The former University of Denver golfer earned fully-exempt status for the first half of the 2019 season on PGA Tour Latinoamerica on Friday by finishing eighth out of 81 players in one of the final PTLA Q-school tournaments.

Korte (left) shot rounds of 69-67-70-76 for a 2-under-par 282 total in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The winner — American Patrick Flavin (273) — will be fully exempt for the entire season, while those who finished second through 11th will have spots at least for the first half of the year. The season begins March 27 in Panama.

Despite the 76 in the final round, Korte carded an eagle on the par-4 16th hole. For the tournament, he posted two eagles, 17 birdies, 13 bogeys and three double bogeys.

Last week, three other players with strong Colorado ties earned some status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Former Fort Collins resident Tom Whitney will be exempt for the first half of the season, while former Colorado State University golfer Blake Cannon and Castle Pines resident Josh Seiple will have conditional status.

Fan Places Third on The Cactus Tour: Former University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan finished third on Wednesday at The Cactus Tour event in Sun City, Ariz.

Fan, who won a Cactus Tour tournament last summer as a rookie pro, recorded rounds of 69-70-71 for a 6-under-par 210 total. She ended up three strokes behind winner Linnea Johansson of Sweden.

Aspen’s Morris Prevails: AJ Morris of Aspen won a one-day event on the West Florida Golf Tour at Tampa Palms Country Club on Wednesday. Morris shot a 4-under-par 72 and beat Tim Rosenhouse of Dix Hills, N.Y., and Scot Paul Ferrier in a playoff to earn $1,000.

And now it looks like the former Fort Collins resident and Air Force Academy golfer will be a regular on that circuit again in 2019.

Whitney finished fourth out of 99 players on Friday in a PGA Tour Latinoamerica Q-school tournament in Mazatlan, Mexico, which gives him fully-exempt status for the first half of the 2019 season.

Meanwhile, two other players with strong Colorado ties earned conditional PTLA status for 2019 — former Colorado State University golfer Blake Cannon and Castle Pines resident Josh Seiple, who’s in the midst of his senior season at the University of Mississippi.

Whitney, who shared the lead after three rounds, tallied scores of 67-70-65-67 for a 19-under-par 269 total that left him five strokes behind medalist Jacob Bergeron of the U.S., who closed with a 62 and is fully exempt for the entire season.

Whitney eagled a par-4 during Friday’s round, but also made a 7 on a par-5.

Players who finished 2-11 are fully exempt for the first half of the season.

Those who placed 12th through 35th and ties are conditionally exempt in 2019. That’s the category in which Cannon and Seiple fell. Cannon (66-69-71-69) tied for 15th at 275, while Seiple (69-70-69-72) shared 32nd place at 280.

Two more PGA Tour Latinoamerica Q-school events remain, both next week: in Brazil and Argentina.

Coloradan Chen Earns Conditional Status on PGA Tour China: Westminster resident and University of Northern Colorado golfer Li Chen landed conditional status on PGA Tour China on Friday by tying for 21st place out of 100 players in a Q-school tournament in Guangzhou.

The finishers in the 13-35 range earned conditional status through the first six events of 2019.

Chen posted rounds of 73-76-75-78 for a 22-over-par 302 total.

Chen is in the midst of his senior season at UNC. In 2017, he was medalist in qualifying for the U.S. Amateur at Fort Collins Country Club.

This week marked the first of four qualifying tournaments in 2019 for PGA Tour China.

Former Buff Jeremy Paul Wins in Scottsdale: Meanwhile, in mini-tour action, former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul won a one-round tournament, the Waste Management Warm-Up in Scottsdale, Ariz., an Outlaw Tour event.

Paul shot a 5-under-par 67 for a one-stroke victory and earned $1,500 on Monday.

Steven Kupcho Runner-Up in Napa: Elsewhere on mini tours, former CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Steven Kupcho recently posted his second top-10 finish in a month.

Kupcho tied for second in the Napa Open at Silverado Resort and Spa in California last week. The former University of Northern Colorado golfer posted a 7-under-par 209 total, finishing seven back of champion Corey Pereira and earning $3,500.

In December, Kupcho shared ninth place in a Mexico Professional Golf Tour event in Mazatlan.
 

Cunningham (left) — grandson of the late Chuck Melvin, who played in six Colorado Cup matches — finished No. 2 on the Canadian money list in 2018, which earned him status on the Web.com Tour for 2019.

In Cozumel, PGA Tour Latinoamerica defeated PGA Tour Canada 11.5-8.5 on Saturday despite Cunningham going undefeated.

In Saturday’s singles, Cunninham halved with Latinoamerica’s Marcelo Rozo in a back-and-forth match in which Rozo led most of the front nine and Cunningham was 2 up after 13 holes. But after Rozo went 1 up with a birdie on No. 17, Cunningham won 18 with a par to earn the halve.

