(Updated Dec. 7) The last three years, players who have started their college golf careers at Colorado State University have treated the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Award like a tag-team affair.

The honor has gone from one Ram signee to another to another.

Kyler Dunkle, who transferred from CSU to Utah in 2016, started the run that same year. In 2017, it was CSU’s Jake Staiano who earned the award as the top amateur golfer in the state. And this year, the Rams’ AJ Ott (left) has landed the CGA Les Fowler POY honor.

“It really means a lot,” Ott said recently by text regarding earning the award. “We have so many good players around the state and I’m very blessed just to be able to compete with those guys. We’re all very close friends and have played against each other in Colorado since we were kids, which makes competing against one another that much better.”

Ott, a Fort Collins resident who plays out of Ptarmigan Country Club, is one of three CGA men’s players of the year that have been decided for 2018. On Monday, we’ll publish a story on the CGA women’s players of the year.

Other CGA men’s honorees that have been settled on are Chris Thayer (below) of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve (Mid-Amateur POY), Steve Ivan of Patty Jewett Golf Course in Colorado Springs (Senior POY) and Sean Forey of The Club at Rolling Hills (Super-Senior POY). See below for the highlights of their 2018 seasons.

As for Ott, the 21-year-old left-hander won the 118th CGA Match Play title and qualified for his second straight U.S. Amateur to highlight a stellar season.

At the CGA Match Play at The Golf Club at Ravenna, Ott shot a 6-under-par 65 to finish second in the stroke-play qualifying round, then won six matches. He was particularly impressive in the last two. He made a double eagle in beating former champion Brian Dorfman 3 and 1 in the semifinals. Then in one of the most lopsided scheduled 36-hole finals in the event’s history, Ott defeated friend Ross Macdonald 9 and 8 for the title.

“I think the Match Play this year was great just because of the week-long test and it felt good to finally come through and get a win,” Ott said. “Playing against one of my best friends, Ross, was something I’ll never forget. He’s helped me a lot with my game in the past and we both have had our struggles at times so it was great to see us both get to that final match at the end of the week.”

In U.S. Amateur qualifying at Fort Collins Country Club, Ott fired rounds of 68-65 to finish second and earn a berth in the national championship for the second consecutive year.

Elsewhere this year, Ott placed 19th in the CoBank Colorado Open — third among amateurs — and 10th in the CGA Amateur. In college events in 2018, He finished fifth in the Mountain West Conference Championship and ninth in both the Ram Masters Invitational and the Paintbrush Invitational.

The CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year honor is the second statewide POY award for Ott, who was the 2016 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year.

As for highlights for the other CGA players of the year that have been decided …

— Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve (CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year) — Thayer has now won this award the last four years, which establishes a record for the 25-and-older category.

Thayer has a remarkable record in the CGA Mid-Amateur in recent years. In the last five times the championship has been contested, he’s finished first, second, second, first and second. He was runner-up in the event in late September, a stroke behind champion Jared Reid.

Earlier in September, Thayer tied for 53rd place in the stroke-play portion of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, but failed in a playoff to advance to match play. The month before, he earned medalist honors in Colorado-based qualifying for the event.

Thayer also finished 13th in the CGA Amateur — following a final-round 66 at Pinehurst Country Club — and was among three players who represented Colorado at the Pacific Coast Amateur in San Francisco. Early in the season, he teamed with Nick Nosewicz to place third in the CGA Four-Ball Championship.

— Steve Ivan of Patty Jewett Golf Course (CGA Senior Player of the Year) — Ivan (left) has accomplished plenty in golf over the decades, but in the last 14 months or so, he’s certainly stepped it up a notch on the state level.

The former University of Colorado golfer — he was a teammate of 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones — Ivan won the 2017 CGA Senior Amateur. He finished runner-up in the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play, falling to Wyoming resident John Hornbeck in the final. And he also placed second in his title defense at the 2018 CGA Senior Amateur, behind only three-time CGA Senior POY Robert Polk.

Ivan, winner of the 1979 CGA Junior Match, finished second among amateurs at the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, and was fourth in the qualifying tournament for the U.S. Senior Open, falling a little short of advancing to the national championship held at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs.

— Sean Forey of The Club at Rolling Hills (CGA Super-Senior Player of the Year) — Now Forey will have bookends for his trophy case.

Eight years ago, the golfer from The Club at Rolling Hills earned the CGA Senior Player of the Year Award. And this fall, the 65-year-old from Morrison has added the CGA Super-Senior POY honor for players 62 and older.

Forey (left) recorded two victories in CGA super-senior events in 2018 — at the Super-Senior Stroke Play and the super-senior division of the CGA Senior Four-Ball — with Scott Radcliffe.

 At the Super-Senior Stroke Play in August at Perry Park Country Club, Forey notched a four-shot victory. After finishing second, third, fourth and fifth in previous appearances at the event, landing the title was a welcome outcome for him.

Besides his showings at the Super-Senior Stroke Play and the Senior Four-Ball, Forey was a semifinalist in the CGA Super-Senior Match Play and finished ninth in the CGA Senior Amateur that was won by 63-year-old Robert Polk.

