Coloradans Jim Knous, Davis Bryant and AJ Ott advance to second stage of PGA Tour Q-school
By Gary Baines – 10/13/2023
Three Colorado residents earned spots in the second stage of
Q-school on Friday, keeping alive their chances of landing a PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour card for 2024.
Jim Knous of Littleton — who has played in 43 PGA Tour events in his career, primarily from 2018-22 — is joined in advancing by former Colorado State University teammates Davis Bryant of Aurora and AJ Ott of Fort Collins. Bryant (2019) and Ott (2018) are both former CGA Les Fowler Players of the Year.
Knous, Bryant and Ott punched their tickets into stage 2 of PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry by finishing in the top 20 on Friday in the 72-hole first stage tournament in Lincoln, Neb., one of four such events that took place this week.
Knous, a former Colorado School of Mines golfer, went 71-68-70-70 for a 5-under-par total, good for a share of seventh place in the 79-man field. He made 14 birdies and nine bogeys for the week.
Bryant, a rookie pro who successfully negotiated pre-qualifying last month, carded scores of 71-69-68-72 to check in at 4 under and in 10th place. He made 15 birdies, nine bogeys and a double bogey in Lincoln.
Ott also tied for 10th place at 4 under, in his case posting rounds of 66-71-71-72. He recorded a dozen birdies and eight bogeys for the week.
Alex Scott of Traverse City, Mich., earned medalist honors in Lincoln, ending up at 14 under par.
This week’s tournaments were part of a new-look Q-school that eventually will result in at least five players earning 2024 PGA Tour cards. It’s the first time in a decade that PGA Tour playing privileges are at stake in Q-school.
Nine more first-stage tournaments will be held either Oct. 17-20 or Oct. 24-27.
Five 72-hole second-stage events are scheduled for either Nov. 14-17 or Nov. 28-Dec. 1. And the final stage is planned for TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Dec. 14-17.
At that final stage, the top five finishers and ties will land 2024 PGA Tour cards. Spots on other tours, including the Korn Ferry circuit, are also at stake during this Q-school. Each player who finishes the final stage of Q-school will have at least some Korn Ferry Tour status for 2024, depending on where they place in that final stage.
Pre-qualifying, for those not previously exempt, was held last month.
FIRST-STAGE Q-SCHOOL RESULTS FOR LOCAL GOLFERS
Oct. 10-13 in Lincoln, Neb. (Top 20 and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Headed to Stage 2
Jim Knous, Littleton 71-68-70-70–279
Davis Bryant, Aurora 71-69-68-72—280
AJ Ott, Fort Collins 66-71-71-72–280
Failed to Advance
Griffin Barela, Lakewood 72-71-70-70–283
Franklin Huang, Lafayette 76-71-72-69–288
Cole Howard, Colorado Springs 74-74-78-79–305
Oct. 10-13 in Maricopa, Ariz. (Top 20 and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
34. Roberto Lebrija, Edwards 69-69-73-75—286
70. Tyler Severin, Johnstown 75-72-71-86–304
Oct. 10-13 in Muskogee, Okla. (Top 20 and Ties Advance to Stage 2)
Failed to Advance
72. Ryan Schmitz, Littleton 74-75-71-76—296
For all the results from PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. He was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com