After consecutive weeks appearing near the top of the leaderboard, Peter Kuest has been rewarded with special temporary membership to the PGA Tour after earning enough “non-member” FedEx Cup points to pass the threshold.
Kuest, 25, was a standout golfer at BYU but had nowhere to play when he turned pro in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He received a sponsor’s invite into the AT&T Byron Nelson earlier this year and finished tied for 14th.
Then he got into the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit as a Monday qualifier and went 64-70-65-68 to tie for fourth. At the John Deere Classic this past week, he tied for 17th, shooting in the 60s in his first three rounds.
The temporary membership gives Kuest unlimited sponsor’s exemptions for the rest of the season as he strives to earn his PGA Tour card. To do that, he must finish the regular season with at least as many FedEx Cup points as the No. 125 player in the standings.
South Korean up-and-comer Tom Kim received the same special temporary membership from the PGA Tour last July, and Kim then won the Wyndham Championship on his way to securing full-time membership.
Kuest is the sixth player to earn special temporary membership this season, following Akshay Bhatia, Ryan Fox of New Zealand, Ryan Gerard, Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark and Min Woo Lee of Australia.