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Golfers aiming for a PGA Tour card next year are heading to Holston Hills Country Club this week. The 11th event of the Korn Ferry Tour, the Visit Knoxville Open 2026, is underway from May 21 to May 24, 2026. This year’s edition arrives with bigger stakes and added attention across the Korn Ferry Tour schedule. A strong finish in Knoxville could reshape careers, strengthen promotion hopes, and deliver one of the most rewarding paydays of the season.

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Prize money at the Visit Knoxville Open 2026

The prize money for the Visit Knoxville 2026 is $1 million. Of the total purse, $180,000 goes to the winner, which reflects the standard 18% payout across the Korn Ferry Tour.

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But while the winner takes home the biggest paycheck, everyone who makes the cut will get their share of the $1,000,000 purse. The runner-up gets $90,000, while the third-place finisher earns $60,000.

The table below lists the Visit Knoxville Open 2026 prize money breakdown:

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PositionPrize share
1$180,000
2$90,000
3$60,000
4$45,000
5$38,000
6$34,500
7$32,000
8$29,500
9$27,500
10$25,500
11$23,650
12$22,000
13$20,500
14$19,000
15$18,000
16$17,000
17$16,000
18$15,000
19$14,000
20$13,000
21$12,150
22$11,350
23$10,550
24$9,750
25$9,000
26$8,530
27$8,100
28$7,700
29$7,400
30$7,100
31$6,850
32$6,650
33$6,450
34$6,250
35$6,050
36$5,850
37$5,650
38$5,450
39$5,250
40$5,150
41$5,050
42$4,950
43$4,850
44$4,750
45$4,650
46$4,550
47$4,500
48$4,450
49$4,400
50$4,350
51$4,300
52$4,260
53$4,240
54$4,220
55$4,200
56$4,180
57$4,160
58$4,140
59$4,120
60$4,100
61$4,080
62$4,060
63$4,040
64$4,020
65$4,000

What else is on the line at the Visit Knoxville Open 2026?

While finances are the immediate benefit, there are many other perks on line at the 11th event of the Korn Ferry Tour. These perks can be even more rewarding in the long run.

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One of those is the Korn Ferry Tour points. The winner of the Visit Knoxville Open 2026 will get 500 points. These points provide the pathway to the PGA Tour. Those who finish in the top 20 at the end of the season earn PGA Tour membership for the upcoming season. This further opens up paths for way more earnings by competing at the biggest stage of professional golf.

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The top golfer at the end of the season also gets exemptions into the next Players Championship and the U.S. Open. That makes every point at Knoxville valuable, especially for players hovering around the top-20 cutoff.

Another perk available is the OWGR points. The OWGR has given the event a field strength of 76.63339 points. Of this, the winner gets 13.18038 points, which is 17.2% of the total. The second position gets 7.90823 points (10.32%), and the third finisher gets 5.27215 points (6.88%).

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Everyone who makes the cut will get OWGR points. However, the final points a golfer receives could change based on how many have made the cut.

Field Overview at the Visit Knoxville Open 2026

While there are financial and other perks to be grabbed at the 2026 Visit Knoxville Open, it won’t be easy for anyone to win. The event features a competitive field of 156 professionals. It includes a mix of PGA Tour winners, proven Korn Ferry winners, and rising prospects.

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Headlining the field are Chez Reavie and Jim Herman. Both are 3-time PGA Tour winners. Reavie won the 2008 RBC Canadian Open, the 2019 Travelers Championship, and the 2022 Barracuda Championship. Herman, on the other hand, has won the 2016 Shell Houston Open, the 2019 Barbasol Championship, and the 2020 Wyndham Championship.

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While they are the veterans of the field, Ian Holt, Davis Lamb, Jeremy Gandon, Alistair Docherty, Doc Redman, and Jay Card III are some of the popular names on the Korn Ferry Tour. All of them are in the top 200 in the world golf rankings.

The strong field is competing for a massive $1 million purse, valuable Korn Ferry Tour points, and important OWGR gains at the Visit Knoxville Open 2026. It will be a big week at Holston Hills Country Club, and with general admission free to the public, the atmosphere will be above par, too.

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Written by

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Kailash Bhimji Vaviya

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Kailash Vaviya is a Golf Journalist at EssentiallySports, combining newsroom experience with a long-standing passion for the sport. He has been following golf since his college years, closely tracking the rise of modern stars and the drama of the game’s biggest tournaments. With a background in reporting and digital media, Kailash has built a strong foundation in research-driven analysis and storytelling that connects with sports audiences. At EssentiallySports, Kailash brings this blend of journalism and passion to deliver coverage that goes beyond scorecards. Whether it’s breaking down major championships, analyzing player performances, or exploring the cultural resonance of the game, his work aims to inform, engage, and bring fans closer to the world of golf. He has also written for Comic Book Resources (CBR) and Forbes, further expanding his portfolio across sports and media.

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Aatreyi Sarkar

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