Summer is winding down, which means, among many other things, that Q-school time for the various major golf tours in the U.S. and around the world is upon us.
Stage I of LPGA Tour qualifying will take place this week — Thursday through Sunday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. — with at least eight players with strong Colorado ties among those who will compete.
Then next week, the Web.com Tour qualifying process begins with the Pre-Qualifying Stage tournaments.
And in mid-November, Regional Qualifying for the PGA Tour Champions gets things rolling for the 50-and-over set.
As for this week’s LPGA Tour Stage I in California, 347 players will vie for the 90 spots and ties into Stage II that will be at stake. The ultimate goal is to advance to Stage III of qualifying — Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla. — where 2017 LPGA Tour cards will be handed out to the top finishers.
Among the players with local connections who are entered in Stage I this week are:
— 2015 CWGA Match Play champion Paige Spiranac (pictured), a former Colorado resident who boasts a huge social-media presence (763,000 followers on Instagram and 95,000 on Twitter).
— Former University of Denver golfer Kimberly Kim, the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion who played on the LPGA Tour in 2011.
— Lindsay McGetrick of Highlands Ranch, who has played part-time on the Symetra Tour in 2016.
— Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs.
— Former University of Colorado golfers Alexis Keating and Jamie Oleksiew.
— Former Colorado State University golfer Betsy Kelly.
— Former DU golfer Isabel Southard.
Spiranac, Kim, McGetrick and Kelly are expected to be in the field for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, which will be played Aug. 31-Sept. 2 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.
The field in Rancho Mirage will be cut to the low 130 and ties after three rounds.
Among the local players who are exempt into Stage II — set for Oct. 20-23 in Venice, Fla. — are Becca Huffer of Denver, former DU golfers Tonje Daffinrud, Katie Kempter and Eleanor Givens, former CU golfers Jenny and Kristin Coleman and Emily Childs, and former University of Northern Colorado player Carleigh Silvers.
For LPGA Stage I qualifying scores, CLICK HERE.
As for the Web.com and PGA Tour Champions Q-school rundowns:
— Web.com Tour:
The Pre-Qualifying Stage will be Aug. 31-Sept. 2 and Sept. 7-9, at a total of six sites.
The First Qualifying Stage is set for Sept. 27-30, Oct. 4-7 and Oct. 11-14 at a total of 12 sites.
The Second Qualifying Stage is scheduled for Nov. 1-4 and Nov. 8-11 at a total of five sites.
The Final Qualifying Stage will be held Dec. 8-11 in Winter Garden, Fla.
The top 45 finishers and ties from the final stage will have some level of regular status on 2017 Web.com Tour (depending on how high they finish). Others who complete all 72 holes will have conditional status.
— PGA Tour Champions:
Regional Qualifying is set for Nov. 15-18 at three sites: San Jacinto, Calif.; Lake Buena Vista, Calif.; and Montgomery, Texas.
The Final Stage will Nov. 29-Dec. 2 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe earned medalist honors in the final stage of PGA Tour Champions qualifying last fall.
