Jake Card Caps Tour Americas Season with championship

Last week, Shelter Island’s own Jay “Jake” Card III delivered the kind of finish golfers dream about — returning to the Island with a Korn Ferry Tour card, another trophy, and a season to remember.

After turning pro in 2018 and battling through the good and bad breaks golf tends to bring, Jake has now secured his spot to return to the Korn Ferry Tour (one step down from the PGA Tour) in the 2026 season. A few years ago, he played on that tour but came up short, missing the cut. This season, Jake competed on the PGA Tour Americas, a circuit below the Korn Ferry that tours Latin America and Canada in over 26 events, capping off the year in Surrey, British Columbia.

In Surrey, the tour hosted the Fortinet Cup Championship, the final event of the 2025 season. On the PGA Tour Americas, players earn points for placements and victories, tallied into a season-long points list. Only the top 10 players are awarded Korn Ferry Tour cards for 2026. Heading into the Fortinet Cup Championship, Jake sat fifth on that list.

As Jake has battled and persevered through plenty of tough breaks in his career, the day before tee-off threw another his way. On Wednesday, Sept. 24, the PGA Tour Americas media team announced that “the top four players in the Fortinet Cup standings have mathematically secured their spot in ‘The 10’ and earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2026 season.” That meant Jake had missed the automatic lock-in by just a couple of points.

So, what better way to set the tone for the week than opening Thursday with eight birdies, six under par, to not only grab the lead but also set a new course record at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Roseville, Calif. Though multiple players ended up breaking that record later in the week — with the new mark settling at 10 under par — Jake’s opener was the perfect warning shot for the days ahead.

On Friday, he shot two under, followed by five under on Saturday, bouncing him back to T-5 going into Sunday. Though he had slipped from the top, his position seemed to have all but locked in his top-10 finish on the season’s points list. But why stop there? Sunday opened with fireworks. Six birdies and three pars on the front nine gave Jake a 29 and rocketed him back into the lead. Teeing off in the second-to-last pairing, his surge immediately lapped the groups ahead, leaving only those behind with a chance to chase him down.

Among them were James Piot, the 2021 U.S. Amateur champion, and Patrick Newcomb, a seasoned pro with multiple PGA Tour Americas titles and international wins.

Jake, firmly in the lead, parred out until the par-5 13th, where he added another birdie. That effectively left Piot out of the running — he’d finish third — but Newcomb, playing in the final group, remained just one stroke back. By the time Jake reached the 18th tee, he sat at 20 under for the week, with Newcomb on 19 under just one hole behind. A par or bogey would open the door for a tie, but he made sure there was no doubt. On the 437-yard par-4 finisher, he stuck the green and rolled in a birdie putt to claim the victory and secure his spot on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2026. Final round: 62, eight under. Week total: 21 under.

It was his second win of the year. He had already broken through in April with a victory in Ecuador, and over the months, racked up runner-up finishes and top-5s that kept him in the thick of the race.

The win bumped him to second on the season-long points list, giving him the opportunity to compete in Q-School finals — the Qualifying School tournaments held annually to provide golfers a path to playing privileges on the PGA Tour.

Q-School is a gauntlet, with multiple stages of elimination and some of the most competitive golf in the world. Simply reaching the final stage is an accomplishment, but Jake is playing with house money. Thanks to his points-list finish, he’s automatically in the finals.

That top-two finish may also prove invaluable next season. With a dramatic increase in PGA Tour players being bumped down to the Korn Ferry Tour, officials are expected to trim fields by removing players who fail to keep up in the points race. Midway through the year, the Korn Ferry has the right to cut players not meeting a minimum performance standard to make room for rising talent. Like PGA Tour Americas, the Korn Ferry Tour runs on a season-long points list, with the top finishers moving up to the PGA Tour. Jake’s placement at No. 2 gives him more security and more opportunities in packed fields than if he had just squeaked in at the bottom of “The 10” on the Americas tour.

For Shelter Island’s own Jay “Jake” Card III, this is only the beginning.