The former University of Denver golfer earned fully-exempt status for the first half of the 2019 season on PGA Tour Latinoamerica on Friday by finishing eighth out of 81 players in one of the final PTLA Q-school tournaments.

Korte (left) shot rounds of 69-67-70-76 for a 2-under-par 282 total in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The winner — American Patrick Flavin (273) — will be fully exempt for the entire season, while those who finished second through 11th will have spots at least for the first half of the year. The season begins March 27 in Panama.

Despite the 76 in the final round, Korte carded an eagle on the par-4 16th hole. For the tournament, he posted two eagles, 17 birdies, 13 bogeys and three double bogeys.

Last week, three other players with strong Colorado ties earned some status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Former Fort Collins resident Tom Whitney will be exempt for the first half of the season, while former Colorado State University golfer Blake Cannon and Castle Pines resident Josh Seiple will have conditional status.

Fan Places Third on The Cactus Tour: Former University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan finished third on Wednesday at The Cactus Tour event in Sun City, Ariz.

Fan, who won a Cactus Tour tournament last summer as a rookie pro, recorded rounds of 69-70-71 for a 6-under-par 210 total. She ended up three strokes behind winner Linnea Johansson of Sweden.

Aspen’s Morris Prevails: AJ Morris of Aspen won a one-day event on the West Florida Golf Tour at Tampa Palms Country Club on Wednesday. Morris shot a 4-under-par 72 and beat Tim Rosenhouse of Dix Hills, N.Y., and Scot Paul Ferrier in a playoff to earn $1,000.

Whitney (left), who played his college golf at the Air Force Academy, shot rounds of 70-68 for a 6-under-par 138 total, which left him three strokes behind winner Ben Crancer at the Panther Trail Championship at The Woodlands, Texas that ended on Tuesday. Whitney, whose second-place showing last week also came at The Woodands, earned $1,765 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at a Cactus Tour event that ended Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz., former University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan ended up in fourth place.
Fan carded scores of 70-68-70 for an 8-under-par 208 and earned $800. She finished five strokes behind winner Kennedie Montoya of Thatcher, Ariz.

And at the Dreamchasers Tour Central Valley Winter Championship that concluded on Thursday in Phoenix, Zahkai Brown of Golden tied for seventh place with former CU golfer Jeremy Paul, while Paul’s brother and fellow former Buff Yannik Paul ended up 10th.

Brown went 67-66-71 for a 9-under-par 204 total and earned $1,183. Jeremy Paul carded rounds of 68-66-70 to tie Brown. And Yannik Paul fired scores of 69-66-70 for a 205 total, which was worth $950. John Greco of Sunnvale, Calif., won the event with a 193 total.
 

Choi (left), a junior from Australia, finished 21st on Thursday in Stage 2 of Q-school in Venice, Fla. The top 41 finishers out of the original field of 193 landed spots in the Q-series, which will take place from Oct. 24-Nov. 3 at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

Choi, who has qualified in Colorado for the last two U.S. Women’s Opens, shot an even-par 72 in the final round, giving her a four-day total of 2-under 286. She made three birdies and three bogeys on Thursday and played her final seven holes in 2 under par.

Former Parker resident Elizabeth Wang, who entered the final round in 25th place, missed advancing to the Q-Series by one stroke. The Harvard freshman’s played her final five holes in 2 over par to shoot a 74 and check in at 289, which left her with a 42nd-place finish.

The players who advance to the Q-series will be part of a field — which is expected to number 103 golfers — who will compete in two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks Oct. 24-Nov. 3 in North Carolina. Scores will be cumulative over the two weeks, with at least the top 45 finishers and ties earning LPGA cards. A $150,000 purse will be on the line.

Sixty-two players are exempt and entered into the Q-Series. Among the exempt players expected to compete are Coloradans Jennifer Kupcho and Becca Huffer and former University of Colorado golfer Jennifer Coleman, who had an LPGA Tour card in 2017.

Amateurs — such as Choi — who go on to earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

Here are the round-by-round scores in Stage 2 for the players with strong Colorado connections:

Advances to Q-Series
21. CU golfer Robyn Choi 72-71-71-72–286
Failed to Advance
42. Former Colorado resident Elizabeth Wang 71-73-71-74–289
104. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 75-73-75-74–297
120. Former Denver resident Emily Gilbreth 77-76-75-71–299
151. Ashley Tait of Littleton 76-79-73-76–304
179. Former CU golfer Brittany Fan 75-80-75-81–311
Former CU golfer Emily Childs 79-84–WD

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

With a minimum of the top 25 finishers and ties after 72 holes advancing to the Q-Series, which this year replaces the third and final stage of Q-school, that leaves Robyn Choi (left) and Elizabeth Wang in good shape to move on in the process.

