Colorado touring pros come out of gate strong

Colorado touring pros have a good weekend

By Jim Bebbington

This past weekend showed several touring golf professionals with Colorado ties are gaining traction on their 2025 seasons.

PGA Tour rookie Jeremy Paul, his brother Yannick – both CU golf team alumni – DP World Tour rookie Davis Bryant and Denver native Mark Hubbard had their best pro-golf finishes of the season.

Corales Puntacana Championship

With most golf fans eyes turned toward the signature event – no cut, higher purses – at the RBC Heritage Classic in Hilton Head, two Colorado pros made hay at the PGA Tour’s other weekend tournament, the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

CU alumni Jeremy Paul, in his first year on the PGA Tour, had his best result yet, finishing tied for second. It was his first top five finish on the tour and earned him $243,000.

He was in contention all weekend after a Saturday round of 67, and finished with an even par 72 on Sunday.

“On days like this I just kind of try to stay in my own bubble because you can get ahead of yourself very quickly and you make one bad swing and with this wind turns out ugly,” he said after Saturday’s round. “So I haven’t even looked at it. It’s great obviously to have a chance on Sunday, that’s what we practice for. I feel like the game’s been in a great spot. You know, out here you get so many weeks, some weeks it’s not going your way, today obviously went a lot better. It’s all about grind it out and rolling a few putts in when it matters.”

Paul and his twin brother Yannick Paul, who also played at CU, are scheduled to play as a team in this Sunday’s PGA Tour team-format Zurich Open.

“… to have the opportunity on the PGA TOUR to play a team event with your brother, we’re best friends, have similar games, we’re very much looking forward to it and it’s going to be one of the highlights of the year for me for sure,” he said.

Denver native Mark Hubbard also played at Puntacana and had his best finish of the season. He shot 10-under and tied for 12th, earning $77,000.

Volvo China Open

Playing on the DP World Tour, Yannick Paul finished in third place at the Volvo China Open, earning him $160,000 in his best finish so far this season. Yannick Paul has won once on the DP World Tour, the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open.

Abu Dhabi ChallengePlaying in the developmental league of the DP World Tour this weekend, Aurora native Davis Bryant had his best finish yet of his rookie season on the DP World Tour. Davis finished  4th in the Abu Dhabi Challenge on the Hotel Planner Tour.

Davis earned his DP World Tour card through the qualifying school last December. But he has been shut out of most of the fields over the first weeks of the season because of smaller field sizes, and opted to play most weeks on the Hotel Planner Tour.

Last weekend his 4th place finish was his best yet. He was put in position by a round of 63 on Friday and finished at 15-under par. He earned $18,000.

He is scheduled to play in the DP World Tour’s Hainan Classic in China this weekend.

LECOM Suncoast Classic

Air Force Academy graduate Kyle Westmoreland was close to his second Korn Ferry Tour win of the season at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Finishing bogey-bogey left him two shots back from winner Neal Shipley. Shipley came to fame first at the U.S. Amateur in 2023 at Cherry Hills Country Club, finishing second.

Westmoreland shot rounds of 64, 65 and 66 over the weekend and made the turn Sunday after a blistering front-side 30. But he bogeyed four holes on the back nine and finished tied for fourth, earning $39,167.

RBC Heritage 

Wyndham Clark finished tied for 27th at 8-under.

JM Eagle LA Championship

On the LPGA both Colorado-native Jennifer Kupcho and CU golf team alumni Jenny Coleman failed to make the cut at this weekend’s JM Eagle LA Championship.

The LPGA this upcoming weekend moves on to the site of Kupcho’s greatest pro golf accomplishment, the Chevron Championship. Kupcho won her only major of her career so far at 2022 Chevron Championship.