With red-hot start to round, Fort Collins’ AJ Ott wins one of sponsor-exemption tournaments to land a spot in a Korn Ferry Tour event for the first time; in all, 4 players added to the field for The Ascendant at TPC Colorado
By Gary Baines – 7/6/2024
It’s been a big last couple of weeks for Fort Collins resident AJ Ott.
Late last month, the former Colorado State University golfer won the San Juan Open in New Mexico, earning $15,000 in the process.
Then on Saturday, the 2018 CGA Player of the Year earned his first start on the Korn Ferry Tour by winning the open-division sponsor exemption qualifying tournament at TPC Colorado in Berthoud. That’s where The Ascendant presented by Blue will be held Thursday through July 14, with him in the 156-player field. The tournament features a $1 million purse, with $180,000 going to the winner.
AJ Ott. (File photo: Instagram)
Instead of giving out its four sponsor exemptions in a traditional way, The Ascendant opted for a unique approach this year: holding three tournaments on Saturday, with the top finishers in each landing berths in the championship. Two went to PGA/Korn Ferry Tour members who weren’t otherwise in the field, one to an open-division champ, and one to a golfer 18 and under.
It was 33 golfers for one spot in the open division, with Ott making birdies on his first six holes and finishing at 5-under-par 67 to advance. He carded eight birdies and three bogeys on the day, earning $1,000 in addition to landing the tournament spot.
Ott estimated on Saturday that he’s played TPC Colorado 50-70 times over the years, and he shot 60 at the course once two summers ago.
Noah Hofman, a McCook, Neb., native and Phoenix resident who has played seven KFT events in 2024, fired a 6-under-par 66 to procure one of the PGA Tour/KFT member berths. Joining him in advancing was Karl Vilips of Australia, a former Stanford golfer (67). Hofman won $3,000 and Vilips $1,500.
Finn Meister of Tucson, Ariz., who will play his college golf at the University of Mississippi starting in the fall of 2025, nabbed the junior spot — out of a field of 12 — by posting a 4-under 68, good for a five-stroke “victory”. Meister won an AJGA tournament in Tucson last month and was runner-up in one last summer in Montrose.
For all the scores from Saturday’s sponsor-exemption tournaments, CLICK HERE.
Ott, Hofman, Vilips and Meister will be added to a field that was revealed on Friday by the Korn Ferry Tour. Eight more players will join them through Monday qualifying — four each at Colorado National in Erie and Broadlands in Broomfield.
(Updated July 9) For Thursday and Friday’s tee times at The Ascendant, CLICK HERE.
Colorado Golf Journal 