Choi, a University of Colorado junior who has qualified for the last two U.S. Women’s Opens, and Wang, a former Parker resident who’s now a freshman at Harvard, each shot a 1-under-par 71 Wednesday at the Panther Course at Plantation Golf & Country Club. That moved Choi into 18th place at 2-under-par 214 and Wang into 25th place at 215.

Choi and Wang each carded three birdies and two bogeys in round 3.

The players who advance to the Q-series will be part of a field — numbering no more than 108 golfers — who will compete in two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks Oct. 22-Nov. 3 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Scores will be cumulative over the two weeks.

Sixty-two players are exempt and entered into the Q-Series, meaning additional golfers from Stage 2 could advance as long as the total number of competitors in the Q-Series, including exempt participants, doesn’t exceed 108.

Amateurs — such as Wang and Choi — who earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

Here are the round-by-round scores in Stage 2 for the players with strong Colorado connections:

18. CU golfer Robyn Choi 72-71-71–214
25. Former Colorado resident Elizabeth Wang 71-73-71–215
101. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 75-73-75–223
148. Ashley Tait of Littleton 76-79-73–228
149. Former Denver resident Emily Gilbreth 77-76-75–228
167. Former CU golfer Brittany Fan 75-80-75–230
Former CU golfer Emily Childs 79-84–WD

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Choi (left), a junior from Australia, jumped up to 23rd place out of the 193-player field as a three-birdie, two-bogey day at the Panther Course at Plantation Golf & Country Club left her at 1-under 143 overall with two rounds remaining. Choi has qualified in Colorado for the last two U.S. Women’s Opens.

Also in the top 100 at the halfway point of the tournament are former Parker resident Elizabeth Wang (144, 33rd place) and former CU golfer Kristin Coleman (148, 82nd place). Wang was 2 under for the day through 15 holes, but double bogeyed No. 16 and bogeyed No. 18.

A minimum of the top 25 players and ties after 72 holes will advance to Q-Series, which this year replaces the third and final stage of Q-school. There, a maximum of 108 players will compete in two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks Oct. 22-Nov. 3 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Scores will be cumulative over the two weeks.

Sixty-two players are exempt and entered into the Q-Series, meaning additional golfers from Stage 2 could advance as long as the total number of competitors in the Q-Series, including exempt participants, doesn’t exceed 108.

Amateurs — such as Wang and Choi — who earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019.

Here are the round-by-round scores in Stage 2 for the players with strong Colorado connections:

23. CU golfer Robyn Choi 72-71–143
33. Former Colorado resident Elizabeth Wang 71-73–144
82. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 75-73–148
153. Former Denver resident Emily Gilbreth 77-76–153
167. Former CU golfer Brittany Fan 75-80–155
167. Ashley Tait of Littleton 76-79–155
Former CU golfer Emily Childs 79-84–WD

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Wang, a freshman at Harvard who finished 34th in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and made the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, shares 28th place out of the field of 193. And Choi, who has played in the last two U.S. Women’s Opens, is tied for 39th with three rounds remaining.

A minimum of the top 25 players and ties after 72 holes will advance to Q-Series, which this year replaces the third and final stage of Q-school. There, a maximum of 108 players will compete in two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks Oct. 22-Nov. 3 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Scores will be cumulative over the two weeks.

Sixty-two players are exempt and entered into the Q-Series, meaning additional golfers from Stage II could advance as long as the total number of competitors in the Q-Series, including exempt participants, doesn’t exceed 108.

Wang made four birdies and three bogeys on Monday at the Bobcat Course at Plantation Golf & Country Club. Choi, meanwhile, carded three birdies and three bogeys.

Amateurs — such as Wang and Choi — who earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019.

Here are the round-by-round scores in Stage 2 for the players with strong Colorado connections:

28. Former Colorado resident Elizabeth Wang 71
39. CU golfer Robyn Choi 72
108. Former CU golfer Brittany Fan 75
108. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 75
133. Ashley Tait of Littleton 76
152. Former Denver resident Emily Gilbreth 77
173. Former CU golfer Emily Childs 79

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

A squall kicked up immediately after the conclusion of the awards ceremony for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open on Friday afternoon.

Before that, it was Lexi Harkins of Crystal Lake, Ill., who took Green Valley Ranch Golf Club by storm.

