Former CU golfer Heisele finishes second in Challenge Tour final to regain European Tour card; ex-Air Force Academy golfer Whitney falls in playoff on Latinoamerica Tour for another top-10
By Gary Baines – 11/10/2019
Sebastian Heisele didn’t win the European Challenge Tour Grand Final after sharing the lead going into the final round, but the former University of Colorado golfer was victorious in a bigger sense.
Heisele (pictured in a EuropeanTour.com photo) tied for second on Sunday in Mallorca, Spain, easily giving him enough points in the season-long race on the Challenge Tour to return to the European Tour for the 2019-20 season.
The top 15 finishers in the points standings as of Sunday night earned European Tour cards, and Heisele placed fourth on the points list.
Heisele had a very strong stretch run on the Challenge Tour as he notched a victory, two seconds and a third since the beginning of September.
In Spain, the German went 71-69-67-73 for a 4-under-par 280 total, which left him two strokes behind winner Francesco Laporta. Heisele earned $37,500 euros.
Heisele previously played on the European Tour for two straight seasons, culminating in late 2018.
Heisele competed for CU from 2008 through ’11.
Elsewhere in professional tour golf for players with strong Colorado connections:
— Former Fort Collins resident Tom Whitney very nearly scored his second victory of the season on PGA Tour Latinoamerica, but lost on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff in the Neuquen Argentina Classic.
Whitney, a former Air Force Academy golfer, posted a 16-under-par 272 total after going 64-66 on the weekend. But Puma Dominguez went par-par in the playoff, while Whitney went par-bogey to finish second.
Over the final two rounds of regulation, Whitney made an eagle, 14 birdies and two bogeys.
Whitney has now recorded six top-10 showings this year on PGA Tour Latinoamerica, including one victory and three top-four finishes.