Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99 and won a Colorado Open, three CGA Match Plays and a CGA Amateur, tied for eighth on Saturday in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship on the Big Island in Hawaii.

Jobe (left) shot three consecutive rounds in the 60s — 69-69-68 — to post a 10-under-par 206 total, which left him seven strokes back of champion Tom Lehman, who posted back-to-back 65s to close the tourament. In Saturday’s final round, Jobe made an eagle, five birdies and three bogeys.

Jobe, 53, has now recorded 21 top-10 finishes in 65 PGA Tour Champions events, which means he hits that standard nearly a third of the time. He’s finished in the top 20 in the Schwab Cup standings each of his three full seasons on the circuit. Jobe’s lone win to date on the senior circuit came in 2017 at the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa.

For all the scores from the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, CLICK HERE.

— Second Top-20 of Clark’s PGA Tour Career: Denver native Wyndham Clark recorded the second-best finish of his young PGA Tour career on Sunday by tying for 18th place in the Desert Classic in La Quinta, Calif.

Clark, who won the 2010 CGA Amateur and the 2017 Pac-12 individual title at Boulder Country Club, posted rounds of 65-67-72-68 for a 16-under-par 272 total this week, which left him 10 strokes behind winner Adam Long.

Clark would have finished much higher, but back-to-back double bogeys on his back nine in Saturday’s third round proved costly.

Nevertheless, it was by far Clark’s best showing of the 2018-19 wraparound season. In 15 PGA Tour starts for his career, his only better finish was a 17th place at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October 2017. 

For scores from the Desert Classic, CLICK HERE.

The Boulder County resident had three solid rounds at TPC Tampa Bay in Lutz, Fla., shooting a 72 on Tuesday, and 69s on both Wednesday and Friday in the final stage of Champions Q-school. The total for those three days — 3 under par — would have been good enough for the top-five finish necessary for a full tour card.

Unfortunately for Hallberg (left), there was that matter of an 82 on Thursday, when he played his final dozen holes of the day in 12 over par.

The bottom line is that Hallberg again will have to make do with conditional status on PGA Tour Champions, which will limit the number of tournaments in which he can compete. The Coloradan placed 63rd on the 2018 Charles Schwab Cup Champions money list after a season that included him finishing eighth in the PGA Tour Champions PURE Insurance Championship in late September.

Hallberg, winner of three PGA Tour events and one on PGA Tour Champions, ended up in 38th place out of the 78-man field on Friday with a four-day total of 8-over-par 292. His final-round 69 included two eagles — one of the par-4 first hole, his 10th of the day — four birdies, three bogeys and a triple bogey on No. 18, his ninth hole.

Meanwhile, the other Coloradan in the field, Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, finished 54th on Friday at 297. Rohrbaugh, the 2018 Colorado PGA Player of the Year, closed with a 71 to check in at 297. Rohrbaugh had conditional status on PGA Tour Champions in 2015 and has competed in 11 career events on the circuit.

Gibby Gilbert III, son of three-time PGA Tour winner Gibby Gilbert II, earned medalist honors at the final stage of Q-school with a 4-under-par 280 total. Tying for second was Skip Kendall, a PGA Tour veteran who was runner-up in this year’s CoBank Colorado Senior Open. Cliff Kresge, Greg Kraft and Stephen Leaney also secured cards for 2019.

Here are the round-by-round scores for Coloradans who competed in the final stage of PGA Tour Championship Q-school this week:

38. Gary Hallberg of Boulder County 72-69-82-69–292
54. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale 72-75-79-71–297

For all the scores from the final stage, CLICK HERE.
 

Hallberg (left), winner of three PGA Tour events and one tournament on PGA Tour Champions, dropped 48 spots on the scoreboard at the final stage of Q-school by shooting an 11-over-par 82 on Thursday. To put that into perspective, Hallberg’s highest score in 17 PGA Tour Champions events in 2018 was a 78.

With the top five finishers after Friday’s fourth round landing fully-exempt spots on PGA Tour Champions for next year, Hallberg stood in second place going into Thursday. But the 82 left him in 50th place at the end of the day, at 10-over 223.

Hallberg, who has conditional status on PGA Tour Champions, was in good shape through six holes on Thursday — at 2 under par overall for the tournament. But he played his final dozen holes of the day in 12 over. There was a triple bogey, three double bogeys and three bogeys during that stretch.

Jim Rutledge leads the tournament at 209 and the players tied for fifth place are at 212.

The second Coloradan competing in the final stage in Q-School, Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, also struggled on Thursday. The Colorado PGA Player of the Year posted a 79 after being even-par for the day through seven holes. He sits in 60th place at 13-over-par 226.

Here are the round-by-round scores for Coloradans competing in the final stage of PGA Tour Championship Q-school this week:

50. Gary Hallberg of Boulder County 72-69-82–223
60. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale 72-75-79–226

For all the scores from the final stage, CLICK HERE.