The rookie pro, who started the day four strokes out of the lead, shot her personal-best round — a women’s course-record 8-under-par 64 — to overtake 18- and 36-hole leader Katrina Prendergast of Colorado State University and win the CWO title and the $50,000 first prize that goes with it.

“It almost feels not real right now,” the 22-year-old (left) said of her career round. “I started (playing) so long ago it doesn’t even feel real honestly.”

Harkins’ two-stroke victory denied Prendergast (below) of becoming just the second amateur to capture the overall championship at the Colorado Women’s Open. Paige Mackenzie (2006) remains the only amateur to pull off the feat.

“I can’t be mad about that,” said Prendergast, who will celebrate her 21st birthday on Sept. 9. “I was happy with the way I played. Maybe make a few more putts, but I still shot 2 under on the last day, which is pretty good. I can’t complain.”

Especially when someone cards a 64 to beat you. That was two shots better than any other score posted this week.

“I thought the pins were actually pretty hard today — harder than they’ve been all week,” said Prendergast, the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion with CSU teammate Ellen Secor. “Good for (Harkins). That’s pretty hard to do, especially on the last day.

“Yeah, it would have been nice to have gotten first, but second is just as good really. Going into (CSU’s) season with this second place, I’m really happy.”

Actually, amateurs have been in contention to win three of the last five Colorado Women’s Opens as Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster finished second in both 2014 and 2017.

And, just to be clear, even if Prendergast had claimed the overall title and Harkins had finished second on Friday, Harkins would have still won the $50,000 as the top prize available for amateurs is $750 worth of merchandise. 

On Friday, Prendergast led by one with three holes left. But Harkins (left) drained a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 16 and a 33-footer on No. 18, while Prendergast missed the green at the par-3 17th and made bogey. On Harkins’ birdie on 18, playing partner Christine Meier had an almost identical putt, which gave Harkins a nice preview of what to expect.

“It was helpful seeing her line and seeing that it was a quick putt,” said Harkins, who went up by two when her ball dropped, with Prendergast still in the 18th fairway. “It happened to go in, which was crazy.”

For Harkins, the victory was a nice turnabout after she took a five-shot lead into the final round of the Michigan Women’s Open in late June and ended up finishing second after a final-round 77. On Friday, she had to come from behind and shot 13 shots better than on her final day in Michigan.

Harkins, a former University of Wisconsin golfer, finished with nine birdies and one bogey on Friday for her 64, which was one shot better than the previous women’s course record at GVR, set by Erin Houtsma in 2010. That gave Harkins, who was competing in the CWO for the first time, a 10-under-par 206 total, good for her first victory in more than four years.

“It kind of just clicked all at the same time” on Friday, she said of her stellar round. “I felt pretty confident because I’ve been playing well recently. And I had some learning experiences this summer — the Michigan Women’s Open, where I had the lead and lost it.

“I haven’t won in a long time. This is definitely my biggest win.”

And that $50,000 — the biggest first prize in a women’s state open — will certainly come in handy for a rookie pro who just advanced to Stage II of LPGA Q-school.

“This means so much to me just because playing professional golf is expensive,” she said. “I’m just starting and just went to Stage I for Q-school. All of it is very expensive. This will just go toward me playing golf and pursuing my dream.

“But I was trying not to worry about the money (during Friday’s round) honestly. I was trying to focus on my shot and not get ahead of myself because you never know what’s going to happen out there. But it feels so good to get it done.”

In finishing second, Prendergast (left) has been runner-up this month in both the Utah’s Women’s Open and the Colorado Women’s Open.

Prendergast, a Sparks, Nev., resident whose dad flew in to catch the final round, took a three-stroke lead into Friday and shot a 2-under-par 70, giving her an 8-under 208 total. That earned her low-amateur honors by six.

“That was the No. 1 goal (going into the week) and I achieved it. I’m happy,” Prendergast said.

Former University of Colorado golfer Esther Lee placed third at 211 after a bogey-free 67 in the final round. Brittany Fan, a former teammate of Lee’s at CU, tied for fourth at 213 with Sarah Hoffman of Saline, Mich., and Hannah Kim of Chula Vista, Calif.

Coming to play in the Colorado Women’s Open this week was no small matter to Lee (left) as she’s 35th on the season-long Symetra Tour money list, with the top 10 on that list at the end of the season earning LPGA Tour cards. There’s only six events remaining in the Symetra season, with one of the tournaments going on this weekend in South Dakota.

“I’ve always wanted to come play (the Colorado Women’s Open),” she said. “If I don’t make the decision to play now, I probably never will, so I decided to come.”

Lee certainly earned a nice payday on Friday — $11,300 for her individual showing and $1,550 as she and CGA executive director Ed Mate placed runner-up in the pro-am competition.

