Coloradans Griffin Barela, Davis Bryant, Dillon Stewart and AJ Ott advance to second stage of PGA Tour Q-school, along with Dan Erickson and Carson Griggs; 2024 Elite Amateur Series champ Connor Jones falls a shot short
By Gary Baines – 10/11/2024
Four winners of the CGA Amateur and two CGA Match Play champions teed it up in the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying this week — and four of them will be advancing to the second stage.
Making the grade on Friday in the first-stage tournament in Lincoln, Neb. — where the top 25 finishers advanced — were Griffin Barela of Lakewood (2021 CGA Am champ), 2024 Inspirato Colorado Open winner Davis Bryant (2019 CGA Am champ) and AJ Ott of Fort Collins (2018 CGA Match Play champ).
And advancing on Friday from the first-stage event in Maricopa, Ariz. — where the top 21 players move on — was 2024 Sinclair Rocky Mountain Open winner Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins (2023 CGA Am champ). Also moving on at that site was Dan Erickson, whose family moved to Loveland in 2018.
However, falling just short on Friday in Arizona — by a single shot — was Connor Jones of Westminster, who swept the CGA Match Play and Amateur in 2022 and was this year’s national season-long Elite Amateur Series Cup champion. Jones played his last 16 holes in 8 under par en route to a 7-under 65 on Friday but finished one shot too high to move on this year.
Barela placed second — out of an 81-man field — in Nebraska by ending up at 16 under par (69-64-69-66), one back of medalist Spencer Cross of Sevierville, Tenn. Bryant, who last month secured a spot in the second stage of DP World Tour qualifying (Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Spain), tied for 11th place in Lincoln on Friday at 10 under par. And Ott placed 18th with an 8-under total.
In Arizona, Erickson shared fourth place with a 10-under-par showing, which left him six behind medalist Patrick Flavin of Highwood, Ill. Stewart tied for 13th place at 8 under.
At a third first-stage site, in Broken Arrow, Okla., former University of Denver golfer Carson Griggs, the runner-up in the 2021 CGA Match Play, tied for seventh place to punch his ticket to stage 2. He ended up at 8 under par, nine back of medalist Hazen Newman of Las Vegas.
Ten more first-stage tournaments will start later this month, with the last one concluding on No. 1. Even though this month’s events are called “first stage”, numerous players involved previously had to make it through pre-qualifying to make the first-stage field.
Those who advance to the second stage will compete either in November or early December at one of five courses. At the final stage, set for Dec. 12-15 in Ponte Vedra, Fla., five PGA Tour cards (plus ties) will be up for grabs, with the next 40 finishers and ties earning some exempt status on the Korn Ferry Tour, and the remaining players landing conditional status on the KFT.
LINCOLN, NEB. (Top 25 Advance to Second Stage)
Advance to Stage 2
2. Griffin Barela, Lakewood 69-64-69-66–268
11. Davis Bryant, Aurora 68-70-69-67—274
18. AJ Ott, Fort Collins 68-69-65-74—276
Failed to Advance
29. Chandler Eaton, Berthoud 69-65-73-72–279
72. Jackson Solem, Longmont 71-75-74-75–295
MARICOPA, ARIZ. (Top 21 Advance to Second Stage)
Advance to Stage 2
4. Dan Erickson, former part-time Colorado resident 66-70-72-70—278
13. Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins 73-68-71-68—280
Failed to Advance
22. Connor Jones, Westminster 71-70-76-65–282
BROKEN ARROW, OKLA. (Top 20 Advance to Second Stage)
Advance to Stage 2
7. Carson Griggs, former DU golfer 73-72-66-65–276
Failed to Advance
29. Matt Liringis, former Fort Collins resident 71-73-72-68–284
47. Josh Creel, Cheyenne native and former CU golfer 71-80-70-68–289
63. Derek Fribbs, Aurora 79-71-72-73—295
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. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com