- March 24, 2026
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Year eight of the LECOM Suncoast Classic is almost here. The Korn Ferry Tour event arrives April 2 at Lakewood National Golf Club, and will run through April 5.
A field of 156 golfers will compete with $1 million on the line.
Here's how past champions have fared since their respective wins:
If there’s a rising star among this distinguished group, it’s Neal Shipley. His ascent through the professional golf ranks has been rapid.
He’s already played in seven tournaments on the PGA Tour this season — his first on tour. In 2024, he was the low amateur at the Masters Tournament and U.S Open.
The former Ohio State golfer, though, hasn’t enjoyed a smooth ride in 2026. Shipley has made one of seven cuts en route to a T-68th finish at the WM Phoenix Open from Feb. 5-8, where he carded one over par.
Now in the third year of his pro career, he’s made 10 of 19 cuts all-time on the PGA Tour. His most memorable moments have come on the Korn Ferry Tour, where in 2025, he won the Suncoast Classic and The Ascendant.
Winning the Suncoast Classic appeared to be a career-changing achievement for Tim Widing. It put him in position to reach a longtime dream — competing on the PGA Tour.
Not much came of his subsequent 2025 season, though. The Swede made the cut in five of 21 tournaments played on tour, posting his best finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans by tying for 24th place with a 20 under par.
Persistent struggles lost him his tour card. So far in 2026, he hasn’t appeared on the Korn Ferry Tour or the PGA Tour.
The wait had gone on long enough. Nearly 15 years passed between Scott Gutschewski’s last win at The Rex Hospital Open in 2008 and the moment he held the Suncoast Classic trophy.
He’s a true journeyman. After turning pro in 1999, he earned his PGA Tour card in 2005 and has since played 160 tour events in his career.
Gutschewski made 66 of those cuts, but failed to win or make the top three of any tournament. His best finish came at the 2022 Barracuda Championship — fifth.
This past season was quiet for him, appearing in just three PGA Tour events. The PGA Tour Champions, though, could be an option starting Oct. 1, when Gutschewski will celebrate his 50th birthday.
Success has been plentiful for Byeong Hun An. Winning the Suncoast Classic was merely a stepping stone to greater things.
He tallied three top-10 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Canadian Open and Baycurrent Classic in 2025. He has $21.5 million in PGA Tour career winnings.
An also tied for 21st place at the Masters and competed at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship, appearing in all four majors of the PGA Tour.
This season, he left the tour behind and jumped ship to rival league LIV Golf, where he has one top-10 finish and serves as team captain for the Korean Golf Club. He has won just under $1 million on the LIV Tour so far this season.
Every now and then, Hayden Buckley would show some promise on the PGA Tour last season. But they were only flashes.
He tied for seventh place at the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic and tied for 10th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Along the way, though, he missed 15 of 24 cuts.
Having lost his tour card, he will spend 2026 grinding to get it back. The former Missouri golfer has placed top-25 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, The Panama Championship and the Astaro Golf Championship this season.
Only one of these golfers ranks inside the top 50 — Andrew Novak. He's made the cut in five of eight PGA Tour events this season.
In 2025, the former Wofford golfer secured his first tour title by winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Ben Griffin. Novak finished 25th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Novak got his tour card in 2022 and has placed top-five in five tournaments since. He's already won $12.5 million on the PGA Tour.
He played in every major but the Masters last season.
The search continues for Mark Hubbard's maiden PGA Tour title. He's gotten close, with a second-place finish and four third-place finishes, but he has yet to reach the top.
He's been plenty active in 2026, reaching the final round in four of eight tournaments. His best result was at the Cognizant Classic from Feb. 26-29 — tying for 23rd. He has $12.6 million in career PGA Tour winnings.
