The top 19 finishers and ties after four rounds of the Web.com Q-school second-stage tournament in McKinney, Texas earned spots into the final stage of Q-school, where all the players will at least receive conditional status on the Web circuit in 2019.

Former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul finished 20th on Friday. One stroke better anywhere along the line during four days and Paul would have some status on the Web circuit next year. But it was not to be.

Paul, who holds the CU record for career stroke average, made four birdies in a round of 2-under-par 70 on Friday, but a bogey on the par-4 16th hole proved costly. He ended up at 8-under-par 280 for a week when 279 was necessary to advance.

In all, seven players with strong connections to Colorado competed in second stage tournaments this week, and all seven failed to advance to the final stage. Steven Kupcho of Westminster missed by four strokes in McKinney and former Colorado State University golfer Blake Cannon by five. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda missed the mark by five in Plantation, Fla.

Former CU golfer Josh Creel, from Cheyenne, earned a spot in the Q-school finals last week in a second stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif. The final stage will be held Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., where 2019 Web.com Tour cards will be distributed.

Here are this week’s second stage scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties:

Q-School Second Stage (Nov. 6-9)
McKinney, Texas (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
Failed to Advance
20. Former CU golfer Jeremy Paul 70-69-71-70–280
33. Steven Kupcho of Westminster 74-71-67-71–283
37. Former CSU golfer Blake Cannon 72-71-68-73–284
51. Riley Arp of Fort Collins 70-73-71-74–288

Mobile, Ala. (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
Failed to Advance
59. Former DU golfer Chris Gilman 71-69-72-70–282

Plantation, Fla. (Top 18 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
Failed to Advance
35. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 68-68-70-74–280
64. AJ Morris of Aspen 72-72-72-72–288
 

Of the seven players competing who have strong ties to Colorado, six are under par through three rounds of the 72-hole tournaments.

And how many would have advanced to the final stage of Q-school if the tournaments had ended on Thursday?

Zero.

In other words, all seven will need to rally in Friday’s final rounds if they want to keep alive their hopes of earning Web.com Tour cards for 2019.

Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda, once a PGA Tour regular, remains the top local through three rounds. A 1-under-par 70 on Thursday leaves him in 19th place at 7-under 206 in a second-stage event in Plantation, Fla. The top 18 finishers and ties at the site will advance to the final stage of Q-school. Svoboda made five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on Thursday.

At a tournament in McKinney, Texas, where the top 19 and ties will move on, three players are in the top 45 — former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul (33rd place at 6-under 210), former Colorado State University player Blake Cannon (37th place at 211) and Steven Kupcho of Westminster (43rd place at 212). As of Thursday night, 9 under par or better was in the top 19.

Former CU golfer Josh Creel, from Cheyenne, earned a spot in the Q-school finals last week in a second stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif. The final stage will be held Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., where 2019 Web.com Tour cards will be distributed.

Here are this week’s second stage scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties:

Q-School Second Stage (Nov. 6-9)
McKinney, Texas (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
33. Former CU golfer Jeremy Paul 70-69-71–210
37. Former CSU golfer Blake Cannon 72-71-68–211
43. Steven Kupcho of Westminster 74-71-67–212
51. Riley Arp of Fort Collins 70-73-71–214

Mobile, Ala. (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
62. Former DU golfer Chris Gilman 71-69-72–212

Plantation, Fla. (Top 18 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
19. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 68-68-70–206
64. AJ Morris of Aspen 72-72-72–216
 

Now he’s trying to regain fully-exempt status on the Web circuit, and so far, he’s on the right track.

Svoboda shot his second straight 3-under-par 68 on Wednesday in a Web.com Tour second stage Q-school event in Plantation, Fla. That leaves him in a share of 17th place at a site where the top 18 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to the final stage of qualifying.

Svoboda made three birdies and no bogeys on Wednesday.

The only other player with strong Colorado ties in the top 25 at the halfway point of a second stage tournament this week is former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul. Paul, who competed in a dozen Web events in 217, sits in 23rd place in McKinney, Texas, where the top 19 finishers and ties will advance. The German made five birdies and fired a 3-under-par 69 on Wednesday to check in at 5-under 139 overall.

Former CU golfer Josh Creel, from Cheyenne, earned a spot in the Q-school finals last week in a second stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif. The final stage will be held Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., where 2019 Web.com Tour cards will be distributed.

