It’s gut-check time for players on the bubble on many of the world’s top golf tours.

That comes with the territory this time of year as tours wind down their season schedules. And plenty of those doing some figurative nail-biting are golfers with strong Colorado connections.

Some of those players are looking to get “promotions” to higher-profile tours next season. Others are mainly aiming to keep similar tour cards for next year, given their current situation.

We’ll take a look at some of the local players on the bubble, but first we’ll mention one who is virtually guaranteed to earn a promotion. That would be Wyndham Clark, a Denver native and former Highlands Ranch resident, who, barring some wild happenings in the final two tournaments of the Web.com Tour season should secure a PGA Tour card for the 2018-19 wraparound season.

“It’s pretty awesome, a dream come true,” the current Las Vegas resident recently told the Portland Tribune. “I’ve always wanted to be on the PGA Tour. It is amazing it has only taken one year (playing as a pro) to do it. It’s surreal.” 

Clark (pictured), the 2010 CGA Amateur champion, hasn’t played his best golf in the last month, but his strong play in the first six months of the season has put him in 13th place on the 2018 regular-season Web money list with $187,817. The top 25 at the end of the regular season — on Aug. 19 — will earn PGA Tour cards.

Clark, the 2017 Pac-12 Conference individual champion, has posted four top-five finishes this Web.com season, with a best showing of second place at the United Leasing & Finance Championship in April. He’s a Web.com rookie in 2018.

Clark is no stranger to PGA Tour events, having competed in eight of them since June 2017, many via sponsor exemptions. His best PGA Tour finish was 17th place at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October 2017. All told, he’s made two cuts in those eight PGA Tour starts.

Speaking of the PGA Tour, the top 125 finishers in the FedExCup point standings after the PGA Championship (Thursday through Sunday) and the Wyndham Championship (Aug. 16-19) will keep their fully-exempt status for next season. And two “local” players who are not in the PGA Championship field are currently sitting in the 110-125 range.

Former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird is 113th in the standings and former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders is 120th. Should either fall out of the top 125 — and if they didn’t place highly enough in the Web.com Tour Finals — they would still have conditional status on the PGA Tour, but that would mean far fewer starts next season.

Back on the Web.com Tour, the top 75 threshold on the regular-season money list is an important one as those who make that grade guarantee themselves at least full Web exemptions in 2019, along with spots in the Web.com Finals, where another 25 PGA Tour cards will be up for grabs.

With two Web events left, former Denver resident Mark Hubbard is 63rd on the season-long money list, while Englewood resident Jim Knous is 69th.

On the Symetra Tour, the top 10 players on the money list after the final eight events of the 2018 season will land LPGA Tour cards for 2019.

Three golfers with strong local ties have outside shots at making the top 10.

Former University of Colorado golfer Jenny Coleman (left), who held an LPGA card in 2017, sits in 23rd place on the Symetra money list. Becca Huffer of Denver is 28th, and former CU golfer Esther Lee is 33rd.

Meanwhile, the top five finishers on the PGA Tour Canada money list will earn Web.com Tour cards for 2019. And with four tournaments left in the season, former Louisville resident George Cunningham sits in third place with $66,167.

Cunningham — grandson of the late Chuck Melvin, who played in six Colorado Cup matches — won the GolfBC Championship in June and finished 29th in the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open last month.

For weekly updates on all tour players with strong Colorado ties, CLICK HERE.

Stadler (left), winner of the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour and four events on the Web.com Tour, hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour since 2015 due to a stress fracture in his left hand. He played in the Digital Ally Open on the Web.com Tour last summer, but withdrew after one completed round.

“It’s a long, stupid story, but in the long run I ended up getting cut (having surgery) last August,” Stadler said. “I still wasn’t sure that was going to fix anything, but it took six, eight months. I was kind of able to swing January, February of this year. It really rapidly got better the last few months. I’ve been pretty much been pain-free for the last couple months.”

At the Rust-Oleum, Stadler went 71-69-71-68 for a 9-under-par 279 total, which left the 38-year-old eight strokes behind champion Chase Wright. The Kent Denver graduate made an eagle, five birdies and three bogeys in the final round. Another Colorado product, Wyndham Clark, also tied for 22nd place (73-68-67-71).

