Moving On

Former CGA Players of the Year Connor Jones and AJ Ott join former part-time Coloradan Dan Erickson in advancing to second stage of PGA Tour Q-school

By Gary Baines 

Colorado residents Connor Jones and AJ Ott were once mainstays of the Colorado State University men’s golf squad, though they were never Ram teammates.

But the two former CGA Players of the Year certainly had something in common this week. Both competed in a PGA Tour Q-school tournament in Lincoln, Neb., and both made the grade at the first-stage event.

Jones, a resident of Westminster, and Ott, who now resides in Denver, finished eighth and 12th, respectively out of a 77-man field on Friday to advance to the second stage of Q-school, where they’ll tee it up Dec. 1-4 for the right to go to the Q-school finals. There, five 2027 PGA Tour cards will be awarded, with the next 40 players and ties landing preferred Korn Ferry Tour status. The remaining final-stage finishers will earn conditional status on the KFT.

Also moving on to the second stage on Friday — but in Albuquerque, N.M. — was Dan Erickson, whose family used to live in northern Colorado and was a member at TPC Colorado. Erickson, who closed with a 5-under-par 66, advanced on the number, finishing in a five-way tie for 14th at a site where the top 17 players and ties move on. He ended up at 5 under par for four days. At that same site, 2026 Inspirato Colorado Open champion Carson Lundell of Alpine, Utah (-8) tied for fifth to earn a second-stage berth.

Meanwhile, Jones posted four straight sub-par rounds (70-67-68-69) for a 10-under-par total, which left him seven strokes behind medalist Jonas Baumgartner of Stillwater, Okla. Jones recorded two eagles, 16 birdies and 10 bogeys over four days.

Ott, runner-up in the 2026 Colorado Open, went 67-69-67-73 to check in at 8 under par. He carded 16 birdies, six bogeys and a double bogey overall.

Here’s how all the players with strong Colorado ties fared in this week’s first-stage events:

Lincoln, Neb. Oct. 20-23 (Top 17 finishers and ties advance)

Advance to Second Stage

8. Connor Jones, Westminster 70-67-68-69—274

12. AJ Ott, Denver 67-69-67-73–276

Albuquerque, N.M. Oct. 20-23 (Top 17 finishers and ties advance)

Advances to Second Stage

14. Former part-time Coloradan Dan Erickson 71-70-72-66—279

Failed to Advance

27. Former CU golfer Adam Matteson 69-72-70-71–282

27. Former CU golfer Yannik Paul 75-68-72-67–282

33. Jake Staiano, Englewood 74-65-69-75—283

59. Derek Fribbs, Aurora 74-64-77-81–296

59. Hunter Swanson, Superior 75-70-73-78–296

For results from all 2026 PGA Tour Q-school tournaments held this week, CLICK HERE.

Here are the upcoming first-stage tournaments that feature players with significant Colorado connections:

West Palm Beach, Fla., Oct. 27-30

Former Golden resident Andy Svoboda

Newton, Kan., Oct. 27-30

Former CSU golfer Gunnar Broin

Rhett Johnson, Littleton

Bermuda Run, N.C., Oct. 27-30

Former CU golfer Dylan McDermott

Abilene, Texas Oct. 27-30

Former Colorado Christian University golfer Xavier Bighaus

Cheyenne native and former CU golfer Josh Creel

Former DU golfer John Sand

Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 3-6

Former CU golfer Tucker Clark

Former Fort Collins resident Matt Liringis

Lakewood Ranch, Fla., Nov. 3-6

Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins

Bo Wardynski, Berthoud

San Jacinto, Calif., Nov. 3-6

Griffin Barela, Lakewood

Former CU golfer Michael Feuerstein

Roberto Lebrija, Vail

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