Though members of The Club at Rolling Hills in Golden make up less than 10 percent of the 84-man field, it probably wouldn’t be wise to bet against one of them winning the 45th CGA Senior Amateur this coming week.
After all, with the venue’s very challenging greens, course knowledge could play a large role in determining who is handed the trophy come Thursday. And considering two members who are CGA Senior Amateur champions are entered, the Rolling Hills contingent definitely should not be overlooked at the 54-hole championship, which will start on Tuesday.
Former CGA president Bill Fowler (pictured), who’s part of that contingent, will be looking to parlay his home-course advantage into a second straight Senior Amateur title after having prevailed at Colorado Golf Club last year. Among the other entrants from Rolling Hills are Scott Radcliffe, winner of the 2010 CGA Senior Amateur and the 2004 CGA Senior Match Play; and Sean Forey, the 2010 CGA Senior Player of the Year and recent runner-up in the CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play.
Joining Fowler and Radcliffe among the past champions entered are Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore (2014), winner of the 2016 CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play; Harry Johnson (2013); David Delich (2012); and Robert Polk (2005, ’07 and ’09). Other winners of CGA senior individual titles who will compete at Rolling Hills include Tom Musselman, Ray Makloski, Guy Mertz and Jeff Oneth, who won the 2016 CGA Senior Match Play. Robin Bradbury, who last month qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur and was low senior amateur in the Rocky Mountain Open, is also entered.
The field will be cut to the low 40 players and ties after two rounds.
Worth noting: Until this year, the CGA Senior Amateur was known as the CGA Senior Stroke Play.
For Tuesday’s first-round pairings, CLICK HERE.
