Jim Knous of Littleton and Tom Whitney of Fort Collins, both of whom competed in a PGA Tour event last weekend, fell short of returning to the Final Stage of Web.com Q-school.

Despite failing to advance out of Second Stage tournaments, Knous and Whitney still will have some status on the 2018 Web circuit by virtue of finishing between 76-100 on the 2017 money list, but that’s relatively low on the tournament eligibility categories.

Knous had been inside the top 20 and ties at a Second Stage tournament in Plantation, Fla. — which was what was needed to advance to the Final Stage — after each of the first three rounds. But a 1-over-par 72 on Friday dropped him to 28th place at 5-under-par 279, which was two shy of what was necessary to advance. Knous played his final eight holes in 3 over par.

Also in 28th place in Plantation was A.J. Morris of Aspen, who shot 67-69-69 the last three rounds but was done in by a first-round 74.

Meanwhile, Whitney played in Stage 2 in McKinney, Texas, where the top 20 and ties landed spots in the Final Stage. The former Air Force Academy golfer gave himself a chance to advance with a third-round 65, but a 2-over-par 74 on Friday dropped him to a 47th-place finish at 1-over-par 289.

Last week, Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch punched his ticket to the Final Stage by winning a Second Stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif.

The Final Stage of Web qualifying is scheduled for Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz. There, all the finishers will be guaranteed some Web.com Tour status in 2018, but the top 45 and ties there will earn exempt status of varying degrees, while the rest will have conditional status.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed this week:

McKinney, Texas (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO FINAL STAGE
47. Tom Whitney, Fort Collins 74-76-65-74–289

Plantation, Fla. (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO FINAL STAGE
28. Jim Knous, Littleton 67-70-70-72–279
28. A.J. Morris, Aspen 74-67-69-69–279
55. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 71-74-73-68–286
 

With the top 20 finishers and ties after Friday’s last round advancing to the Final Stage, Knous shares 19th place through Thursday’s third round of a Second Stage tournament in Plantation, Fla.

Fresh off making a cut in a PGA Tour event for the first time, Knous stands at 6-under-par 207 through 54 holes after a 1-under 70 on Thursday.

The former Colorado School of Mines golfer, who finished 94th on the season-long Web.com Tour money list in 2017, had a wild back nine on Thursday in which he didn’t make a par. After going birdie-bogey-double bogey-bogey on holes 10-13, Knous birdied his last five to shoot the 70. He trails co-leaders Rick Cochran of Paducah, Ky., and Steven Ihm of Peosta, Iowa, by six strokes.

A.J. Morris of Aspen also is in the running to advance to the Final Stage. After following up a first-round 74 with scores of 67-69 he shares 32nd place at 3-under-par 210.

At another Second Stage tournament in McKinney, Texas, Tom Whitney of Fort Collins shot himself back into the running for a Final Stage position with a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 on Thursday. Following rounds of 74-76 on Tuesday and Wednesday, the former Air Force Academy golfer stands in 31st place at 1-under 215. The top 20 finishers and ties on Friday will advance to the Final Stage, and Whitney is now four strokes out of the 20th spot.

The Final Stage of Web qualifying is scheduled for Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz. There, all the finishers will be guaranteed some Web.com Tour status in 2018, but the top 45 and ties there will earn exempt status of varying degrees, while the rest will have conditional status.

Last week, Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch punched his ticket to the Final Stage by winning a Second Stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans competing this week:

McKinney, Texas (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
31. Tom Whitney, Fort Collins 74-76-65–215

Plantation, Fla. (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
19. Jim Knous, Littleton 67-70-70–207
32. A.J. Morris, Aspen 74-67-69–210
64. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 71-74-73–218
 

The former Colorado School of Mines golfer shot a 1-under-par 70 on Wednesday in a Second Stage tournament in Plantation, Fla., leaving him tied for 13th place with two rounds remaining.

Knous (left) birdied three straight holes — his seventh through ninth of the day — to go along with two bogeys on Wednesday. He trails leader Steve Ihm of Peosta, Iowa by three strokes.

Knous was a regular on the Web.com Tour in 2017 and placed 94th on the season-long money list.

The top 20 finishers and ties after Friday’s fourth round advance to the Final Stage of Web qualifying, set for Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz. In Arizona, all the finishers will be guaranteed some Web.com Tour status in 2018, but the top 45 and ties there will earn exempt status of varying degrees, while the rest will have conditional status.

