Amateur Rhett Johnson of Littleton and former CU golfer Justin Biwer Monday qualify into field for this week’s Blue Championship at TPC Colorado; Jim Knous receives sponsor exemption
By Gary Baines – 7/6/2026
A couple of golfers were added to the local roster for the Blue Championship, the Korn Ferry Tour event that starts on Thursday at TPC Colorado in Berthoud.
With two Monday qualifiers being held — at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie and Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster — eight players total joined the Blue Championship field, bringing it to 156.
Two players with considerable connections to Colorado made the grade at Colorado National — amateur Rhett Johnson of Littleton and former University of Colorado golfer Justin Biwer, who was playing at CU’s home course on Monday.
With 93 players competing at Colorado National on Monday, Johnson shared medalist honors at 7-under-par 65 with Gregory Solhaug of Henderson, Nev., and Carson Lundell of Alpine, Utah. Lundell won the Rocky Mountain Amateur at Colorado National in 2020. Biwer posted a 66 to join them in the Blue field.
Previously in the field with strong Colorado/area ties were sponsor exemptions Jim Knous (winner of the 2025 Inspirato Colorado Open) and Miles Kuhl of Boulder; Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins; Regis Jesuit High School and University of Denver graduate Chris Korte; former Air Force Academy golfers Kyle Westmoreland and Tom Whitney; and Josh Creel, who grew up in Cheyenne. (Note: Martin Laird, the four-time PGA Tour winner who lives in Colorado and played at Colorado State University, was originally in the field, but withdrew when he received a spot in the PGA Tour’s ISCO Championship in Louisville, Ky.)
Johnson, a Mullen High School graduate who played college golf at Kentucky State, went bogey-free on Monday at Colorado National, making seven birdies.
Biwer, a rookie on PGA Tour Americas, likewise didn’t make a bogey on Monday, in his case recording six birdies. Biwer played at CU from 2021-25, finishing with the lowest career stroke average in program history. He’s scored two top-10 finish in seven starts on the Americas tour.
Landing the four available spots at the Monday qualifier at Walnut Creek were Michael Sanders of Little Elm, Texas (63, with an eagle and seven birdies), Daniel Wetterich of Cincinnati (66), George Leigh of Las Vegas (67) and Kelly Harper of Atlanta (67).
For all the results from Monday qualifying, click on the following: COLORADO NATIONAL, WALNUT CREEK.
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2026 The Blue Championship: The Essentials
What: The eighth annual Blue Championship, a Korn Ferry Tour event.
Where: TPC Colorado in Berthoud, a par-72 course expected to play abut 8,022 yards.
When: Championship rounds Thursday-Sunday, July 9-12, which are the only days fans can attend unless participating in a pre-tournament event. Gates are expected to open to the public at 6 a.m. each day.
Note: Executive Women’s Day is 10-noon on Thursday. The Folds of Honor ceremony is Friday at 7:30 a.m. on the first tee. A junior clinic is set for 1:30-2:30 on Saturday. The trophy ceremony will follow the conclusion of play on Sunday on the 18th green.
Tee Times: Championship tee times are expected to start at 6:30 a.m. each day. The final tee time next weekend is tentatively scheduled for about 12:45 p.m.
Cut: The 156-player field will be cut to the low 65 players and ties after 36 holes.
Purse: $1 million, with the winner receiving $180,000.
Tickets: Tickets start at $10 per day. For ticket information, CLICK HERE. Kids 17 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult and do not require their own ticket for grounds-only access. Active-duty U.S. military and retirees — as well as first responders — and their families receive free admission when a valid military ID is presented at a ticket sales window. Tournament proceeds support Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Additional Information: For more information regarding The Blue Championship, 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