SAVANNAH, Ga. – It’s not uncommon for professional golfers to carry a rulebook in their golf bags. On Saturday at Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, Chris Crisologo could’ve also used a dictionary.
Nonuple bogey: Being nine times as great or as many over par.
Crisologo, a 26-year-old from Vancouver, was cruising along nicely in his second round of final stage, 6 under for the tournament thanks to a 4-under-through-five-holes start at The Landings Club’s Marshwood Course. Then he arrived at the par-4 13th hole, where he proceeded to hit four tee shots into the penalty area and card a nonuple-bogey 13.
“I did lip out my putt for 12,” said Crisologo, who otherwise didn’t drop a shot during a second-round, 3-over 74.
While a par on the hole would’ve slotted Crisologo in the top five and just three off Chan Kim’s lead, he remains in the mix for guaranteed starts. At 1 over, Crisologo is three back of a logjam at T-28, and the top 40 and ties after Monday’s final round receive eight guaranteed starts to kick off next year’s KFT season.
“I’m lucky there are two more days,” Crisologo said. “One of the caddies said it best: Better to have it today than on Monday.”
Crisologo fancies himself a strong driver of the golf ball, but with a tight landing area and water left and through the fairway, plus a hard right-to-left wind, it was just enough to instill a little doubt with the big stick.
The first drive was left the whole way. Splash.
The third shot, and second tee ball, was a 3-iron, which ran through the fairway. Splash again.
Another 3-iron, the fifth shot, suffered the same fate. So, too, did the 4-iron that Crisologo hit with his seventh shot.
Finally, he got another 4-iron, his ninth shot in play.
“Push-blocked that one into the middle of the fairway,” quipped Crisologo, who then short-sided himself in a greenside bunker from 240 yards out before just missing a 17-footer for octuple bogey.
“I felt great off the tee on all five shots,” Crisologo said. “But you can’t really lose focus out there, and on top of that, you have to know the lines extremely well. With that tee box moving up, I just felt a little uncomfortable with what I needed to hit off the tee.”
This is unfamiliar territory for Crisologo, who is playing final stage for the first time since graduating college in 2019. He attended Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, the only NCAA institution outside the U.S. Crisologo won six times in school and was a four-time NCAA Division-II All-American.
“I wasn’t highly recruited as a junior,” said Crisologo, who didn’t start playing tournament golf until age 8 as he juggled other sports, including baseball, hockey and tennis. “But it gave me a lot of playing time and gave me opportunities to hone my game and just kind of free rein it. It was a lot of fun, my confidence grew, and that helped me push forward.”
As an amateur, he twice captured the South American Amateur, beating fellow final-stage Ale Tosti in 2018 in Buenos Aires before topping former LSU standout Luis Gagne in a playoff in 2019 in Santiago, Chile. He played the RBC Canadian Open in each of those years, missing the cut the second time but earning low-amateur honors in his debut.
Since turning pro, Crisologo has competed mostly on PGA Tour Canada. He notched two top-10s in 10 starts this past season.
Along the way, Crisologo, an avid photographer, has documented his journey through a private Instagram account.
“Golf gives you a chance to go to some really cool places, and different and unique opportunities to see the world,” Crisologo said. “So, I try to take a nice little photo of each city and do some videos. It’s kind of at my own leisure, but it’s been a lot of fun. I’d like to think I’m a decent photographer.”
Crisologo didn’t pack his Nikon on this week’s trip to Savannah; it’s all business as Crisologo looks to improve his status for his debut KFT season. Plus, he plans on being back here in a few months.
Saturday’s 13 may have shuttered his window for winning and securing fully exempt status, but it also doesn’t have to be an unlucky number.
Two strong rounds to close could ensure Crisologo spots in fields in the Bahamas, both Great Exuma and Abaco; Panama City, Panama; Bogota, Colombia; Lakewood Ranch, Florida; Louisiana, both Broussard and Lake Charles; and Savannah.
Perfect places to pack the camera for, and leave the dictionary on the shelf.
