The Q-school process can be exhilerating — or cruel — depending on your perspective. When opportunities to get a card for a given major tour come around only once a year, that’s the nature of the business.
A good example was the Web.com Tour Q-school First Stage tournament that concluded on Friday in St. George, Utah.
There, 2012 CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Steven Kupcho (left) of Westminster shot a 5-under-par 65 to advance to Stage 2 on the number. And Riley Arp of Fort Collins fired a 68 to also move on — with no strokes to spare. Kupcho, a former University of Northern Colorado golfer, played his final 12 holes in 5 under.
On the other side of the cut line in Utah, Beau Schoolcraft of Denver appeared to be in good shape after going 69-64-64 the first three rounds. But a final-round 75 left him one stroke shy of advancing — just a shot behind Kupcho and Arp. Schoolcraft played his final three holes in 3 over par, with a bogey on 16 and a double bogey on 17.
All told, five players with strong Colorado connections advanced this week to the Second Stage of the three-stage process, thanks to finishing in the top 21 or 22 — depending on the First Stage site in which they competed.
Joining Kupcho and Arp in moving on on Friday were AJ Morris of Aspen (fourth place in West Palm Beach, Fla.); Josh Creel, who started his college career at the University of Colorado (12th place in Dayton, Nev.); and former University of Denver player Chris Gilman (17th place in Nevada).
That’s in addition to the four players with strong Colorado connections who advanced last month from a First Stage Q-school tournament to Second Stage — Zahkai Brown of Golden, fellow former CSU golfer Blake Cannon, and former CU players Yannik and Jeremy Paul.
Among those falling short on Friday was Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo, another case that falls into the Q-school cruelty category. Makloski was in fourth place going into Friday in Dayton, Nev. — where the top 22 finishers and ties advanced — but a final-round 81 dropped him into 35th place.
See below for all the scores for local players and where they placed.
Next up, there will be five Second Stage Q-school tournmaments from Oct. 30-Nov. 9. The Final Stage is Dec. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., where 2018 Web.com Tour cards will be distributed.
Here are this week’s First-Stage scores for all the players with strong Colorado ties:
Q-School First Stage (Oct. 9-12)
Dayton Nev. (Top 22 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
Advance to Stage 2
12. Former CU golfer Josh Creel 70-71-72-72–285
17. Former DU golfer Chris Gilman 74-69-72-71-71–286
Failed to Advance
36. Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 68-69-73-81–291
36. James Love, Denver 71-72-76-72–291
61. Former Coloradan Eric Hallberg 80-75-75-71–301
St. George, Utah (Top 21 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
Advance to Stage 2
20. Riley Arp, Fort Collins 68-67-68-68–271
20. Steven Kupcho, Westminster 70-67-69-65–271
Failed to Advance
25. Beau Schoolcraft, Denver 69-64-64-75–272
39. Mike Schoolcraft, Denver 73-70-69-63–275
39. Cole Nygren, Longmont 71-71-65-68–275
50. Tom Gempel, Lone Tree 68-71-72-67–278
The Woodlands, Texas (Top 22 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
30. Former Coloradan Tom Whitney 67-76-74-70–287
33. Jamie Marshall, Lone Tree 68-70-75-76–289
West Palm Beach, Fla. (Top 21 Finishers and Ties After 72 Holes Advance to Stage 2)
Advances to Stage 2
4. AJ Morris, Aspen 68-67-71-69–275
