Rookie pro Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch tied for third place on Wednesday in Palm Desert, Calif.

Wood, winner of the 2014 CWGA Stroke Play who wrapped up her University of Oklahoma career in the spring, shot rounds of 74-69-69 for a 4-under-par 212 total, which left her three strokes behind champion Kendra Dalton of Wake Forest, N.C.

The showing was worth $1,300 for Wood (left), who placed 67th at the Women’s NCAA Division I Championships in May.

This week marked Wood’s second top-five showing in three pro events. She placed fifth in the Michigan PGA Women’s Open in late June.

Former University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan won The Cactus Tour event two weeks ago in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Elsewhere in mini tour events this week, former Longmont resident Cole Nygren tied for fifth on Thursday in the Golden State Tour’s Yolo Fliers Club Pre-Q Shootout in Woodland, Calif.

Nygren, winner of the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting last Halloween in Las Vegas, went 67-71 for a 6-under-par 138 total, a showing worth $685. Maxwell Cohen of Los Angeles won the event by nine strokes with a 126 total.

The former University of Colorado golfer, a two-time winner of the CoBank Colorado Open, posted rounds of 71-72-68-74 for a 3-under-par 285 total. Tolan played the two par-5s on the back nine in 3 over par, costing him a shot at exempt status for 2018.

The winner of the tournament (Cristobal Del Solar) will be exempt for the entire Latinoamerica season, while the next 10 finishers are exempt for the first half of the year. The rest of the players placing in the top 35 and ties will have conditional status.

Tolan (pictured) played in 11 PGA Tour Latinoamerica tournaments in 2015 and ’16 combined, recording a best finish of fifth place in 2015. The Denver native has also played in five PGA Tour events — including the 2002 U.S. Open as a 16-year-old — and 10 Web.com tournaments.

The PGA Tour Latinoamerica season begins March 15 with the Guatemala Open. Earlier this year, three other players with major Colorado ties also earned conditional status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica through other Q-school tournaments: former Buff golfer Jeremy Paul, Cole Nygren of Longmont and former University of Denver golfer Chris Gilman.

For scores from Q-school in Argentina, CLICK HERE.

No Weekend Play at Phoenix Open for Clark, but Laird in 8th Place: Denver native Wyndham Clark missed the cut on Friday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the eighth PGA Tour start of his pro career.

Clark, who made it into the field via a sponsor exemption, shot rounds of 74-73 for a 5-over-par 147 total at TPC Scottsdale.

It was an up-and-down two days for Clark, who has a Web.com Tour card this year. The winner of the 2017 Pac-12 title and the 2010 CGA Amateur made two birdies and five bogeys on Thursday. In round 2, he carded an eagle, three birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey.

Clark has made two cuts in his eight PGA Tour starts.

Meanwhile, former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird, a Scottsdale resident, backed up his first-round 68 with a 67 on Friday afternoon and moved into a share of eighth place at 7-under 135. After a five-birdie, one-bogey day, he trails co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Bryson DeChambeau by three shots.

For Phoenix Open scores, CLICK HERE.

Former DU Golfer Arvidsson Leads in China: Former University of Denver golfer Oskar Arvidsson leads at the halfway point of an international PGA Tour China Q-school event in Haikou in southern China.

Arvidsson, who played in the 2016 British Open, fired a 5-under-par 67 on Friday, leaving him at 10-under 134 and with a two-stroke lead.

Former CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Steven Kupcho shares 72nd place out of the 120-player field after rounds of 78-74.

The top 15 finishers after 72 holes will be fully exempt on PGA Tour China, with the next 25 conditionally exempt. This is the first of two international qualifiers for PGA Tour China.

For scores, CLICK HERE.

Top 10s in California for Gilman, Nygren: Former University of Denver golfer Chris Gilman and Longmont resident Cole Nygren recorded top-10 finishes Friday in a Golden State Tour tournament in Bakersfield, Calif.

Gilman placed fourth with a three-day total of 12-under-par 204, ending up four behind winner Manav Shah of Bakersfield. Gilman went 66-70-68.

Nygren, who like Gilman will have conditional status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2018, finished 10th on Friday. He posted scores of 71-69-71 for a 5-under 211 total.
 

The two join former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul in landing conditional status for this year. Paul placed 23rd last week at a Q-school tournament in Howie In The Hills, Fla.

