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.
 

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.
 

Silvers (pictured in a USGA photo), who played in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, shot a second consecutive 1-under-par 71 on Friday, leaving her at 2-under 142 and in a tie for 15th place with two rounds remaining. The top 80 finishers and ties after 72 holes 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.

Also in the top 80 after Friday are former University of Colorado golfers Kristin Coleman and Esther Lee.

Coleman, who played on the Symetra Tour this year, posted a 3-over-par 75 on Friday. She stands at 3-over 147 and in a tie for 63rd place.

Lee, a rookie pro who last year set an NCAA women’s record relative to par with a round of 11-under-par 61, made four birdies in a round of even-par 72 on Friday. That puts her at 148 and in a share of 80th place.

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

15. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 71-71–142
63. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 72-75–147
80. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76-72–148
170. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 77-80–157

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Silvers (pictured in a Symetra Tour photo) made two birdies and one bogey, shot a 1-under-par 71 and shares 23rd place out of a field of 190. The top 80 finishers and ties after 72 holes will advance to the third and final stage of Q-school, Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla., where LPGA Tour cards will be awarded. Last year, the top 45 finishers and ties at the Q-school finals earned at least conditional status on the LPGA circuit.

Meanwhile, Coleman, whose twin sister Jennifer played part-time on the LPGA Tour in 2017, opened with a 72, which left her tied for 40th place. Coleman made five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey on Thursday.

Alazne Urizar Zapata shot a 6-under-par 66 to grab the round 1 lead.

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

23. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 71
40. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 72
120. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 76
139. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 77

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

For 2017, that time has arrived, including for some Coloradans aspiring to the big time.

The first of three stages of LPGA Tour qualifying will be held this week. And next week, qualifying for the Web.com Tour — the top level available in the U.S. directly through the Q-school process for males — will begin.

Qualifying for the European Tour begins next month and culminates in mid-November, while the PGA Tour Champions National Qualifying Tournament Finals are set for Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

But for now, let’s take a quick look at what awaits players with strong Colorado ties at the early stages of LPGA and Web.com Q-school.

— Stage I of LPGA qualifying runs Thursday through Sunday (Aug. 24-27) in Rancho Mirage, Calif. A record-sized field of 362 golfers is expected to participate, and the top 90 finishers and ties will advance to Stage II, set for Oct. 19-22 in Venice, Fla. From there, the top performers will earn spots into Stage III, Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla., where 20 players will land full LPGA Tour status for 2018.

Among the “locals” in the field for Stage I are Emily Gilbreth of Denver, winner of the CWGA Match Play this summer; University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan, a senior who will continue to play for the Buffs this fall; former Buffs Esther Lee, Jamie Oleksiew and Natalie Vivaldi; Samantha Stancato and Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs; and former University of Denver player Mariell Bruun. Among those exempt into Stage II in October are former CU golfers Kristin Coleman and Emily Childs, along with former University of Northern Colorado player Carleigh Silvers.

— Web.com Tour Q-school includes four stages — although that can be a bit confusing as they’re called Pre-Qualifying, and First, Second and Third Stage.

Pre-Qualifying, a 54-hole tournament, is set for six sites, running either Aug. 30-Sept. 1 or Sept. 6-8. Roughly the top half of the fields are expected to advance to the First Stage, though the fields for later this month haven’t yet been announced.

The rest of the Web Q-school process goes like this:

First Stage (12 sites) — Between Sept. 26-Oct. 13.

Second Stage (5 sites) — Between Oct. 31-Nov. 7.

Final Stage — Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.
 

Kofstad (pictured), a Norwegian who competes regularly on the European Challenge Tour, shot back-to-back rounds of 2-under-par 69 on the weekend in Rio de Janeiro, making five birdies in Sunday’s final round.

Kofstad’s 2-over-par 286 total left him 18 strokes behind gold medalist Justin Rose of Great Britain. Henrik Stenson of Sweden (270) took the silver and American Matt Kuchar (271) the bronze.

DU alum Gil Hanse, who with Amy Alcott designed the Olympic course, was one of the torch-bearers in the days leading up to the Games’ opening  ceremonies. Hanse carried the torch about 250 yards on Aug. 4 as part of the torch relay. He will keep the torch he carried as a souvenir.

