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.
Let’s take a break.
Very few NCAA sports have full-blown split seasons, with official competitions in each. But men’s and women’s golf fit into that category.
And, as of last week, all the NCAA Division I golf programs in Colorado have reached intermission, with Act II not officially beginning until February.
That makes this a good time to look at some of the local highlights for the just-completed fall portion of the schedule. And an eventful fall it was. To wit:
— Although we’ll primarily focus here on the nine Division I teams in Colorado, one of the most notable accomplishments came at NCAA Division II Colorado State University-Pueblo. There, Leina Kim (pictured above) leads the nation’s Division II ranks in scoring average, at 71.2.
Winning large-scale college golf tournaments is no easy matter, but Kim won four individual titles in five events in the fall, finishing third the one time she didn’t post a victory. The junior from the west Pacific island of Saipan was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Week four times in five weeks.
“I was only hoping to do my best this season and everything just fell into place,” Kim recently told Guampdn.com. “… I don’t usually have a scoring average in mind but I always try to shoot even or under par. If I struggle, I try to ignore what’s behind me and focus on all the shots that are ahead of me.”
— University of Colorado senior David Oraee (left), winner of the 2014 CGA Stroke Play title, notched the first individual victory of his college career at CU’s Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in late September. In a weather-shortened event at Colorado National Golf Club, Oraee posted the best 36-hole total in CU program history (64-67 for a 13-under-par 131) to win by five strokes.
— Erik Billinger took over the University of Denver men’s team in June, and in his first semester as a head coach, the Pioneers performed both very well and consistently. In tournament fields varying in size from 11 to 17 teams, DU posted two second-place finishes and two thirds in four fall events.
— Two Colorado-based Division I programs recorded team victories in the fall — both at tournaments they hosted. The CU men won the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational and the Colorado State men claimed the title at the Ram Masters Invitational, earning their first team victory in a multi-school event since April 2011.
— Perhaps the most remarkable feat of the fall locally happened at that Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins Country Club. In the second round, three players made holes-in-one — all at the same hole (the 195-yard ninth), and all within less than an hour of one another. Drawing aces were Drew McCullough of Wyoming, Shane Fontenot of McNeese State and Pierre Tillement of George Washington
— DU’s Petter Mikalsen had arguably the best fall of any male Division I player at a Colorado school. In four tournaments, the sophomore from Norway recorded two runner-up individual finishes, along with fifth- and 16th-place showings.
— Former CWGA Junior Match Play champion Lindsay McGetrick has developed into very good player at North Carolina State. In the Wolfpack’s final two tournaments of the fall, McGetrick finished ninth and eighth individually. She’s ranked 73rd among the nation’s female college players by Golfweek.
— Jeremy and Yannik Paul, sophomore twins playing for CU, are both included in the top 250 in the nation’s men’s college ranks by Golfweek, with Jeremy 102nd and Yannik 235th.
— In her freshman year of NCAA Division I college golf, Hannah Wood of Centennial not only played every round for the University of Oklahoma, but she posted two top-20 finishes, including a 16th place in her first college tournament ever. She’s No. 183 in Golfweek’s women’s college rankings.
In addition to all of the above, here are a few tidbits from the fall season for Colorado-based Division I teams:
Top-3 Team Finishes in the Fall — DU men 4; CU men 2; Colorado State men 2; CU women 2; DU women 1.
Top-5 Individual Finishes in the Fall — Petter Mikalsen, DU, 3; David Oraee, CU, 1; Jeremy Paul, CU, 1; Yannik Paul, CU, 1; Cameron Harrell, CSU, 1; Chris Korte, DU, 1; Alexis Keating, CU, 1; Mariell Bruun, DU, 1.