Nygren (pictured), a rookie pro who finished fourth last summer in the CGA Amateur, ended up 26th out of 106 players in Mazatlan, while Gilman was 33rd.

The top 11 finishers received at least some exempt status on the Latinoamerica circuit, while those in 12th through 35th and ties earned conditional status.

Nygren, winner of the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting on Halloween in Las Vegas, went 70-71-68-73 for a 6-under-par 282 total in Mazatlan. He carded three birdies and four bogeys in the final round.

Gilman, a regular on PGA Tour Canada last year, posted scores of 71-73-70-70 to end up at 284. He had four birdies and two bogeys on Friday.

For all the scores from Mazatlan, CLICK HERE.

Elsewhere on tour:

— Fort Collins resident Tom Whitney, trying to make his first cut ever on the PGA Tour, shares 36th place at the halfway point of the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, Calif., where he went to high school.

Despite a double bogey on his final hole Friday, the former Air Force Academy golfer has shot back-to-back rounds of 68 and stands at 8-under-par 136, leaving him eight strokes behind leader Andrew Landry.

Whitney, who made the field after receiving a sponsor exemption, recorded six birdies on Friday and will try to survive the 54-hole cut Saturday in La Quinta.

— Former CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Steven Kupcho finished eighth at the Dreamchasers Tour’s Ocotillo Winter Championship that ended Thursday in Chandler, Ariz.

Kupcho, a former resident of Westminster, shot rounds of 67-73-65 for an 11-under-par 205 total. He made seven birdies in a bogey-free final round. Kupcho finished six stroke behind winner Shane Smith of Godfrey, Ill., in a field that featured 36 players.

— Former University of Colorado golfer Josh Creel posted two runner-up finishes this week on the Adams Pro Tour Winter Series. Creel, a Cheyenne resident who finished his college career at Central Oklahoma, placed second on Monday at the Woodforest Open in Montgomery, Texas, shooting a 69 and finishing two back of winner Sam Fidone.

Then on Friday, Creel went to a playoff in the 36-hole Lake Windcrest Championship in Magnolia, Texas, with he and Scott Kelly of Austin, Texas, tying at 6-under-par 138 and Kelly prevailing in sudden death. Creel carded rounds of 68-70.
 

It’s the year-ending holiday season, which means different things to different people.

One of the things that comes with this time of year here at coloradogolf.org and coloradowomensgolf.org is a reflection on the past 12 months and compilation of the top stories of the year in Colorado golf. We’ve been doing it annually since 2009, and we’re not about to stop now.

There’s no lack of worthwhile candidates, so in recent years we’ve broken up the list into a two-part series. We go in reverse order, for the sake of preserving some suspense, and add an honorable-mention list that will be included with Part II, which will be published in the coming days.

Today, we’ll cover Nos. 25-13, so without further ado …:

25. Year 2 for Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado: The JGAC, which made quite a splash upon debuting in 2016, continued a significant upward trajectory in 2017. The Alliance — a joint effort of the CGA, Colorado PGA and CWGA — further expanded its reach by creating more tournaments, including several in western Colorado, and adding services. Junior players of all abilities can benefit from JGAC-related programs, including anything from the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy to Colorado PGA Golf in Schools to the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program to Drive Chip & Putt and PGA Junior League competitions.

24. Three Victories by DU Women’s Team: The University of Denver women’s golf team has compiled quite a record from late last season to early this one. In late April, the Pioneers won their 14th straight conference championship, an eye-opening run even if their conference isn’t particularly strong in women’s golf. Then this fall, DU won two tournaments in 11 days — both in Colorado, at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott and the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch. For the record, that made for three wins in the course of five tournaments spanning two seasons. Denver, ranked among the top 25 women’s teams in the nation to complete the fall (along with the University of Colorado), was given a boost in the offseason when 2017 CWGA Player of the Year Mary Weinstein transferred in from the Regis University.

23. Eaton’s March Toward CWGA Record: This year, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton reached 24 CWGA championship victories by sweeping the Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play titles. That leaves her just one shy of Carol Flenniken’s career-record total of 25. After her third sweep of the Senior Match and Senior Stroke in the same year, Eaton earned the CWGA Senior Player of the Year honor for the eighth time. She’s also been the overall CWGA Player of the Year four times since 2004.

