Barring a miraculous final round by one of the Coloradans competing, neither will earn one of the five fully-exempt spots on the PGA Tour Champions available at the final stage of Q-school in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The players tied in fourth/fifth/sixth place after Thursday’s third round of the 72-hole event stand at 14-under-par 199. But Coloradans Gary Hallberg and Doug Rohrbaugh are a long way back, with Hallberg checking in at even-par 213 and Rohrbaugh at 1-over-par 214.
Hallberg, winner of three events on the PGA Tour and one on the PGA Tour Champion circuit, fired a 2-over-par 73 on Thursday at TPC Scottsdale. He posted three birdies, three bogeys and a final-hole double bogey.
Hallberg has played in 185 senior tour events over the last decade. But this year, with limited status, he made just 12 starts, his fewest since joining the tour in 2008.
Meanwhile, Rohrbaugh carded a 72 on Thursday, finishing with three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. The Carbondale resident, winner of the 2013 CoBank Colorado Senior Open and three Colorado PGA Professional Championships, had conditional status on PGA Tour Champions in 2015.
In addition to the five fully-exempt spots that will be at stake on Friday, the sixth through 30th-place finishers earn the right to compete in open qualifiers at all PGA Tour Champions co-sponsored events in 2018. The players tied for 30th place on Thursday were at 6-under-par 207.
Leading the 78-man final stage after three rounds is Tim Petrovic, who sits at 18-under 195.
Here are the scores for the Coloradans competing in Q-school this week:
Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
(Top 5 Finishers Earn PGA Tour Champions Fully-Exempt Status)
49. Coloradan Gary Hallberg 70-70-73–213
54. Coloradan Doug Rohrbaugh 72-70-72–214
For complete results from Q-school, CLICK HERE.
