VanArragon, Hitchner & Longbella All Make Final Stage of Q-School

The field for the Final Stage of the PGA Tour/Korn Ferry Q-School is set, after four Second Stage tournaments were completed this week, and three players with Minnesota connections advanced.

A pair of former State Amateur champions had to rally in their final rounds on Friday to make it, and a former Gopher also made it to the Final Stage despite having his engine slip into reverse on his last nine.

The Final Stage will be played next week, Dec. 12-15, at TPC Sawgrass Country Club and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla. When it's over, the top five finishers and ties will receive status on the PGA Tour for the 2025 season. Anyone outside of the top five will have some status on the Korn Ferry Tour, and anyone who gets to Ponte Vedra will have status on the PGA Americas Tour, which was created earlier this year by combining the old PGA Latino America and PGA Canada tours.

Going into his last seven holes, Caleb VanArragon's chances for advanciing didn't look all that promising. He was 2 under for the first 65 holes on a 7,659-yard course, Hammock Beach Conservatory (par 72) in Palm Coast, Fla. That sounds pretty respectable, but it wasn't going to be good enough. Only the top 15 and ties were going to advance, and he was outside the top 20. So the 2023 Minnesota State Open and State Amateur champion (he was 36 under for those two tournaments and won them by a combined 21 strokes) proceeded to birdie the 243-yard, par-3 12th hole, the 491-yard, par-4 13th and the 414-yard, par-4 16th.

(To old guys who played their tournaments in the previous century, that 3 on the nearly 500-yard 13th hole was an eagle, not a birdie.)

VanArragon's closing burst gave him a valedictory 69 (3 under) and a 72-hole total of 283 (-5), which turned out to be exactly what he needed. He made it on the number, as part of a five-way tie for 14th place.

Derek Hitchner, the 2021 State Am champ, was in a similar position Friday in Valdosta, Ga., on an even longer course, the monstrous Kinderlou Forest, 7,780 yards, par 72. His bogey at the par-3 fifth hole put him at 2 over for his overall score through 59 holes, and he was going to need to be under par by the time he finished. The former Minnesota state high school champion played the next nine holes in 4 under, beginning with a birdie at the 435-yard, par-4 sixth. He followed that with another birdie at the par-4 seventh and made consecutive birdies on the back nine, as well, at the 466-yard, par-4 13th and 580-yard, par-5 14th.

As a result, he could afford the bogey he made at the 240-yard, par-3 15th. He ended up with his third consecutive 70, following a first-round 77, and at a site where the top 16 and ties were going to advance, his aggregate of 287 (-1) put him in a six-way tie for 12th place. So he will move on to Ponte Vedra.

Unlike VanArragon and Hitchner, Thomas Longbella had some margin for error, which turned out to be a good thing. He shot 69 in each of his first two rounds at Valencia CC (7,300 yards, par 72), in Valencia, Calif., and then got close to the top of the leaderboard with a 66 on Thursday. He was sort cruising on the front nine, and through the first four holes on the back. Then he bogeyed the par-3 14th (208 yards), and committed the Cardinal Sin of tournament golf by making a double bogey at the 527-yard, par-5 15th.

The 2020 Wisconsin State Amateur champion (he won by 10 shots) stopped the bleeding with a birdie at the 223-yard, par-3 16th, but cost himself another stroke with a bogey on the back nine's other par 5, the 596-yard 18th. It was an untidy 39 on the back nine and a 76 for the round, but he had given himself a cushion, and his 72-hole total of 280 put him in sole possession of 13th place. The top 15 and ties were going to advance; so he was able to make it out of Valencia and into the Final Stage with one shot to spare, just ahead of a three-way tie for 14th at 281.


PGA TOUR/KORN FERRY Q-SCHOOL

SECOND STAGE (72-hole tournaments)

Palm Coast, Fla.

At Hammock Beach Conservatory

Par 72, 7,659 yards

Dec. 3-6

The top 15 finishers and ties advance to the Final Stage

(There are four stages to Q-School -- Preliminary, First Stage, Second Stage and Final Stage. The Final Stage will be Dec. 12-15 at TPC Sawgrass Country Club and Sawgrass CC in Ponte Vedra, Fla., and from there the top five fiinishers -- and ties -- will receive PGA Tour Cards for 2025. Those finishing outside of the top five will have varying degrees of status for the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour.)

Final results

T14. Caleb VanArragon, Blaine 74-68-72-69--283 (-5)

What it took: 283 (5-way tie for 14th)

Failed to advance

T43. Angus Flanagan, Surrey, UK 74-69-71-78--292

69. Muzzy Donohue, North Oaks 81-77-79-75--312


Valdosta, Ga.

At Kinderlou Forest GC

Par 72, 7,780 yards

Dec. 3-6

The top 16 and ties advance

T12. Derek Hitchner, Minneapolis 77-70-70-70--287 (-1)

What it took: 287 (6-way tie for 12th)

Failed to advance

62. Gunnar Broin (a), Chanhassen 76-77-77-73--303


Valencia, Calif.