22. Variety is Spice of Life for Moore: Another Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, Kent Moore, added to a rather remarkable feat that likely will never be matched. With his victory in the Super-Senior Match Play, Moore (pictured above) now has claimed titles in eight different CGA individual championships. Over the last 44 years, he’s won the 1973 Junior Match Play, the 1986 Amateur, the 1989 Match Play, the 1995 Mid-Amateur, the 2006 Senior Match Play, the 2014 Senior Stroke Play, the 2016 Super-Senior Stroke Play and the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play. READ MORE

21. Longmont’s Nygren Inaugural Putting Champ: Longmont’s Cole Nygren, a pro for just a couple of months, earned a nice paycheck ($15,000) and plenty of publicity with his Halloween victory in the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas. The most eye-catching part of the win was the fact that it came against a field that featured PGA Tour veterans Brad Faxon, John Cook, Tommy Armour III and Colt Knost. Nygren, who placed fourth in the CGA Amateur in August to conclude his amateur career, beat Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, 3 and 2 in the match-play finale. READ MORE

20. Major Changes for Colorado Cup Matches: The Colorado Cup Matches, a Ryder Cup-style competition between CGA/CWGA amateurs and Colorado PGA professionals, have been held annually since 1971. But there were many significant changes implemented in 2017, which will be the last time the matches are conducted until 2019. With no college golfers playing for the amateur team for the first time, the Colorado PGA (left) prevailed 26-14 in the event, which now features open, senior and women players competing for a single Cup. That result came a year after the pros were swept by the ams. READ MORE

19. More National Recognition for Colorado PGA: Mark Pfingston, the PGA head professional at The Golf Club at Bear Dance, this year was named the PGA of America’s national Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities. With Pfingston’s accomplishment, Colorado PGA members continued their roll of the last decade-plus in receiving national recogntion for their work. In the last 11 years (2007 through ’17), CPGA members — or the Section as a whole — have earned nine national awards from the PGA of America. READ MORE

18. Chalk Up Another Honor for Keffer: In the last decade, Geoff Keffer has become one of the most awarded players from the Colorado PGA in the Section’s history. This year, the Lakewood resident received the Section’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Award for the fourth straight season and for the fifth time in six years. To put that into perspective, only one player has been the Colorado PGA’s Finsterwald Player of the Year more times than Keffer, with two others matching his total. And all of the other three members of the five-timers club have all been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Bob Hold owns the record for most CPGA Finsterwald Player of the Year Awards, with seven earned between 1966 and ’74, including six straight starting in ’66. Other five-time Players of the Year, in addition to Keffer, are Vic Kline (1975 to 1981) and Ron Vlosich (1986 to ’91). READ MORE

17. Back to North Dakota for CGA’s Jensen: Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s highly regarded and well-liked managing director of operations, recently accepted a job as associate dean of student engagement at his alma mater, the University of Jamestown in his hometown of Jamestown, North Dakota. Jensen was a key administrator in Colorado golf, particularly playing a pivotal role in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado getting up and running during its initial years. READ MORE

16. Age No Problem for Schalk: Hailey Schalk (left) of Erie was only 15 years old during the 2017 golf season, but that didn’t keep her from becoming the girls Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Player of the Year. In 2017, Schalk was the first Coloradan to win a title at the prestigious AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. And in May, she was the first freshman since 2002 to win a girls state high school individual championship in Colorado. In addition, she captured the titles at both of the JGAC majors in which she competed. She also placed 14th individually while playing for Colorado at the Girls Junior America’s Cup. She and Davis Bryant were recently named “Future Famers” by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

15. Seniors Rule at CPGA Professional Championship: The Colorado PGA Professional Championship is the top tournament of the year for the Section. But this year’s event, held at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, turned into a showcase for the 50-and-over set as 50-year-old John Ogden prevailed in a playoff over 64-year-old Rick Cole, who was ever so close to becoming the oldest winner of this event — by far. As it was, Ogden earned the $8,000 first prize, then promptly donated half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation. READ MORE


14. Timely 59 for Sam Saunders: Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders picked a good time for his career round. Saunders, grandson of the late Arnold Palmer, opened the Web.com Tour Championship with a 12-under-par 59 in Atlantic Beach, Fla., where he moved from Fort Collins last year. It was just the seventh round under 60 in the history of the Web.com circuit. More importantly, it led to a second-place finish in the Web Tour Championship, which secured Saunders’ fully-exempt PGA Tour card for 2017-18 after he had lost that status late in the summer.