National Team Rankings for Colorado-Based Division I Schools
Men
39. (Golfstat and Golfweek) Colorado
76. (Golfweek) Denver (79th Golfstat)
79. (Golfweek) Colorado State (80th Golfstat)
218. (Golfweek) Air Force Academy (231st Golfstat)
224. (Golfstat) Northern Colorado (237th Golfweek)
Women
35. (Golfstat) Colorado (48th Golfweek)
49. (Golfstat) Denver (50th Golfweek)
95. (Golfstat) Colorado State (97th Golfweek)
183. (Golfstat) Northern Colorado (186th Golfweek)
Top 250 National Individual Rankings for Coloradans and Colorado-Based Players)
Men
51. (Golfstat) Petter Mikalsen, sophomore, DU (106th Golfweek)
102. (Golfweek) Jeremy Paul, sophomore, CU (105th Golfstat)
125. (Golfweek) Wyndham Clark of Lone Tree, sophomore, Oklahoma State
158. (Golfweek) David Oraee, senior, CU (249th Golfstat)
200. (Golfstat) Dominic Kieffer, junior, CSU
222. (Golfstat) Cameron Harrell, senior, CSU
235. (Golfweek) Yannik Paul, sophomore, CU
Women
73. (Golfweek) Former Coloradan Lindsay McGetrick, senior, North Carolina State (81st Golfstat)
99. (Golfweek) Esther Lee, sophomore, CU, (107th Golfstat)
154. (Golfweek) Alexis Keating, junior, CU (162nd Golfstat)
183. (Golfweek) Centennial resident Hannah Wood, freshman, Oklahoma
201 (Golfweek) Jessica Carty, sophomore, DU (239th Golfstat)
212. (Golfweek) Isabel Southard, junior, DU (248th Golfstat)
236. (Golfweek) Elyse Smidinger, junior, DU
240. (Golfweek and Golfstat) Brittany Fan, freshman, CU
Kimberly Kim, who later would play golf for the University of Denver, made history by winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 14 in 2006.
What Morgan Sahm of Centennial accomplished on Monday certainly isn’t in that league, but when a 14-year-old even qualifies for a USGA championship that’s open to all ages, it’s still quite a feat.
Sahm, who won’t be a freshman in high school until the fall, earned one of four available spots in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in qualifying held Monday at Spring Valley Golf Club in Elizabeth.
“It’s definitely awesome,” said Sahm (pictured above), who’s just in her fourth year playing golf. “This means a lot. It kind of does (surprise me), but I work really hard. I just hope I can continue playing this well this year.”
Sahm shot a 5-over-par 77 to share third place out of Monday’s qualifying field, which was reduced to 16 by three withdrawals. She’ll be joined at the national Women’s Publinks by qualifying medalist Kayla Riede of Dixon, Calif. (74), Jennifer Yang of Seattle (76) and former Coloradan Lindsay McGetrick (77).
The U.S. WAPL will be played June 18-23 in Neshanic, N.J. Riede and Yang will be going to the national tournament for the second time, while McGetrick and Sahm will be making their U.S. Women’s Publinks debut.
It should be noted that all of the other three qualifiers are college golfers — Riede (pictured at left with USGA official Bob Austin) goes to the University of Tulsa, Yang to the University of Washington and McGetrick to North Carolina State — while Sahm won’t start high school at Grandview until the fall.
On Monday, McGetrick and Sahm prevailed in a three-person playoff for the final two national berths. It looked like Sahm was going to be the odd player out when she mis-hit her opening drive in sudden death and ended up about 100 yards short of both McGetrick and Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs.
McGetrick advanced with a routine par on the hole, and when Sahm came up short with her approach on the par-4 and later missed an 8-foot par putt, it opened the door for Crawford. But the Montana State golfer couldn’t convert her 3-foot par putt and she and Sahm moved on to the par-3 second hole.
There, both players hit their tee balls into the front bunker, and Crawford’s sand shot ran 15 feet past the pin. Sahm cozied her bunker shot to within a foot, and after Crawford missed, Sahm earned the final national berth with a tap-in par.