Here are this week’s second stage scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties:

Q-School Second Stage (Nov. 6-9)
McKinney, Texas (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
23. Former CU golfer Jeremy Paul 70-69–139
44. Riley Arp of Fort Collins 70-73–143
44. Former CSU golfer Blake Cannon 72-71–143
55. Steven Kupcho of Westminster 74-71–145

Mobile, Ala. (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
39. Former DU golfer Chris Gilman 71-69–140

Plantation, Fla. (Top 18 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
17. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 68-68–136
64. AJ Morris of Aspen 72-72–144
 

Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda shot a 3-under-par 68 on Tuesday and shares 17th place in Plantation, Fla., where the top 18 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance. The former PGA Tour player made four birdies and one bogey in round 1 and trails leader MJ Daffue of Kingwood, Texas by five strokes.

In McKinney, Texas, where the top 19 finishers and ties will earn spots in the Q-school finals, the top players with Colorado ties are Riley Arp of Fort Collins and former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul, who share 22nd place after opening with 70s.

Former CU golfer Josh Creel, from Cheyenne, earned a spot in the Q-school finals last week in a second stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif. The final stage will be held Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., where 2019 Web.com Tour cards will be distributed.

Here are this week’s second stage scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties:

Q-School Second Stage (Nov. 6-9)
McKinney, Texas (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
22. Riley Arp of Fort Collins 70
22. Former CU golfer Jeremy Paul 70
42. Former CSU golfer Blake Cannon 72
62. Steven Kupcho of Westminster 74

Mobile, Ala. (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
40. Former DU golfer Chris Gilman 71

Plantation, Fla. (Top 18 Finishers and Ties Will Advance to Final Stage)
17. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 68
55. AJ Morris of Aspen 72
 

Clark used a hole-in-one at the 180-yard sixth hole on Sunday to help him earn his Web.com Tour card for 2018, while Hubbard continued his torrid play for the third straight day.

Hubbard (pictured), who already had Web.com Tour status for 2018 after being on the PGA Tour the last three seasons, tied for seventh place on Sunday after a stellar final three rounds. Over the last 54 holes, Hubbard went 66-64-67, carding 20 birdies and one bogey. He went bogey-free both Saturday and Sunday to finish at 19-under-par 269 overall.

By placing in the 2-10 range, Hubbard earned $15,000. Over the last three years on the PGA Tour, Hubbard has won more than $1.2 million, but he lost his card in the late summer.

Meanwhile, Clark landed Web.com Tour status as a rookie competing in his first Web Q-school. Clark went through three stages of Q-school, finishing second in the first stage, winning the second stage, and placing 23rd on Sunday in the final stage.

By finishing in the 11-45 range in the final stage, Clark will be exempt at least until the second “reorder” of the Web.com Tour season.

“Officially have a job!” Clark said on Twitter. 

After going 66-69-65 the first three rounds, Clark closed with an even-par 72 on Sunday to post a 16-under 272 total. He backed up his hole-in-one at No. 6 with a double-bogey 7 at No. 7 and finished the day with an eagle, two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. His showing this week was worth $10,000.

All in all, it’s been quite a year for Clark, who now lives in Las Vegas. In 2017, he:

— Won three individual college titles in his final semester at the University of Oregon, including claiming the Pac-12 Conference Championship at Boulder Country Club.

— Was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was one of three finalists for the male college golfer of the year honor.

— Helped Oregon finish second as a team in the NCAA Championship Finals.

— Earned his PGA Tour Canada card, though he didn’t end up competing in any events on that circuit.

— Turned pro in June and played in seven PGA Tour events, finishing 17th in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

— And then he capped things off with his stellar play in the three stages of Q-school to earn his Web.com Tour card.

Former University of Georgia golfer Lee McCoy claimed medalist honors in the final stage of Q-school with a 28-under-par 260 total.

All told, nearly 1,000 golfers entered Web.com Tour Q-school this year.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who competed this week in Chandler:

(Top 45 Finishers Earn Web.com Tour Status for 2018)
7. Denver native Mark Hubbard 72-66-64-67–269
23. Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch 66-69-65-72–272
131. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 70-74-71-72–287

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
    

Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch shot a 7-under-par 65 to move into a share of seventh place at 16-under 200 with one round left in the final stage of the qualifying process.

Meanwhile, Denver native Mark Hubbard did one better on Saturday, firing a bogey-free 64 for a three-round total of 202, leaving him tied for 14th place.

Clark (pictured), the 2017 Pac-12 Player of the Year, posted his 65 despite a bogey on his final hole Saturday. The Coloradan, who has played in seven PGA Tour events this year, made an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys in round 3.

Hubbard, a regular on the PGA Tour the past three years until losing his card in late summer, carded eight birdies and shot a 6-under 30 on the front nine on Saturday. Over the last two rounds, Hubbard has made 15 birdies and one bogey and posted rounds of 66-64.