13. Bunch, Harvanek Voted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: Two Coloradans whose service in golf has made an indelible impact were voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Jim Bunch of Denver and Danny Harvanek of Littleton will make up the 46th class of the Hall of Fame and will be inducted on May 20 at Sanctuary golf course in Sedalia. Bunch has served in high-powered volunteer roles at the USGA and with the Western Golf Association, including as the chairman of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, of the WGA and of the Evans Scholars Foundation that awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. Harvanek, a longtime PGA Master Professional in Colorado, has long been touted for his highly-effective instruction work with junior golfers, which helped lay the groundwork for the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program. READ MORE
   

The statewide competitive golf season in Colorado largely shuts down after October and doesn’t crank up again until mid-spring, which makes this the perfect time for a little reflection on 2017.

As usual, there’s plenty that makes the season special — and that’s true even in a year when no large-scale spectator golf tournaments pay a visit. The U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs no doubt will be high on this list for 2018, but that’s for next fall.

Below are one observer’s top 10 list of highlights of the 2017 tournament season and for Colorado-based golfers.

It’s an understatement to say it’s not often that two Colorado residents — one man and one woman — are among the national college golfer of the year finalists, but 2017 was such a year. So it’s not surprising that our list starts with those two players.

1. The Kupcho Show: Jennifer Kupcho (pictured above) of Westminster continues to up her game, as this year has demonstrated. The fact that she’s currently the No. 2-ranked women’s amateur in the world says plenty. The Wake Forest golfer came ever so close to becoming the first Coloradan to win the women’s individual NCAA Division I title, leading by two with two holes left before a triple bogey led to a runner-up finish. She quickly rebounded from that disappointment to qualify for her second straight U.S. Women’s Open — and then to finish 21st overall in arguably the most presigious women’s golf tournament in the world. She also won her first national title, the Canadian Women’s Amateur. Other victories included her third straight in the CWGA Stroke Play, and two wins this calendar year in college golf. She also placed second for the second straight time in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open.

2. Year to Remember for Clark: Although he previously came close on many occasions, Highlands Ranch resident Wyndham Clark (left) didn’t score his first individual college victory until early in 2017. And that opened the floodgates for the then-University of Oregon senior, who posted three victories in his final 4 1/2 months as a collegian. One of those wins was a storybook ending as he prevailed at the Pac-12 Conference Championship in his home state, at Boulder Country Club, where he also won the 2010 CGA Amateur. With that strong final half of the season, Clark was named the 2017 Player of the Year in one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the Pac-12. That goes with the 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year honors he earned while at Oklahoma State. Then since turning pro in June, Clark has made two cuts on the PGA Tour, including a 17th-place finish on Oct. 29 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. This fall, he’s also advanced to the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-school.

3. Bryant Slam: A junior golf oddity made this one of the top stories of the competitive season in the state. The Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado schedule features four major championships, and the Bryant siblings won their own version of a grand slam by combining to claim all four titles. Davis Bryant won all three in which he competed — the Colorado Junior PGA, the Colorado Junior Amateur and the JGAC Tour Championship. And when he missed the Colorado Junior Match Play while he was competing in the national Junior PGA Championship — where he placed 14th — 14-year-old sister Emma pulled through for an improbable victory for the girls title. Davis Bryant went on to be named the boys JGAC Player of the Year after also winning the 5A state high school title, placing ninth individually in the Junior America’s Cup and advancing to the match play round of 64 at his second U.S. Junior Amateur.

4. Kaye Wins 2nd Colorado Open, 21 Years After His First: Part-time Boulder resident Jonathan Kaye (left) hadn’t competed in a tournament in three months, but that didn’t stop the former University of Colorado golfer from winning the CoBank Colorado Open shortly before his 47th birthday. Kaye, a two-time PGA Tour winner who plays little tournament golf anymore, sank a 9-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Green Valley Ranch to post a one-stroke victory and earn the $100,000 first prize. Kaye, the runner-up in 2016, finished at 23-under par, which tied the tournament’s scoring record, relative to par. He became just the seventh golfer to win at least two Colorado Open titles.

5. Jobe’s Champions Breakthrough: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe came very close to winning on the PGA Tour during his time on that circuit, four times placing second, including at the 2005 International at Castle Pines. Then on the PGA Tour Champions, he finished third three times leading up to this past summer. But in June in Des Moines, Iowa, Jobe scored a breakthrough victory, prevailing in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic. Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99 before moving to Texas, also had a very strong record in senior majors in 2017, finishing second in the Senior Players, third in the U.S. Senior Open and eighth in the Senior PGA. He also matched the tournament record with a round of 62 at the U.S. Senior Open.