For complete Olympic scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Denver’s Huffer notches top-5 in Symetra event: Becca Huffer of Denver posted her second-best finish ever on the Symetra Tour on Sunday, placing fourth in the Decatur-Forsyth Classic in Decatur, Ill.

The former CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion shot rounds of 68-71-70 for a 7-under-par 209 total. She ended up three strokes behind champion Clariss Guce.

Three former University of Colorado teammates also finished in the top 20 on Sunday, with Jenny Coleman (211) being 11th, and her sister Kristin Coleman and Jessica Wallace tying for 16th at 212.

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

(Updated Aug. 15) U.S. Senior Open wraps up Monday: Meanwhile, Sunday’s scheduled final round of the U.S. Senior Open was postponed by more than 2 inches of rain that fell in Columbus, Ohio. The final 18 holes were played on Monday, with Gene Sauers winning with a 3-under-par 277 total.

Here are the final scores and positions for the competitors with strong Colorado ties:

48. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe 71-70-79-72–292
60. Colorado resident Gary Hallberg 71-75-76-78–300

Missed 36-Hole Cut
Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo 74-74–148
Colorado Sports Hall of Famer and former CU Golfer Hale Irwin 76-77–153
Ron Vlosich of Lakewood 77-77–154
Mark Wiebe of Aurora 74-WD

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

The first stage of LPGA (and Symetra) Tour Q-school begins Thursday and continues through Sunday (Aug. 6-9) as the process of determining the most worthy golfers gets underway.

Qualifying for the LPGA is the first on the docket for the world’s major tours. With there no longer being a direct route to the PGA Tour through Q-school, the Web.com Tour is now the immediate goal of men’s Q-school participants in the U.S.

The four-stage Web.com qualifying process begins on Sept. 2. There are six “pre-qualifying” tournaments in September, 11 first-stage events in October, five second-stage tourneys in November, and the qualifying finals set for Dec. 10-15 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Making it to that final stage guarantees some Web.com Tour status for 2016, but considerable priority is given to players who finish in the top 45.

The Champions Tour holds regional qualifying in November and the finals Dec. 1-4 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The European Tour conducts three stages of qualifying, beginning Sept. 15 and concluding with the finals Nov. 14-19 in Girona, Span.

While the competitors with strong Colorado ties who are entered in Web.com, Champions and European qualifying won’t be finalized until later dates, many of the locals who will be competing in LPGA/Symetra Tour Q-school are coming into focus.

The first of three stages of LPGA qualifying will be held in Rancho Mirago, Calif., this week. A total of 288 players are entered for stage 1, and the top 60 and ties will advance to stage 2.

Among the players with major Colorado connections in the field in Rancho Mirage are former University of Denver golfer and former Pueblo resident Kimberly Kim, who won the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 14; two-time CWGA Player of the Year Somin Lee, of Denver; former state high school champion Lindsay McGetrick; Colorado Springs resident Paige Crawford; and former University of Colorado golfer Kristin Coleman.

Kim (pictured) is trying to revive a career which also included playing on the LPGA Tour in 2011, and being runner-up in three USGA championships: the 2006 and 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

The second stage of LPGA qualifying will take place Oct. 22-25 in Venice, Fla. Assuming they don’t earn 2016 LPGA cards by finishing in the top 10 on the 2015 Symetra Tour money list, here are the players with strong Colorado ties currently exempt into stage 2: former CU golfers Jenny Coleman (who competed in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Emily Childs; former CWGA Player of the Year Becca Huffer; former DU golfer Katie Kempter, who held an LPGA Tour card in 2010 and who won a Symetra Tour event this year; and Carleigh Silvers of Greeley.

The top 80 finishers and ties from stage 2 will advance to the Q-school finals, set for Dec. 2-6 in Daytota Beach, Fla. The number of LPGA Tour cards awarded there hasn’t been finalized, but last year 45 players earned some LPGA status.

In 2014, five local players made it to the LPGA Q-school finals — former CU golfer Emily Talley, former DU golfer Sue Kim, Huffer, Childs and Silvers — with Talley just missing earning her LPGA card by finishing 58th.