Players finishing in the top 45 and ties after four rounds will receive some exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2018, with the medalist earning a guaranteed spot for the entire season and others in the top 10 being exempt for a longer period than the remaining players in the top 45. Finishers after the 45 and ties will have conditional Web status next year.

Besides Web.com Tour status, there’s money at stake this week. The medalist on Sunday will earn $25,000. Finishers 2-10 and ties will receive $15,000 apiece, and 11-45 and ties $10,000 each.

American Lee McCoy and South Korean Sung-jae Im share the lead after three rounds at 21-under-par 195.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who are competing this week in Chandler:

Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.
7. Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch 66-69-65–200
14. Denver native Mark Hubbard 72-66-64–202
116. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 70-74-71–215

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Meanwhile, Denver native Mark Hubbard jumped 38 spots up the scoreboard by shooting a 6-under-par 66 on Friday.

Clark (left), the Pac-12 Player of the Year who has competed in seven PGA Tour events since turning pro six months ago, shot a 3-under-par 69 on Friday, leaving him at 9-under 135 through two rounds. He shares 12th place with two rounds remaining. The former CGA Amateur champion and two-time state high school tournament winner made four birdies and one bogey in round 2.

Players finishing in the top 45 and ties after four rounds will receive some exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2018, with the medalist earning a guaranteed spot for the entire season and others in the top 10 being exempt for a longer period than the remaining players in the top 45. Finishers after the 45 and ties will have conditional Web status next year.

Hubbard, the former Colorado junior champion who has played on the PGA Tour the last three seasons before losing his card late this summer, jumped into 32nd place in Chandler after his 66 left him at 6-under 138 for two rounds. Hubbard carded seven birdies and one bogey on Friday.

Australian Curtis Luck and Guatemalan Jose Toledo share the 36-hole lead at Q-school with 13-under 131 totals.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who are competing this week in Chandler:

Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.
12. Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch 66-69–135
32. Denver native Mark Hubbard 72-66–138
107. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 70-74–144

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

The golfer from Highlands Ranch led wire to wire and won a second stage tournament at Q-school by four strokes last month in Murrieta, Calif. He went 66-66-69-70 to earn medalist honors.

As if never missing a beat, Clark (pictured) on Thursday shot a 6-under-par 66 and sits in sixth place out of 144 players after the opening round of the final stage of Q-school in Chandler, Ariz.

Clark, who finished 17th in October in one of his seven PGA Tour starts to date, made two eagles — including one on the 317-yard par-4 eighth hole — to go along with four birdies and two bogeys.

Clark, the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a finalist for college player of the year as a senior at the University of Oregon last spring, trails leader Jose Toledo by five strokes, but is just one shot out of second place.

Players finishing in the top 45 and ties after four rounds will receive some exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2018, with the medalist earning a guaranteed spot for the entire season. Finishers after the 45 and ties will have conditional Web status next year.

As for the other local players competing in the Final Stage, former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda shares 34th place at 70, while Denver native Mark Hubbard is tied for 70th at 72.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who are competing this week in Chandler:

Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.
6. Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch 66
34. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 70
70. Denver native Mark Hubbard 72

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

The former Colorado State University golfer on Sunday tied for eighth place in the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., marking his fourth top-10 finish in eight starts on the PGA Tour in the 2016-17 wraparound season.

The showing was worth $203,000, inching Laird (pictured) very close to $15 million in career money on the PGA Tour, with $14.83 million. The three-time PGA Tour winner has earned at least $140,000 in each of five tournaments this season and has racked up $952,506 in tourney earnings over just the last four-plus months. He stands 19th on the 2016-17 PGA Tour money list.

Though Laird hasn’t won this season, he’s finished seventh once, eighth twice and ninth once.

At the Genesis Open, Laird went 70-68-70-66 for a 10-under-par 274 total, leaving him seven strokes behind champion Dustin Johnson.

Meanwhile, former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda posted his best Web.com Tour finish since winning an event in Brazil last April.

Svoboda placed ninth Sunday in the Panama Claro Championship in Panama City, carding rounds of 70-68-68-67 for a 7-under-par 273 total, which left him six strokes behind winner Andrew Putnam.

Svoboda owns three wins on the Web.com circuit.
 

Last weekend essentially marked the end of 2016 from a competitive standpoint for the world’s top golf tours. And an impressive 2016 it was in many respects from a Colorado perspective.

Players with strong Colorado connections had plenty of highlights during the year — whether that be victories, spectacular scores, outstanding season-long performances or otherwise.

Here’s a sampling:

— Jobe’s Impressive Season: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe had a rookie year to remember on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99, finished 23rd on the Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup points list, winning more than $900,000. Though he didn’t win in 2016 after being medalist in Champions Q-school a year ago, Jobe (pictured above) posted seven top-10 finishes. And the former Colorado Open champion came up big in some of the most prestigious tournaments of the year, with three top-fives in Champions majors (Senior PGA, Senior Players and the Senior British Open), and two top-10s in the inaugural Schwab Cup Playoffs.