In Thursday’s four-ball, George Cunningham and Sam Fidone defeated Nicolas Echavarria and Rozo, 2 and 1, rallying after being 2 down after eight holes.

And in Friday’s foursomes, Cunningham and Zach Wright beat Austin Smotherman and Matt Gilchrest, 2 up, after winning the last two holes with pars.

For all the results from the Cozumel Cup, CLICK HERE.
 

The German, who earned conditional status on the Latinoamerica circuit earlier this year, birdied two of his last four holes in the final round — both par-5s — to shoot a 1-under-par 71.

The 23-year-old (pictured) carded scores of 69-70-65 the first three days and finished at 13-under-par 275, ending up seven behind champion Ben Polland and earning $4,725. Paul made eight birdies in Saturday’s 65.

Paul, who turned pro last April and owns the best career scoring average in CU golf history (71.7), played 12 events as a rookie on the Web.com Tour last year, making four cuts with a best finish of 27th. He missed advancing to the second stage of Web.com Q-school by one stroke in the fall.

In January, Paul posted his first professional victory, winning the Pro Golf Tour’s Red Sea Ain Sokhna Classic in Egypt. The Pro Golf Tour is a satellite circuit that feeds the European Challenge Tour.

Elsewhere in professional tour golf on Sunday, Becca Huffer of Denver made a hole-in-one in the final round and finished 14th in the Symetra Tour’s season-opening Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in Winter Haven, Fla. The former CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion went 71-78-66 for a 1-under-par 215 total, which put her nine strokes behind winner Lauren Kim.

Huffer aced the 183-yard 17th hole with a 4-iron on Sunday and added a birdie on No. 18 to close her round. For the day, she made one eagle, five birdies and a bogey. 

The former University of Colorado golfer, a two-time winner of the CoBank Colorado Open, posted rounds of 71-72-68-74 for a 3-under-par 285 total. Tolan played the two par-5s on the back nine in 3 over par, costing him a shot at exempt status for 2018.

The winner of the tournament (Cristobal Del Solar) will be exempt for the entire Latinoamerica season, while the next 10 finishers are exempt for the first half of the year. The rest of the players placing in the top 35 and ties will have conditional status.

Tolan (pictured) played in 11 PGA Tour Latinoamerica tournaments in 2015 and ’16 combined, recording a best finish of fifth place in 2015. The Denver native has also played in five PGA Tour events — including the 2002 U.S. Open as a 16-year-old — and 10 Web.com tournaments.

The PGA Tour Latinoamerica season begins March 15 with the Guatemala Open. Earlier this year, three other players with major Colorado ties also earned conditional status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica through other Q-school tournaments: former Buff golfer Jeremy Paul, Cole Nygren of Longmont and former University of Denver golfer Chris Gilman.

For scores from Q-school in Argentina, CLICK HERE.

No Weekend Play at Phoenix Open for Clark, but Laird in 8th Place: Denver native Wyndham Clark missed the cut on Friday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the eighth PGA Tour start of his pro career.

Clark, who made it into the field via a sponsor exemption, shot rounds of 74-73 for a 5-over-par 147 total at TPC Scottsdale.

It was an up-and-down two days for Clark, who has a Web.com Tour card this year. The winner of the 2017 Pac-12 title and the 2010 CGA Amateur made two birdies and five bogeys on Thursday. In round 2, he carded an eagle, three birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey.

Clark has made two cuts in his eight PGA Tour starts.

Meanwhile, former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird, a Scottsdale resident, backed up his first-round 68 with a 67 on Friday afternoon and moved into a share of eighth place at 7-under 135. After a five-birdie, one-bogey day, he trails co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Bryson DeChambeau by three shots.

For Phoenix Open scores, CLICK HERE.

Former DU Golfer Arvidsson Leads in China: Former University of Denver golfer Oskar Arvidsson leads at the halfway point of an international PGA Tour China Q-school event in Haikou in southern China.

Arvidsson, who played in the 2016 British Open, fired a 5-under-par 67 on Friday, leaving him at 10-under 134 and with a two-stroke lead.

Former CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Steven Kupcho shares 72nd place out of the 120-player field after rounds of 78-74.

The top 15 finishers after 72 holes will be fully exempt on PGA Tour China, with the next 25 conditionally exempt. This is the first of two international qualifiers for PGA Tour China.

For scores, CLICK HERE.

Top 10s in California for Gilman, Nygren: Former University of Denver golfer Chris Gilman and Longmont resident Cole Nygren recorded top-10 finishes Friday in a Golden State Tour tournament in Bakersfield, Calif.

Gilman placed fourth with a three-day total of 12-under-par 204, ending up four behind winner Manav Shah of Bakersfield. Gilman went 66-70-68.

Nygren, who like Gilman will have conditional status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2018, finished 10th on Friday. He posted scores of 71-69-71 for a 5-under 211 total.
 