Stadler is on a major medical extension from the PGA Tour, and when he returns to that circuit, he’ll have 26 events left on that extension, needing to earn $717,890 in those events to keep his exempt status on the PGA Tour.

Stadler won the Colorado Open in 2002 and the CGA Match Play in 1999 and ’02.

CoBank Colorado Senior Open Champ Notches Top-10 on PGA Tour Champions: John Riegger parlayed his victory earlier this month in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open into a ninth-place finish on PGA Tour Champions, in the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa.

Riegger, who won a PGA Tour Champions event in 2013, now owns eight top-10 showings on that circuit, but managed his first since 2016.
In Des Moines, he shot rounds of 69-67 for an 8-under-par 136 in the weather-shortened event. Tom Lehman won with a 131 total after weather washed out Sunday’s action.

Another Top-10 on Symetra Tour for Ex-Buff Lee: Former University of Colorado golfer Esther Lee finished a professional-best seventh on Sunday and notched her third top-10 since May 1 on the Symetra Tour.

Lee carded rounds of 70-69-69 and posted an 8-under-par 208 total in the Four Winds Invitational, which put her three strokes behind winner Maia Schechter in South Bend, Ind.

Since the beginning of May, Lee has finished 10th, eighth and seventh on the Symetra Tour, in addition to missing two cuts.

The Valor Christian graduate (pictured) posted rounds of 68-64-76-67 for a 13-under-par 275 total, which left him five strokes behind champion Cameron Davis of Australia. Clark played his final six holes of the tourament in 4 under par.

Clark, winner of the 2017 Pac-12 Conference title in Boulder while at the Univeristy of Oregon, has now notched four top-11 showings on the Web.com Tour in 2018, including a second place, a third and a fourth.

The former Coloradan stands ninth on the 2018 Web.com Tour money list with $145,191.

Former Buffs Coleman, Lee Notch Top-10s on Symetra Tour: Two former University of Colorado golfers posted top-10 finishes Satuday in the Symetra Tour’s Valley Forge Invitational in Pottsdown, Pa.

Jenny Coleman, who played last year on the LPGA Tour, tied for fourth place — a season best — while Esther Lee shared eighth place, her career best on the Symetra circuit.

Coleman recorded rounds of 67-66-69 for an 11-under-par 202 total, which left her five strokes behind winner Louise Ridderstrom. It was Coleman’s second top-6 performance this month as she finished sixth at the IOA Invitational.

Lee, a Symetra rookie, went 71-67-65 for a 203 total and made eight birdies in the final round. It was her second top-10 in May.
 

Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99 before moving to Texas, finished a season-best fifth on Sunday in the PGA Tour Champions’ Insperity Invitational in The Woodlands, Texas. In his last two tour stars, Jobe has placed ninth (with Scott McCarron) in the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf team event and fifth at the Insperity.

Jobe (pictured) made six birdies in his Sunday round of 4-under-par 68, which left him with a 9-under 207 total. He endd up two strokes behind champion Bernhard Langer, who notched the 37th PGA Tour Champions victory of his career.

Jobe finished third in last year’s U.S. Senior Open, shooting a third-round 62 in the process. This year’s Senior Open is set for The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs June 28-July 1.

Saunders Emerges from Drought with Top 10 on PGA Tour: Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders had missed the cut in four of his previous six PGA Tour starts and hadn’t cracked the top 40 in an event since mid-February, but that didn’t stop him from a top-10 finish on Sunday in the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C.

Despite playing his last five holes in 2 over par on Sunday, Saunders tied for ninth place in the event, ending up seven strokes behind winner Jason Day.

Saunders posted rounds of 70-69-68-72 for a 5-under-par 279 total.

It’s the second top-10 of the PGA Tour season for Saunders, who finished eighth at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January.

Ex-Buffs Coleman, Lee, Childs earn top-10s on Symetra Tour: Three former University of Colorado golfers recorded top-10 finishes Sunday in the Symetra Tour’s IOA Invitational in Milton, Ga.

