Now things really get interesting for local players who have dreams of competing on some of the world’s top golf tours.
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.
