies on the No. 4 par-4 and the par-4 No. 8.
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His back nine was a different story entirely. He opened with birdies on Nos. 10-12, all par-4s, before sinking an eagle putt from 16-feet away on the 600-yard, par-5 No. 13 to get to 7-under for the round. On the 516-yard, par-5 No. 16, his approach shot was just short of the green, but he sank a 35-foot chip shot to join Nesbitt atop the leaderboard.
Cole Sherwood of the United States hits from the third tee during the final round of the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS at Panther Creek Country Club on June 28, 2026 in Springfield, Illinois.
Nesbitt regained it by himself on the 194-yard, par-3 No. 14, but a bogey on the 461-yard, par-4 No. 15 put himself back in the tie. He reclaimed it by himself, for good, with a birdie on No. 16 and finished his win by going par-par.
“I think the mentality of the chaser and the guy in the lead is the same, and I’d rather chase my own lead than chase somebody with the lead,” Nesbitt said.
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Sherwood was unavailable for a post-round interview. After signing his scorecard, he went to stay loose on the practice tees in case a playoff hole was needed, then he had to hurry to catch a flight, according to Korn Ferry Tour officials.
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Riedel’s amazing weekend
Matthew Riedel, of Houston, improved 19 places with a 9-under 62 on Sunday. Combined with a 7-under 64 on Saturday, he put himself in contention before finishing tied for third, three shots back of Nesbitt at 23-under 261.
“It was awesome,” Riedel said of his weekend. “Kind of let golf come to me a little bit. You could tell when you got out there (that) scoring was going to be a little easier: just really soft, they moved a few tees up . . . and greens are great, and course is in good shape.
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“You just felt like you got to go play well, but it’s hard to kind of force those good rounds.”
Matthew Riedel of the United States measures a putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS at Panther Creek Country Club on June 28, 2026 in Springfield, Illinois.
Riedel had three bogeys on the first two days before getting 14 birdies and an eagle on Saturday on No. 16.
But just like he tried to put his 1-under 70 on Friday out of his mind for Saturday, he also couldn’t get too confident before Sunday’s round.
“I mean every round’s a little different, so it’s hard to kind of really let it blend in,” Riedel said. “I knew I was playing great, so I tried not to really overthink it or do too much and really just sort of let the game come to me, and I knew I was playing well and it worked.
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“It was a 10 out of 10 for me. I’ve really kind of struggled some this last year and a half, so it was really nice to get a good week fully in. I mean, I always love to win it whenever you’re up there, you’re going to give it your all, but I didn’t really leave much out there, it felt like this weekend, so I’m pumped.”
World Cup carryover?
On the same day Canada won in the World Cup knockout stage for the first time ever — with a 1-0 win in stoppage time over South Africa — Nesbitt won his first Korn Ferry event.
But the thoughts and anxieties of the rest of his nation didn’t make their way to Nesbitt.
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“I honestly didn’t even know who they were playing,” Nesbitt said with a chuckle. “I was just focused on my job; it was a pretty important day.
“Last night, it was a lot of rest, a good meal, a little show, and go to bed, and then just through my routine today, and here we are.”
Drew Nesbitt hits the ball out of a bunker on the 17th green during the Korn Ferry Tour Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek County Club Sunday, June 28, 2026.
Nesbitt never lost hope in his own abilities.
“Guys talk a lot about trending the right way and doing the right things, but it’s like I said, I haven’t played bad golf; I haven’t scored well,” Nesbitt said. “I know I can win. I know the quality of my good golf, and I just believed in it. I’ve watched other players who I’ve competed against and gone back and forth, battled out with, and I’ve seen them succeed and play well and win.
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“You just got to believe at the end of the day, it’s about what you shoot, not who’s in the field, not where you’re playing. If you’re the lowest scorer, you’re going to win the golf tournament.
“But until you actually do it, you’re not really ever certain, so it’s just pretty special to be able to say I’m a Korn Ferry Tour winner and no one can take that away from me.”
Having survived his limited entries on the Korn Ferry Tour, Nesbitt is now guaranteed to make every event this season and next. Does he believe winning will become easier?