Forey, the low amateur in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open in both 2008 and 2010, led the CGA super-senior points list this year.

CSU has won the Ram Masters team title four consecutive years, and it appears primed to make it five in a row.

The Rams posted a stellar 14-under-par 266 total in round 2 on Monday afternoon at Fort Collins Country Club to open up an 11-stroke lead in the 17-team event.

CSU, which set a tournament record with a 17-under-par total in last year’s Ram Masters, is already at 13-under 547 with one round remaining. Illinois State checks in second at 558.

The University of Northern Colorado shares third place with South Dakota at 568, while the University of Denver is in seventh place at 573 after its first day of competition for the season.

CSU has four players in the top 11 in the 96-player field. Parathakorn Suyasri holds second place at 6-under-par 134, which leaves him one back of leader Dan Starzinski of Wyoming. Three Colorado residents are also in the top 11 for CSU: Jake Staiano (136, third place after a second-round 65); AJ Ott (138, seventh place) and freshman Davis Bryant (139, 11th place).

Ott and Staiano finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in last year’s Ram Masters.

Meanwhile, Joshua Matz is leading the way for UNC at 138 (seventh place), while Coloradan Coby Welch checked in at 139 (11th place).

Pacing DU individually is freshman Cal McCoy (142, 19th place), another Colorado resident.

Also in Fort Collins: The host CSU women, in their season opener, sit in 10th place out of 13 teams after Monday’s opening round of the Ptarmigan Ram Classic at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins. The Rams shot a 17-over-par 305 and trail leader Boise State by 12. Northern Colorado stands in 12th place at 309. Haley Greb is leading CSU individually (16th place, 74), while Beah Cruz shares sixth place at 72 for UNC.
 

RAM MASTERS INVITATIONAL
Sept. 17-18, 2018 at Par-70 Fort Collins CC
1. (out of 17 teams) Colorado State 281-266–547
2. Parathakorn Suyasri 68-66–134
3. Jake Staiano 71-65–136
7. AJ Ott 72-68–140
11. Davis Bryant 72-67–139
27. Cullen Plousha 72-71–143
Competing Only as Individual
27. Jack Ainscough 71-72–143
42. Andrew Lafferty 74-71–145
42. Oscar Teiffel 75-70–145
61. Akedanai Ponghathaikul 74-74–148

3. Northern Colorado 288-280–568
7. Joshua Matz 68-70–138
11. Coby Welch 72-67–139
49. Marcus Tait 77-69–146
55. Li Chen 73-74–147
85. Jack Castiglia 75-78–153

7. Denver 288-285–573
19. Cal McCoy 70-72–142
27. Jun Ho Won 74-69–143
42. Esteban Missura 72-73–145
42. Carson Griggs 74-71–145
55. Jackson Solem 72-75–147
Competing Only as Individual
27. Roy Kang 71-72–143
42. Eric Hagen 73-72–145
80. John Sand 75-77–152

Also
19. John Paterson, Colorado 74-68–142
61. Andre Leveque, Colorado 73-75–148

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

PTARMIGAN RAM CLASSIC
Sept. 17-19, 2018 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins
10. (out of 13 teams) Colorado State 305
16. Haley Greb 74
22. Jessica Sloot 75
41. Katrina Prendergast 78
41. Ellen Secor 78
60. Sydney Smith 81
Competing Only as Individual
55. Saga Traustadottir 80

12. Northern Colorado 309
6. Beah Cruz 72
27. Morgan Sahm 76
55. Marisa Hisaki 80
60. Nicole Polivchak 81
60. Aili Bundy 81
Competing Only as Individuals
55. Jenna Chun 80

Others
27. Coloradan Erin Sargent, Wyoming 76
55. Coloradan Sarah Hankins, Wyoming 80

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

The Texas A&M golfer (left) shot a 1-over-par 73 at Spyglass Hill on Monday, which left him in 43rd place out of 312 players after one round of the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the event.

The Loveland resident, who made three birdies and four bogeys in round 1, trails co-leader Trevor Phillips of Inman, S.C. and Daniel Hillier of New Zealand by five strokes (relative to par) heading into Tuesday. After 36 holes, the top 64 players will advance to match play.

The other players with strong Colorado connections will need to rally on Tuesday if they hope to keep competing at Pebble Beach more than two days.

CGA Amateur champion Kyler Dunkle, who lived in Parker until recently, opened with a 6-over-par 78 at Spyglass, putting him in 202nd place. Dunkle struggled over the first eight holes, going 5 over par, but went 1 over for his last 10.

Austin Hardman of Highlands Ranch made three birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine at Spyglass, but also posted three double bogeys, also en route to a 78.

Colorado State University golfers Cullen Plousha and AJ Ott shot 7-over-par 78 and 8-over 79, respectively, at Pebble Beach Golf Links. And, after being even par through his first eight holes at Spyglass, Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch went 10 over for his last 10 to shoot 82.