6. Workman’s Stellar Summer: Glenn Workman had a summer to remember in state and regional tournaments in 2017. The Pueblo West resident became the first player in history to win the CGA Amateur and Wyoming State Amateur in the same year. The University of Wyoming golfer also scored low-amateur honors at the Rocky Mountain Open and the Wyoming State Open.

7. Timely 59 for Sam Saunders: Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders picked a good time for his career round. Saunders, grandson of the late Arnold Palmer, opened the Web.com Tour Championship with a 12-under-par 59 in Atlantic Beach, Fla., where he moved from Fort Collins last year. It was just the seventh round under 60 in the history of the Web.com circuit. More importantly, it led to a second-place finish in the Web Tour Championship, which secured Saunders’ fully-exempt PGA Tour card for 2017-18 after he had lost that status late in the summer.

8. Seniors Rule the Day: The Colorado PGA Professional Championship is the top tournament of the year for the Section. But this year’s event, held at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, turned into a showcase for the 50-and-over set as 50-year-old John Ogden (left) prevailed in a playoff over 64-year-old Rick Cole, who was ever so close to becoming the oldest winner of this event — by far. As it was, Ogden earned the $8,000 first prize, then promptly donated half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation.

9. Age No Problem for Schalk: Hailey Schalk of Erie was only 15 years old during the 2017 golf season, but that didn’t keep her from becoming the girls Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Player of the Year. In 2017, Schalk became the first Coloradan to win a title at the prestigious AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. And in May, she became the first freshman since 2002 to win a girls state high school individual championship in Colorado. In addition, she captured the titles at both of the JGAC majors in which she competed. She also placed 14th individually while competing for Colorado at the Girls Junior America’s Cup. Schalk and Davis Bryant were recently named “Future Famers” by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

10. Longmont’s Nygren Inaugural Putting Champ: Longmont’s Cole Nygren, a pro for just a couple of months, earned a nice paycheck ($15,000) and plenty of publicity with his Halloween victory in the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas. The most eye-catching part of the win was the fact that it came against a field that featured PGA Tour veterans Brad Faxon, John Cook, Tommy Armour III and Colt Knost. Nygren, who place fourth in the CGA Amateur in August to conclude his amateur career, beat Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, 3 and 2 in the match-play finale.

–– Honorable Mention: Colorado Springs resident Kaden Ford became just the fourth Coloradan in five years to qualify for the national finals of the Drive Chip & Putt Championship, hosted by Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia on the eve of the Masters. Ford will be among 80 contestants on April 1. … Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton captured her fifth CWGA Senior Stroke Play title, with this being her third winning margin of at least 10 shots. She completed a sweep of the major CWGA senior titles (Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play) for the third time. … 2016 CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Kyler Dunkle scored his first individual college victory — and did it in his home state — as the University of Utah junior prevailed in the University of Colorado’s Mark Simpson Invitational in Erie in late September. Dunkle closed with a 64 at Colorado National. … Another former CGA Player of the Year, David Oraee, claimed the title in the Wyoming State Open, posting his first professional victory. … Colorado State University’s men’s golf team won its own Ram Masters Invitational team championship for the fourth consecutive year. … Former CU golfer Sebastian Heisele has posted two top-five finishes — a third and a fourth — in his rookie year on the European Tour. … The Colorado PGA defeated the CGA/CWGA amateurs — a team playing without college-age golfers for the first time — in the final Colorado Cup Matches that will be held until 2019. … The University of Denver women’s golf team won two team titles in a span of just 11 days. … The Mile High Showdown World Long Drive event at Park Hill produced drives of 485 yards for the men and 406 yards for the women. … CU teammates Esther Lee and Brittany Fan shared stroke-play medalist honors in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball before falling in the round of 16 of match play.

It was certainly a nice consolation prize.

Cole Nygren of Longmont, who turned pro after finishing fourth in the CGA Amateur at Sonnenalp Golf Club in August, was in Las Vegas this week trying to Monday qualify for the PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He fell a shot short of earning a spot in the field as two other Coloradans — Tom Whitney of Fort Collins and Jim Knous of Englewood — were among the four players who qualified.

But the next day, Nygren’s stop in Las Vegas paid off as he improbably won the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting while competing against a field that featured PGA Tour veterans Brad Faxon, John Cook, Tommy Armour III and Colt Knost.