“It feels really nice,” she said of the performance. “I’ve always wanted to play this event when I was at CU, but it never lined up with my schedule. I finally got a chance to come out and play this year. To be up in the mix (in the individual and team competitions) feels really good.”

For the record, title sponor CoBank won the pro-am competition with a three-day total of 27-under-par 189, which was three better than Oakwood Homes No. 2 (Lee and Mate) and Massage Envy. The winning CoBank team was comprised of Lee’s former CU teammate Fan and amateur Tyler Etcheberry of Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Notable: Dan Scherer of OutFront Media on Friday was presented the Ralph Moore Golf Journalism Award. Scherer is the senior vice president of the Mountain Plains Region for OutFront Media. Moore covered golf — and other sports — for the Denver Post for nearly 30 years. He’s a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. … Four players who have made match play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball finished in the top 15 of the Colorado Women’s Open on Friday. Prendergast (second place this week) and Secor (13th), of course, won the national women’s four-ball title this year. And Lee (third) and Fan (fourth) were the stroke-play co-medalists and went to the round of 16 in 2017, the year Prendergast and Secor also lost in the Sweet 16. … As was mentioned above, Prendergast took low-amateur honors on Friday by six strokes. Placing second in that competition was Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia (214), while Secor (217) was third.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

Amateur Katrina Prendergast may be competing against a bunch of pros this week at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open — and beating them all through Thursday’s second round — but in a couple of very notable ways, she’s in a different world.

First, should the Colorado State University senior win the overall title on Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, she’ll have to grin and bear it as the low pro is presented a $50,000 check, while she receives $750 worth of merchandise as the low amateur.

“That would be a little weird,” she said of the hypothetical. “But one more year of college is the perfect amount of time for me to keep my game going, then see what happens after.”

And second, it’s a good bet the competing pros aren’t squeezing in a couple of college classes before teeing off at GVR, or a long one after getting done, as Prendergast did on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. She attended 8 and 9 a.m. classes at CSU before round 1 and a 5-8 p.m. class after round 2.

“I’m going to miss so much class during the (school) year for golf that I might as well go (to classes) while I can,” Prendergast noted. “Today might be a little bit of a hard day because I have a three-hour class. The 8 and 9 a.m. classes weren’t too bad to come out and play golf (afterward). I love golf.”

Despite mixing school and a big tournament, Prendergast (pictured) will take a three-stroke lead into Friday’s final round of the Colorado Women’s Open. She’s attempting to become just the second amateur to win the overall title in this event, joining Paige Mackenzie, who managed the feat a dozen years ago.

On Thursday, Prendergast had a little bit of everything in her round of 2-under-par 70. She eagled the par-5 18th hole (her ninth) from 17 feet after hitting a 3 hybrid in from 225 yards. Three holes earlier, she made a double bogey after a three putt. She also tossed in four birdies and two bogeys, including one of the three-putt variety on her final hole.

Add it up and the Sparks, Nev., resident checked in at 6-under-par 138.

“I feel good. My game is good,” said the 20-year-old, who paired with CSU teammate Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May. “I’ve just got to go out and play my game tomorrow and see what happens. I’ve just got to go out and do my thing and not worry who I’m playing against.”

Prendergast normally tees it up against amateur-only fields, but this is the second time this month she’s competed against a mix of mainly pros and some ams at a state open. A few weeks ago, she finished second at the Utah Women’s Open after firing a final-round 63.

“I like playing against professionals because it makes me want to step up my game and be like them. It’s fun,” she said.

Prendergast is one of eight players who will go into Friday’s final round under par.

Jessica Vasilic (left), a 6-foot-3 player from Sweden, was the one major threat to Prendergast’s lead on Thursday as she was 5 under for the tournament through 31 holes. But she played her last five in 5 over par, going from second to ninth place with a second-round 74 leaving her at even-par 144 overall.

Holding down second place at 141 through two days is Hannah Kim of Chula Vista, Calif., who posted the low round of the tournament, a 5-under 67 on Thursday. The rookie pro from Northwestern played her final 15 holes of round 2 in 6 under par and birdied four of her last five holes.

Last month, Kim made the Illinois Women’s Open her first professional victory.

The players — Lexi Harkins of Crystal Lake, Ill., amateur Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia and Christine Meier of Rochester Hills, Mich. — are tied for third place at 142

Also in the under-par mix is rookie pro Brittany Fan, a former University of Colorado golfer who was the 2013 low amateur in this event. Fan, who won a Cactus Tour event in her pro debut last month, recently punched her ticket to Stage II of LPGA Tour Q-school. She shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday to post a 1-under 143 total, good for a share of sixth place. She made five birdies in round 2.

