Colorado native Chris Korte falls just short of British Open spot, but final-round 61 and runner-up finish in Argentina solidifies status on Korn Ferry Tour
By Gary Baines – 3/1/2026
Chris Korte came into the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season with conditional status, but a couple of tournaments in South America have dramatically changed the outlook going forward for the native of Littleton.
The 29-year-old graduate of Regis Jesuit High School and the University of Denver put together two outstanding rounds this weekend at the 119 Visa Argentina Open — an 8-under-par 62 on Friday and a 9-under 61 in Sunday’s final round — to finish tied for second in Buenos Aires. Korte said in a text that the 61 was his career best in a tournament.
In fact, Korte was tied for the lead until fellow American Alistair Docherty drove the green on the 354-yard final hole and two-putted for birdie from 35 feet to claim his first KFT title. He beat Korte and S.Y. Noh by one.
The stakes definitely were high on Sunday as the top finisher not otherwise exempt qualified for the 2026 British Open. That turned out to be be Docherty. But Korte was oh so close.
But there are a few notable consolations:
— This was by far Korte’s best finish on the Korn Ferry Tour. His previous best came a month ago at the Astara Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia. There, Korte tied for 25th, earning a spot — on the number — for this week’s Argentina Open.
— With a two-way tie for second place on Sunday, he earned $75,000.
— The runner-up showing essentially locks up exempt status for the remainder of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. Korte is now 13th on the season-long points list. The top 20 players in KFT points at season’s end will earn PGA Tour cards.
Korte, winner of a CGA Amateur and CGA Match Play as an amateur, finished at 21 under par in Argentina after going 67-62-69-61. On Sunday, he shot a 7-under 29 on the final nine hoes, capping a round which included an eagle (at No. 10), eight birdies and a bogey.
After being tied with Korte through 17 holes on Sunday, Docherty ran his drive onto the green on the 354-yard 18th hole, with his ball finishing 35 feet beyond the cup. His eagle putt ran about 3 1/2 feet by the hole, but he converted the birdie for the victory. Just earlier, Noh drained a 7-foot birdie putt after extricating himself from the trees to tie Korte at 21 under.
Taylor Montgomery, whose father Monte was a state high school champion from Grand Junction, tied for fourth at 18 under par.
For all the scores from the Argentina Open, 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. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com