Last week, Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch punched his ticket to the Final Stage by winning a Second Stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans competing this week:

McKinney, Texas (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
62. Tom Whitney, Fort Collins 74-76–150

Plantation, Fla. (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
13. Jim Knous, Littleton 67-70–137
35. A.J. Morris, Aspen 74-67–141
58. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 71-74–145
 

The former Colorado School of Mines golfer (pictured) made six birdies and two bogeys in round 1 and trails leader Ben Polland of Jacksonville, Fla., by three strokes.

Knous was a regular on the Web.com Tour in 2017 and placed 94th on the season-long money list.

The top 20 finishers and ties after Friday’s fourth round advance to the Final Stage of Web qualifying, set for Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz. In Arizona, all the finishers will be guaranteed some Web.com Tour status in 2018, but the top 45 and ties there will earn exempt status of varying degrees, while the rest will have conditional status. And it’s not unusual for some players with conditional status to get very few starts on the Web.com Tour.

Last week, Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch punched his ticket to the Final Stage by winning a Second Stage tournament in Murrieta, Calif.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans competing this week:

McKinney, Texas (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
66. Tom Whitney, Fort Collins 74

Plantation, Fla. (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
8. Jim Knous, Littleton 67
40. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 71
59. A.J. Morris, Aspen 74
 

Clark followed up a 17th-place finish Sunday in the Sanderson Farms Championship on the PGA Tour with a dominating performance in advancing to the Final Stage of Q-school, where he’s guaranteed at least conditional status on the Web.com Tour in 2018.

Clark (left) shot his fourth consecutive sub-par round — a 2-under-par 70 — on Friday, giving him a 17-under 271 total. He made five birdies and three bogeys in round 4, giving him two eagles, 20 birdies and seven bogeys over 72 holes.

The top 20 finishers and ties after Friday advance to the Final Stage of Web qualifying, set for Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz. In Arizona, all the finishers will be guaranteed some Web.com Tour status in 2018, but the top 45 and ties there will earn exempt status of varying degrees, while the rest will have conditional status. And it’s not unusual for some players with conditional status to get very few starts on the Web.com Tour.

Two-time CoBank Colorado Open Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch was the next-closest Coloradan to advancing, but he fell three strokes shy in a Second Stage tournament in Dothan, Ala. The former University of Colorado golfer tied for 28th at a site where the top 19 players and ties advanced. Tolan finished at even-par 288 (73-76-70-69), while 285 and better was necessary to make it to the Final Stage.

Three more Second Stage tournaments are scheduled for next week, with four other players with strong Colorado ties scheduled to tee it up: Jim Knous of Littleton, Tom Whitney of Fort Collins, A.J. Morris of Aspen and former University of Colorado golfer Justin Bardgett.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed this week:

Murrieta, Calif. (Top 20 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
EARNED SPOT IN Q-SCHOO FINALS
1. Wyndham Clark, Highlands Ranch 66-66-69-70–271
FAILED TO ADVANCE
50. Riley Arp, Fort Collins 68-72-73-79–292
50. Parker Edens, Greeley 69-71-75-77–292
66. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 76-74-75-73–298

Dothan, Ala. (Top 19 Finishers and Ties Advance to Final Stage)
FAILED TO ADVANCE
28. Derek Tolan, Highlands Ranch 73-76-70-69–288

Knous Will Play on Weekend in Vegas PGA Tour Event: Meanwhile, Jim Knous of Littleton, who Monday qualified for the PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, is in good shape to make his first cut ever on the PGA Tour.

The former Colorado School of Mines golfer has shot rounds of 71-71, leaving him at even-par 142 and tied for 47th place. Though round 2 wasn’t completed on Friday, the players at 1 over par and better look likely to make the cut.

Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders is in 13th place at 3 under par after playing 33 holes through two days.

Fort Collins’ Tom Whitney, who like Knous Monday qualified for the tournament, will miss the cut after rounds of 71-76.
 

Wyndham Clark, who won the Pac-12 Championship in his home state of Colorado in the spring, grabbed the outright lead in a First Stage event in Nebraska City, where the top 24 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to the Second Stage of Q-school.

Clark (pictured) backed up his first-round 66 with a 4-under-par 67 and stands at 9-under 133, two better than second-place Matt Jennings of Prairie City, Iowa. Through two rounds, Clark has made 10 birdies and one bogey.

Also in the top 24 in Nebraka City are Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch (10th place, 139), fellow former University of Colorado golfer Justin Bardgett (10th, 139), former University of Northern Colorado player Conner Barr (18th, 141), and Parker Edens of Greeley (24th, 142).

