‘I knew it could happen.’ Kentucky golfer revives career with first PGA win in 16 years

Having played in 246 PGA Tour events, including three majors, across more than 20 years as a professional golfer, Kentuckian Josh Teater is not ready to loosen his grip on the dream.

But at age 45 and toiling this year in golf’s minor leagues on the Korn Ferry Tour, the Danville native, Henry Clay High School graduate and former Morehead State University standout, began to let doubt creep in for the first time.

That was until Sunday when, after 16 years without a PGA-sanctioned victory, Teater broke through at last.

Teater beat 143 other players to win the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Panama Championship by two shots after carding a 5-under-par 65 in the final round at Club de Golf de Panama. His 9-under total left him two shots ahead of Dylan Wu, Nick Gabrelcik and Johnny Keefer.

“I knew it could happen,” Teater said during his postmatch interview, his voice shaking with emotion. “Sixteen years almost. But very thankful and grateful for that, and thanks for all the Lord has given me. That’s all I can say.”

Teater has never won a PGA Tour event, and Sunday’s victory was only his second in 180 starts on the Korn Ferry circuit. It ended a streak of 402 starts without a win between the two tours that began after he captured the Korn Ferry Utah Championship in 2009.

Teater, who owns two runner-up finishes and 14 top-10s on the big tour, increased his career earnings to $7,553,856 by pocketing $180,000 for Sunday’s win.

Teater spoke about what kept him going during the long drought between wins.

“Ups. Downs. Great play. Bad play. But, through it all. Support. From my family and my wife. My kids. … My parents. Friends. Sponsors.”

Despite the support, Teater said he began to have doubts.

“We thought about, do we take a year off. See where we go. Do I move on? But, you know, my heart’s still in this game.”

That was evident Sunday.

Teater began the final round in a tie for 20th place, six strokes behind Keefer, a Korn Ferry Tour rookie who finished atop the 2024 PGA Tour Americas’ season-long Fortinet Cup. Teater made up ground with three birdies in his first five holes, and he rallied from a bogey at No. 9 with four birdies in a six-hole stretch (Nos. 11, 12, 14 and 16) that allowed him to withstand a bogey on No. 18.

“We talk about the game getting younger and, it is,” Teater said. “But I have a lot of experience I can draw on and luckily today that ended up paying off.”

For the weekend, Teater shot 68-70-68-65–271.

In addition to the prize money, Teater earned full exemption on the Korn Ferry Tour through at least next year. He is now No. 2 on the Korn Ferry Tour points standings through three of 26 events. The top 20 at season’s end earn membership on the 2026 PGA Tour.

“That’s what we come out on the Korn Ferry Tour for is to try to finish as high as we can to get back on the PGA Tour,” Teater said. “I’ve done it three times so, let’s make it a fourth. I still believe I can play out there and play at a good rate.”

Teater was relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour after finishing 214th on the PGA Tour last season. He entered 2025 without even full Korn Ferry status after failing to advance through the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying school.

“I played hard last year, just got nothing going,” he said.

Teater qualified for The Panama Championship with a tie for seventh at last month’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, which he played on a sponsor exemption.

“It’s rewarding,” Teater said of the win that might have saved his career Sunday. “Grateful. Just glad to be playing still. … I’m just glad to keep competing at something, and it’s been golf for the last 22, 23 years as a pro.”

This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 2:48 PM.