Tuesday night’s victory in the two-day event was worth $15,000 for Nygren. Not bad considering the entry fee was $1,000 and that Nygren was unaware of the event until Monday.

“It’s pretty fun to come out and putt against guys like Colt Knost and Brad Faxon,” Nygren (left) said on GolfDigest.com. “When you’re playing against guys of that caliber, there’s not too much pressure because you’re not expecting to win.”

Nygren, a former Cal Poly golfer, defeated Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, in the MSOP match-play final, 3 and 2. Knost, who will compete in the Shriners Hospitals event starting on Thursday, had beaten Faxon in the semifinals of the 16-player match-play portion of the event. The tournament was held on synthetic grass at a 20,000-square-foot “putting stadium” where the course was designed by Jack Nicklaus’ company.

Nygren drained his first putt of the scheduled 18-hole final and led throughout, one-putting three times on the back nine. (Nygren and Colt are pictured below in a golfdigest.com photo.)

The $15,000 payoff was welcome for Nygren, who went to the Web.com Tour Q-school this year but failed to advance beyond the first stage.

“It’s just incredible,” the 22-year-old told Golf.com. “I had no expectation to win with so many PGA Tour guys and veterans in the field. I’m taking this money and I’m going to use it to enter a bunch of tournaments.”

The All Pro Championship was one of 10 separate contests — held over the course of 10 days — at the Major Series of Putting.

The winner of another event — the one with the top payout — also has Colorado connections. Taylor Montgomery — son of 1987 Colorado state high school champion Monte Montgomery, who grew up in Grand Junction — captured a $75,000 first prize on Sunday in the MSOP Stroke Play Championship that had a buy-in of $5,000. Taylor Montgomery played his college golf at nearby UNLV and Monte is now the general manager at famed Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.

“I’ve grown up playing in a lot of pressure situations with my dad being at Shadow Creek,” 22-year-old Taylor Montgomery said on GolfDigest.com. “I’ve been putting for money for a while, and I’ve seen some crazy stuff out there, so it’s kind of normal to me.”

For both Montgomery and Nygren, it was the biggest paydays of their young pro careers.
 

Jimmy Makloski (pictured) of Pueblo, Riley Arp of Fort Collins and A.J. Morris of Aspen are in the top 20 heading into Friday’s final round of three different First Stage tournaments.

Arp backed up his second-round 64 with a 4-under-par 66 on Thursday in St. George, Utah, where the top 24 finishers and ties advance. Arp stands in ninth place at 8-under-par 202. He’s made 13 birdies over the last two rounds.

Morris carded a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla, where the top 22 and ties will move on. Morris’ 4-under 212 total leaves him in 10th place.

And Makloski jumped up the scoreboard in Dayton, Nev., thanks to a 5-under-par 67 on Thursday that included six birdies. The former Ram shares 16th place at 4-under 212, with the top 22 finishers and ties advancing.

Four players with strong Colorado connections punched their tickets to the Second Stage last week: Wyndham Clark, former University of Colorado golfers Derek Tolan and Justin Bardgett, and Parker Edens of Greeley.

The Second Stage of Web Q-school will be held at five sites between Oct. 31-Nov. 7, and the Final Stage Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.

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

Dayton, Nev. Oct. 10-13 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
16. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 72-73-67–212

St. George, Utah Oct. 10-13 (Top 24 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
9. Riley Arp, Fort Collins 72-64-66–202
71. Nathaniel Goddard, Fort Collins 73-74-73–220

The Woodlands, Texas Oct. 10-13 (Top 24 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
42. Former Coloradan Alex Gutesha 75-74-71–220
51. Jacob Lestishen, Lone Tree 75-76-71–222

West Palm Beach, Fla. Oct. 10-13 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
10. A.J. Morris, Aspen 71-71-70–212

Pine Mountain, Ga. Oct. 12-14 (Top 22 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
39. James Love, Denver 71
54. Cole Nygren, Longmont 73
 

Ethan Freeman of Denver, Cole Nygren of Longmont and Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo all punched their tickets to the “First Stage” of qualifying with their performances in 54-hole Pre-Qualifying tournaments.

Freeman (pictured) and Nygren tied for 20th place at 1-under-par 215 in Woodland, Calif., where the top 37 finishers and ties advance to the First Stage. Freeman, a two-time state high school champion who played his college golf at the University of Colorado, made four birdies in a round of 71 on Friday. Nygren, a former Cal Poly golfer, carded a 70 after a three-birdie day.