Notable: The field was cut to the low 40 players after 36 holes, and the golfers who finished two rounds at 6-over 150 and better advanced to Friday. … In the low-amateur competition, Prendergast remains four strokes ahead of second-place Abrahamova, who matched the CSU golfer’s second-round 70. … Massage Envy leads the pro-am team competition with one round remaining, sitting at 19-under-par 125, one shot better than title sponsor CoBank. … Former University of Texas golfer Sophia Schubert, winner of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur, carded a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday to sit at 145, good for a share of 12th place. Schubert started the tournament with a triple bogey on Wednesday. … Sixteen-year-old pro Karah Sanford, a native of Montrose, withdrew after a first-round 83. … The leaders will tee off for Friday’s final round at 9:15 a.m.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

For Friday’s final-round pairings, CLICK HERE.

Former CU player — and now rookie pro — Brittany Fan, along with current Buff junior Robyn Choi and former Parker resident Elizabeth Wang finished in the top 55 out of a 339-player field in Stage I of Q-school in Rancho Mirage, Calif. At least the top 100 finishers and ties advance to Stage II, set for Oct. 15-18 in Venice, Fla.

Additional players from Stage I might also earn trips to Stage II, depending on the number of other entrants into the event in Venice.

Fan shot a 1-over-par 73 on Sunday to finish at 2-over 290 over four days, good for 46th place.

Choi (left), who has played in the last two U.S. Women’s Opens, tied with Fan after shooting her third consecutive 72. On Sunday, the Australian made four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.

Wang, who finished 34th in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and made the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, finished a stroke behind Fan and Choi, in 55th place, after her second consecutive 73. She carded three birdies and four bogeys on Sunday.

This year in the LPGA qualifying process, a Q-Series replaces the third and final stage. There, a maximum of 108 players will compete in two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks Oct. 22-Nov. 3 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Scores will be cumulative over the two weeks.

Amateurs who earn their cards can defer their acceptance of LPGA membership until July 1, 2019.

Here are the round-by-round scores in Stage I for the players with strong Colorado connections:

ADVANCE TO STAGE II
46. Former CU golfer Brittany Fan 74-73-70-73–290
46. University of Colorado golfer/amateur Robyn Choi 74-72-72-72–290
55. Amateur Elizabeth Wang, who grew up in Colorado 76-69-73-73–291
OTHERS WHO MADE THE 54-HOLE CUT
102. Amateur Emily Gilbreth, a former Denver resident 76-72-78-75–295
112. Ashley Tait of Littleton 71-74-75-76–296
138. Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs 73-70-78-79–300
MISSED THE 54-HOLE CUT
147. Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch 71-78-75–224
160. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 72-78-75–225
216. Amateur Jaylee Tait of Littleton 77-75-77–229
232. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 76-80-74–230

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

With at least the top 100 players and ties after four rounds advancing to Stage II — set for Oct. 15-18 in Venice, Fla. — Fan jumped into the top 50 on Saturday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. She shot a 2-under-par 70 in round 3 to put her in 49th place at 1-over 217.

Fan (left) carded six birdies on Saturday, along with two bogeys and a double bogey. She trails leader Celina Yuan of Australia by 12 strokes.

Meanwhile, Choi checked in at 218 (67th place) after a third round 72.

Also among the players with strong Colorado connections in the top 100 through three rounds are former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang (218), Ashley Tait of Littleton (220, 93rd place) and former Denver resident Emily Gilbreth (220).

This year in the LPGA qualifying process, a Q-Series replaces the third and final stage. There, a maximum of 108 players will compete in two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks Oct. 22-Nov. 3 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Scores will be cumulative over the two weeks.

Amateurs who earn their cards can defer their acceptance of LPGA membership until July 1, 2019.

Here are the round-by-round scores this week for the players with strong Colorado connections:

49. Former CU golfer Brittany Fan 74-73-70–217
67. Amateur Elizabeth Wang, who grew up in Colorado 76-69-73–218
67. University of Colorado golfer/amateur Robyn Choi 74-72-72–218
93. Ashley Tait of Littleton 71-74-75–220
93. Amateur Emily Gilbreth, a former Denver resident 76-72-78–221
112. Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs 73-70-78–221

Missed 54-Hole Cut (those at 223 or better will play final round)
147. Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch 71-78-75–224
160. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 72-78-75–225
216. Amateur Jaylee Tait of Littleton 77-75-77–229
232. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 76-80-74–230

For complete results, CLICK HERE.