CBS 58's Hometown Athlete: Former Marquette golfer earns PGA Tour card for 2027
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — A dream that started on a nine-hole golf course in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has become reality for former Marquette University standout Hunter Eichhorn.
Eichhorn has earned his PGA Tour card for the 2027 season, becoming the first player in Marquette men's golf history to earn PGA Tour membership.
"I don't even know what to say besides, let's go," Eichhorn said.
The Carney, Michigan, native secured his card following a breakout 2026 season on the Korn Ferry Tour, ultimately finishing 12th on the season-long points list.
The top 20 players in the final standings earned PGA Tour membership for 2027.
Eichhorn capped his season at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Glen Allen, Virginia, finishing tied for 49th at 1-under par. He posted rounds of 71, 68, 71 and 73 for a four-day total of 283.
He finished the year with 1,190.452 points, comfortably inside the PGA Tour cutoff.
Over 25 Korn Ferry Tour starts in 2026, Eichhorn made 19 cuts and recorded nine top-10 finishes and 12 top-25 finishes. He earned $404,014 in official prize money.
His best result came at the Visit Knoxville Open in May, where he finished runner-up after closing with a 61 to finish 25-under par. Eichhorn also recorded three top-five finishes during the season.
For Eichhorn, earning his card represents the culmination of a journey that began roughly two decades ago.
"Oof, since I was a kid," Eichhorn said. "It's crazy how fast it's gone by to get to this point, but it's also equally as crazy to realize that I started playing probably 20 years ago."
Eichhorn grew up in the small Upper Peninsula community of Carney and learned the game while playing with his grandfather on a nine-hole course.
"It was just kind of the experience of playing together," Eichhorn said. "When you're a kid, you just kind of absorb everything. So just learning through that, from him, was very cool."
His golf career eventually brought him to Milwaukee, where he played five seasons for Marquette from 2017 through 2022 and developed into one of the most accomplished players in program history.
Eichhorn was named Big East Player of the Year three times, earned first-team All-Big East honors four times and was selected to the PING All-Midwest Region team five times.
He remains Marquette's career leader in scoring average at 71.38 and also holds program records for strokes versus par, counting scores and rounds at par or better.
Eichhorn won six collegiate tournaments, including Big East individual titles in 2018 and 2021. He became the only golfer in program history to compete in four NCAA Regionals and set a Marquette record with an 11-under round of 61 at the 2022 Puerto Rico Classic.
Eichhorn said his time at Marquette helped shape the approach he now carries into professional golf.
"You know, Coach really helped level me out and helped me understand that we're not perfect, even though we all want to be, especially when it comes to playing golf," Eichhorn said.
After completing his collegiate career, Eichhorn continued working his way through the professional ranks.
He earned full-time Korn Ferry Tour status for 2026 after winning at the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School in December 2025, then capitalized on the opportunity with the most consistent season of his professional career.
Eichhorn entered the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship having already put himself in position to make the jump.
"I'm close. I know I need to stay patient and keep working on the right things," Eichhorn said. "I feel close, and I'm excited to get to work this offseason and prepare for next year."
Four rounds later, his first full Korn Ferry Tour season was complete — and his place on the PGA Tour was official.
When golf gets difficult, Eichhorn said he still thinks back to those early rounds with his grandfather and the reason he started playing in the first place.
"It's a good reminder that we all started playing this game as a kid because we loved it, and it's supposed to be fun," Eichhorn said.
Now, after a steady climb from Carney to Marquette and through the professional ranks, Eichhorn will take that mindset to golf's highest level in 2027.