Former LPGA Tour player Jenny Coleman rebounded from a first-round 78 to post back-to-back 69s and share sixth place. Esther Lee, who played her final three seasons at CU after transferring from Duke, and Emily Childs, who played as a freshman at CU before going to Cal, tied for 10th place.

Coleman’s even-par 216 total left her four strokes behind champion Elizabeth Szokol. In notching her best Symetra Tour showing since placing third in February 2016, Coleman made a total of nine birdies in the final two rounds.

Lee, who earned her first Symetra top-10, went 74-71-72 to check in at 217 along with Childs, who carded rounds of 75-70-72. Childs had four top-10s last year on the Symetra circuit.

The former University of Colorado player bogeyed the 90th and final hole of Q-school on Sunday, costing her conditional status on the LPGA Tour in 2018.

Had Coleman made a par or better on her 18th hole Sunday at LPGA International’s Hills Course in Daytona Beach, Fla., she would have tied for 45th place, which would have been good for similar conditional status as she had in 2017. This year, Coleman played in 10 LPGA Tour events, making one cut.

Coleman (pictured) had birdied her 17th hole — No. 8 on the Hills Course — to put her in position to regain LPGA Tour status. But the final bogey will likely leave her playing full time on the Symetra Tour in 2018.

Coleman, who was tied for 34th place going into Sunday, shoot a 2-over-par 74 in the final round, leaving her at 3-over 363 overall. The top 20 finishers out of the original field of 165 earned fully-exempt status on the LPGA Tour, while the 21st through 45th players and ties (with a maximum score of 362) landed conditional status.

Coleman, , who played for the Buffs from 2010-14, finished with one birdie and three bogeys on Sunday. Last year, she tied for 29th place at Q-school.

Nasa Hataoka of Japan retained the lead on Sunday and earned medalist honors at 12-under-par 348.

Three recent winners of the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open earned status on the LPGA Tour on Sunday. Lauren Coughlin (2016 winner) will be fully exempt after placing seventh, while Kendall Dye (2014) and Allison Emrey (2015) will be conditional members after finishing 23rd and 45th, respectively.

Here are the scores for the local players who competed in the final stage of Q-school:

Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
50. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 73-74-69-73-74–363
Missed 72-Hole Cut
103. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76-75-70-76–297
144. Former CU golfer Emily Childs 73-73-79-78–303
150. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 78-80-76-71–305

For complete results from Q-school, CLICK HERE.

In Sunday’s last round of the final stage of LPGA Q-school, Coleman could finish in the top 20 and earn fully-exempt status on the 2018 LPGA Tour. She could regain similar conditional status as she had in 2017 by placing between 21st and 45th and ties. Or she could finish higher than 45th and not have any LPGA Tour status in 2018.

The former Buff (pictured in an LPGA photo) lost a little bit of ground in Saturday’s fourth round, but still sits in 15-way tie for 34th place in Daytona Beach, Fla. She’s two strokes out of the top 20, but just one shot better than players currently outside the top 45.

On Saturday, Coleman fired a 1-over-par 73, leaving her at 1-over 289 overall. She made one birdie and two bogeys in round 4.

Nasa Hataoka of Japan remains in the lead at 11-under-par 277.

Coleman competed in 10 LPGA Tour events in 2017, making one cut.

The field was cut from 165 to the low 70 players and ties after Saturday’s fourth round, and the three other golfers with strong Colorado ties won’t be around for Sunday. Former CU golfers Esther Lee and Emily Childs finished at 297 and 303, respectively. Former University of Northern Colorado player Carleigh Silvers checked in at 305.

Here are the scores for the local players competing:

Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
34. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 73-74-69-73–289
Missed 72-Hole Cut
103. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76-75-70-76–297
144. Former CU golfer Emily Childs 73-73-79-78–303
150. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 78-80-76-71–305

For complete results from Q-school, CLICK HERE.

Coleman, who made one cut in 10 LPGA Tour events in 2017 after having conditional status on the circuit, shares 26th place at even-par 216 through three rounds at LPGA International.

The top 20 finishers after Sunday’s fifth round will earn fully-exempt status on the LPGA Tour in 2018. The remaining players who finish in the top 45 and ties will have conditional status next year.

