By August M. Spencer
(Photo Courtesy of BMW Charity Pro-Am)
The 25th BMW Charity Pro-Am, presented by TD SYNNEX, wrapped up with the crowning of the Korn Ferry Tour Champion.
After four days of play across Thornblade Club and The Carolina Country Club, Austin Smotherman, of Dallas, Texas, won the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour championship.
It marked Smotherman’s second time winning the Korn Ferry Tour.
On June 8, Smotherman secured his win on the par-4 18th hole with a birdie putt, leaving him 25 under for the tournament.
Out of a total purse of $1,000,000, he earned $180,000.
Tournament play began on June 5 with a full day of golf at Thornblade Club and Carolina Country Club.
According to Korn Ferry Tour officials, Smotherman:
Earned his second Korn Ferry Tour title (2021 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation) in his 92nd career start at 31 years, 20 days of age.
Posts 4-under 67 in the final round, carding five birdies (Nos. 4, 11, 15, 16, 18), including three in his final four holes, to win by three strokes over Sebastian Cappelen, Carl Yuan and Pierceson Coody.
Joins Kyle Westmoreland and Hank Lebioda as the only three players in their 30s to win this season.
Held the 36-hole lead, becoming the fourth 36-hole leader/co-leader to win on Tour this season; improves to 2-for-3 for converting 36-hole leads into victory, as he claimed his first Korn Ferry Tour title at the 2021 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation after holding a one-stroke lead following the second round.
Matched his 18-hole career low score in the second round with 9-under 62; also recorded the best 36-hole score of his Korn Ferry Tour career at 16-under 127 (previous best: 132; twice).
Marks fourth top-25 finish in his five previous starts; owns nine top 25s and four top 10s, including his victory, in 14 total starts this season.
Won in his fourth appearance at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX, topping his previous best finish in 2019/T43.
Split time last year between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour; made 13 cuts over his 16 starts on TOUR with one top 10 (T7/Procore Championship), leading to a No. 169 finish in the FedExCup Fall.
Collected two top 10s in 11 starts during the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, leading to a No. 104 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
Retained Korn Ferry Tour membership for the start of the 2025 season with a T19 finish at Final Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry (first 25 finishers and ties).
Previously competed on the PGA TOUR during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, logging 11 top 25s and two top 10s over 60 starts (best finish: T5/2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta World).
Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time at the conclusion of the 2020-21 combined season with a No. 25 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
In addition:
Three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner and Class of 2023 Korn Ferry Tour graduate Pierceson Coody (T2/-22) records his fourth top-10 finish – and second runner-up – in his seventh start of the season; he recorded four top-10s in 22 starts during the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season, where he earned his first PGA TOUR card (top 30 from Points List).
Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Sebastian Cappelen (T2/-22) posts the second runner-up finish of his Korn Ferry Tour career and best showing since the 2019 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Kansas Wichita Open (T2).
Fifty-four-hole leader Carl Yuan (T2/-22), who is projected to improve 112 spots on the 2025 Korn Ferry Points List to No. 63, earns his seventh career runner-up finish on the Korn Ferry Tour; cards even-par 71 to post his best finish on the circuit since the 2022 Ascendant presented by Blue (second).
After snapping a streak of six missed cuts, first-year member Nicolo Galletti (fifth/-20) earns his best career finish on the Korn Ferry Tour (previous: T15/2025 Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank); held the 18-hole lead off the strength of a career-low round in 9-under 62.
Third-year member Mitchell Meissner (sixth/-18) ties the low round of the day with a bogey-free 7-under 64 via five birdies (Nos. 1, 7, 8, 10, 13) and an eagle (No. 5); posts his fifth top 10 of 2025 and becomes one of five players with at least five top 10s this season.
Rookie Travis Trace (T7/-17), who made his fourth start of the season this week, posts his first top-10 finish since the 2024 BioSteel Championship on PGA TOUR Americas; earned conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour via a T109 finish at Final Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
Korn Ferry Tour rookie Bryce Lewis (T10/-16) posts the best finish of his Korn Ferry Tour career in what is his 10th career start; has finished inside the top 25 in three consecutive events after gaining entry to the Visit Knoxville Open as the last man in the field.
Mark Lawrence Jr. (T24/-13) records his third consecutive top-25 finish and earns a spot in the next Korn Ferry Tour event – the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Kansas Wichita Open; initially made his second career Korn Ferry Tour start at the Visit Knoxville Open via open qualifying and finished T16 (Visit Knoxville Open) and T17 (UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH) to gain entry into the following week’s event.
Blades Brown (T24/-13), who was competing on his fourth and final sponsor exemption of the season, finishes inside the top 25 to earn a spot in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Kansas Wichita Open on the Korn Ferry Tour; will be seeking a two-way tie for 35th place or better (20.051 points) in his next event to secure Special Temporary Membership.
The Pro-Am began on May 31 with the Dog & Jog ForeK Run/Walk, a dog-friendly charity 4k presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners, supporting Greenville County Animal Care and Team RWB.
On June 1, Greer was host to the ParTee on Trade, presented by Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, a festival featuring music, food, a car show, and family activities.
June 2 featured the Ladies Charity Golf Tournament supporting Neighborhood Cancer Connection, and the First Tee Junior Golf Clinics presented by Pacolet Milliken — including a special Els for Autism session. Els for Autism is a charity established by former World No.1, World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els and his wife, Liezl.
On June 3, attendants gathered for Namaste on the Range, a sunset yoga session hosted by Piedmont Natural Gas and Soul Yoga.
June 4 brought the First Tee Junior Pro-Am, a Veterans Adaptive Golf Clinic with Upstate Adaptive Golf, and the glamorous Celebrity Red Carpet event on Main Street in Downtown Greenville.
On June 6, a quarter-century of BMW Charity Pro-Am’s impact was celebrated with the 25-Year Celebration presented by MAGNA, featuring a private performance by The Marcus King Band at New Realm.
June 7 was Military and First Responders Appreciation Day.
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