“Every time I’m in a playoff, I lose, so I thought, ‘It’s OK, another loss,'” said Sahm, who went 2 under par in her last four holes of regulation to force a playoff. “I honestly thought I was going to lose to Paige.”
McGetrick, whose father Mike is an acclaimed golf instructor, grew up in Highlands Ranch but now lives with her family in South Carolina. However, she continues to make her mark in Colorado. During her time in the state, she won the 2010 CWGA Junior Match Play Championship and the 2011 4A state high school title, and she made it to match play at the 2010 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Monday marked a visit back to Colorado to visit friends, as well as a last week packed full of tournaments — the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open at Green Valley Ranch, the U.S. Women’s Open qualifying at the Broadmoor, and the U.S. WAPL qualifying at Spring Valley.
And while she missed the cut in the Colorado’s Women’s Open and finished in the middle of the pack in the U.S. Women’s Open qualifying, McGetrick isn’t leaving the state without another USGA championship berth.
“It was an exciting way to end things,” she said of Monday’s playoff. “I’m glad I came through and was able to make it. It’s definitely an accomplishment. I’m excited to be able to qualify.”
Riede played the same trio of Colorado tournaments as McGetrick did. In her case, it worked out nicely as a weeklong stopover in the Centennial State on her drive back home to Dixon, Calif., from Tulsa, Okla.
“I’ve been here for a while,” Riede said, noting that she also played an NCAA regional tournament at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie last month.
Yang, meanwhile, is spending the summer in Colorado with her Korean-born parents and her brother, Andy Yang, who plays golf for the University of Denver.
U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Sectional Qualifying
At Par-72 Spring Valley GC in Elizabeth
Qualified for U.S. WAPL
Kayla Riede, Dixon, Calif. 39-35–74
Jennifer Yang, Seattle, Wash. 38-38–76
Lindsay McGetrick, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 37-40–77
Morgan Sahm, Centennial, Colo. 40-37–77
Alternates (in order)
Paige Crawford, Colorado Springs, Colo. 38-39–77
Allie Johnston, Castle Rock, Colo. 41-38–79
Failed to Qualify
Katherine Scott, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 39-40–79
Molly Dorans, Erie, Colo. 41-39–80
Katie Kim, Riverwoods, Ill. 40-40–80
Patricia Lee, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 37-44–81
Maren Scoggins, Denver, Colo. 40-42–82
Hannah Wood, Centennial, Colo. 43-39–82
Bryce Schroeder, Pueblo, Colo. 39-44–83
Jennifer Kempton, Littleton, Colo. 44-40–84
Jodie Streeter, Englewood, Colo. 45-43–88
Jennifer Hocking, Colorado Springs, Colo. 45-45–90
Taylor Buck, Littleton, Colo. WD
Tori Glenn, Castle Rock, Colo. WD
Winning major college invitational tournaments is no small feat, yet a handful of local players pulled it off this fall. Senior Brian Dorfman of Greenwood Village won twice for Georgetown, while fellow Coloradans Becca Huffer (a senior at Notre Dame, pictured) and Beau Schoolcraft (a junior at Colorado) both posted their first college victories. In addition, Coloradan Lindsay McGetrick, a freshman at North Carolina State, won a tournament — though it wasn’t part of the Wolfpack’s varsity schedule — and Air Force Academy sophomore Kyle Westmoreland claimed the title at the Service Academy Golf Classic.
Beyond that, several other Coloradans recorded their best Division I college finishes with top-10 showings, including Michael Schoolcraft for Oklahoma (Beau’s brother placed third in an event), Beth Buchner for New Mexico (third place) and Alex Gutesha for Kansas (eighth place).
Team-wise, the CU men won one tournament and lost a playoff in another, while the CU women and Air Force men also posted team victories.
Here’s a brief rundown on how Colorado-based Division I teams fared in the fall:
Air Force Men
National rankings — 150th (Golfstat), 152nd (Golfweek).
Best team finish — First.
Top-five team finishes — One in five tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — Kyle Westmoreland (first), Robert Belz (second).
