The first stage of Web.com Q-school generally doesn’t receive a lot of attention, but James Love of Denver forced the issue a little on Tuesday.
The former University of Denver golfer opened a first-stage tournament with a 12-under-par 59 Tuesday at SunRiver Golf Club in St. George, Utah.
Breaking 60 in big-time golf tournaments is a rarity, though Jim Furyk’s 58 on the PGA Tour and Stephen Jaegar’s 58 on the Web.com circuit — both this year — have taken things to another level.
On Tuesday, Love fired a 7-under-par 28 on the front nine and a 31 on the back, racking up 12 birdies in a bogey-free round. After round 1 of the 72-hole event, he leads by four strokes. The top 24 finishers and ties will advance to stage 2 of the three-stage Web.com Q-school process.
Love, a native of Canada, played PGA Tour Canada this past summer, posting a best finish of third place.
Riley Arp of Fort Collins also started strong in St. George, shooting a 66 to leave him in 10th place.
Here are the scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties who are competing this week in first-stage tournaments:
St. George, Utah (Top 25 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
1. James Love of Denver 59
10. Riley Arp of Fort Collins 66
40. Bryan Kruse of Westminster 70
67. Former Coloradan Tom Kalinowski 73
Pine Mountain, Ga. (Top 25 Finishers and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
35. Jamie Marshall of Lone Tree 73