At Valencia CC

Par 72, 7,300 yards

Dec. 3-6

The top 15 and ties advance

13. Thomas Longbella, Chippewa Falls 69-69-66-76--280 (-8)

What it took: 281 (3-way tie for 14th)

Failed to advance

T46. Ben Warian (a), Stillwater 71-73-73-76--293


Dothan, Ala.

At RTJ Golf Trail @ Highland Oaks -- Highlands/Marshwood

Par 72, 7,632 yards

Dec. 3-6

The top 17 and ties advance

What it took: 280 (5-way tie for 16th)

Failed to advance

T50. Ben Sigel, Minnetonka 71-74-71-73--289

T73. Chris Gilman, Sioux Falls 72-79-75-75--301


Savannah, Ga.

At The Landings - Deer Creek

Par 72, 7,185 yards

Nov. 19-22

The top 20 and ties advance

Final results

What it took: 276 (3-way tie for 18th)

Failed to advance

T65. Derek Chang, Alpharetta, Ga. 68-72-77-71--288



FIRST STAGE (72 holes)

Ocala, Fla.

At Country Club of Ocala

Par 72, 6,920

Oct. 29-Nov. 1

The top 21 finishers and ties advanced to the Second Stage of Q-School

T18. Muzzy Donohue, North Oaks 71-73-69-69--282

What it took: 282 (6-way tie for 18th)

Failed to advance

T47. Evan Long, New Castle, Pa. 75-74-74-68--291


Henryville, Ind.

At Champions Pointe GC

Par 72, 7,174 yards

Oct. 22-25

The top 21 finishers and ties advance

T7. Derek Hitchner, Minneapolis 67-67-69-71--274

What it took -- 277 (3-way tie for 20th)

Failed to advance

T39. Brady Madsen, Raymond, Minn. 69-74-66-74--283


Madison, Miss.

At Lake Caroline GC

Par 70, 6,835 yards

Oct. 15-18

The top 21 finishers and ties advance

What it took -- 273 (5-way tie for 21st)

Failed to advance

T37. Van Holmgren, Wayzata 68-68-73-68--277 (-3)


Albequerque, New Mexico

At The University of New Mexico Championship Course

Par 71, 7, 555 yards

Oct. 15-18

The top 21 and ties advance

What it took -- 286 (3-way tie for 21st)

Failed to advance

T52. Andrew McCain, Mpls./Nashville 74-72-73-76--295

WD -- Austin Vukovits, Fishers, Ind. 79-WD


Maricopa, Ariz.

At Ak-Chin Southern Dunes

Par 72, 7,546 yards

Oct. 8-11

The top 21 and ties advance

Final results

T4. Ben Warian (a), Stillwater 66-73-69-70--278

What it took -- 281 (7-way tie for 19th)

Failed to advance

T55. Andrew Israelson, Staples 74-69-72-76--291


Lincoln, Neb.

At Wilderness Ridge CC

Par 71, 7,107 yards

Oct. 8-11

The top 25 and ties advance

Final results

T19. Ben Sigel, Minnetonka 72-64-69-72--277

What it took -- 277 (7-way tie for 19th)

Failed to advance

T41. Nate Deziel, East Grand Forks 75-67-69-72--283

T49. Nate Adams, Maple Grove 71-71-71-73--286

T56. Thomas Lehman, Scottsdale, Ariz. 72-74-74-68--288

WD -- Jack Ebner, Edina


Broken Arrow, Okla.

At Indian Springs - River Course

Par 71, 6,917 yards

Oct. 8-11

The top 20 and ties will advance

Final results

T9. Caleb VanArragon, Blaine 71-69-67-70--277

T16. Angus Flanagan, Surey, England 64-75-70-70--279

What it took -- 280 (2-way tie for 19th)

Failed to advance

T51. Will Grevlos, Sioux Falls 77-71-68-74--290



PRELIMINARY STAGE (54-hole tournaments)


Brunswick, Ga.

At Brunswidk GC

Par 70, 6,802 yards

Sept. 18-20

The top 33 and ties advanced

T3. Muzzy Donohue, St. Paul 66-67-66--199

What it took -- 212 (3-way tie for 33rd)


Newton, Kansas

At Sand Creek Station TC

Par 72, 7337 yards

Sapt. 18-20

The top 33 and ties advanced

T4. Nate Adams, Maple Grove 72-70-71--213

T12. Nate Deziel, East Grand Forks 75-73-68--216

What it took -- 222 (3-way tie for 33rd)


Chardon, Ohio

At Mayfield SRC - Sand Ridge

Par 72, 7277 yards

Sept. 18-20

The top 35 and tties advanced

What it took -- 219 (4-way tie for 33rd)

Failed to advance

T66. Zach Sklebar, Fargo 77-80-73--230


Woodstock, Ill.

At Bull Valley GC

Par 72, 7,190 yards

Sept. 11-13

The top 33 and ties advanced

T28. Jack Hiemenz, Blaine 75-77-76--228

What it took -- 228 (6-way tie for 28th)

Failed to advance

T43. Aaron Wilson,k Chaska 80-72-81--233


Kannapolis, N.C.

At Thr Club @ Irish Creek

Par 71, 7,144 yards

Sept. 11-13

The top 34 and ties advanced

What it took -- 213 (6-way tie for 31st

Failed to advance

T40. Hentry May, Edina 72-70-73--215