Begins Spring season — Feb. 20-21 at Rice Intercollegiate.
Notable — The Falcons won the Service Academy Golf Classic for the 15th consecutive time, defeating Navy and Army. Air Force’s Kyle Westmoreland earned the individual title at the tournament.
Colorado State University Men
National rankings — 61st (Golfstat), 64th (Golfweek).
Best team finishes — Third (twice).
Top-five team finishes — Three in five tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — Zahkai Brown (third), Kirby Pettitt (third).
Top individual national rankings — Zahkai Brown (126th Golfstat, 163rd Golfweek), Kirby Pettitt, (139th Golfstat, 186th Golfweek).
Begins Spring season — Feb. 15-17 at John Burns Intercollegiate is first spring invitational.
Notable — The Rams placed in the top six four times in five fall invitational tournaments.
CSU Women
National rankings — 72nd (Golfstat), 68th (Golfweek).
Best team finishes — Fourth (twice).
Top-five team finishes — Two in five tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — Betsy Kelly (fourth).
Begins Spring season — Feb. 20-21 at UNLV Spring Invitational.
Top individual national rankings — Betsy Kelly (84th Golfstat, 147th Golfweek), Brianna Espinoza (139th Golfstat, 198th Golfweek).
Notable — The Rams had an up-and-down fall, finishing fourth twice, seventh, 10th and 16th. Kelly posted three top-seven individual performances in the fall.
University of Colorado Men
National rankings — 36th (Coaches), 55th (Golfstat), 56th (Golfweek).
Best team finishes — First outright, and tie for first (lost playoff).
Top-five team finishes — Two in four tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — Beau Schoolcraft (first), Kevin Kring (third and fifth).
Top individual national rankings — Kevin Kring (124th Golfstat, 182nd Golfweek).
Begins Spring season — Feb. 1-3 at Hawaii-Hilo Intercollegiate.
Notable — The Buffs started the season in stellar fashion, winning their Mark Simpson Invitational and tying for first before losing in a playoff at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. And Colorado product Beau Schoolcraft won an individual title in his first official competition for CU. But the Buffs tailed off later in the fall, placing ninth and 16th in their last two tournaments.
CU Women
National rankings — 24th (Coaches), 23rd (Golfstat), 20th (Golfweek).
Best team finish — First.
Top-five team finishes — Two in four tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — Alex Stewart (fourth), Emily Talley (fifth), Jenny Coleman (fifth).
Begins Spring season — Feb. 5-7 at Arizona Wildcat Invitational.
Top individual national rankings — Alex Stewart (76th Golfstat, 75th Golfweek), Emily Talley (101st Golfstat, 104th Golfweek), Jessica Wallace (125th Golfstat, 123rd Golfweek), Jennifer Coleman (172nd Golfstat, 163rd Golfweek).
Notable — With first- and second-place finishes in the fall, the Buffs are in the top 25 in all of the national rankings.
University of Denver Men
National ranking — 98th (Golfstat), 93rd (Golfweek).
Best team finish — Third.
Top-five team finishes — One in four tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — Oskar Arvidsson (fifth).
Begins Spring season — Feb. 15-17 at John Burns Intercollegiate.
Notable — The Pioneers placed in the top six in all four of their fall tournaments.
DU Women
National rankings — 39th (Coaches), 40th (Golfstat and Golfweek).
Best team finish — Second.
Top-five team finishes — One in four tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — none.
Begins Spring season — Feb. 4-6 at Arizona Wildcat Invitational.
Top individual national rankings — Rachael Watton (92nd Golfstat, 90th Golfweek), Tonje Daffinrud (133rd Golfstat, 121st Golfweek).
Notable — Three different DU players — Tonje Daffinrud, Rachael Watton and Kelly Drack — posted top-10 individual finishes in the fall.
University of Northern Colorado Men
National rankings — 220th (Golfstat), 234th (Golfweek).
