Former UTC golfer Paul Conroy
photo by GoMocs.com
Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfer Paul Conroy became the second member of last year’s Mocs squad to advance in PGA Tour Q-School First Stage qualifying on Friday, joining teammate John Houk who earned a spot last week.
The native of Enniscorthy, Ireland posted rounds of 74-71-66-70 to finish at 7-under 281, good for a tie for 14th as 23 golfers advanced into Second Stage. His sterling third round at the Country Club of Ocala featured seven birdies, including five in a six-hole stretch to open his back nine.
Conroy, a three-time All-SoCon performer who won two events for the Mocs, made four of eight cuts in his brief stint on the Canadian swing of the PGA Tour Americas after completing his career at UTC, finishing 18th in his second start in late June.
Former UTC teammate Samuel Espinosa-Trueba wasn’t as fortunate in his attempt. The native of Spain was in contention after two days at 3-under, but rounds of 74 and 78 left him tied for 52nd at 5-over 293.
Originally scheduled for early October, the Ocala qualifier was delayed four weeks due to the impact of Hurricane Milton that swept across central Florida.
Conroy’s successful outing makes it a dozen golfers with Tennessee connections who have punched their ticket to the upcoming Second Stage qualifying. Others who have previously advanced include:
Dawson Armstrong: former Lipscomb University golfer from Spring Hill who finished second in his First Stage qualifier.
Kyle Cottam: former Clemson golfer who is from Knoxville.
Spencer Cross: University of Tennessee alum was medalist at his First Stage event in Lincoln, Neb., earning an exemption through the Latin American Swing of the 2025 PGA Tour Americas season. The Sevierville native was All-SEC First Team his final season in 2021-22 and has made four cuts in five career Korn Ferry Tour starts.
Jake Hall: Knoxville amateur who played at Tennessee in college and won the 2023 Tennessee Amateur championship by shooting a course record 61 in the final round to win by four shots over Houk.
Ryan Hall: competed at South Carolina in college and lives in Knoxville. Earned a runner-up spot in his First Stage tournament. Finished tied for 23rd at PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in October and has a top 10 in 25 Korn Ferry Tour starts.
John Houk: two-time All-Region and All-SoCon performer from Athens played his first two years at Tennessee Wesleyan before finishing his career as UTC’s all-time scoring leader, eclipsing the mark of current PGA Tour winner Stephan Jaeger.
Trevor Johnson: a resident of Brentwood who played for the University of Louisville in college.
Jake Mynatt: played collegiately at Carson-Newman and hails from Knoxville.
Owen Stamper: Kentucky native who played collegiately at MTSU.
Scott Stevens: former University of South Carolina golfer who competed at Chattanooga Christian while in high school. Has made 29 starts on Korn Ferry Tour with three top 25 finishes.
Hunter Wolcott: former UT golfer from Burns who won the 2023 Tennessee State Open 40 years after his father, Bob, claimed the title.
Second Stage qualifying will take place at five different sites. The first occurs Nov. 19-22 in Savannah, Ga. at The Landings Club’s Deer Creek Course. The remaining four events will be held Dec. 3-6 at the following locations: The RTJ Golf Trail at Highland Oaks in Dothan, Ala.; Valencia Country Club in Valencia, Calif.; Hammock Beach Conservatory in Palm Coast, Fla. and Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Ga.
Final Stage qualifying is set to take place Dec. 12-15 at TPC Sawgrass Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com