Whitney (left), who played his college golf at the Air Force Academy, shot rounds of 70-68 for a 6-under-par 138 total, which left him three strokes behind winner Ben Crancer at the Panther Trail Championship at The Woodlands, Texas that ended on Tuesday. Whitney, whose second-place showing last week also came at The Woodands, earned $1,765 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, at a Cactus Tour event that ended Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz., former University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan ended up in fourth place.
Fan carded scores of 70-68-70 for an 8-under-par 208 and earned $800. She finished five strokes behind winner Kennedie Montoya of Thatcher, Ariz.
And at the Dreamchasers Tour Central Valley Winter Championship that concluded on Thursday in Phoenix, Zahkai Brown of Golden tied for seventh place with former CU golfer Jeremy Paul, while Paul’s brother and fellow former Buff Yannik Paul ended up 10th.
Brown went 67-66-71 for a 9-under-par 204 total and earned $1,183. Jeremy Paul carded rounds of 68-66-70 to tie Brown. And Yannik Paul fired scores of 69-66-70 for a 205 total, which was worth $950. John Greco of Sunnvale, Calif., won the event with a 193 total.
The reigning NCAA champion from Wake Forest, who’s ranked No. 1 in the world in women’s amateur golf, shot an even-par 72 on Thursday at Pinehurst No. 6 and checks in at 1-over-par 145 overall. She trails leader Klara Spilkova by nine strokes. (Kupcho is pictured on Thursday in a photo courtesy of the Kupcho family.)
Six rounds remain in the Q-Series, which serves as the final stage of LPGA Q-school. The Q-Series features two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks — Wednesday through Saturday and Oct. 31-Nov. 3, both at Pinehurst Resort. Scores are cumulative over the two weeks, with the top 45 finishers and ties earning LPGA cards. A $150,000 purse is at stake for the pros.
Amateurs — such as Kupcho — 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.
The other golfers with strong Colorado ties in the 102-player field have some work to do to get in the top 45. Former University of Colorado golfer Jenny Coleman, who had conditional status on the LPGA Tour in 2017, is in 53rd place, Becca Huffer of Denver in 78th and CU golfer Robyn Choi in 98th.
Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections:
13. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72–145
53. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75–150
78. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76–153
98. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79–158
For complete results, CLICK HERE.
The Q-Series, which in essence serves as the final stage of LPGA Q-school, began Wednesday in Pinehurst, N.C., with four players with strong Colorado ties competing in the 102-golfer field.
Jennifer Kupcho (left) of Westminster, the No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world, opened with a 1-over-par 73, which leaves her tied for 19th place at the Pinehurst Resort, which is less than 100 miles from her university, Wake Forest, where she’s a senior. Kupcho, the reigning women’s NCAA Division I individual champion, made a birdie and two bogeys on Wednesday.
The Q-Series features two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks — Wednesday through Saturday and Oct. 31-Nov. 3, both at Pinehurst Resort. Scores are cumulative over the two weeks, with the top 45 finishers and ties earning LPGA cards. A $150,000 purse will be on the line.
Amateurs — such as Kupcho — 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.
Former University of Colorado golfer Jenny Coleman, who had conditional status on the LPGA Tour in 2017, shot a 75 on Wednesday, which leaves her in 40th place. Becca Huffer of Denver opened with a 77 (74th place) and CU golfer Robyn Choi a 79 (91st place).
This week’s four rounds are taking place at Pinehurst No. 6 and next week’s at Pinehurst No. 7.
Here are the round-by-round scores in Stage 2 for the players with strong Colorado connections:
19. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73
40. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75
74. Becca Huffer of Denver 77
91. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79
For complete results, CLICK HERE.
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.
]]>That’s in addition to the 23 golfers who earned berths via the Optimist Junior Tour event held in October at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Northeast Denver.
Three separate tournaments are held at PGA National, depending on gender and age. Overall, the events begin July 19 and conclude on Aug. 1.
In 2017, Colorado was the most-represented state at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship, with 50 players. The Colorado-Wyoming District of the Optimist junior golf program traditionally provides some financial assistance for those who qualify locally for the Florida event.
