BOGOTA, Colombia – Former LSU golfer Ben Taylor opened his week at the Web.com Tour’s Club Colombia Championship with a 4-under 67 to sit one shot off the 18-hole lead entering Friday’s second round at host Country Club of Bogota. The 25-year-old, who spent much of the day flirting around the top of the leaderboard, took outright control of the tournament with birdies on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to post 5-under 66 and 9-under 133 through 36 holes, good for a two-shot lead entering weekend play at the ninth annual event.

Taylor, who originally hails from London, England, was one-over par through three holes in his second round, but rallied early with birdies on Nos. 4 and 8 to turn in one-under 34.

A birdie on the par-5 10^th pushed him to two-under for the day, but it was a par save on the narrow par-4 13^th that kept the round going.

“I hit my tee shot left on 13, and I had to hit a good second shot knowing that I couldn’t go long of the green, and I managed to hit a chip-and-run 180 yards to the middle of the green, and from there two putt to keep the momentum going,” he said.

The clutch save on the back nine gave way to a torrid finish for the Orlando resident, as birdies on 15, 16 and 17 moved him from the role of hunter to that of hunted, thanks to a 9-under 133 tally and a two-shot advantage with 36 holes to play.

“I knew I was close, but I’ve been in this situation a couple of times now having played my rookie year last year, so I learned to stick to the game plan and close out a good finish, which we managed to do,” said Taylor when asked if he was looking at leaderboards.

Taylor, in his second full season on the Web.com Tour, entered the week with one top-25 in three starts this year – a T19 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

As a rookie in 2017, he recorded three top-25 finishes in 22 starts, including a career-best T7 at the Knoxville Open in August. One of Taylor’s three top-25s came at the Club Colombia Championship, where a final-round 65 propelled him 24 spots up the Sunday leaderboard and into a tie for 21^st.

“I like that it’s challenging, so if you have a couple of bad holes, you know you’re not going to fall down as far as you would on a golf course where it’s a birdie-fest,” Taylor said of the demanding Country Club of Bogota. “I really like the golf course and I’m very excited for the next couple of days.”

Argentina’s Augusto Nunez, Canada’s Roger Sloan and Conner Godsey of the United States are tied for second, two shots back of Taylor at 7-under 135.

Nunez, who was one of four players to share the opening-round lead, birdied three of his first six holes on his way to a 2-under 69.

Beginning his round on the opening nine, Nunez birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 6 to race out to a three-under-par start, immediately seizing the outright lead at eight-under for the week.

“I felt very good today on the golf course, especially on the front nine,” he said. “When I started the back nine, I saw the crowd and I felt some nerves. That’s normal when you have fans following you.”

Friday’s large crowds, which dotted the fairways and stands of the prestigious club located in the heart of downtown Bogota, triggered a few less-than-stellar holes for Nunez, as bogeys on the par-5 10^th and par-4 14^th dropped him down to 6-under par.

A late birdie on the par-4 17^th righted the ship for the Buenos Aires resident, who finished the day with a 2-under 69.

In 61 career starts on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica between 2012 and 2017, Nunez recorded 15 top-10 finishes, including a victory at the 2016 Flor de Cana Open, where his 25-under-par total set the Tour’s all-time scoring record. The $121,173 he earned that season gave way to a second-place finish on the Order of Merit and a Web.com Tour card for the 2017 season.

Nunez made 7 of 20 cuts on the 2017 Web.com Tour, recording a career-best runner-up at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Nunez missed the cut in Bogota with rounds of 72-82—154, a full 19 shots higher than his 2018 tally at the event’s halfway point.

“I started pretty well this season, but I need to continue working on my game. Like I said yesterday, my goal is get one of the PGA TOUR cards through this Tour,” he said. “Now, in 2018, I have more experience and I already know the courses, so that is so helpful.”

Sloan, who finished solo-fourth at last week’s Panama Championship, was even par through four holes today before playing his final 14 in 5-under par to move into a tie for second.

The former University of Texas-El Paso golfer is making his 94th career Web.com Tour start this week and looking for his first victory since the 2014 Nova Scotia Open.

