Brandt Jobe and Steve Jones grew up in Colorado, and both won multiple CGA championships and a Colorado Open, and went on to play on the PGA Tour for many seasons.

And in 2016, they’ll have one more thing in common: They’ll be among the regulars on the Champions Tour.

Jobe (left), a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, and Jones, a Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, each earned status on the Champions Tour on Friday with their finishes in the final stage of Q-school in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Jobe, who turned 50 on Aug. 1, will go into his rookie season on the Champions Tour in style after winning the Q-school tournament outright. He was tied for the lead with Jose Coceres going into the final hole Friday at TPC Scottsdale, but Coceres bogeyed there while Jobe made a par.

Jobe, who was a resident of Colorado for about two decades before moving to Texas, earned $30,000 for the victory. And by placing in the top five, he’ll be fully exempt on the Champions Tour in 2016.

After leading following rounds 2 and 3, he shot a 2-under-par 69 on Friday, giving him rounds in the 60s all four days and an 18-under-par 266 total. He made an eagle and 22 birdies over the four days.

Jobe, who now lives in Argyle, Texas, has won six times on the Japanese Tour and been runner-up in four PGA Tour events, winning more than $9 million on that circuit. But he’s had limited status in recent seasons and has competed in just six PGA Tour events in the last two years. He’s played in one Champions Tour tournament since turning 50, placing 21st in October in the San Antonio Championship.

“I did just a good enough job today and now I’m really looking forward to next year,” Jobe said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to plan a schedule.”

Jones (left), winner of the 1996 U.S. Open champion and eight PGA Tour events overall, has played part-time on the Champions Tour since 2011. By finishing between sixth and 12th in Scottsdale — he placed ninth — the former University of Colorado golfer will be conditionally exempt on the Champions circuit in 2016.

Jones, who will turn 57 later this month, shot a 1-under-par 70 on Friday to check in at 12-under 272 overall, earning $7,500. This past season, he finished 60th on the Champions Tour money list, with his best showing being a ninth at the Senior PGA Championship.

Also earning some Champions Tour status for 2016 were 1984 Colorado Open champion Willie Wood (second place, 267) and Mike Grob, medalist in U.S. Senior Open qualifying held in Colorado this year (fifth place, 268).

Here are the scores and standings for all the players who competed that have strong Colorado ties:

Fully Exempt in 2016
1. Brandt Jobe, Colo. Golf Hall of Famer 66-65-66-69–266

Conditionally Exempt in 2016
9. Steve Jones, Colo. Sports Hall of Famer 66-68-68-70–272

Also
36. Gary Hallberg of Longmont 69-68-67-73–277

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

The head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs tied for 12th place Friday in the Q-school finale in Winter Garden, Fla. Coincidentally, 12 players earned either fully-exempt or conditional status on the 2015 Champions Tour.

But Rohrbaugh, the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion, didn’t let opportunity escape his grasp. He birdied the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th, from 5 feet to defeat Craig Thomas of White Plains, N.Y., and claim the final conditionally-exempt spot up for grabs on next year’s Champions Tour.

“I made a Tiger (Woods) fist pump look like nothing,” Rohrbaugh said of his reaction following the sudden-death birdie.

And why not? After all, Rohrbaugh had won a playoff in Champions Tour regional qualifying earlier this month to claim the first alternate spot, then only got into the final stage when Jeff Hart withdrew from the field. Then Rohrbaugh won another playoff on Friday to land the last conditional exemption up for grabs. And a year ago, Rohrbaugh made it to the final stage after winning a playoff in regional qualifying.

“I’m on Cloud 9,” he said when reached by phone on Friday afternoon. “I don’t like to (live on the edge), but I seem to find a way to make it work. I can’t explain it, but I was more comfortable in the playoff than I was on the first tee. It’s just all or nothing.”

In the playoff, Rohrbaugh hit his tee ball and second shot very nearly where his first two shots on No. 18 in regulation had ended up earlier in the day. But from 80 yards in sudden death, he put his approach a mere 5 feet from the cup. And when Thomas left his birdie putt 3 feet short, Rohrbaugh saw his opening and hit the mark with his birdie attempt.