But if the Q-school finals at TPC Tampa Bay in Lutz, Fla., keep going the way they have been so far this week, Hallberg may return to full-fledged membership at age 60.

Hallberg, who now lives in Boulder County, reached the halfway point of the 72-hole event on Wednesday by vaulting into second place in the 78-man field. He shot a 2-under-par 69, giving him a two-day total of 1-under 141. The only player ahead of him on the leaderboard is Stephen Leaney, who checked in at 139. Hallberg, who won a PGA Tour Champions event in 2010, made three birdies and one bogey on Wednesday.

The top five finishers after 72 holes will earn fully-exempt status on the Champions circuit in 2019. After two rounds, six players share second place, including two PGA Tour winners — Hallberg (three victories) and Craig Parry (two). Also at 139 are Omar Uresti, Jim Rutledge, Brian Cooper and Craig Bowden.

Meanwhile, the other Coloradan competing this week, three-time Colorado PGA Professional Champion Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, shot a 75 on Wednesday and dropped into 34th place at 147. The 2013 CoBank Colorado Senior Open champion carded one birdie and five bogeys in the second round.

Here are the round-by-round scores for Coloradans competing in the final stage of PGA Tour Championship Q-school this week:

2. Gary Hallberg of Boulder County 72-69–141
34. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale 72-75–147
 
For all the scores from the final stage, CLICK HERE.
 

Out of a 78-man field at TPC Tampa Bay in Lutz, Fla., only the top five finishers will earn fully-exempt status for 2019. And it’s a big drop down to the next available status as finishers 6-30 — and ties — will earn associate membership, which gives players access to individual-event qualifying tournaments while bypassing pre-qualifiers.

With that as a backdrop, the two Coloradans competing this week in the 72-hole final stage had solid, if unspectacular, starts. Both Gary Hallberg (left) of Boulder County and Doug Rorhbaugh of Carbondale shot 1-over-par 72s on Tuesday, leaving them in a share of 18th place.

Hallberg, who won a PGA Tour Champions event in 2010 to go along with three PGA Tour victories, birdied the last hole and finished the day with four birdies to go along with five bogeys. Hallberg finished eighth in the PGA Tour Champions PURE Insurance Championship in late September and placed 63rd on the 2018 Charles Schwab Cup money list, leaving him with conditional status for next year unless he places in the top five this week.

Rohrbaugh, the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year in 2018, likewise had a four-birdie, five-bogey day on Tuesday. Rohrbaugh had conditional status on PGA Tour Champions in 2015 and has competed in 11 Champions events in his career, including two majors this year.

Mauricio Molina, who shot a 4-under-par 67 on Tuesday, leads after the opening round. The players who share fifth place stand at 1-under-par 70.

Here are the round-by-round scores for Coloradans competing in the final stage of PGA Tour Championship Q-school this week:

18. Gary Hallberg of Boulder County 72
18. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale 72
 
For all the scores from the final stage, CLICK HERE.
 

Rohrbaugh (left), who had conditional Champions status in 2015, finished 15th on Friday in one of two first-stage tournaments for senior Q-school. The top 26 players from the event in Nipton, Calif., will advance to the final stage of Q-school, set for Nov. 27-30 in Lutz, Fla., where five cards for 2019 will be distributed.

Rohrbaugh, the Colorado PGA’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year and the Senior Player of the Year in 2018, shot rounds of 73-68-71-70 for a 2-under-par total of 282 in Nipton. He made three birdies and two bogeys in the final round. The first seven holes of the course treated him well as he went a combined 7 under in that stretch over the four days.

Rohbaugh, winner of the 2013 CoBank Colorado Senior Open and three Colorado PGA Professional Championships, has competed in 11 PGA Tour Champions events in his career, including two majors this year. He also advanced to the final stage of Q-school last year, placing 57th.

Among the top 10 finishers on Friday were Jeff Gallagher, winner of the 2017 Colorado Senior Open (second place at 269), two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair (third place at 275) and 2000 PGA Championship runner-up Bob May (eighth at 279).

Here are the scores for the Coloradans who competed this week in the first stage of PGA Tour Champions Q-school in Nipton, Calif.

ADVANCES TO FINAL STAGE
15. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale 73-68-71-70–282
FAILED TO ADVANCE
52. Coloradan Dean Sessions 77-73-75-77–302

For all the scores from Tipton, CLICK HERE.
 

Seventy-four players were in the field for the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, which concluded on Sunday in Richmond, Va. The top 54 in the Schwab Cup standings advance to the Invesco QQQ Championship, which starts Friday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Then the top 36 after that event will compete in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix Nov. 8-11.

After a 23rd-place finish on Sunday, Jobe (pictured) is 17th on the points list. Toledo dropped two spots, to No. 50, but kept his season alive. Hallberg fell one spot, to No. 63, and was eliminated from the playoffs.

