Coloradans Griffin Barela and Jake Staiano, and former local college players Justin Biwer, John Sand and Gunnar Broin advance to 2nd stage of PGA Tour Q-school
By Gary Baines – 10/17/2025
Five players with significant ties to Colorado on Friday became part of the latest group of golfers to advance to the Second Stage of PGA Tour/Korn Ferry Tour Q-school.
Those five will join Chris Korte, who grew up in Littleton, among the “locals” advancing to Stage 2. Korte finished third in a First Stage tournament in Maricopa, Ariz., last week.
On Friday, Griffin Barela of Lakewood, Jake Staiano of Englewood, former University of Colorado golfer Justin Biwer, former University of Denver golfer John Sand and ex-Colorado State player Gunnar Brown successfully negotiated First Stage tournaments and kept their hopes alive for landing spots on one of the world’s top tours for 2026.
Biwer and Staiano, the 2017 CGA Player of the Year, made the grade in Albuquerque, N.M. Barela, winner of the 2021 CGA Amateur, and Broin did so in Lincoln, Neb., and Sand in Rockwell, Texas.
Biwer, who finished fourth at the UNM Championship Course when CU won the Tucker Invitational last fall, was runner-up out of 78 players this time around at that same facility. Biwer has now finished first in the First Stage of Q-school and second in the Second Stage. This week, he followed up an opening 64 with three straight rounds of 69 to check in at 13 under par, two back of medalist Corey Pereira of Cameron Park, Calif.
Also in Albuquerque, Staiano birdied his last two holes and played his final seven in 4 under to give him a 13th-place finish, with the top 19 and ties advancing. He ended up at 5 under par overall.
Barela went 66-68-66-70 to check in at 14 under par, good for eighth place in Nebraska. Broin, who transferred from CSU to Kansas, placed 14th in Lincoln at 10 under after playing his final eight holes in 6 under. Broin overcame a quadruple-bogey 9 on the sixth hole Friday. AJ Ott of Fort Collins (68-68-75-65) came up one stroke shy of advancing despite a stellar final round in which he made eight birdies.
Sand (70-69-65-68) tied for second at 16 under par in Texas, eight strokes behind medalist Matthew Watkins, who was competing in his hometown. Former PGA Tour player Josh Creel, a native of Cheyenne who started his college golf career at CU before transferring to Central Oklahoma, missed advancing by one stroke.
In all, 14 First Stage tournaments are planned for this month, including six more from Oct. 21-24, when a half-dozen additional players with major Colorado ties will compete.
The five Second Stage tournaments are set for Dec. 2-5. And the Final Stage of Q-school is scheduled for Dec. 11-14 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
The top five finishers in the Final Stage will earn 2026 PGA Tour cards. The rest of the top 40 and ties will land some exempt status on the Korn Ferry Tour for next year, while the remaining finishers will have conditional status.
Here are the results for players with strong Colorado ties in PGA Tour Q-school this week:
First Stage in Lincoln, Neb. Oct. 14-17
(Top 18 Finishers & Ties Advance to Second Stage)
Advance to Second Stage
8. Griffin Barela, Lakewood 66-68-66-70—270
14. Former CSU golfer Gunnar Broin 68-71-66-69–274
Failed to Advance
19. AJ Ott, Fort Collins 68-68-75-65—276
First Stage in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 14-17
(Top 19 Finishers & Ties Advance to Second Stage)
Advance to Second Stage
2. Former CU golfer Justin Biwer 64-69-69
13. Jake Staiano, Englewood 71-69-69-70—279
Failed to Advance
26. Derek Fribbs, Aurora 74-71-68-69—282
First Stage in Rockwell, Texas Oct. 14-17
(Top 18 Finishers & Ties Advance to Second Stage)
Advance to Second Stage
2. Former DU golfer John Sand 70-69-65-68–272
Failed to Advance
20. Former CU and Central Oklahoma golfer Josh Creel 69-68-71-72—280
First Stage in Kenilworth, N.J., Oct. 14-17
(Top 18 Finishers & Ties Advance to Second Stage)
Failed to Advance
44. Collin Engelhardt, Castle Rock 69-72-67-75–283
First Stage in Newton, Kan. Oct. 14-17
(Top 19 Finishers and Ties Advance to Second Stage)
Failed to Advance
31. Former DU golfer Carson Griggs 68-72-76-72–288
35. Zahkai Brown, Golden 75-72-73-70—290
Former Coloradan Gunner Wiebe 73-72-78-WD
For all the results from Q-school, 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