“A week ago I had nothing (Champions Tour status-wise),” said Rohrbaugh, winner of the last two Colorado PGA Professional Championships. “Now I have something. I’m pretty excited. It doesn’t mean a lot of starts (on next year’s Champions Tour). I’ll get some, and I can go to Monday qualifiers (to try for others). So I’ve got some opportunities.”

Despite playing his first three holes in 2 over par in Friday’s final round — and missing three relatively short putts in the process (“I was not a happy camper,” he said) — Rohrbaugh shot a 2-under-par 70 on Friday. He didn’t miss a green in regulation after his slow start despite windy conditions. He finished at 1-under 287 and in a two-way tie for 12th place with Thomas. Each earned $3,750 for his performance.

The top five finishers on Friday gained exempt status on the 2015 Champions Tour. Frank Esposito, who won the Senior PGA Professional National Championship last week, also claimed the qualifying tournament title with an 11-under-par 277 total. Those who placed sixth through 12th earned conditional Champions Tour status. Being conditional, Rohrbaugh has been told he’ll likely receive three to six Champions Tour starts next year, and he could improve his status with some strong showings.

Asked whether he’ll remain the head professional at Ironbridge, Rohrbaugh wasn’t certain. His inclination is to try to make the most of his Champions Tour opportunity, but he said he plans to talk over the matter with people at the club and see how much time they’re comfortable with him being away while competing.

“I’ve got to do a lot of thinking,” the 52-year-old said. “This could be the chance of a lifetime, but I’ll deal with that when I get home.”

Rohrbaugh has competed in three Champions Tour events in his career — two U.S. Senior Opens and one Senior PGA Championship.

Rohrbaugh shared the lead after round 1 in Florida, but had to rally on Friday after going into the final day in 17th place.

The other two players with Colorado ties who competed in the Champions Tour qualifying finals fell short of earning exempt status. Both Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Steve Jones (21st place) and Gary Hallberg of Parker (38th) have played 10 or more Champions Tour events per season over the last several years.

Here are the scores for all the players with major Colorado ties who competed in Florida:

12. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale 69-74-74–70–287
21. Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Steve Jones 75-69-74-71–289
38. Gary Hallberg of Parker 73-77-70-74–294

For a complete list of scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Two of those events are definitely in the cards, barring the unforeseen. And the third will depend on how this week’s tournament plays out.

Rohrbaugh — the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion, and the winner of the last two Colorado PGA Professional Championships — will compete in a Champions Tour regional qualifying tournament this week in Murrieta, Calif. The event, one of three scheduled around the country, runs Tuesday through Friday and features a field of 51 competitors.

If Rohrbaugh, the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs, is among the top finishers (the exact number will be determined on Tuesday), he’ll earn a spot in the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying, set for Nov. 18-21 in Winter Garden, Fla. The top five finishers there will be fully exempt on the 2015 Champions Tour, with the next seven having conditional status.

And in between the regionals and finals of Champions Q-school, Rohrbaugh is scheduled to play in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship Nov. 13-16 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

That’s what you call cramming a lot of tournament golf into a short time frame.

Rohrbaugh made it to the final stage of Champions Q-school last year, but fell short of earning a card by placing 48th.

Rohrbaugh will be one of five Coloradans competing in Champions Tour regional qualifying this week. Tom Carricato of Highlands Ranch will also be in Murrieta, while Sam Chapman of Parker and Mike Musgrave of Fort Collins will play in Montgomery, Texas, where 53 are in the field, and Dean Sessions of Westminster will be in Winter Garden, Fla., where 75 are scheduled to play.

Among the others competing in regionals are former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien, who won the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship this year; five-time PGA Tour winner Blaine McCallister; two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair; and Steve Schneiter, who qualified for the 2014 U.S. Senior Open in Colorado this year.

A couple of players with strong Colorado ties are exempt into the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying — 1996 U.S. Open champion and Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Steve Jones, and onetime Champions Tour winner Gary Hallberg of Parker. Former Colorado Open champ Willie Wood also falls into that category.
 

