Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Ewart, du Toit move on to second stage of Q-school; Kim’s world ranking on the rise; Taylor ties for 21st in Japan; Carswell shines for SFU
BC's A.J. Ewart Is On To The Next Round Of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School - Image Courtesy Brad Ziemer
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
A.J. Ewart played well again in Florida, which should not come as a surprise. The 24-year-old Coquitlam native, who enjoyed considerable success as a collegiate player at Barry University in south Florida, sailed through the first stage of Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school last week at a site in Lake Worth, Fla.
Ewart fired rounds of 69, 66, 65 and 69 to finish tied for fifth at 16-under par. The top 20 and ties advanced to the second stage of Q-school. Ewart’s third-round 65 included a hole-in-one on the 177-yard par 3 third hole at The Falls Club.
Ewart turned pro last spring after graduating from Barry, where he won multiple titles and in 2022 received the Jack Nicklaus Award as the top player in NCAA Division II men’s golf.
He played this past summer on the PGA Tour Canada circuit, but missed the top 60 and did not retain any status on the new PGA Americas Tour for 2024. None of that will matter if he can play his way onto the Korn Ferry Tour (or even the PGA TOUR) through Q-school.
Kimberley’s Jared du Toit also made it through the first stage of Q-school last week. Du Toit tied for eighth (seven-under par) at a site in Albuquerque, N.M. The 28-year-old du Toit finished 28th on the PGA Tour Canada money list in 2023 and is exempt for the Latin American portion of the PGA Tour Americas circuit early next year.
While du Toit and Ewart can begin preparing for the second stage of Q-school, which will be held at five different sites beginning in mid-November, some others were not as fortunate. Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, Khan Lee of Chilliwack, Max Sear of Victoria and Chris Crisologo of Richmond were among those failing to get through first stage.
Image Courtesy Brad Ziemer
Kimberley, BC's Jared du Toit Has Also Moved On To Round 2 of Korn Ferry Tour Q-school
Q-school continues at four other first-stage sites this week. Jake Lane of Charlie Lake and Lawren Rowe of Squamish are competing at a site in Bermuda Run, N.C., James Allenby and Tanvir Kahlon, both of Langley, are competing at a site in Abilene, Tex., and Richmond’s Ziggy Nathu is playing at a site in Montgomery, Tex.
CLOSE CALL: The Vancouver duo of Leah John and Tiffany Kong both finished strong, but failed to advance at Stage 2 of the LPGA Tour qualifying school in Venice, Fla. John, a senior at the University of Nevada, closed with a five-under 67 to finish the 72-hole event tied for 48th at even-par. That was two shots shy of the number needed to finish among the top 40 and ties who advanced to final stage. Kong, who graduated from Princeton University this past spring, tied for 83rd at three-over par after firing a six-under 66 in the final round. Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., tied for sixth at eight-under par and was the lone Canadian to advance to the final stage of Q-school, which goes Nov. 30-Dec. 5 in Mobile, Alabama.
ON THE RISE: Lauren Kim’s world ranking is on the rise following her first collegiate win. The 18-year-old Surrey native has moved up 25 spots to 42nd in the latest Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings. The University of Texas freshman is the top-ranked Canadian. Kim, who won the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Dallas earlier this month in just her third collegiate event, is competing for Canada at this week’s World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi. Her teammates are Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont. The men’s competition was held last week in Abu Dhabi, where the Canadian team of Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont., Piercen Hunt of Harland, Wi., and Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta., finished 15th.
ONE AND DONE: Adam Hadwin’s solo second finish at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas will be his one and only appearance during the PGA TOUR’s fall season. Hadwin does not plan to tee it up again until 2024 season-opening Sentry event in early January at Kapalua in Maui. Hadwin said he hopes to use the off-season to get stronger. “It is tempting to come back and play a little more, but I have some goals this off-season,” Hadwin said. “I want to put a little weight on and get a little faster.” Hadwin has the luxury of being able to take some time off. He has earned top-50 status, meaning he is eligible to play in all of the PGA TOUR’s big-money Signature events in 2024.
OVERSEAS TRIP: Fellow top-50 finishers Nick Taylor of Abbotsford and Adam Svensson of Surrey both made the trip to Japan for last week’s Zozo Championship, a no-cut event with a field of 78 players. Taylor tied for 21st at even-par, 14 shots behind winner Collin Morikowa, and earned $73,610. Svensson tied for 41st at three-over and made $27,710. The PGA TOUR’s fall season resumes Nov. 2-5 at the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico.
TOP 10 FOR CARSWELL: Redshirt freshman Denby Carswell of Burnaby continues to impress for Simon Fraser University. Carswell was the low Red Leaf for the third straight tournament as he tied for ninth place at the Otter Invitational in Seaside, Calif. Carswell finished the 54-hole event on the Bayonet Golf Course at one-under par. SFU, which was ranked 14th in the most NCAA Division II coaches’ poll, tied for eighth place at 32-over par in what was the team’s final tournament of the fall season.
CHIP SHOTS: Surrey’s Bonnie Zhai closed with an even-par 72 to help Harvard University win the Lady Blue Hen Invitational hosted by the University of Delaware. Zhai, a graduate of Southridge School in Surrey, is in her freshman year at Harvard. . .the University of B.C. women’s team completes its fall schedule this week at the University of Hawaii’s Rainbow Wahine Invitational.