Here are the players who will advance from this month’s qualifying tournaments held in Colorado:
June 15 at Flatirons GC in Boulder
Boys 16-18 (7 Qualifiers)
1. Walker Franklin, Broomfield 66
2. Liam O’Halloran, Colorado Springs 68
T3. Micah Stangebe, Montrose 69
T3. TJ Shehee, Mead 69
T3. Jack Glenn 69
T6. Blake Schneiter, Grand Junction 70
T6. Tyler Mulligan, Parker 70
June 8 at Aurora Hills GC
Boys 14-15 (14 Qualifiers)
1. Traejan Andrews, Windsor 70
T2. TJ Hicks, Greenwood Village 71
T2. Maxwell Lange, Golden 71
T2. Karsten Simmons, Worland, Wyo. 71
T2. Jackson Grace, Boulder 71
T6. Jack Larson, Arvada 73
T6. Jeffrey Zhou, Greenwood Village 73
T8. Dakota Dolph, Pine 74
T8. Drex Duffy, Littleton 74
T8. Hunter Swanson, Denver 74
T11. Mario Dino, Denver 75 (in playoff)
T11. Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 75 (in playoff)
T11. Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial 75 (in playoff)
T11. Trey Kirschner, Arvada 75 (in playoff after being alternate)
June 8 at Aurora Hills GC
Boys 12-13 (5 Qualifiers)
1. Nicholas Pevny, Aspen 73
2. Jackson Smith, Centennial 74
3. Yusuke Ogi, Arvada 75
T4. Grant Samuelson, Fort Collins 80
T4. Michael Dinapoli, Steamboat Springs 80
June 8 at Aurora Hills GC
Boys 10-11 (4 Qualifiers)
1. Austin Barry, Fort Collins 74
2. Carson Bertagnole, Casper, Wyo. 80
3. Landon Houska, Fort Collins 82
T4. Tyler Long, Evergreen 85 (won playoff)
June 14 at Meadow Hills GC in Aurora
Girls 15-18 (7 Qualifiers)
T1. Jessica Zapf, Windsor 73 (won playoff)
T1. Lauren Lehigh, Loveland 73
T3. Jenna Chun, Englewood 74
T3. Leigha Devine, Windsor 74
5. Kelsey Webster, Boulder 75
6. Emma Bryant, Aurora 76
7. Brooke Kramer, Aurora 77
June 14 at Meadow Hills GC in Aurora
Girls 13-14 (7 Qualifiers)
1. Sofia Choi, Littleton 73
2. Kaylee Chen, Denver 74
T3. Rachel Penzenstadler, Centennial 75
T3. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland 75
5. Timbre Shehee, Mead 79
T6. Eva Pett, Denver 80
T6. Amira Badruddin, Parker 80
June 14 at Meadow Hills GC in Aurora
Girls 10-12 (3 Qualifiers)
1. Hadley Ashton, Erie 74
2. Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 77
3. Ashleigh Wilson, Highlands Ranch 80
It happened two years ago at Oakmont, but beyond that you have to look back more than a half-century to find a U.S. Open field without any Colorado “locals”.
But, barring a minor miracle, no one with major Colorado ties will be competing in next week’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.
No local players are exempt, and on Monday, the 22 players with major Colorado connections who were competing in 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying all came up short of advancing to the national championship.
But that’s not to say that no one came close.
Denver native Wyndham Clark, who was based in the state until graduating from the University of Oregon a year ago, finished one stroke out of a playoff for the final qualifying position in Summit, N.J.
And former Coloradan Mark Hubbard made a run in Richmond, Texas before falling three shots short.
In New Jersey, Clark started off relatively slowly with a 2-over-par 72, but the Web.com Tour regular gave himself a chance with a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 in round 2. But with the top five finishers qualifying, Clark ended up one stroke out of a two-man playoff for the final U.S. Open berth.
Hubbard, another Web.com Tour player who competed for three years on the PGA Tour, opened with a 7-under-par 65 that included an 18th-hole eagle in Texas. But he couldn’t sustain the momentum in the afternoon in posting an even-par 72. That left him at 7-under 137 and three strokes out of a playoff. Glenn Workman of Pueblo West, the 2017 CGA Amateur champion, recorded two straight rounds of 2-under 70 but also couldn’t get over the hump.