Of the three players tied for second, Godsey is perhaps the biggest surprise, as the week marks just his sixth career start on the Web.com Tour. The 25-year-old finished T16 at Q-School in December to earn status for the 2018 season and entered the week with made cuts at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic and the Panama Championship.

He is currently No. 81 on the money list with $3,534 in earnings.

#ShotOfTheDay

Canadian @RogerSloan87's monster birdie putt from 50+ feet away at the #ClubColombiaChampionship! pic.twitter.com/47rwOsb1vc

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) February 10, 2018

BOGOTA, Colombia – West Virginia native Christian Brand began the 2017 Web.com Tour Season with conditional status, trying to make the most of each sponsor exemption he received. Brand was able to record four top-25 finishes but the performance wasn’t enough to earn him a spot in the Web.com Tour Finals. Come December, the 29-year-old found himself back at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament. This time, however, Brand’s play was enough to earn him a T23 finish and guarantee him starts at the beginning of the 2018 season.

The job security that came with his December finish is allowing Brand to play more stress-free golf, and it’s showing, as the Marshall University alum opened play at the Club Colombia Championship with a 5-under 66 to take a share of the lead alongside international players Rhein Gibson, Augusto Nunez and Albin Choi.

Brand, who began play on the back nine at Country Club de Bogota, opened with four-straight pars before carding a birdie on the par-4 14th. He went on to pick up five more birdies and a lone bogey during his opening round. As for what was clicking Thursday, Brand gives all the credit to his short game.

“The putter [was key],” Brand commented. “I putted well today. I kept it in play, which you have to do around here. We just kind of hit our numbers. With the greens being so firm, you have to land it on specific numbers and get the correct bounces, and we did that today, so that was good.”

Tied with Brand atop the leaderboard is Australian Rhein Gibson, who is looking to pick up his fourth-consecutive top-25 finish. The 32-year-old hit 17 of 18 greens during the opening round, allowing him to pick up seven birdies along the way. Gibson opened 2018 with a T3 finish at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay and went on to pick up a solo-third place the following week at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club and a T17 finish at last week’s Panama Championship. The start of the season is a relief for the Oklahoma Christian University alum, who currently sits at No. 5 on the money list.

“It has taken a lot of pressure off,” Gibson said of the start. “Last year was a bit of a struggle as I only just kept my Tour card, but to know I’ve pretty much solidified my spot in the Web.com Tour Finals this year – it just means I can make a good run at the top 25 (on the Regular Season money list).”

Argentinian Augusto Nunez joins the group atop the leaderboard as the highest-ranked Latin American player entering Friday. Nunez, who picked up his first professional win two years ago at the Flor de Cana Open presented by The Mortgage Store, currently holds the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica 72-hole record, earning his inaugural win after shooting a 25-under 259 for the week. Nunez made 20 starts on the Web.com Tour in 2017, picking up two top-10 finishes and ending the Regular Season at No. 39 on the money list.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi rounds out the top of the leaderboard, claiming a piece of the first-round lead for the first time in his Tour career. The 25-year-old carded a bogey-free back nine to finish the day with a 5-under 66. Like the other tournament leaders, Choi knew coming into the week that the tight fairways and firm greens would prove to be a challenge for the field.

“The course really firmed up,” Choi remarked, “So I really took some conservative clubs off of the tee and it really paid off. Just being in the fairways and trying to hit as many greens as possible. You can really get in some trouble out here when you start missing greens, so I just stuck to the game plan and it worked out great.”

PANAMA CITY, Panama – The Canadian trio of Roger Sloan, Ryan Yip and Adam Svensson all finished inside the top 10 on Sunday at Web.com Tour’s Panama Championship.

Sloan, a Merritt, B.C. product, paced the Canadians with a final-round 66 to climb into sole possession of 4th place at 4 under par for the tournament. The finish marks his first top-10 finish early into the 2018 season (he collected four in 2017).

Yip, also of Calgary, finished the event at 3 under par. A final-round 72 (+2) pushed the 33-year-old down two spots into a share of 5th. After three events this season, Yip sits at No. 11 on the money list.