And in San Diego, where the top 23 finishers will advance, former CU golfer Jeremy Paul is in sixth place at 5-under-par 135 and former Durango resident Tom Kalinowski is 13th at 137.

All of this week’s Q-school tourneys are 72-hole events.

Seven more First Stage tournaments are scheduled for next week.

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:

Nebraska City (Top 24 finishers and ties advance to Second Stage)
1. Coloradan Wyndham Clark 66-67–133
10. Derek Tolan, Highlands Ranch 72-67–139
10. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 68-71–139
18. Former UNC golfer Conner Barr 72-69–141
24. Parker Edens, Greeley 73-69–142
35. Steven Kupcho, Westminster 74-69–143
42. Former CU golfer Josh Creel, Cheyenne 71-73–144
72. Cameron Harrell, Colorado Springs 72-80–152

Lantana, Texas (Top 24 finishers and ties advance to Second Stage)
44. Zahkai Brown, Golden 69-71–140

San Diego (Top 23 finishers and ties advance to Second Stage)
6. Former CU golfer Jeremy Paul 67-68–135
13. Former Coloradan Tom Kalinowski 63-74–137
37. Jamie Marshall, Lone Tree 69-74–143

The top 23 finishers and ties punched their tickets to the Second Stage, and the closest any Coloradan came to making the grade was Mike Schoolcraft of Denver, who closed with a 73 to post an even-par 288 total, good for 50th place. Schoolcraft’s final round featured an eagle on the 16th hole at Southern Dunes.

Former University of Colorado golfer Ethan Freeman was 6 under par through three rounds, but struggled to a 10-over-par 82 in Friday’s final round and finished 59th at 4-over 292. His final round included a quadruple bogey and a triple bogey.

The players with 72-hole scores of 279 or better advanced to the Second Stage.

Eleven more First Stage tournaments are scheduled for the first two weeks of October.

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 competed this week:

Maricopa, Ariz. (Top 23 finishers and ties advance to Second Stage)
FAILED TO ADVANCE
50. Mike Schoolcraft, Denver 73-73-69-73–288
59. Ethan Freeman, Denver 70-68-72-82–292
63. Curtis Garver, Dolores 71-71-76-76–294
72. Luke Condon, Monte Vista 71-82-72-75–300
 

Paul (pictured), a senior who would likely turn pro and skip his final semester at CU if he finishes highly enough this weekend, shot a 4-under-par 68 on Friday. He made an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys in round 2, giving him a 4-under 139 total, which puts him in 13th place, six strokes out of the lead shared by Dan Woltman and Puma Dominguez.

The top 45 finishers and ties after four rounds will earn status that guarantees them spots in Web tournaments at least at the beginning of the 2017 season. The medalist will be fully exempt for the entire season. All competitors in the final stage this week will receive at least conditional status on the Web circuit, but in some cases that could mean just one or two starts for next year.

Also in the top 45 at the halfway point in Florida is Jim Knous of Englewood, who has shot back-to-back 70s and stands at 3-under 140, good for 24th place. The former Colorado School of Mines golfer played his final nine holes Friday in 4 under par.

Here are the scores of all the players with significant Colorado connections competing this week in the final stage of Web.com Q-school:

13. CU golfer Jeremy Paul 71-68–139
24. Jim Knous of Englewood 70-70–140
55. Parker Edens of Greeley 70-72–142
102. Tom Whitney of Fort Collins 72-73–145
134. Former CU golfer Josh Creel of Cheyenne 73-75–148
148. Michael Schoolcraft of Denver 74-77–151

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

The former Colorado State University golfer (pictured) birdied his sixth, seventh and eighth holes at the Crooked Cat Course, then made nine pars and one bogey the rest of the way. He trails leader Brice Garnett by five in the 72-hole event, which concludes on Sunday.

The top 45 finishers and ties will earn status that guarantees them spots in Web tournaments at least at the beginning of the 2017 season. The medalist will be fully exempt for the entire season. All competitors in the final stage this week will receive at least conditional status on the Web circuit, but in some cases that could mean just one or two starts for next year.

Among Colorado players, Joining Edens under par in Thursday’s round was Jim Knous of Englewood, who fired a 1-under 70 on the Panther Lake Course, good for 67th place. The former Colorado School of Mines golfer carded two birdies and a bogey on Thursday.

Two players with strong Colorado ties matched par in the first round — Tom Whitney of Fort Collins and University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul. Whitney made an eagle, three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey. Paul, who birdied his first two holes, finished with five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.

