Disastrous Q-School penalty knocks pros out of the lead and out of contention

In the most stressful moments of competitive golf, stress often manifests itself through nervous swings and stubborn putts. But it bothered Ben Coles in a different way during Sunday’s final round of Q-School, one that saw him fall from a share of the lead to the brink in the space of two holes.

Kohlers was tied for the lead at the top of the TPC Sawgrass Valley Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, when he hit his ball straight into the woods on the 8th hole. His ball came to rest among the scattered leaves. Before hitting his second shot, Kohlers inadvertently caused the ball to move while trying to clear debris around the lie, and received a one-stroke penalty. Kollers punched out and then made double bogey on the hole, which dropped him to 9 under and into T8 — down a bit, but not completely out of contention.

However, on the next hole, the par-4 ninth, Kohlers hit his tee shot into the water on the right side of the fairway, and the remaining room for error was all but gone. Another penalty and another double bogey. Kohlers drove the T22 to the No. 10 tee.

Always a stress test, this year’s Q-School Finals played out in a particularly unforgiving manner, thanks to an off-season format change that only offered PGA Tour cards to the top five players. Over the past few years, the top five and ties have all made it to the big stage.

Kohlers has played on the PGA Tour on and off since turning pro in 2012, including last season. He finished 145th in FedExCup points on the PGA Tour in 2025, limiting his standing in 2026. But Sunday’s painful experience in Q-school put his goal of full-time status on hold for now.