Eyes on the Prize

3 former CGA Players of the Year among locals set to vie in crucial second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-school

By Gary Baines - 10/15/2021

Nine players with strong Colorado connections, including three former CGA Players of the Year, will tee it up next week in Q-school, with 2022 Korn Ferry Tour cards on the line.

Those nine locals will be competing in the third of the four stages of KFT qualifying — technically named the “second stage” since there’s also pre-qualifying. And those who advance to the final stage (Nov. 4-7 in Savannah, Ga.) are assured of some Korn Ferry status next year, with that status varying depending on where players finish in the finals.

But first things first. There will be four second-stage tournaments held next week (Oct. 19-22) throughout the southern half of the country. One second-stage event concluded on Friday, in Brooksville, Fla., with the only local player involved being part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler, the 2002 CGA Player of the Year. The 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open winner, who is down to past-champions status on the PGA Tour, finished 60th and failed to advance, shooting 73-72-70-74 for a 1-over-par 289 total.

As noted, next week’s fields feature three past CGA Players of the Year: Gunner Wiebe (2010), Kyler Dunkle (2016) and Jake Staiano (2017).

Here’s where all the locals will tee it up next week:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Oct. 19-22)

Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle

Jake Staiano of Englewood

Former Coloradan Gunner Wiebe

Former Coloradan Kyle Westmoreland

Former Colorado School of Mines golfer George Markham

MURRIETA, CALIF. (Oct. 19-22)

Chris Korte of Littleton

Former Coloradan Matthew Liringis

Former DU golfer Chris Gilman

PLANTATION, FLA. (Oct. 19-22)

Former Coloradan Andy Svoboda