The PGA Tour already has held pre-qualifying and the first stage of Q-school in the months-long process that determines the remaining players who will be exempt on Tour in 2012.

But this is where it gets down to the nitty gritty. The second stage of Tour qualifying will be held this week, and the players who are successful in advancing to the final stage will be guaranteed at least some status on the Nationwide Tour next year.

That’s no small matter considering that 60 golfers earned at least $100,000 on the Nationwide circuit in 2011.

Of course, the big carrots out there for Q-school competitors are the PGA Tour cards that will be awarded to the top 25 finishers and ties in the final stage of qualifying Nov. 30-Dec. 5 in La Quinta, Calif.

With all that on the line, 14 golfers with strong Colorado connections will compete this week in the second stage of Tour qualifying. Six sites — all in Florida, Texas or California — will host second-stage tournaments, which each will feature 74 to 78 players competing over four rounds.

The number of golfers who will advance to the final stage from each site hasn’t been set, but last year 19 or 20 and ties qualified from each stage 2 tournament.

Among the players with Colorado ties competing this week are David Duval (pictured) of Cherry Hills Village, a former No. 1-ranked player in the world. Although Duval still has past-champions status on Tour (he’s won 13 times), he’s no longer fully exempt after finishing 152nd on this year’s money list.

Leif Olson, a former Colorado resident who owned a PGA Tour card in 2009, also is scheduled for stage 2, along with former University of Denver golfer Danny Wax, who played on the 2011 Nationwide Tour after winning a stage 2 tournament last year.

Here’s the rundown of the local players competing this week:

Humble, Texas Nov. 15-18 — Michael Baird of Castle Rock, Andrew Svoboda of Golden.

McKinney, Texas Nov. 15-18 — Pat Grady of Broomfield, former DU golfer James Love, former DU golfer Danny Wax.

Panama City Beach, Fla. Nov. 16-19 — Nick Mason of Denver, former Colorado resident Leif Olson.

Murrieta, Calif. Nov. 16-19 — Duvid Duval of Cherry Hills Village, former Coloradan Marty Jertson, Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch, former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo, Steve Ziegler of Broomfield.

Plantation, Fla. Nov. 16-19 — Zen Brown of Arvada, Blake Moore of Denver.

Besides the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying, the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying will be played this week, Nov. 15-18 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The top five finishers out of the 78-man field will be fully exempt on the 2012 Champions Tour, while the next seven finishers will be conditionally exempt.

Former University of Colorado golfer Steve Jones, the 1996 U.S. Open champion, is among those playing. Jones returned to competitive golf in 2011 after missing several years while battling a severe case of tennis elbow and other medical/injury issues. A CU teammate of Jones’, Mikael Hogberg, also will compete this week, along with Gary Hallberg of Castle Rock, who already has status on the 2012 Champions Tour.
 

It’s very costly, and the chances for a big payoff are close to nil.

But it’s also the holy grail for golfers who aspire to be top-level playing professionals, so it’s no wonder why the Q-school process for the elite U.S.-based tours lasts for months on end.

This is the time of year when qualifying for those major tours gears up considerably, especially for the PGA and LPGA. The Champions Tour Q-school will get rolling next month. In each case, there’s no shortage of Coloradans involved.

Entry fees will put a dent in the wallet, running from roughly $2,500 to more than $5,000, depending on the tour and where a player starts in the process. And that doesn’t even count potentially thousands in travel and related expenses.

In addition, the odds are stacked heavily against most players, especially those who are forced to go through multiple stages of tournaments. At the end of the day, roughly 25-30 players will earn their 2012 playing privileges for the PGA Tour, with a similar number making the LPGA Tour. A dozen players gain some status on the Champions Tour, though only five are fully exempt.

Nevertheless, hopes are very high at this point, given that it’s early in the process.

Here’s the rundown on the various tours, and which local players are competing in PGA and LPGA Tour qualifying tournaments this month.

