ELKHORN, Neb. – Three players share the lead at the midway point of the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season-ending Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna, and although neither is on a bubble per se, stakes remain significant into the weekend outside Omaha.

Taylor Montgomery is worlds apart from last year’s Pinnacle Bank Championship, where he entered the week at No. 24 on the Points List but missed the cut and ultimately finished No. 26, one position shy of his first TOUR card. The UNLV alum entered this week at No. 8 on the Points List, his first TOUR card secure, and he is free to chase the No. 1 spot on the season-long race, which provides fully exempt TOUR status next season.

Nelson Ledesma and Andrew Yun have each secured a spot in the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, Nos. 56 and 62 on the Eligibility Points List respectively, but each could secure a TOUR card the old-fashioned way with a victory in Omaha. Each has previously held TOUR status and is looking for a return.

All three stand 8-under through 36 holes at The Club at Indian Creek.

Akshay Bhatia opened the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season with a victory at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. Some pegged him destined for a PGA TOUR card.

Bhatia, 20, was not immune to growing pains in his first full Korn Ferry Tour season, and a back injury didn't help matters. He has yet to record another top-10 this season, and he arrived in Omaha for the Regular Season finale at No. 30 on the Points List, needing a strong showing for a chance at a TOUR card via The 25.

In chatting with his inner circle before the week, though, Bhatia drew energy from the idea of bookending the Regular Season with victories in its first and last events. There has yet to be a multiple winner on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour. Why not him, he figured?

Bhatia is giving it a run, carrying the momentum from an encouraging T14 last week in Utah. He has opened in rounds of 68-69 at The Club at Indian Creek, and he enters the weekend in a tie for 15th, just three off the lead.

With a finishing kick, Bhatia could bring things full circle and end the season where he began it, inside The 25. No better time to be there.

"If I get my TOUR card, great. If I don't, it's alright," Bhatia said. "I just want to win another golf tournament. Now being the last event of the year, if I could be the only person to win this season, it could be a great accomplishment ... it's been a weird year for me. Winning the first event feels like ages ago, and it's just been hard. I've been hurt the whole year, and it's not how I want my season to go. I want to be healthy. There's been a lot more adversity than I would've thought, but I know it's gonna help me in the long run, whether it's this week or a couple years from now.

"I just know this kind of season is gonna help me understand what I can improve on as far as my body and mindset, for sure."

The cut line was very much up in the air into the late afternoon hours, alternating between even-par and 1-under on multiple occasions. It came down to Spencer Ralston, who flew the green on his final hole, the par-4 ninth, and got up and down for par to become the 65th player to finish at 1-under or better.

With the top 65 and ties advancing to the weekend, players at even par finished T66, agonizingly shy of a chance to chase a TOUR card or Finals berth across the next two days. Among those at even par were Ryan McCormick, who entered the week at No. 27 on the Regular Season Eligibility Points List and will have to wait for the Finals to chase his first TOUR card, and Clay Feagler, who began the week at No. 77 and will fall agonizingly shy of a Finals berth.

Ralston entered the week at No. 80 on the Points List, needing a made cut and a strong weekend for a chance to keep full Korn Ferry Tour status for 2023 and have a chance at a TOUR card in the Finals. The University of Georgia alum delivered with a second-round, 4-under 67, rebounding from an opening-round 74 to keep his hopes alive.

Earlier this week, Trevor Cone made the strategic decision to delete the PGA TOUR app from his phone and remove notifications from the Twitter and Instagram apps. The Virginia Tech alum stood No. 20 on the Eligibility Points List and had no desire to keep a close eye on projections throughout the week as he chased his first TOUR card.

Cone, who won the AdventHealth Championship earlier this season, knew a made cut in Omaha was the first step in achieving his lifelong TOUR dream. Mission accomplished, as he carded solid rounds of 70-70 at The Club at Indian Creek to advance to the weekend with a stroke to spare.

Cone values his friendships; when asked to pinpoint his favorite moment of the year, he didn’t choose his victory. He reflected on his close friend David Kocher’s win at last month’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, which brought Kocher from outside the top 100 on the Eligibility Points List to inside the top 40, suddenly with a puncher’s chance at a TOUR card.

Kocher wouldn’t be offended if a certain ceremony Sunday afternoon were to supersede that memory. The chance at a TOUR card, after all, represents a lifelong dream.

“I’ve never been this stressed off the golf course,” Cone said of this week’s vibe. “Just not being able to control it, stomach in knots, and the closer and closer I get to coming out to the course … starting the rounds, for whatever reason, it’s the most comfortable I’ve felt all year. I think it’s about being able to control what’s happening. The golf course is a safe haven at the moment.”

Cone enters the weekend projected No. 23 on the Eligibility Points List. He’s in a good spot, just not yet secure.

For the majority of the season’s opening half, Kevin Roy admittedly was not having much fun on the course. The 32-year-old underwent a string of five straight missed cuts in the spring and stood a distant No. 88 on the Eligibility Points List.

But the native of Syracuse, New York dug deep. He ordered a hat that expressly stated to “Have More Fun” for $80 after seeing it on Instagram, and it might have been the best $80 he ever spent.

The Long Beach State alum has made nine cuts in his last 10 starts, including a solo second at the Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics in mid-June, and he arrived in Omaha at No. 22 on the Eligibility Points List.

With his wife Annie and sister Lauren in attendance, Roy has advanced to the weekend with rounds of 69-69 at The Club at Indian Creek. Hugs were abundant immediately post-round, as the family knew the implications of a made cut in the Regular Season finale.

Roy enters Saturday projected No. 24 on the Points List and knows every shot matters across the next 36 holes. He’s ready to embrace the challenge.

“That was easily the most stressful round of golf I’ve ever played,” Roy said. “No doubt about it. Everything on the line … it’s a thrill to be in this position. It’s a bonus. It was stressful, and I’m very happy it’s over right now, but super excited obviously to play the weekend.”

Kevin Dougherty has a chance at his first PGA TOUR card this week, but he’s not letting the stakes prevent him from enjoying the moment.

The Oklahoma State alum began his second round at 6:45 a.m. local time and promptly opened with a birdie. He kept the pedal down throughout the day, carding a 5-under 66 that moved him inside the top 10 into the weekend. Dougherty stands 6-under total, just two back of the trio of co-leaders.

Dougherty entered the week at No. 50 on the Eligibility Points List, needing a solo second at minimum for a chance at a TOUR card via the Regular Season. Worst case, though, he’s assured of a spot in the three-event Finals for another chance at a card.

Last year, Dougherty needed a strong week in Omaha just to earn a Finals berth, and he came through with a T9 to keep full status and elude Q-School.

This weekend, he’ll chase the Korn Ferry Tour’s ultimate prize. The way he sees it, though, he’s already there.

“Everyone thinks that the treasure is a PGA TOUR card or winning a major,” Dougherty said. “I really don’t think it is. The treasure is found in the journey, and it’s days like this, it’s days when I’m training … I get to do this for a living. It’s amazing.”