Paul (pictured), a German who owns the best career stroke average in CU golf history (71.7), posted rounds of 73-73-70-74 for a 2-over-par 290 total.

The top 11 finishers received at least some exempt status on the Latinoamerica circuit, while those in 12th through 35th and ties earned conditional status.

American MJ Maguire will be exempt for the entire season thanks to being the qualifying medalist at 11-under 277.

Paul played in 12 Web.com Tour events in 2017 after going pro just before the Pac-12 Conference Championships in Boulder last year. He made four cuts, placing as high as 27th in the Air Capital Classic in June. He missed advancing to the second stage of Web.com Q-school by one stroke in the fall.

This week’s tournament was the first of four PGA Tour Latinoamerica Q-school tournaments scheduled in the first five weeks of 2018 — and the only one in the U.S.

For all the scores from Florida, CLICK HERE.

Elsewhere, Fort Collins resident Tom Whitney finished fourth in an Adams Pro Tour Winter Series event, The Oaks Championship, that concluded on Tuesday in The Woodlands, Texas.

Whitney, a regular on the Web.com Tour last year, shot rounds of 71-68 for a 139 total and ended up four strokes behind winner Logan McCracken.

Then on Friday, former University of Colorado golfer Josh Creel, from Cheyenne, placed sixth in the Panther Trail Classic on the Winter Series, also at The Woodlands.

Creel, who completed his college career at Central Oklahoma after transferring from CU, went 67-75 for a 2-under 142 total. Brian Rowell won the tournament at 137.
 

The former Air Force Academy golfer teamed with Martin Trainer to win their four-ball match Thursday, 3 and 2 over Paul Barjon and Max Rottluff; paired with former Colorado Open champion and 2016 Latinoamerica Player of the Year Nate Lashley to defeat Taylor Moore and Rottluff 3 and 2 in Friday’s foursomes; then lost 3 and 1 in Saturday’s singles to Barjon.

Each of the 10 players on the winning Latinoamerica squad, including Whitney, earned $8,000.

Whitney finished 11th on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica money list in 2016, posting four top-10 finishes.

For all the results from the Aruba Cup, CLICK HERE.
 

At the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., the opener for the 2016-17 wraparound season, Laird tied for eighth on Sunday. The three-time PGA Tour winner shot rounds of 67-68-68-71 for a 14-under-par 274 total. That left him four strokes behind champion Brendan Steele.

Laird (pictured), a past winner of the Denver Open, recorded three top-10s last season, including a runner-up finish at the RBC Canadian Open in July.

Also at the Safeway Open, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora missed the cut after Monday qualifying for the event with a 9-under-par 63 at the Bayonet Course in Seaside, Calif. It was Wiebe’s second PGA Tour start, but his first as a professional. He competed in the 2010 Farmers Insurance Open while a college golfer at the University of San Diego. Wiebe shot rounds of 75-69 in the Safeway Open, falling three strokes short of advancing to the weekend with an even-par 144 total.

Meanwhile, Tom Whitney of Fort Collins finished second Sunday in the Roberto De Vicenzo PGA Tour Latinoamerica tournament in Uruguay.

The former Air Force Academy golfer shot rounds of 68-65-69-67 for an 11-under-par 269 total. He finished five strokes behind champion Guillermo Pereira of Chile.

Whitney eagled two holes in a four-hole stretch on Sunday — Nos. 10 and 13 — and added 15 birdies on the week. For the year on the Latinoamerica circuit, Whitney has notched four top-10 finishes, with Sunday’s runner-up being his best showing. He’s now eighth on the tour money list for 2016, with $50,970.
 

With the top 25 finishers and ties at a qualifying tournament in Bogota, Colombia landing spots on the Latinoamerica Tour this year, Tolan (left) tied for 23rd place. One shot higher and he would have missed out.

The Highlands Ranch resident double bogeyed his final hole and shot a 4-over-par 40 on the back nine Friday. But it was good enough for him to gain conditional status in 2016. Tolan went 74-71-73-76 on a formidable course to check in at 10-over-par 294.

The medalist — American Seth Fair — earned a full exemption for the entire season, while the next 10 finishers will be exempt for the first half of the year. The remaining 14 players and ties earned conditional status.

Tolan joins fellow former University of Colorado golfer Justin Bardgett and Fort Collins’ Tom Whitney in successfully negotiating one of the four Latinoamerica Q-school tournaments. Tolan and Bardgett have conditional status.

Tolan was also conditional on PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2015, playing in eight events and finishing 71st on the money list with $13,440.

Elsewhere this week, three Coloradans — Jim Knous of Englewood, Parker Edens of Greeley and Cameron Harrell of Colorado Springs tied for ninth place in an OnCore Gateway Tour event in Gilbert, Ariz.

With 2-under-par 211 totals, they finished 15 strokes behind champion Jake Younan and won $1,400 each.