Monday turned out to be a very good day for a couple of Colorado golfers as they Monday qualified for this week’s PGA Tour event, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.
Tom Whitney of Fort Collins won the qualifier on Monday, shooting a 63 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev., while Jim Knous (pictured) of Englewood also earned one of the four qualifying spots by posting a 65.
This week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which runs Thursday through Sunday at TPC Summerlin, will mark the first PGA Tour event for Whitney, who played his college golf at the Air Force Academy. Whitney spend 2017 on the Web.com Tour, competing in 15 events, with a best showing of fifth place in the Lincoln Land Charity Championship in June. He finished 89th on the Web.com season-long money list.
Knous, a Basalt native and former Colorado School of Mines golfer, is headed for his second PGA Tour start, having also Monday qualified for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he missed the cut in February. Like Whitney, Knous played primarily on the Web.com circuit this year. He participated in 21 Web tournaments, finishing 94th on the money list with a best showing of eighth place in the Ellie Mae Classic in August.