Makloski had a close call in advancing, though he came into the final day in 11th place. The former Colorado State University golfer struggled to an 8-over-par 80 in Friday’s final round in St. Augustine, Fla., and tied for 36th place at a site where the top 37 and ties earn berths into First Stage. Makloski made two birdies, five bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey on Friday and posted a 7-over 223 total.

Last week, four other Coloradans advanced through Pre-Qualifying to the First Stage: Jacob Lestishen of Lone Tree, Steven Kupcho of Westminster, Luke Condon of Monte Vista and Curtis Garver of Dolores.

The First Stage of Web Q-school will take place at 12 sites between Sept. 26-Oct. 13, the Second Stage at five sites between Oct. 31-Nov. 7, and the Final Stage Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.

Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who competed this week (all tournaments are 54 holes):

Woodland, Calif. (Top 37 finishers and ties will advance to First Stage)
EARN BERTHS INTO FIRST STAGE
20. Ethan Freeman, Denver 71-73-71–215
20. Cole Nygren, Longmont 71-74-70–215

St. Augustine, Fla. (Top 37 finishers and ties will advance to First Stage)
EARNS BERTH INTO FIRST STAGE
36. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 71-72–143
 

The 2016 CoBank Colorado Open low amateur shot 72 Thursday in St. Augustine, Fla., where the top 37 finishers and ties after three rounds will punch their tickets to the “First Stage” of the qualifying process. Maklowski stands at 1-under-par 143 and in a tie for 11th place with one round remaining.

Meanwhile, at another Pre-Qualifying tournament in Woodland, Calif., two Coloradans remained on pace to advance to the First Stage, but they have less room to spare going into day 3.

Former University of Colorado golfer Ethan Freeman shares 23rd place at even-par 144 after carding a 1-over 73 on Thursday. And Cole Nygren of Longmont is another stroke back — in 31st place — after a second-round 74 in which he played his last four holes in 3 under. If the tournament would have ended on Thursday, 145 and better would advance.

Last week, four Coloradans advanced through Pre-Qualifying to the First Stage: Jacob Lestishen of Lone Tree, Steven Kupcho of Westminster, Luke Condon of Monte Vista and Curtis Garver of Dolores.

The First Stage of Web Q-school will take place at 12 sites between Sept. 26-Oct. 13, the Second Stage at five sites between Oct. 31-Nov. 7, and the Final Stage Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.

Here at the scores for all the players competing this week with strong Colorado connections (all tournaments are 54 holes):

Woodland, Calif. (Top 37 finishers and ties will advance to First Stage)
23. Ethan Freeman, Denver 71-73–144
31. Cole Nygren, Longmont 71-74–145

St. Augustine, Fla. (Top 37 finishers and ties will advance to First Stage)
11. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 71-72–143
 

Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo, a former Colorado State University golfer, made two birdies and one bogey and shares 12th place in a Pre-Qualifier in St. Augustine, Fla. He trails leader Franck Medale of Jacksonville, Fla., by three strokes. The top 37 finishers and ties will advance from the site to the “First Stage” of the qualifying process.

Meanwhile, in Woodland, Calif. — another site where 37 and ties move on after 54 holes — Ethan Freeman of Denver and Cole Nygren of Longmont also posted 71s and share 20th place. Freeman, a two-time state high school champion who played at the University of Colorado, racked up four birdies. Nygren, who placed fourth at the CGA Amateur last month, had six. Eddie Olson of Aptos, Calif, opened with a 63 to take the lead in the tournament, which concludes on Friday.

Last week, four Coloradans advanced through Pre-Qualifying to the First Stage: Jacob Lestishen of Lone Tree, Steven Kupcho of Westminster, Luke Condon of Monte Vista and Curtis Garver of Dolores.

The First Stage will take place at 12 sites between Sept. 26-Oct. 13, the Second Stage at five sites between Oct. 31-Nov. 7, and the Final Stage Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.

Here at the scores for all the players competing this week with strong Colorado connections (all tournaments are 54 holes):

Woodland, Calif. (Top 37 finishers and ties will advance to First Stage)
20. Ethan Freeman, Denver 71
20. Cole Nygren, Longmont 71

St. Augustine, Fla. (Top 37 finishers and ties will advance to First Stage)
12. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 71