“Learning how to win is a skill, but the reality is winning is a byproduct of doing the correct things,” Nesbitt said. “The goal is not to go out there and just win a golf tournament. The goal is to go out there and go through your process and do the right things day after day and add them up, and if you happen to win, you win.
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“You can look at a guy like Jack Nicklaus best for that. I mean, he won 18 majors. Well, he finished second 19 times, so how many could he have won?”
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, [email protected], Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
Saturday, June 27
After falling a shot off the lead in the second round, Canadian golfer Drew Nesbitt reclaimed his lead of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship in Saturday’s third round, which was delayed in the morning due to fog.
Nesbitt, who became the fifth golfer at Panther Creek Country Club history to shoot an 11-under 60 in the opening round, came back with a 6-under-par 65 on Saturday and leads four others by just a stroke heading into Sunday’s final round. He had seven birdies and one bogey in the third round.
Drew Nesbitt of Canada greets Will Cannon of the United States after finishing on the 18th green during the third round of the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS at Panther Creek Country Club on June 27, 2026 in Springfield, Illinois.
Nesbitt, sitting at 21-under 192, is seeking his first Korn Ferry Tour win in 13 tournaments. The 31-year-old from Horseshoe Valley, Ontario, previously won events in the PGA Tour Americas and the PGA Tour Latinoamérica. His 21-under 192 is a new 54-hole career-low score. His previous best score after three rounds came earlier this season in the Visit Knoxville Open when he was at 9-under 204. He finished 12-under and tied for 50th.
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Will Cannon shot a 10-under 61 to grab the lead at the tournament’s midway point on Friday, getting in front of Nesbitt by one strike. Nesbitt had a 4-under 67 on Friday. However, Cannon shot a 2-under 69 on Saturday to fall into a three-way tie for sixth with Zac Blair and Tyler Duncan.
Dallas’ Tommy Morrison had Saturday’s low round at 10-under 61 to pull into a tie for second with Troy Merritt, Michael Johnson and Frankie Harris. Merritt had the third round’s second-best score, a 9-under 62. Johnson fired a 63 while Harris posted a 64. All three trail Nesbitt by a stroke and sit two strokes up on the three golfers tied for sixth.
Nesbitt, Morris and Merritt will all tee off together on Hole No. 1 at 12:06 p.m. for Sunday’s final round. Johnson, Harris and Blair go off one group earlier, at 11:55 a.m. Tee times begin Sunday at 10 a.m. with half the field teeing off from the first hole and the other half from No. 10.
Thursday, June 25
The Korn Ferry Tour’s Memorial Health Championship got off to a bang when Canadian Drew Nesbitt tied the Panther Creek Country Club course record out of the first round’s morning tee times on Thursday, June 25.
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Nesbitt, 31, is looking for his first Korn Ferry win in 13 starts after opening with an 11-under-par 60 to become the clubhouse leader. He is the fifth golfer in Memorial Health Championship history to fire a 60 and went 5-under over the final four holes to accomplish the feat.
“I don’t think I’ve been playing bad golf, but the margins at this level are so thin,” Nesbitt said. “You’ve got extremely good players wanting to go low and they’re hungry to go to the PGA Tour.”
Taylor Moore did it in the third round of 2021 and won that year’s tournament with a then-record 257 (Paul Haley II tied that 27-under 257 the next year with his win).
Drew Nesbitt
Rob Oppenheim also fired an 11-under in the third round of the 2022 event before Jackson Suber had a 60 in 2024’s second round and Sandy Scott used an 11-under last year in the final round to finish tied for third.
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Nesbitt’s previous lowest round in Korn Ferry play came earlier this season at the Visit Knoxville Open when he shot a 63 at Holston Hills Country Club in the first round on May 21.
“On days even like today, where greens are soft, conditions are soft, it allows me to play more aggressive than on the flip, if you get a firm and fast golf course, you have to play a little more defensively.”
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Coming ‘home’ party for Buchanan
University of Illinois 2025 graduate and former Illini golfer Jackson Buchanan put together a nice run in the morning tee times to finish with a 9-under 62, putting him third, one stroke behind 31-year-old South Carolina golfer Carson Young, who opened his tournament with a 10-under 61, one shot off the early clubhouse leader, Drew Nesbitt.
