Gunner Wiebe of Aurora, who made it to the final stage of Web.com Q-school last year, has taken his first step toward returning.
Both Wiebe (pictured) and Nick Mason of Denver shot 4-under-par 68s in Friday’s final round of a Web.com first-stage tournament in Dayton, Nev., and punched their tickets into stage 2 of the three-stage process.
With the top 24 finishers and ties advancing, Wiebe ended up sixth and Mason 12th out of the 75-man field. After a day that saw him make an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys, Wiebe posted a 13-under-par 275 total. Mason, the 2016 Rocky Mountain Open champion, made four straight birdies en route to a front-nine 31 and finished the day with six birdies and two bogeys.
Wiebe had conditional status on the 2016 Web.com Tour, but played in just one event on that circuit in a season in which he was injured for a couple of months.
David Vanegas of Colombia won the event in Dayton with a 21-under-par 267 total.
Second-stage Q-school tournaments will be held Nov. 1-4 and 8-11, with the final stage set for Dec. 8-11.
Nine more first-stage tournaments will be held in the next two weeks.
Here’s how all the Coloradans fared this week in stage 1:
Dayton Nev. (top 24 finishers and ties advance to second stage)
Advance to Stage 2
6. Gunner Wiebe of Aurora 68-68-71-68–275
12. Nick Mason of Denver 70-67-73-68–278
Murrieta, Calif. (top 25 finishers and ties advance to second stage)
Failed to Advance to Stage 2
62. Eric Hallberg of Parker 77-70-79-72–298