Coleman (pictured in a Symetra Tour photo) sits two strokes out of 20th place and is eight behind leader Nasa Hataoka of Japan. The former Buff made five birdies and two bogeys in Friday’s third round.

Another former CU golfer, Esther Lee, likewise posted a sub-par round as a 2-under 70 left her at 5-over 221 and in 73rd place.

A cut to the low 70 players and ties will take place after Saturday’s fourth rounds.

Here are the scores for the local players competing:

Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
26. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 73-74-69–216
73. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76-75-70–221
113. Former CU golfer Emily Childs 73-73-79–225
157. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 78-80-76–234

For complete results from Q-school, CLICK HERE.
 

Emily Childs, who spent one season at CU before transferring to Cal, shares 43rd place in the 165-person field, while Jenny Coleman is tied for 57th place.

The top 20 finishers after Sunday’s fifth round will earn fully-exempt status on the LPGA Tour in 2018. The remaining players who finish in the top 45 and ties will have conditional status next year.

Childs shot her second straight 1-over-par 73 and sits at 2-over-par 146, eight strokes behind leader Marissa Steen. Childs posted two birdies and three bogeys on Thursday.

Coleman, who played in 10 LPGA Tour events in 2017 after having conditional status on the circuit, checks in at 147 after a second-round 74. She made three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in round 2.

Another former Buff, Esther Lee, is another four strokes back, at 151, after shooting a second-round 75.

A cut to the low 70 players and ties will take place after four rounds.

Here are the scores for the local players competing:

Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
43. Former CU golfer Emily Childs 73-73–146
57. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 73-74–147
110. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76-75–151
160. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 78-80–158

For complete results from Q-school, CLICK HERE.

In August in the first stage of LPGA qualifying, Lee rebounded from a first-round 75 to advance to stage II. Then at the second stage this week in Venice, Fla., the former Buff once again started slowly — this time with a 76 — but came back strong the final three days to punch her ticket to the final stage of Q-school.

Lee (pictured) joined former University of Northern Colorado golfer Carleigh Silvers in advancing Sunday to Stage III, set for Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla., where LPGA Tour cards will be awarded (20 fully exempt and 25 more conditional).

All told, the top 80 finishes and ties on Sunday — out of an original field of 190 — earned spots into the final stage. Falling just shy of the mark was former CU golfer Kristin Coleman, who placed 83rd at 296 after a final-round 76.

Silvers, a regular on the Symetra Tour in recent years, finished 33rd on Sunday in Venice, Her 3-over-par 75 on Sunday left her at 289, 13 strokes behind medalist Georgia Hall.

Lee made four birdies in an 1-over-par round of 73 on Sunday. After he opening-round 76 on Thursday, she went even-par the rest of the way (72-71-73) to post a 292 total, good for 55th place.

Here are the scores for all the players with major Colorado ties who competed this week in Venice:

Advance to Final Stage
33. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 71-71-72-75–289
55. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76-72-71-73–292
Failed to Advance
83. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 72-75-73-76–296
166. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 77-80-76-76–309

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Former University of Northern Colorado golfer Carleigh Silvers stayed in the top 20 on Saturday in Venice, Fla, sharing 17th place. And former University of Colorado golfers Esther Lee (46th) and Kristin Coleman (55th) are also in the top 60 following the third round of the 72-hole tournament.

The top 80 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to the third and final stage of Q-school, set for Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla., where LPGA Tour cards will be awarded (20 fully exempt and 25 more conditional).

Silvers shot an even-par 72 on Saturday, leaving her at 2-under 214 and seven strokes back of leader Csicsi Rozsa. Silvers made two birdies and two bogeys on the day.

Lee has bounced back from a first-round 76 with scores of 72 and 71, with Saturday’s two-birdie, one-bogey round putting her at 3-over 219. Fellow former Buff Coleman posted a 73 on Friday, leaving her at 220.

Here are the scores for all the players with major Colorado ties who are competing this week in Venice:

17. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 71-71-72–214
46. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76-72-71–219
55. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 72-75-73–220
166. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 77-80-76–233

For complete results, CLICK HERE.