Here are the scores of all the players with significant Colorado connections competing this week in the final stage of Web.com Q-school:

47. Parker Edens of Greeley 70 (-2)
67. Jim Knous of Englewood 70 (-1)
91. CU golfer Jeremy Paul 71 (E)
91. Tom Whitney of Fort Collins 72 (E)
127. Former CU golfer Josh Creel of Cheyenne 73 (+2)
143. Michael Schoolcraft of Denver 74 (+3)

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Out of the 155 competitors set to vie for 2017 playing privileges on the Web.com Tour, many hail from Florida, California, Texas, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina — just as you’d expect given the climate and populations of those states.

(By the way, the field by no means is limited to Americans. In fact, players from six continents are set to tee it up in Winter Garden, Fla., just outside of Orlando.)

But one state that has more entrants than someone might expect — again, due to weather and population — is none other than Colorado.

Five entrants list the Centennial State as home, though one of them — University of Colorado senior Jeremy Paul — is a German who resides in Boulder just during the academic year.

The other Coloradans scheduled to play in the 72-hole event from Thursday through Sunday are Parker Edens of Greeley, Jim Knous of Englewood, Michael Schoolcraft of Denver and Tom Whitney of Fort Collins. Also from nearby is Josh Creel of Cheyenne, Wyo., who started his college golf career at CU before tranferring to Central Oklahoma.

All the golfers in the field have their eyes set on finishing in the top 45 and ties, which will guarantee players spots in Web tournaments at least at the beginning of the 2017 season. The medalist will be fully exempt for the entire season.

All the players in the final stage of Q-school — which is a three-stage process, not counting pre-qualifying — will have at least conditional status on the Web.com circuit, but that often doesn’t mean much. Some conditional players only get one or two Web starts in the course of a season, so playing well this week can make a world of difference.

Here’s a look at each of the players with strong local connections:

— Parker Edens of Greeley: The former Colorado State University golfer was the runner-up two straight years in the CGA Match Play (2012 and ’13). Edens finished a shot out of a playoff for the final U.S. Open spot at a Sectional Qualifying site in Springfield, Ohio in early June. In this year’s Q-school, he placed 16th in the first stage of Q-school to advance from Nebraska City, and rebounded from a first-round 77 to place 17th in stage 2 in Beaumont, Calif.

— Jim Knous of Englewood: The former Colorado School of Mines golfer is well known for his ability to post low numbers. For instance, he shot a course-record 10-under-par 60 in the final round at Boulder Country Club to force a playoff in the 2010 CGA Amateur. Knous, who finished second to Creel in the NCAA Division II national championship in 2012, this year won his second straight San Juan Open and placed second in the Rocky Mountain Open and fourth in the CoBank Colorado Open. In Q-school, he finished eighth in the first stage in Lantana, Texas, and 17th in the second stage in Beaumont, Texas.

— CU golfer Jeremy Paul: Paul, who sits at No. 105 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, figures to go pro and skip his final semester of college golf at CU if he earns good enough status on the Web.com Tour this weekend. In April, Paul shared the individual title at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, earning his second individual win collegiately. In September, Paul finished 48th individually in the World Amateur Team Championship. At Q-school, Paul placed fourth in a first-stage tournament in Nebraska City and 12th in a second-stage event in Beaumont, Calif.

— Michael Schoolcraft of Denver: The former University of Oklahoma golfer shined on PGA Tour Canada in 2016, posting three top-10 finishes, including a career-best second in the Cape Breton Open in September. He ended up ninth on the tour’s money list with $41,485, which earned him a spot in the Web.com Q-school finals.

— Tom Whitney of Fort Collins: The long hitter who played his college golf at the Air Force Academy shined on PGA Tour Latinoamerica this year. But he also won his second straight Waterloo (Iowa) Open, this one thanks to a 12-under-par 60 in the final round. On the Latinoamerica circuit, Whitney is No. 11 on the money list with $56,483, earning a spot in the Web.com Q-school finals. He’s posted four top-10 finishes, including being runner-up in the Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open in October.

— Former CU golfer Josh Creel of Cheyenne: The 2012 NCAA Division II individual champion while at Central Oklahoma, Creel missed qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Open by just three strokes. In Q-school, Creel placed 16th in stage 1 in Nebraska City and 12th in stage 2 in Beaumont, Calif.

For Thursday’s tee times from the Q-school finals, CLICK HERE.