The CGA Match Play has been contested in Colorado for almost as long as there have been golf courses in the state. It’s been played continuously since 1901, preceding the founding of the association by 14 years.
But in all the years since — or at least since record-keeping of sites for the event became consistent in 1934 — only four times has the championship been played at the same course in back-to-back years.
But after this year, make that five times.
As it did last year, The Club at Ravenna in Littleton will host the CGA Match Play, which will be contested for the 118th time next week. The oldest CGA championship will begin Monday (June 18) with a stroke-play qualifying round to set the 64-man match-play bracket. Match play will start Tuesday and continue through Friday, when the 36-hole final is scheduled.
For those who are curious, the previous sites to host consecutive CGA Match Plays are Denver Country Club (1948-49), Lakewood Country Club (1958-59), the South Course at The Broadmoor (1984-85) and Bear Creek Golf Club (2000-01).
Chris Korte, who recently graduated from the University of Denver, won at Ravenna (pictured) in 2017, completing the career sweep of the CGA Amateur and Match Play titles. He’ll try to repeat as Match Play champ next week. As the defending champion, he’ll automatically be seeded No. 1.
Other former champions in the field include Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course (2015 winner) and Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club (2012).
The Match Play, which with few exceptions has produced college-age champions in recent decades, will feature plenty of competitors in that age group this time around. That includes 2017 CGA Amateur of the Year Jake Staiano and AJ Ott from Colorado State University; 2016 CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater, recently from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Ross Macdonald, the CU-Boulder player who tied for second in the Pac-12 tournament; Coby Welch from the University of Northern Colorado; Jackson Solem from DU; and 2017 Match Play runner-up Kyle Pearson from Colorado Mesa. And there are plenty of others who could get hot and advance to the late rounds.
Among the mid-amateurs entered who might make a run are Nosewicz; Jon Lindstrom of Lakewood Country Club, who recently placed sixth and took low-amateur honors in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open; and Jeff Chapman of Inverness Golf Club.
Wednesday and Thursday will feature two rounds of matches at Ravenna.
For Monday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