PGA TOUR

There are four stages in Q-school, including Pre-Qualifying. In all, there will be 27 qualifying tournaments played — seven in Pre-Qualifying, 13 in First Stage, six in Second Stage, and one in the Final Stage. Pre-Qualifying runs Sept. 13-23, First Stage is Oct. 18-29, Second Stage Nov. 15-19 and Final Stage Nov. 30-Dec. 5. In that final stage, the top 25 finishers and ties earn 2012 PGA Tour cards, with the rest of the players receiving some level of Nationwide Tour status.

No players with major Colorado ties competed in the four Pre-Qualifying tournaments already held, but more than 10 will be involved in the coming week. The list includes the last two CGA Players of the Year, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora (2010, pictured above) and Steve Ziegler of Broomfield (2009). Wiebe has finished second and third in the last two HealthOne Colorado Opens, while Ziegler was sixth this year.

Here’s what’s coming up in PGA Tour Pre-Qualifying, where roughly half the field at each site advances to the First Stage:

— Sept. 21-23 in Dallas — Local participants: former CSU golfer Dustin Morris, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora.

— Sept. 21-23 in Nebraska City — Local participants: former CU golfer Justin Bardgett, Tommy Carpenter of Englewood, Tom Gempel of Parker, Grant Jackson of Aurora, Jonathan Shaver of Parker, Luke Symons of Aurora, Steve Ziegler of Broomfield.

— Sept. 21-23 in Maricopa, Ariz. — Local participants: Riley Arp of Fort Collins, Nicholas Hodge of Littleton.

First Stage sites include Kannapolis, N.C.; Lakeland, Fla.; McKinney, Texas; Dayton, Nev.; Kingwood, Texas; Auburn, Ala.; Pinehurst, N.C.; Lantana, Texas; St. Augustine, Fla.; Hollister, Calif.; Valdosta, Calif.; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and Beaumont, Calif.

Second Stage will be held in Humble, Texas; Brooksville, Fla.; McKinney, Texas; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Murrieta, Calif.; and Plantation, Fla.

This year’s Final Stage is scheduled for La Quinta, Calif.

LPGA TOUR

LPGA Tour qualifying consists of three stages this year, and Futures Tour qualifying is now incorporated, instead of being separate, as in the past. The First Stage was July 26-29, the Second will be Sept. 27-30 in Venice, Fla., and the Final Stage is set for Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The number of 2012 LPGA cards available has yet to be determined, but last year the top 20 finishers in the Final Stage were fully exempt, with the next-best performers earning partial exemptions. The rest of the finishers in the Final Stage will earn some level of Futures Tour status.

Among the players already in the Final Stage is Coloradan Dawn Shockley, who earned her spot by finishing 13th on the 2011 Futures Tour money list. Also expected in the event are former University of Denver golfer Kimberly Kim and part-time Denver resident Alison Whitaker, who have LPGA Tour cards for 2011 but have yet to make a cut.

Here is what’s upcoming in the LPGA Tour qualifying process:

— Second Stage Sept. 27-30 in Venice, Fla. (the top 70 finishers and ties out of a field of about 240 advance to the Final Stage) — Local participants: former DU golfer Ellie Givens (competing as an amateur); Kelly Jacques of Longmont (pictured above); former DU golfer Katie Kempter, who played on the LPGA Tour in 2010; Ashley Tait of Littleton; Kristin Walla of Aspen; and CU golfer Jessica Wallace (competing as an amateur). Jacques, by the way, will be one of the contestants on Golf Channel’s Big Break Ireland. The taped program premieres Tuesday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m. (MT)

— Final Stage Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

As in the past, there will be two stages of Champions Tour qualifying — the regionals and finals. Regional tournaments will be held Oct. 25-28 in Montgomery, Texas, and Oct. 26-29 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Primm, Nev.

The top players will advance to the Final Stage Nov. 15-18 in Scottsdale, Ariz. There, out of a field of 78 contestants, the top five finishers will be fully exempt for 2012, with the next seven conditionally exempt.

As of earlier this month, HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion R.W. Eaks, a Colorado Springs native, was deciding whether to enter the Final Stage, which will be played at his home course in Scottsdale. Eaks has won four times on the Champions Tour.