Two Coloradans who played full-time on the Web.com Tour in 2017 failed to regain fully exempt status for 2018.
Jim Knous of Littleton and Tom Whitney of Fort Collins, both of whom competed in a PGA Tour event last weekend, fell short of returning to the Final Stage of Web.com Q-school.
Despite failing to advance out of Second Stage tournaments, Knous and Whitney still will have some status on the 2018 Web circuit by virtue of finishing between 76-100 on the 2017 money list, but that’s relatively low on the tournament eligibility categories.
Knous had been inside the top 20 and ties at a Second Stage tournament in Plantation, Fla. — which was what was needed to advance to the Final Stage — after each of the first three rounds. But a 1-over-par 72 on Friday dropped him to 28th place at 5-under-par 279, which was two shy of what was necessary to advance. Knous played his final eight holes in 3 over par.
Also in 28th place in Plantation was A.J. Morris of Aspen, who shot 67-69-69 the last three rounds but was done in by a first-round 74.
Meanwhile, Whitney played in Stage 2 in McKinney, Texas, where the top 20 and ties landed spots in the Final Stage. The former Air Force Academy golfer gave himself a chance to advance with a third-round 65, but a 2-over-par 74 on Friday dropped him to a 47th-place finish at 1-over-par 289.
Last week, Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch punched his ticket to the Final Stage by winning a Second Stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif.
The Final Stage of Web qualifying is scheduled for Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz. There, all the finishers will be guaranteed some Web.com Tour status in 2018, but the top 45 and ties there will earn exempt status of varying degrees, while the rest will have conditional status.
Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed this week:
McKinney, Texas (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO FINAL STAGE
47. Tom Whitney, Fort Collins 74-76-65-74–289
Plantation, Fla. (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO FINAL STAGE
28. Jim Knous, Littleton 67-70-70-72–279
28. A.J. Morris, Aspen 74-67-69-69–279
55. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 71-74-73-68–286
