PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Former Rhode Island men's golfer Chris Francoeur will compete in the final stage of the PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, with the hope of earning his PGA Tour card.

The final stage of the PGA Tour Q-School is being held at Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass and at Sawgrass Country Club, with golfers playing two rounds on each course. Play begins Thursday and runs through Sunday. The top five finishers in the final stage will earn their PGA Tour card for the 2026 season.

While the top five finishers earn their PGA Tour card, there is more at stake for Francoeur. After the top five finishers, the next 40 finishers earn their Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2026 season. All remaining finishers earn conditional membership for the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season.

Francoeur was one of 18 golfers to qualified for the final stage with his performance in the second stage at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Ga. The stage was shortened to 54 holes due to weather, but Francoeur was 7-under par through three rounds, earning his spot in the final stage. URI assistant coach Brandon Gillis - a teammate of Francouer's with the Rams - was on the bag as Francouer's caddy.

"This is everything Chris worked for," Rhode Island head coach Gregg Burke said. "He has reached this level in this opportunity faster than most, but he's putting more effort and dedication the most. Each year he's been out there, Chris has taken his game and success to a different level. Obviously getting one of the five PGA Tour cards would be spectacular, but he's also playing for better status, more opportunities, and a much better competition schedule moving forward.

"It means a great deal to me and our golf program that Brandon Gillis is on the bag for Chris again this week. This is exactly what we tell players in the recruiting process. If you trust the culture, if you work hard in the weight room and in practice, your teammates and the schedule will give you an opportunity to play professional golf."

Francoeur was except from the first stage of the PGA Tour Q-School due to his finish on the PGA Tour of the Americas, where he was ranked 13th on the points list through the Fortinet Cup Championship in September.

The 2020 New England Golfer of the Year, Francoeur was a four-time Atlantic 10 Golfer of the Week and four-time Rookie of the Week while at URI from 2017-21. In 24 tournaments, he won two individual titles to go with seven top-five finishes and 11 top-15 finishes. As a senior, he led the Rams to a third-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship, earning all-conference honors along the way. He also named to the 2021 PING All-Northeast Team as well as the 2021 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Team.