— Tour Victories: Several players who have significant Colorado ties posted wins on major worldwide tours (or co-sanctioned events) in 2016.

Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo notched his fourth PGA Tour Champions triumph, this one in February at the Allianz Championship in a playoff over Billy Andrade.

Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda recorded his third Web.com Tour victory in April as he prevailed in the Brasil Champions.

In July, former University of Denver golfer Espen Kofstad notched his third European Challenge Tour victory — and first since 2012 — prevailing in a playoff at the D+D Real Slovakia Challenge.

And, on Sunday, Denver-area resident Duval Duval recorded his first win in a nationally televised tournament in 15 years by teaming with stepson — and fellow Colorado resident — Nick Karavites to claim the title in the PNC Father/Son Challenge.

— In the Spotlight: Two former DU golfers — Kofstad and Oskar Arvidsson — qualified for two of the biggest tournaments of the year. With his Slovakia Challenge victory, Kofstad earned a spot on Norway’s Olympic squad, placing 43rd individually. And Arvidsson qualified for the British Open, though he missed the cut there.

And although they’re still amateurs, Coloradans Jennifer Kupcho and Hannah Wood advanced to the U.S. Women’s Open, arguably the top women’s tournament in the world, though neither made the 36-hole cut.

— A Local Presence on LPGA Tour: Going into this month, the last time a player with a strong Colorado connection earned an LPGA Tour card through Q-school was 2012, when former Longmont resident Kelly Jacques and former DU golfers Stephanie Sherlock and Kimberly Kim landed status on the 2013 LPGA circuit.

But early this month, the drought ended when Jenny Coleman (left) became the first former University of Colorado golfer to secure a spot on the LPGA Tour. By finishing 29th in the final stage of Q-school, Coleman will have conditional status on the top women’s circuit in the world in 2017. The former Buff played on the Symetra Tour in 2016, finishing 31st on the money list.

— Going Low: Local players took their turns shooting exceptionally low scores in professional events in 2016. Denver resident — and former DU player — James Love carded a 12-under-par 59 in the first round of a Web.com Tour Q-school tournament in St. George, Utah in October. And Tom Whitney of Fort Collins, a regular on PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2016, fired a 12-under-par 60 in the final round to win his second consecutive Waterloo Open. On the Latinoameric circuit, Whitney finished 11th on the 2016 money list, with his best finish being second in the Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open in October.

— Hubbard Extends PGA Tour Stay: Denver native Mark Hubbard hasn’t yet posted a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, but he’s performed well enough that 2016-17 will be his third consecutive season playing a full schedule on the top tour in the world. Hubbard, winner of both of the CGA’s top junior championships in 2007, is on the verge of going over $1 million in career earnings as he currently stands at $971,522. Hubbard’s best showing in 2016 came at the Puerto Rico Open, where he placed 15th.

— Near-Miss for Laird: Also on the PGA Tour, former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird finished runner-up in the RBC Canadian Open in July, marking his best showing on that circuit in more than three years. It was one of four top-10 performances for Laird in 2016.

Also scoring top-10s on the PGA Tour in 2016 was former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders, who hit the mark twice in July.

— Locals Find Home on European Tour: For the first time in recent years, two pros who played their college golf in Colorado will be regulars on the European Tour. That’s after both former CU golfer Sebastian Heisele and former DU player Espen Kofstad made the grade in the final stage of European Q-school. Heisele finished 19th there and Kofstad 25th. It will be Kofstad’s second full-time stint on the top European circuit.

— Knous Becomes Regular on Web Circuit: On the No. 2 open-age tour in the U.S., Englewood’s Jim Knous in 2017 will become the first Coloradan in two years to compete regularly on the Web.com circuit. The former Colorado School of Mines golfer earned that right by finishing 23rd Sunday in the final stage of Q-school.

— Schoolcraft Shines in Canada: On PGA Tour Canada, Denver resident Michael Schoolcraft was one of the more impressive players, posting three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up in the Cape Breton Open in September. Schoolcraft ended up ninth on the money list with $41,485.

— Wallace Strong in Final Symetra Tour Season: On the Symetra Tour, the women’s equivalent of the Web.com Tour, former University of Colorado golfer Jessica Wallace posted three top-10 showings, including a runner-up in the IOA Championship in February. Despite finishing 19th on the 2016 Symetra Tour money list, Wallace decided to stop playing professionally; instead she plans to become an accountant. Also notching a second-place Symetra finish in 2016 was Denver resident Becca Huffer in the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in October.