Best team finish — Fifth.
Top-five team finishes — One in six tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — none.
Begins Spring season — March 16-17 at National Invitational Tournament.
UNC Women
National rankings — 180th (Golfstat), 181st (Golfweek)
Best team finish — Third.
Top-five team finishes — One in four tournaments.
Top-five individual finishes — Carleigh Silvers (third).
Notable — Carleigh Silvers finished sixth and third in her last two tournaments of the fall season.
Meanwhile, at the NCAA Division II level, the CU-Colorado Springs men are ranked 13th in the nation, while the Colorado School of Mines men are No. 32 and the Colorado State-Pueblo men are No. 44.
Urman shot an 18-over-par 90 Monday and is tied for 34th place at Lone Tree Golf Club. But the fact that she qualified for state in the first place — or is playing the sport at all — is a remarkable feat, and a gutsy round of bogey golf just adds to it.
Urman is competing at state less than a year after devoting virtually all her energy to battling bone cancer — osteosarcoma, to be precise. Although she was declared cancer-free in September, the disease took a toll, as her left knee and part of her femur had to be replaced by a titanium rod.
That makes playing golf at any ability level a formidable task. In fact, she can only compete while being driven in a cart, then using crutches to get to and from her ball. Despite those impediments, Urman has shot as low as 79 this year. And though the left-hander’s game wasn’t at its best on Monday, she still managed six pars, including on each of her last three holes.
But good score or not, Urman couldn’t contain her joy at being able to play in the state tournament.
“I felt like crying on the 18th tee just because I was so happy,” she said after Monday’s round.
“I didn’t play very good but I had so much fun. I’m so happy I could play. It’s definitely not my best, but (Tuesday) will be.”
Indeed, every day looks bright after going through what Urman has.
To be sure, playing 18 holes of golf drains her. But on Monday, a lightning delay — one of two in the afternoon — helped recharge her batteries.
“That helped me a lot; I drank some Coke and got energized,” she said. “Tomorrow we’ll see how I hold up. I was definitely getting tired out there today.”
Urman has additional motivation to keep going strong — and playing well — this week. Cherry Creek is one of the favorites for the 5A state title, and it shares the lead with defending champion Arapahoe after day 1. Urman is one of the reasons as her score was one of the three that counted toward the team total on Monday.
“I’m excited for tomorrow, so I can hopefully play well and hopefully bring my team to the top,” she said.
In addition to possibly winning the team title, Cherry Creek is in ideal position to nail down an individual championship as Bruins players hold down the No. 1 and 2 spots on the scoreboard going into Tuesday’s final round.
Lee, who placed third at state each of the last two years, leads despite bogeying two of her final four holes for a 2-over-par 74 on Monday. Teammate Calli Ringsby trails by just one. Rock Canyon’s Allie Johnston, the runner-up in 4A last year, and Arapahoe’s Hannah Wood share third place at 76.
Pepperdine-bound Overland senior Somin Lee, trying to become just the seventh girl ever to win at least two Colorado state high school titles, opened with a 77. She played her final seven holes in 5 over par on Monday.
Tuesday’s second round has been changed to an 8 a.m. shotgun start in hopes of avoiding further weather delays.
McGetrick Fires 67 in 4A Tournament: Valor Christian senior Lindsay McGetrick made seven birdies Monday en route to a 4-under-par 67 and a four-shot lead after the first round of the 4A girls state high school meet at Elmwood Golf Course in Pueblo.
McGetrick, the 2010 CWGA Junior Match Play champion who has signed to play college golf at North Carolina State, will go into Tuesday’s final round four ahead of Pueblo South’s Bryce Schroeder. McGetrick and Schroeder finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at last year’s state tournament.
The only other player to break 77 on Monday was Coronado’s Samantha Stancato, a University of Wyoming signee who shot 72.
Pueblo South posted a 241 total and leads defending team champion Regis by two strokes. Also close are Valor Christian (247) and Broomfield (248).