NO, JOHNNY, REALLY
5/14/2025 5:47:00 PM | Men's Golf
Former Baylor golfer Keefer playing in PGA Championship
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Back home in San Antonio, recovering from a bout with stomach flu that knocked him out of a Korn Ferry Tour event in Tulum, Mexico, former Baylor All-American golfer Johnny Keefer was scrolling through his emails when something caught his eye.
"Congratulations, John Keefer, you are invited to compete in the 107th PGA Championship."
"I'm seeing all the unread ones, and I scroll across one and think it's spam," said the 24-year-old Keefer, who will in fact play in the PGA Championship this week at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. "And then, I'm like, 'Wait, that says you're invited to the PGA.' So, that was nice news to come back home to."
Playing in the penultimate group in Thursday's opening round, Keefer is paired with assistant club pro Larkin Gross and Kevin Yu from Chinese Taipei for a 12:37 p.m. CT tee time at the 10th hole.
"Obviously, very exciting," Keefer said of his first PGA major tournament. "I don't think any of us really expected it. I had no clue about the exemption list going up to 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking. But when it came to light and obviously came to fruition, it was really awesome to see."
Take a second just to take that in: Johnny Keefer is ranked 93rd in the world rankings that includes players from the PGA, Korn Ferry, PGA Tour Americas and DP World Tour, among others.
"For most majors, I think automatic exemption is top 50 in that ranking," he said. "So, it was nice to climb up that high. It's not super common for a Korn Ferry player to get this, but I'm really blessed for the opportunity."
Other than maybe himself and Baylor coach Mike McGraw, Keefer has exceeded any possible expectations of a player that was still in college this time a year ago, when he finished tied for second at the NCAA regional in Chapel Hill, N.C., and helped the Bears earn a spot in the NCAA Championship.
"It's crazy to think that really less than a year ago, I was still at Baylor, still repping the green and gold," said Keefer, who went on to tie for 11th at the NCAA Championship and set the program record with the lowest career stroke average at 71.45. "It's been a really crazy and awesome year. I can't take it for granted. I soak it all in and just think, 'Wow, time flies.'''
His year to remember actually started at the NCAA Championship last year at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. His 11th-place showing vaulted him into 25th on the 2024 PGA Tour University Rankings and earned him the final exemption on the PGA Tour Americas.
"We sat down, I think my freshman year at Baylor, and Coach McGraw said, 'I'm going to try to get you ready for professional golf by the time you graduate,''' Keefer said. "And that's what he did. I continued to progress and continued to learn things about myself, my body, my swing and my game that all helped me. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I spent five years (at Baylor), and I was ready to go conquer the world."
First, he had to conquer Canada.
After slipping in with the last exemption for a collegiate golfer, Keefer dominated the PGA Tour Americas, finishing in the top 10 in all but one of his 10 tournaments, winning the Manitoba Open last August and finishing first in the tour's Fortinet Cup points standings.
Not only did he earn his Korn Ferry Tour card for the 2025 season, he also got an exemption into the Procore Championship in Napa, Calif., last September, where he tied for 13th at 9-under-par 279 in his PGA Tour debut.
"It feels like it's been forever, but it's been great," Keefer said. "I think I've learned a lot, especially from PGA Tour Americas, having success there. And kind of translating that to the Korn Ferry Tour and even my one start on the PGA Tour. Good golf is going to travel. It's going continue serve me well. So, just try and go out there and have some fun. I think I've gotten my feet grounded on both of those tours pretty nicely. I just want to continue doing that."
Other than having to withdraw at the tournament earlier this month in Mexico, Keefer's one shaky moment in professional golf came at the start of the Korn Ferry Tour season back in January. He missed the cut for the first and only time so far at the Bahamas Golf Classic and then tied for 60th the next week at The Abaco Club, shooting 74-76 on the weekend.
"Since then, it's been a much steadier roll," said Keefer, who won the Veritex Bank Championship last month in Arlington and has had three other top-10 finishes. "I think I've had the right mixture of good and bad golf. Obviously, experience is a big component, but I think I'm a fast learner. So, I think I figured it out on how to travel and take care of my body on a day-to-day basis. Obviously, there's a lot more to learn, and I'll continue learning this week."
Regardless of how he fares this week, Keefer is well on his way to earning his PGA Tour card for 2026. He has earned $346,700 in the first four months on the Korn Ferry Tour and ranks second with 1,015 points, with the top 20 at the end of the year earning their PGA Tour card.
"I've set myself up so that hopefully I can go after that (No. 1) spot instead of just top 20," said Keefer, who certainly doesn't lack for confidence.
Since turning pro, Keefer has had 17 rounds of 64 or better in PGA Tour-sanctioned competition. Two-time Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has 11 such rounds, and 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy has recorded three in that span.
"On any level, Korn Ferry, Americas, PGA Tour, signature events, major championships, good golf is going to play really well," he said. "I'm really excited to test myself against them and against a major championship course, because obviously I've never played in one. Just go out there, try and have some fun, try and shoot some low numbers, and hopefully have a really late tee time on the weekend."
Keefer is joined in the PGA Championship field this week by Baylor Hall of Famer Jimmy Walker, who won the PGA Championship in 2016 and has five other PGA Tour victories. He previously held the Baylor program record with a career scoring average of 71.55.