Team Canada graduate Adam Svensson maintained his hot play of late with four steady rounds (71-71-67-69) to finish tied for 7th. With the finish, the Surrey, B.C. native maintains his No. 2 standing on the money list—heavily influenced by his January victory at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

The trio gave chase to American Scott Langley, who collected his first Web.com Tour victory on the strength of a come-from-behind 65 on Sunday, closing at 7 under. Langley’s come-from-behind victory is the largest in tournament history, surpassing Miguel Angel Carballo’s five-stroke record from 2007. He also became the first player in tournament history to record an over-par score in the opening round and go on to win the tournament.

All three Canadians will be in action later this week at the Club Colombia Championship in Bogota, Colombia.

Click here for full scoring

GREAT ABACO, The Bahamas – Canadian Adam Svensson picked up his first Web.com Tour win at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club in his 58th career start. The Surrey, B.C., product carded a final-round, 4-under-par 68. His 17-under-par 271 total was good for a one-stroke victory over rookie phenom Sungjae Im, who missed a 10-footer on the 72nd hole to force overtime.

“It’s a relief,” said Svensson, who couldn’t see Im’s birdie bid at the last. “Your heart is racing and when it’s over it slows down, and you realize what you’ve done. I just so thrilled I got the win and just so happy.”

What a difference a year makes. Svensson missed the cut at both Bahamas events to start the 2017 season and found himself behind the 8-ball all year. He ultimately made it to the Web.com Tour Finals but finished one spot out of securing his PGA TOUR card.

The Team Canada graduate thought about it all offseason but used it as motivation this year.

“It stings a little less,” said Svensson, about the disappointment of not getting his TOUR card last year. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do going forward, but it’s nice.”

After a tie for 13th in The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic and a win in Abaco, Svensson has moved to No. 2 on the Tour money list, firmly inside the top 25.

“Obviously you want to get into the No. 1 spot, which is very difficult,” said Svensson, who collected a $108,000 first-place prize. “You want to try and get inside the top five or as high as you can.”

Down the stretch, Svensson got nervous and it showed on his tee shot at the 16th hole. With driver in hand, the West Palm Beach, Florida resident hooked his drive into the trees on the left. Svensson took a drop, in which his ball plugged in the sand, and hit his third to 33 feet and drained the par-putt to remain in the lead.

“That was wild,” said Svensson. “I told my caddie, ‘I’m not leaving it short. It’s either in or going by.’”

Sungjae Im misses the birdie putt to force a playoff.

And @adamsvensson59 has won his first #WebTour event at -17.

?????????? pic.twitter.com/2qBqWXIrNk

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) January 24, 2018

Having made bogey at the par-3 17th, Svensson needed a birdie at the last to close out the tournament. He flared his second at the par-5 finishing hole right of the green in a deep swale. Svensson then sailed his chip past the pin just off the green.

Left with a slippery downhill putt, Svensson nestled his putt to within tap-in range to finish at 17-under-par.

“I wasn’t trying to make it,” said Svensson, about his birdie putt on 18. “I knew I had to two-putt and somehow I just nestled it down there.”

The top of the leaderboard had an international flair to it with Svensson winning, Im finishing runner-up and Australian Rhein Gibson ending the week in solo third.

With Svensson’s victory in The Bahamas, 18 players from Canada have won 25 tournaments on the Web.com Tour. Ben Silverman was the last to add to the total with his triumph at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. Silverman and Corey Conners finished inside the top 50 to earn their PGA TOUR cards and join fellow Web.com Tour alumni Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes and David Hearn on TOUR.

Svensson, 24, was one of three team members that won the men’s silver medal for Canada at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship in Japan.

Svensson hopes to be the next star from the Great White North.

“There are so many good Canadians coming up right now,” he said. “Canada has a lot of good players because of the programs they have in place. The Team Canada program is awesome.”

Calgary’s Ryan Yip finished T10 at 11 under par for the tournament.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

O Canada!

24-year-old @adamsvensson59 (-17) has won the 2nd #WebTour event of 2018 by one stroke over last week’s winner Sungjae Im.

