Johnson Wins Individual Title, and NDSU Wins the Team at Torrey Pines
March 27, 2024
Jon DuToit made 25 birdies and an eagle in 72 holes at Lantana Golf Club in Lantana, Texas, this week in the First Stage of qualifying for the Web.com Tour. He ended the week 19 under par with a 269 total -- and finished 10 strokes behind the medalist, Paul Barjon of Fort Worth.
Q-School is a taste of life in the fast lane for golfers who aspire to play on the PGA Tour some day, and it gets even faster as you advance.
Nevertheless, DuToit did make it through to the next stage comfortably, with seven strokes to spare. The top 24 finishers and ties advanced, and DuToit tied for ninth in Lantana. So the former Minnesota State Amateur and State Open champ will move on to the Second Stage, which begins Oct. 31.
The Final Stage of Web.com Q-School will be Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz., at Whirlwind Golf Club, on the Devils Claw and Cattail courses. From there, basically, the top 45 gain exemptions for the 2018 Web.com Tour, which can then be a stepping stone to the PGA Tour.
Barjon opened with a 66 and never shot anything higher in his four rounds. His 259 aggregate gave him a three-stroke victory over two fellow Texans, Rafael Becker and Cory Churchman.
DuToit never shot anything higher than 68. He opened with a 67 (8 birdies, 3 bogeys) and followed it with a 68 and two more 67's. On Friday, in his final round, he knew that he needed only 72 or 73 to advance, but he played the front nine in 2 under (34), and then after a birdie-bogey start on the back side, he took advantage of the two remaining par-5's, making a birdie at the 529-yard 13th hole and the an eagle at the 580-yard 16th.
The 24-year-old second-year pro from Chaska (he tied Moorhead's Ben Welle for first in the Class AAA portion of the 2012 state high school tournament) played in only four tournaments in Minnesota this year. He tied for fifth in the Minnesota Golf Champions, finished solo third in the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am, was second to amateur Ben Greve in the State Open (so he got the biggest check -- $8,500), and won the Somerby Pro-Am.
Two other Minnesotans advanced this week, but both Jon Trasamar and Hudson Carpenter cut it close.
Like DuToit, Trasamar played for the University of Minnesota. He is a former Pine to Palm champion who won a Dakotas Tour event at Yankton this summer and received $21,000 for his efforts. His First Stage qualifying was at Arbor Links in Nebraska City, Neb. He put himself in jeopardy -- and two shots outside the number -- when he double-bogeyed the ninth hole Friday afternoon. But he came back with two birdies and no bogeys on the back nine for a 3-under 69 and 282 total. That was the magic number. It got him into a nine-way tie for 23rd at a site where the top 24 and ties made it through to the next stage.
Carpenter won the North Dakota Open in 2016, and was also the leading money-winner on the North Star Professional Golf Tour that summer. He, too, made it through the First Stage on the number. Playing at Grasslands G&CC in Lakeland, Fla., for the second year in a row, he improved on his score from last year by nine strokes, to 285, and that was just good enough. The former Stillwater HIgh School star shot 75 in the first round, but came back with three consecutive 70's. The top 22 made it out of Lakeland, and Carpenter finished all alone in 22nd place.
There are seven more First Stage Q-School tournaments scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
MEN'S PROFESSIONAL GOLF
Web.com Q-School
First Stage (at various sites)
Lantana, Texas
Oct. 3-6
At Lantana Golf Club
Par 72
Final results (to 24 and ties advance)
1. Paul Barjon, Fort Worth 66-64-63-66--259 (129)
T2. Rafael Becker, Dallas 66-65-63-68--262
T2. Cory Churchman, Fort Worth 63-65-66-68--262
4. Eric Steger, Fishers, Ind. 67-66-66-64--263
5. Denny Balin, Rockville, Md. 69-64-68-64--265
T8. Jon DuToit, Chaska 67-68-67-67--269
What it took: 276 (5-way tie for 24th)
T42. Derek Chang, Dallas 71-65-72-72--280
T42. Chris Meyer, Edina 65-72-71-72--280
DQ -- Dylan Baker, Eden Prairie 67-74-70--211
Nebraska City, Neb.
Oct. 3-6
At Arbor Liinks
Par 71
Final results (top 24 and ties advance)
1. Nick Voke (A), Ames, Iowa 72-65-66-65--268 (-16)
2. Wyndham Clark, Las Vegas 66-67-69-67--269
T3. Justin Bardgett, Chesterfield, Mo. 68-71-65-67--271
T3. Brandon Crick, McCook, Neb. 66-71-66-68--271
5. Jeff Kellen, Rockford, Ill. 68-70-66-68--271
T23. Jon Trasamar, Blue Earth 72-70-71-69--282
What it took: 282 (9-way tie for 23rd)
73. Yarri Bryn, Minneapolis 75-80-74-72--301
Lakeland, Fla.
Oct. 3-6
At Grasslands Golf & Country Club
Par 72
Final results (top 22 and ties advance)
1. Zach Zaback, Cromwell, Conn. 68-70-67-68--273 (-15)
2. Connor Arendell, Cape Coral, Fla. 74-72-63-66--275
T3. Matt Schall, Charlotte, N.C. 70-70-67-70--277
T3. Garrett Osborn, Birmingham, Ala. 75-68-70-64--277
22. Hudson Carpenter, Stillwater 75-70-70-70--285
What it took: 285 (solo 22nd)
T60. Andrew McCain, Minneapolis 76-78-75-71--300
San Diego
Oct. 3-6
At The Crosby
Par 70
Final results (top 23 and ties advance)
1. John Oda, Henderson, Nev. 68-67-62-66--263 (-17)
2. Tyler Torano, Chula Vista, Calif. 64-64-67-69--264
T3. Richard Lee, Phoenix 68-69-63-68--268
T3. Ryan O'Rear, Belton, Texas 67-64-68-69--268
What it took: 277 (3-way tie for 23rd)
T59. Cam White, Wayzata 74-676-67-74--291
Maricopa, Ariz.
At Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
Par 72
Final results (top 23 and ties advance)
1 Jared du Toit, Canada 62-66-67-67--262 (-26)
T2. Steven Fox, Hendersonville, Tenn. 64-68-68-68--268
T2. Sean Harlington, Canada 67-65-69-67--268
4. Michael Weaver, Fresno, Calif. 67-67-72-63--269
T9. Andre Metzger, Sioux Falls 65-73-67-69--274
What it took: 279 (6-way tie for 18th)
T70. Sam Matthew, Roseville 76-72-72-79--299
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