(October 12, 2025) – After five years on the Korn Ferry Tour, John VanDerLaan, a native of Southbury, earned his PGA Tour card. VanDerLaan, bolstered by a win at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship during the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Finals, earned one of the 20 cards available.
Throughout his professional career, VanDerLaan the winner of the 2018 Connecticut Open and 2012 Connecticut Junior Amateur, has previously played in four PGA Tour events making one cut. VanDerLaan will officially make his PGA Tour rookie debut in 2026.
Additional News on John VanDerLaan from the Korn Ferry Tour:
- Earned PGA Tour membership for the first time in what was his fifth consecutive season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Stood No. 52 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List with three events remaining and earned a place in the top 20 with his first Korn Ferry Tour win at the 2025 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, the second of four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events.
- Finished in the top 75 of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List each of his four previous seasons on Tour, with his career-high finish being No. 42 in 2023.
- Turned professional out of Florida Southern College in 2018 and played the 2019 season on PGA Tour Canada. In four seasons at Florida Southern (2014-18), an NCAA Division II program in Lakeland, Florida, earned 11 individual victories, including the individual national title at the 2018 NCAA Division II Championship. Also named the 2018 Division II Jack Nicklaus Award winner. The year prior, alongside his younger brother, Michael, helped Florida Southern win the team national title at the 2017 NCAA Division II Championship. Michael also followed John as the individual national champion in 2019.
- A native of Southbury, Connecticut, his earliest golf memory was attending the Travelers Championship at 5 years old. The family stopped at a concession stand for a snack, and four-time PGA Tour winner Billy Andrade sat down next to them at a picnic table and ate some of John’s animal crackers.
Editor’s Note: Information for this article provided by the Korn Ferry Tour.
Photo Courtesy of Korn Ferry Tour
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