He talks about gutting it out down the stretch. pic.twitter.com/fDxvG4lFBu

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) January 24, 2018

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Four Canadians finished inside the top 45 in the final stage of Qualifying School at the Whirlwind Golf Club on Sunday to earn guaranteed Web.com Tour starts next season.

Leading the Canadian contingent was Calgary’s Ryan Yip, who played his way into a six-way tie for 10th at 18 under (73-65-67-65), earning guaranteed starts for the first 12 events.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi (Toronto) and graduate Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver) closed the 72-hole stroke play event at 16 under par, tied for 23rd. Rounding out the quartet was Vancouver’s Seann Harlingten, who finished tied for 30th at 15 under par.

Choi, Macdonald and Harlingten earned exempt status for the first eight events by finishing between places 11-45 (plus ties).

Champion Lee McCoy of Dunedin, Fla., will be fully-exempt next season.

#TeamCanada alum @stuart_mac_golf with a ?? chip-in on 18… In great position to earn #WebTour status.

? from @BlairHamilton12

Full scoring: https://t.co/hUUONo6sam pic.twitter.com/Ob210iWzRo

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) December 10, 2017

Click here for full scoring.

CHANDLER, ARIZ. – The final stage of Web.com Tour qualifying school begins Thursday, December 7th at Whirlwind Golf Club, where the winner will earn full exempt for the 2018 regular season and those finishing second through 10th (including ties) receives exempt status for the first 12 events of 2018. Finishers 11th through 45th, plus ties, will receive exempt status for the first eight events, while the remainder of the field receives conditional status.

Four Canadians are in the field, including Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi from Toronto, as well as Seann Harlingten and Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver, and Calgary’s Ryan Yip.

Scoring is available here.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Chesson Hadley of Raleigh, N.C. was named 2017 Web.com Tour Player of the Year in a vote of his fellow competitors, it was announced today by PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan and Web.com Tour President Dan Glod. Hadley, who received the Jack Nicklaus Trophy for winning Web.com Tour Player of the Year, was selected for the honor over Brice Garnett and Stephan Jaeger.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I would like to congratulate Chesson Hadley for a tremendous season on the Web.com Tour, and for earning this award through a vote of his peers,” said Monahan. “By winning the Regular Season and Finals money lists, he put forth one of the best seasons in Tour history, and set the foundation for a great start to his 2017-18 campaign.”

Hadley competed on the Web.com Tour in 2013, winning the Rex Hospital Open and Web.com Tour Championship to earn his PGA TOUR card for the 2013-14 season. Once on TOUR, the former Georgia Tech golfer broke through with a win at the 2014 Puerto Rico Open, which delivered Rookie of the Year honors later that same year.

After losing his exempt status following the 2015-16 PGA TOUR season, Hadley returned to the Web.com Tour in 2017, where he notched five top-25 finishes in his first 12 starts – including a playoff loss at the Rex Hospital Open – before winning the LECOM Health Challenge in July.

The victory, which secured his return to the PGA TOUR, gave way to a strong second half of the season for the 30-year-old, including a solo-third finish at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper and his second win of the year at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco – one of three top-10s compiled during the Web.com Tour Finals.

Hadley earned $562,475 in 2017 and became the first player in the five-year history of the Web.com Tour Finals to win the Regular Season and Finals money lists. His single-season earnings rank third on the Tour’s all-time list, trailing only Michael Sim ($644,142 in 2009) and Patton Kizzire ($567,866 in 2015).

“This is a special way to cap off a great season and I’m especially grateful to my fellow players for their vote. The Web.com Tour, and everyone who works alongside it, does a phenomenal job of supporting and developing players,” said Hadley. “I’m honored to accept this award and hope to carry the momentum forward this coming season on the PGA TOUR.”

By virtue of winning both money titles, Hadley was the only player to earn full exempt status on the PGA TOUR for the 2017-18 season, which includes a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship.