With a second-place finish on Sunday — behind champion Woody Austin — Bernhard Langer remains the leader in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings.

The winner of the Charles Schwab Cup will receive a $1 million bonus.

The Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, which includes the last three events of the PGA Tour Champions season, begins next week at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Richmond, Va.

Only 72 players — based primarily on the 2018 Champions season-long money list — advance to the playoffs. And that total includes three golfers with strong Colorado connections — Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe (pictured), former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo and Boulder County resident Gary Hallberg.

After the regular-season-ending SAS Championship, which concluded on Sunday in Cary, N.C., Jobe stands 16th on the Charles Schwab Cup points list, while Toledo is 48th and Hallberg 62nd.

Two of Hallberg’s four top-30 finishes this season on PGA Tour Champions came in his final two starts of the regular season as he placed eighth at the PURE Insurance Championship and 26th in the SAS Championship. The strong performances this fall landed him a spot in the playoffs.

With bonuses going to the top five finishers in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, the top 54 players will advance to the Invesco QQQ Championship Oct. 26-28 and 36 will make it to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship Nov. 8-11.

The winner of the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs will receive a $1 million bonus.
 

Hallberg (left) placed eighth in the PURE Insurance Championship, which concluded at Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Monterey Peninsula in California.

Hallberg carded rounds of 68-67-74 for a 6-under-par 209, which left him four strokes behind champion Ken Tanigawa, who two years ago qualified in Colorado for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. He’s since turned pro and Sunday marked his first Champions victory.

Hallberg’s previous best showing on PGA Tour Champions in 2018 was a 15th place at the Chubb Classic in February.

Meanwhile, 73-year-old Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Hale Irwin finished 42nd in the PURE Insurance Championship, matching his best individual showing of the season. The World Golf Hall of Famer shot six strokes under his age — a 5-under-par 67 — in the first round at Pebble Beach, where he won a PGA Tour event in 1984.
 

It came by the slimmest of margins, but a second player who grew up in Colorado will be a rookie on the PGA Tour in the 2018-19 wraparound season.

Wyndham Clark earned his card by finishing in the top 25 — 18th in his case — on the regular-season Web.com Tour money list.

Then on Sunday, Jim Knous of Littleton also landed a promotion by placing in the top 25 on the cumulative money list for the four-event Web.com Tour Finals.

How did Knous do it? By earning the 25th — and last — card available through the Web Finals. In fact, just $490 in Finals earnings separated Knous from player No. 26, Justin Lower, who will have to make do with a return to the Web.com circuit in 2019.

Talk about being on the bubble.

“It was a brutal day emotionally,” said Knous, who made a key 5-foot save for par on his final hole Sunday. “I wasn’t quite sure how much my performance would affect the overall outcome. It kind of just depended on what everybody else did. That’s pretty terrifying. So I really just kind of did my best to stay calm and inside I was really freaking out and just super psyched that at the end of the day finished right there on No. 25.”

Knous is one of five Web Finals graduates who will be PGA Tour rookies.

Knous (pictured) was inside the Finals top 25 after each Finals event as he set himself up nicely with a 10th-place showing in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship late last month.

But throughout the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship that ended on Sunday in Atlantic Beach, Fla., Knous was right around the Finals bubble — meaning the 25th spot.

But despite finishing 57th in the Tour Championship, Knous withstood the challenges to end up 25th on the Finals money list. The former Colorado School of Mines golfer carded rounds of 67-69-70-71 for a 7-under-par 277 total in Atlantic Beach.

Not surprisingly, when Knous walked up to be presented his PGA Tour card on Sunday afternoon, he pumped his fist in the air.

Knous will go into the upcoming PGA Tour season with the lowest priority of the 50 Web players who earned cards. But that’s certainly eminently better than being on the outside looking in. The 2018-19 PGA Tour season begins Oct. 4-7 with the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif.

Knous, an NCAA Division II individual runner-up as a senior at Mines in 2012, has spent the last two years on the Web.com Tour, recording four top-10 finishes — three of them coming since mid-July. The 28-year-old Basalt native tied for fourth in both the Utah Championship and the WinCo Foods Portland Open.

Coincidentally, Clark and Knous played off for the title at the 2010 CGA Amateur at Boulder Country Club, with Clark prevailing on the second extra hole after Knous had shot a course-record 60 in the final round.
 

Second Straight Champions Top-5 for Jobe: The final round certainly wasn’t what Brandt Jobe was looking for, but for the second straight week, the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer recorded a top-five finish on PGA Tour Champions.

Jobe shared the lead going into the final round of the Sanford International in Sioux Falls, S.D., but a 2-over-par 72 on Sunday dropped him back to a tie for fourth place.

That showing comes after finishing a season-best second last weekend at The Ally Challenge following a six-week layoff due to a hurt left shoulder.

In South Dakota, Jobe went 63-67-72 for an 8-under-par 202 total, which left him five shots behind champion Steve Stricker.