​Anders Larson is once again close to the big stage, but this time he is doing it as a professional. The Pine Island and Zumbrota-Mazeppa standout has lived a familiar path in recent years by earning slots in PGA Tour events while preserving his amateur status to complete his Division I college career. He twice qualified for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, using those opportunities to showcase his game while finishing his college eligibility. His college career ended with Eastern Kentucky University taking third place at the Atlantic Sun Conference championships in late April, and Larson has since turned pro this summer, shifting his focus to qualifying for PGA Tour events as a professional.
This week marks a milestone for Larson: he has earned his first opportunity to compete in a PGA Tour event as a professional. If he survives the 36-hole cut at the ISCO Championship in Louisville, Kentucky and advances to the weekend, any prize money he earns will belong to him. The ISCO Championship, scheduled to run Thursday through Sunday at Hurstbourne Country Club, carries a total purse of $4 million, with full coverage on the Golf Channel from 3 to 6 p.m. CDT each day. As with his road to the John Deere Classic in 2023 and again in 2024, Larson had to survive a pre-qualifier on July 1 to gain entry into the Monday qualifier on July 6. He thrived there, tying as co-medalist among 59 players with a 6-under-par 66, earning one of four spots from the qualifier into the 144-player ISCO Championship field.
On Thursday, Larson will begin in the final group of the day, teeing off at 1:01 p.m. CDT. He will be paired with Kristoffer Ventura, the 31-year-old Norwegian who played college golf at Oklahoma State, and Jansen Preston, a Lexington, Kentucky native and University of Kentucky graduate. A Pine Island native, Larson helped PINE ISLAND/Zumbrota-Mazeppa win its first boys’ golf team state championship as a senior in 2022 by finishing third individually at the state tournament.
Larson’s college golf journey began at Tennessee Tech University, where he played two seasons and averaged 74.13 over 48 rounds. He transferred to Eastern Kentucky ahead of the 2024-25 season, becoming the Colonels’ leading scorer as a junior with a 72.68 average across 34 rounds. He recorded one runner-up finish as a junior and placed 13th at the Atlantic Sun Conference championships that year. Returning to EKU for his senior season, Larson again led the team in scoring with a 71.3 average over 32 rounds, and he was in contention for the conference individual championship this spring, finishing third at the ASUN meet, shooting 8-under-par over the 54-hole event.
The ISCO Championship field also features several familiar names and notable pros who could influence Larson’s weekend prospects. Former Winona State golfer Troy Merritt is in the mix, alongside Lucas Glover, a six-time PGA Tour winner and former U.S. Open champion; Max Homa, another six-time Tour winner; Camilo Villegas, a five-time Tour winner; Cameron Champ, a three-time Tour winner; defending ISCO champion William Mouw; and Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout, the reigning NCAA Division I individual medalist. As Larson navigates this professional debut at a full PGA Tour-level event, golf fans will be watching to see how his game translates to the higher level and whether he can parlay this week into more opportunities on tour.