"Jimmy's actually from San Antonio as well, so I'm excited to see him this week," Keefer said.
Baylor Bear Insider
Back home in San Antonio, recovering from a bout with stomach flu that knocked him out of a Korn Ferry Tour event in Tulum, Mexico, former Baylor All-American golfer Johnny Keefer was scrolling through his emails when something caught his eye.
"Congratulations, John Keefer, you are invited to compete in the 107th PGA Championship."
"I'm seeing all the unread ones, and I scroll across one and think it's spam," said the 24-year-old Keefer, who will in fact play in the PGA Championship this week at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. "And then, I'm like, 'Wait, that says you're invited to the PGA.' So, that was nice news to come back home to."
Playing in the penultimate group in Thursday's opening round, Keefer is paired with assistant club pro Larkin Gross and Kevin Yu from Chinese Taipei for a 12:37 p.m. CT tee time at the 10th hole.
"Obviously, very exciting," Keefer said of his first PGA major tournament. "I don't think any of us really expected it. I had no clue about the exemption list going up to 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking. But when it came to light and obviously came to fruition, it was really awesome to see."
Take a second just to take that in: Johnny Keefer is ranked 93rd in the world rankings that includes players from the PGA, Korn Ferry, PGA Tour Americas and DP World Tour, among others.
"For most majors, I think automatic exemption is top 50 in that ranking," he said. "So, it was nice to climb up that high. It's not super common for a Korn Ferry player to get this, but I'm really blessed for the opportunity."
Other than maybe himself and Baylor coach Mike McGraw, Keefer has exceeded any possible expectations of a player that was still in college this time a year ago, when he finished tied for second at the NCAA regional in Chapel Hill, N.C., and helped the Bears earn a spot in the NCAA Championship.
"It's crazy to think that really less than a year ago, I was still at Baylor, still repping the green and gold," said Keefer, who went on to tie for 11th at the NCAA Championship and set the program record with the lowest career stroke average at 71.45. "It's been a really crazy and awesome year. I can't take it for granted. I soak it all in and just think, 'Wow, time flies.'''
His year to remember actually started at the NCAA Championship last year at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. His 11th-place showing vaulted him into 25th on the 2024 PGA Tour University Rankings and earned him the final exemption on the PGA Tour Americas.
"We sat down, I think my freshman year at Baylor, and Coach McGraw said, 'I'm going to try to get you ready for professional golf by the time you graduate,''' Keefer said. "And that's what he did. I continued to progress and continued to learn things about myself, my body, my swing and my game that all helped me. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I spent five years (at Baylor), and I was ready to go conquer the world."
First, he had to conquer Canada.
After slipping in with the last exemption for a collegiate golfer, Keefer dominated the PGA Tour Americas, finishing in the top 10 in all but one of his 10 tournaments, winning the Manitoba Open last August and finishing first in the tour's Fortinet Cup points standings.
Not only did he earn his Korn Ferry Tour card for the 2025 season, he also got an exemption into the Procore Championship in Napa, Calif., last September, where he tied for 13th at 9-under-par 279 in his PGA Tour debut.
"It feels like it's been forever, but it's been great," Keefer said. "I think I've learned a lot, especially from PGA Tour Americas, having success there. And kind of translating that to the Korn Ferry Tour and even my one start on the PGA Tour. Good golf is going to travel. It's going continue serve me well. So, just try and go out there and have some fun. I think I've gotten my feet grounded on both of those tours pretty nicely. I just want to continue doing that."
Other than having to withdraw at the tournament earlier this month in Mexico, Keefer's one shaky moment in professional golf came at the start of the Korn Ferry Tour season back in January. He missed the cut for the first and only time so far at the Bahamas Golf Classic and then tied for 60th the next week at The Abaco Club, shooting 74-76 on the weekend.
"Since then, it's been a much steadier roll," said Keefer, who won the Veritex Bank Championship last month in Arlington and has had three other top-10 finishes. "I think I've had the right mixture of good and bad golf. Obviously, experience is a big component, but I think I'm a fast learner. So, I think I figured it out on how to travel and take care of my body on a day-to-day basis. Obviously, there's a lot more to learn, and I'll continue learning this week."
Regardless of how he fares this week, Keefer is well on his way to earning his PGA Tour card for 2026. He has earned $346,700 in the first four months on the Korn Ferry Tour and ranks second with 1,015 points, with the top 20 at the end of the year earning their PGA Tour card.
"I've set myself up so that hopefully I can go after that (No. 1) spot instead of just top 20," said Keefer, who certainly doesn't lack for confidence.
Since turning pro, Keefer has had 17 rounds of 64 or better in PGA Tour-sanctioned competition. Two-time Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has 11 such rounds, and 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy has recorded three in that span.
"On any level, Korn Ferry, Americas, PGA Tour, signature events, major championships, good golf is going to play really well," he said. "I'm really excited to test myself against them and against a major championship course, because obviously I've never played in one. Just go out there, try and have some fun, try and shoot some low numbers, and hopefully have a really late tee time on the weekend."
Keefer is joined in the PGA Championship field this week by Baylor Hall of Famer Jimmy Walker, who won the PGA Championship in 2016 and has five other PGA Tour victories. He previously held the Baylor program record with a career scoring average of 71.55.
"Jimmy's actually from San Antonio as well, so I'm excited to see him this week," Keefer said.
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