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Buchanan, of Decula, Georgia, birdied holes No. 11-13 to begin 3-under and made the turn at 6-under before shaving three more strokes from par over the front nine. He received an exemption to get into the field for the second time.
Jackson Buchanan
“Being able to get comfortable out here and see the course is an advantage,” Buchanan said after his round. “Being a rookie, you don’t see many of the courses from previous years, so this is one I definitely had starred on the schedule, you could say.”
Buchanan, whose 62 is his best round in 16 Korn Ferry tournaments, said getting up and down for birdie on the par-5 No. 13 really helped springboard his round. But it was his pre-tournament trip to see his former Illini coach Mike Small that may have set the tone.
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“I went to Champaign, I hung out with coach a little bit,” Buchanan said. “It can always kind of reset you a little bit and put you on the right path. (But Thursday) was just a good day, there’s three days left, so it’s not even halftime yet, but definitely a good day.”
According to the National Weather Service, Springfield has received nearly double its rainfall average for June of 3.75 inches with 7.35 inches. Wednesday’s rain helped make the course — especially Panther Creek’s greens — perfect for low scores, Buchanan said.
“It was about as easy out there as you could get, maybe a little wet if you’re playing long,” Buchanan said. “But greens are soft, throwing darts; you see guys 11-under, that’s when you know it’s pretty easy. But you still got to play good golf.”
Buchanan is scheduled to tee off on Friday at 2:26 p.m. for his second round (barring any sort of weather delay with rain and thunderstorms in the forecast). He said the better the round, the more vital it is to forget it.
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“I think it’s more important to put it behind you than even a bad round,” Buchanan said. “A bad round, you can learn from. A round like this, put it behind you, build momentum. The more you look at the leaderboard and the more you think, ‘Oh, I must be pretty good,’ you’re going to go the wrong direction. Put it behind you, get dinner, enjoy the night and tee off tomorrow in the afternoon.”
Tyler Duncan
Tyler Duncan, of Columbus, Indiana, joined Buchanan at 9-under. He capitalized on the three par-5s, with 4-under par on those, including an eagle on the 521-yard No. 16 hole.
“It was pretty clean; I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens and made the putts that I needed to,” Duncan said. “(On the eagle), I was trying to hit (his approach) right of the pin, kind of slightly pulled it right on the pin, and hit it two feet and made it. It was pretty stress-free. Always nice when you can steal one like that.”
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Other golf notes from Thursday
Wilson Furr, of Jackson, Mississippi, and Columbia, Missouri’s Ross Steelman both carded 8-under 63s to tie for fourth out of the morning group (and tied for fifth overall). In the afternoon group, Chan Kim, Frankie Harris and Bryson Nimmer also showed 63s on their cards.
Four others, Ryan McCormick, Hunter Eichhorn, Trevor Cone, Michael Johnson and Hunter Wolcott all shot 7-under 64s to sit four shots off the pace.
Out of the afternoon group, Nimmer is hoping the third time at Panther Creek is a charm. Nimmer, of Bluffton, South Carolina, began with a bogey on the first hole before recording five birdies on the front nine, two on the back nine and an eagle on the par-5 No. 16 to join a pack tied for fourth at 8-under.
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“Just keep doing what we did today,” said Nimmer, who tees off on Friday at 6:46 a.m. “Hit fairways and greens and you can make a lot of birdies out here. Just keep doing that and keep (putting well).”
Bryson Nimmer tees off at the second green during the Korn Ferry Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek County Club Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Nimmer said he thought the course had dried out a bit between rounds, but he wasn’t complaining.
“It definitely firmed up a little, but I think it was a good thing,” Nimmer said. “It was fairly soft out there; obviously, the guys this morning were tearing it apart. It just showed there were (still) some birdies out there, which is good.”
Last year’s winner, Austin Smotherman of Dallas, earned his PGA Tour card with his 2025 Korn Ferry success and is not in the field.
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Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, [email protected], Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Late entry Drew Nesbitt claims first Korn Ferry Tour victory
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