Monday marked the second of a two-stage qualifying process for the U.S. Open. A dozen 36-hole Sectional Qualifiers were held, including 11 on Monday and 10 in the U.S.
The U.S. Open itself will run June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills.
Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado connections who competed in Sectional Qualifying on Monday:
Summit, N.J. (81 players for 5 spots)
Failed to Qualify
T7. Former Colorado resident Wyndham Clark 72-66–138
Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 70-74–144
Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 69-77–146
Richmond, Texas (52 players for 3 spots)
Failed to Qualify
T7. Denver native Mark Hubbard 65-72–137
Glenn Workman of Pueblo West 70-70–140
Trevor McKune of Littleton 72-74–146
Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction 76-74–150
David Good of Colorado Springs 77-74–151
Jupiter, Fla. (48 players for 3 spots)
Failed to Qualify
Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders 76-WD
Rockville, Md. (53 players for 4 spots)
Failed to Qualify
36. Nick Mason of Parker 76-74–150
Columbus, Ohio (120 players for 14 spots)
Failed to Qualify
44. Josh Seiple of Castle Rock 75-70–145
Derek Fribbs of Thornton 75-75–150
Jonathan Kuzava of Littleton 74-77–151
Jack Castiglia of Lakewood 75-81–156
Former CSU golfer Martin Laird 72-WD
Springfield, Ohio (65 players for 6 spots)
Failed to Qualify
19. Parker Edens of Greeley 73-70–143
Memphis, Tenn. (117 players for 11 spots)
Failed to Qualify
55. Zahkai Brown of Golden 73-70–143
Former CU golfer Kevin Kring 71-74–145
Daly City, Calif. (86 players for 5 spots)
Failed to Qualify
31. Former Colorado School of Mines golfer Marty Jertson 72-74–146
Portland, Ore. (81 players for 4 spots)
Failed to Qualify
50. Tom Gempel of Lone Tree 73-75–148
50. Steven Kupcho of Westminster 76-72–148
Davis Bryant of Aurora 77-72–149
For complete Sectional Qualifying results, CLICK HERE.
]]>We’re well into the Q-school process for the LPGA, Web.com and European Tours, with the initial stages behind us. That being the case, the stakes go up from here on out and the competition is considerably tougher.
Elsewhere, PGA Tour Champions qualifying starts the week before Thanksgiving at two Regional Sites, with the Finals set for the week after the holiday. And pre-qualifying for the Ladies European Tour will be held at three sites (two in Morocco and one in Cambodia) between Oct. 18-Dec. 9, with the final final stage scheduled for Dec. 16-20 in Morocco.
Here’s a rundown of where players with strong Colorado connections stand in the Q-school process for various major tours:
— LPGA Tour: Stage II of the three-stage qualifying will be held Thursday through Sunday (Oct. 19-22) in Venice, Fla. The top 80 finishers and ties after 72 holes — out of an original field of 190 — will advance to the third and final stage of Q-school, Nov. 27-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.
Among the competitors this week at Stage II will be four who played the majority of their college golf in Colorado — former University of Colorado golfers Esther Lee, Kristin Coleman and Natalie Vivaldi, along with former University of Northern Colorado player Carleigh Silvers. Also set to compete is Liz Breed, who won the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open in early September.
Players who don’t advance to Stage III will receive Symetra Tour cards for 2018. Coleman, whose twin sister Jennifer played part-time on the LPGA Tour this year, has been a regular on the Symetra Tour, along with Silvers and Breed.
— Web.com Tour: Seven players with strong Colorado ties successfully negotiated the First Stage of the three-stage Q-school process: Wyndham Clark and Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch, Parker Edens of Greeley, Riley Arp of Fort Collins, Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo, A.J. Morris of Aspen and former University of Colorado golfer Justin Bardgett.
Several other local players figure to join the aforementioned in the Second Stage, but fields for the five tournaments that will be held between Oct. 31-Nov. 10 haven’t yet be announced. The top finishers there will move to to the Final Stage, set for Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.
— European Tour: The First Stage of Q-school is complete, and among those who have advanced to Stage II is former University of Denver golfer Oskar Arvidsson, who placed fourth in a First-Stage tournament in Germany last month. Arvidsson qualified for the 2016 British Open.
