Kyle Westmoreland got a taste of the PGA Tour.

Now he wants to get back.

On Sunday, the Air Force Academy graduate took the big first step to once again play on the biggest professional golf tour in the world.

The 33-year-old won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Astara Golf Championship at the Lagos Course at Country Club de Bogotá in Colombia. He shot 70 in the final round for a one-shot victory. In the third round, Westmoreland fired a sizzling 61, a career and event best. 

“We wanted this for a long time,” Westmoreland said on social media after his first win at the professional level. “I am so thankful for everyone who helped me get here.”

The victory in Colombia puts Westmoreland in a position to return to the PGA Tour next year. Westmoreland is now No. 3 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list. The top 20 after the Korn Ferry Tour finals this fall will earn a card.

He played 32 events on the PGA Tour during the 2022-23 season but missed the cut in 22 to lose his card. He was back on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, making 15 cuts in 21 starts and finishing 38th on the money list, not high enough to retain his tour card.

Westmoreland has made plenty of history in professional golf during the last couple of years. He was the first Air Force alum to play on the PGA Tour. (Tom Whitney joined that exclusive club in 2023.) Whitney is also back playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this season.

“So proud of him. You can imagine the text chains (with Air Force alums) circulating down the stretch,” former Air Force coach George Koury said in September 2022.

The 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines was another historic moment in Westmoreland’s career. He become the first academy player to play in the U.S. Open. He made the cut before finishing 64th.

There was plenty of success during his time playing at Air Force (2010-14). Westmoreland won four individual titles and had a fourth-place finish in the Mountain West Championship in 2014, the highest finish by an Air Force golfer in a conference championship since 1985. That finish earned him a spot in NCAA regionals.

Before pursuing his pro golf career in 2019, Westmoreland served a five-year active term and attained the rank of captain in the Air Force. 

This is the second-straight season a golfer with Colorado college ties has won on the Korn Ferry Tour. Former CU Buffs golfer Jeremy Paul, who is playing in the PGA Tour this season, won The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic in January 2024. Westmoreland finished tied for second at that tournament.

The Korn Ferry Tour is off for the next two weeks. Westmoreland will continue his journey to get back to the PGA Tour on Feb. 27 at the Visa Argentina Open.

“Every week’s a great opportunity, and I still feel very grateful to be out here and chasing golf balls for a living,” Westmoreland said in 2023. “You try to get better, try to learn the courses better, try to get better at your routine, process and try to see how well you can execute every weekend.”

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CU Buffs women finish sixth at San Diego State

A strong final round Tuesday powered the CU Buffs women’s team to a sixth-place finish at the San Diego State Classic.

Colorado finished the 54-hole tournament at 16-over-par, 880, following a team final round of 5-over. The Buffaloes finished one stroke short of catching BYU for fifth place and were only four shots out of the top three.

Top-ranked Stanford ran away with the team title at 31-under, 833.

Colorado had three golfers grab top-20 finishes. Senior Maria Eidhagen Harrouch tied for 13th, freshman Sydney Givens tied for 17th and Morgan Miller was tied for 19th.

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What they’re saying

Skins game

Odds to with Genesis Invitational

Scottie Scheffler +400

Rory McIlroy +650

Collin Morikawa +1600

Justin Thomas +1800

Ludvig Aberg +2200

Hideki Matsuyama +2200

Wyndham Clark +7000

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This week in golf

PGA Tour

GENESIS INVITATIONAL

Site: San Diego.

Course: Torrey Pines (South). Yardage: 7,765. Par: 72.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf), 1-5 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf), 1-4:30 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama.

LIV Golf League

LIV GOLF ADELAIDE

Site: Adelaide, Australia.

Course: The Grange GC. Yardage: 7,464. Par: 72.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday, 7-9 p.m. (Fox Sports app), 9 p.m.-midnight (FS1); Friday, 7-10 p.m. (Fox Sports app), 10 p.m.-midnight (FS1); Saturday, 7-9 p.m. (FS2), 9 p.m.-midnight (Fox).

Defending champion: Brendan Steele (individual) and Ripper GC (team).

PGA Tour Champions

CHUBB CLASSIC

Site: Naples, Fla.

Course: Tiburon GC (Black). Yardage: 6,897. Par: 72.

Prize money: $1.8 million. Winner’s share: $270,000.

Television: Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf).

Defending champion: Stephen Ames.