“Chesson returned to the Web.com Tour in 2017, and by working hard, being disciplined, and relying on those around him, he honed his game, confidence and competitiveness. Today, he is back on the PGA TOUR, with three top-5 finishes under his belt,” said David L. Brown, Web.com’s Chairman, CEO and President. “His inspirational journey underscores the real reason why the Web.com Tour exists – to help golfers reach their potential. On behalf of Web.com’s 3,800 employees who help businesses reach their potential, congratulations to Chesson and his entire team for this well-deserved honor.”

“Chesson Hadley put forth one of the best seasons in Web.com Tour history,” said Glod. “Equally as important, Chesson was a fantastic representation of the Web.com Tour membership outside the ropes through his interaction with fans, sponsors, tournaments and volunteers.  We are proud to name him as the 2017 Web.com Tour Player of the Year.”

Hadley was honoured at a reception at the Sea Island (Ga.) Resort, host of this week’s The RSM Classic, which gets underway tomorrow.

Canadians Albin Choi and Stuart Macdonald both advanced to the third and final stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School on Friday at separate events across the United States.

Toronto’s Choi grabbed one of the top 20 spots needed to advance on the strength of a final-round, 2-under 69 at Plantation Preserve Golf Course in Plantation, Fla. The Team Canada Young Pro Squad member closed the event tied for 14th at 8 under par for the tournament (69-72-66-69).

Macdonald, a Team Canada graduate and Vancouver product, carded a final-round 68 (-4) to finish alone in 7th place. The Purdue University alumnus came in at 11 under par (66-75-68-68) to become the only Canadian to advance at the TPC at Craig Ranch event in McKinney, Texas.

Choi and Macdonald join fellow countrymen Ryan Yip (Calgary) and Seann Harlingten (Vancouver) in the final stage of qualifying to be played Dec. 7-10 at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Ariz. All those to play in the final stage will earn at least conditional status next season on the Web.com Tour.

Click here for scoring.

MURRIETA, Calif. – Five Canadians are set to tee-it-up in stage II of Web.com Tour Q-School from Oct. 31 – Nov. 3 at Bear Creek Golf in one of five qualifying events held across the United States.

The Canadian contingent is made up by Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), Riley Wheeldon (Comox, B.C.), Seann Harlingten (Vancouver), Ryan Yip (Calgary) and Aaron Cockerill (Gunton, Man.)

The tournament is a 72-hole stroke play event with no cut – the number of qualifying positions to advance will be announced during the tournament.

Click here for full scoring.

Three more Canadians advanced through the first stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School on Friday at various locations across the United States, bringing the total to 11.

Team Canada Amateur Squad member Hugo Bernard fired a tournament-low 63 (-9) at the Dayton Valley Golf Club in Dayton, Nev., to finish the event tied for seventh. Bernard, a Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., product, was one of 22 to advance in Nevada.

Ryan Yip of Calgary finished T15 at 10 under par at Sun River Golf Club in St. George, Utah. Team Canada graduate Matt Hill of Brights Grove, Ont., finished T22 at 1 under par at The Breakers Rees Jones in West Palm Beach, Fla.

There are now 11 Canadians who have advanced to the second stage of qualifying:

• Ryan Yip (Calgary) – SunRiver Golf Club, St. George, Utah
• Matt Hill (Brights Grove, Ont.) – The Breakers Rees Jones, West Palm Beach, Fla. 
• Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.)  – Dayton Valley Golf Club, Dayton, Nev.
• Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.) – Southern Dunes Golf Course, Maricopa, Ariz.
• Seann Harlingten (Vancouver) – Southern Dunes Golf Course, Maricopa, Ariz.
• Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver) – Southern Dunes Golf Course, Maricopa, Ariz.
• Riley Wheeldon (Comox, B.C.) – Southern Dunes Golf Course, Maricopa, Ariz.
• Lucas Kim (Toronto, Ont.) – Arborlinks, Omaha, Neb.
• Stephane Dubois (Brantford, Ont.) – Arborlinks, Omaha, Neb.
• Derek Gillespie (Oshawa, Ont.) – Arborlinks, Omaha, Neb.
• Aaron Cockerill (Gunton, Man.) – The Crosby, San Diego, Calif.

The second stage of qualifying will run from Oct. 31 – Nov. 10 at various locations across the United States. The third and final stage will commence from Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.