The Second Stage is set for Nov. 3-6 at four sites in Spain, and the Final Stage Nov. 11-16, also in Spain. The top 25 finishers and ties at the Final Stage will earn European Tour cards.
Spencer Painton (pictured) of Aurora, a University of Colorado golfer, tied for fourth place at Southern Dunes Golf Club. The former 5A state high school champion posted rounds of 70-67-72 for a 7-under-par 209 total that left him two strokes behind champion Tanner Hughes, a Cal golfer from Livermore, Calif.
Josh Seiple of Castle Rock (69-72-69–210) and Jake Staiano of Englewood (72-68-70–210) tied for sixth place. Blake Cannon, like Staiano a Colorado State University golfer, finished ninth at 211 after going 73-69-69.
The Saguaro Amateur is run by chairman Roy Edwards, the men’s head coach at CU. For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
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Beau Schoolcraft of Denver, Dustin Mills of Broomfield, David Oraee of Greeley and amateur Miller Capps of Denver advanced through the Pre-Qualifier in Lincoln, Neb., where the top 38 finishers and ties moved on. Schoolcraft placed 12th, Mills 19th, and Oraee and Capps 25th.
And Jamie Marshall of Lone Tree and Eric Hallberg of Parker made the First Stage by tying for 23rd in La Quinta, Calif., where the top 39 and ties punched their First Stage tickets.
Including Pre-Qualifying, there are four stages in Web.com Q-School. The top 45 finishers and ties from the final stage will have some level of regular status on the 2017 Web.com Tour, depending on how high they finish. Others who complete all 72 holes will have conditional status.
Two more Pre-Qualifying tournaments are scheduled Sept. 7-9. First Stage tournaments begin either Sept. 27, Oct. 4 or Oct. 11.
Here are the scores for all of the golfers with strong Colorado ties who competed in Pre-Qualifying this week:
Lincoln, Neb. (Top 38 finishers and ties advance)
12. Beau Schoolcraft of Denver 71-67-74–212
19. Dustin Mills of Broomfield 68-74-72–214
25. David Oraee of Greeley 70-73-72–215
25. Miller Capps of Denver 72-71-72–215
47. Former CU golfer Kevin Kring 75-75-72–222
62. Brandon Barron of Centennial 75-78-74–227
76. Chris Winter of Colorado Springs 93-80-80–253
La Quinta, Calif. (Top 39 finishers and ties advance)
23. Jamie Marshall of Lone Tree 80-68-75–223
23. Eric Hallberg of Parker 79-72-72–223
Woodland, Calif. (Top 36 and ties advance)
50. Dave Jackson of Castle Rock 77-73-74–224
Kim (pictured) and former University of Colorado golfer Alexis Keating both landed spots into Stage II by finishing in the top 90 and ties out of 347 players in the Stage I tournament in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Kim, the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion who played on the LPGA Tour in 2011, finished 39th Sunday, while Keating placed 46th. Kim posted a 2-over-par 290 total, while Keating had one birdie and 17 pars in a 1-under 71 Sunday that left her at 291.
Among the other players with strong Colorado ties who will compete into Stage II — set for Oct. 20-23 in Venice, Fla. — are Becca Huffer of Denver, former DU golfers Tonje Daffinrud, Katie Kempter and Eleanor Givens, former CU golfers Jenny and Kristin Coleman and Emily Childs, and former University of Northern Colorado player Carleigh Silvers. Those eight were included in the golfers exempt from Stage I.
The scores and positions of players with strong Colorado connections who competed in Rancho Mirage:
Advance to Stage II
39. Former DU golfer Kimberly Kim 68-74-70-78–290
46. Former CU golfer Alexis Keating 70-74-76-71–291
Failed to Advance in Q-School
130. Former CSU golfer Betsy Kelly 75-74-72-80–301
214. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 73-77-78–228
214. 2015 CWGA Match Play champion Paige Spiranac 73-77-78–228
214. Lindsay McGetrick of Highlands Ranch 76-76-76–228
277. Former DU golfer Isabel Southard 79-78-77–234
317. Former CU golfer Jamie Oleksiew 79-77-83–239
For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
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