Here are the scores for the local players at the U.S. Amateur:

43. Dan Erickson of Loveland 73 (+1, SH)
202. Kyler Dunkle of Parker 78 (+6, SH)
202. Austin Hardman of Highlands Ranch 78 (+6, SH)
236. CSU golfer Cullen Plousha 78 (+7, PB)
256. AJ Ott of Fort Collins 79 (+8, PB)
283. Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch 82 (+10, SH)

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

— There’s Kyler Dunkle of The Club at Pradera, the 2016 CGA Player of the Year who finished ninth overall and was low-amateur in last week’s CoBank Colorado Open. The University of Utah golfer has also qualified for this month’s U.S. Amateur.

— There’s Colorado State University golfer AJ Ott of Ptarmigan Country Club, who won the 2018 CGA Match Play, has qualified for the U.S. Amateur and finished 19th in the Colorado Open. Ott is ranked No. 156 among the world’s amateur golfers.

— There’s former University of Denver golfer Chris Korte of Littleton, who’s won both the CGA Match Play (2017) and the CGA Amateur (2015) and just finished 22nd against a packed field at the Pacific Coast Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

And those are just a few of the most notable players scheduled to compete at Pinehurst. Eighty-four golfers will be in the field, which will be cut to the low 40 and ties after two rounds. A champion will be decided on Sunday at Pinehurst, which has most recently hosted the CGA Amateur in 2013 and 2008.

Also set to compete at Pinehurst are U.S. Amateur qualifier Coby Welch, a University of Northern Colorado golfer; Pac-12 Conference runner-up and CGA Western Chapter champion Ross Macdonald, a University of Colorado golfer; 2016 CGA Amateur winner Colin Prater of The Broadmoor Golf Club; Griffin Barela of Bear Creek Golf Club, a University of Wisconsin golfer who placed 15th in the Colorado Open; University of Mississippi golfer Josh Seiple from Castle Pines Golf Club; Jon Lindstrom of Lakewood Country Club and Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, winner of five CGA Mid-Amateurs between them; and 2015 CGA Match Play champion Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course.

For Thursday’s pairings at Pinehurst, CLICK HERE.

Dan Erickson’s first competitive round in his new home state of Colorado was a doozy.

The Texas A&M golfer, whose family moved to Loveland early this year, shot a 9-under-par 61 Monday and set the course record — by two strokes — in the first round of U.S. Amateur qualifying at Fort Collins Country Club.

The 19-year-old backed that up with a 3-under 67 in the afternoon, giving him a 12-under 128 total for the day, good for medalist honors out of a field that originally numbered 83.

The stakes were high on Monday as Pebble Beach Golf Links, site of the 2019 U.S. Open, will be hosting the U.S. Amateur Aug. 13-19.

Joining Erickson in earning berths Monday to the historic venue were Colorado State University golfer AJ Ott of Fort Collins, and University of Utah golfer Kyler Dunkle of Parker. (The qualifiers are pictured, from left: Ott, Erickson and Dunkle.)

“We grew up playing Pebble on the Wii and the Tiger Woods (video games) and stuff like that,” Ott noted with a smile. “That was always everyone’s favorite course. It will be really fun.”

Added Dunkle, the 2016 CGA Player of the Year and a former 5A state high school champion: “You’re going to basically the golf mecca. Pebble has had numerous U.S. Opens and other big tournaments. They have a PGA Tour stop there every year. The amount of history there … To be able to walk down those fairways and remember some of the shots hit — like Tiger’s 3-wood onto the green on No. 18 … That will be an experience itself. Being able to play the golf course, that will be really fun, knowing what’s happened there. One of the coolest things will be playing it this year and watching the U.S. Open there next year. It’s a special place, and to have the opportunity to go there will be really cool.”

It will be the second straight U.S. Amateur for Ott, who narrowly missed advancing to match play last year, and the third overall for Dunkle, who went to the match play round of 16 in 2016. Meanwhile, next month will mark the U.S. Amateur debut for Erickson. None of the three has had the pleasure of playing Pebble Beach.

Erickson (left), who claimed one individual victory in the spring portion of the college schedule, had a tap-in eagle on his first hole of the day Monday after hitting a 7-iron from 210 yards, and added nine birdies and two bogeys in round 1. By draining a 40-foot birdie on No. 18 — his fourth in a row — he shot the best score of his golf career and bettered his competitive best by three strokes.

“When we were playing the practice round yesterday and I birdied the first hole and chipped in for birdie on 2 I was like, ‘Oh man, what’s the course record?’ Now I guess I figured it out,” Erickson said with a smile. “That felt pretty good.

“I was driving it fantastic all day to put myself in good positions. I was hitting every drive almost perfect. I did everything pretty good obviously. Everything was just working. This course is great. I love every second of being out here. It was good all around.”

In the afternoon round, Erickson was a bogey-free 6 under par through 12 holes, making him a whopping 15 under for the day. But two double bogeys down the stretch, with a birdie sandwiched in between, left him at 12 under.

Coincidentally, the Fort Collins CC course record that Erickson bettered by two belonged to Dunkle, who shot a 63 in the first round of the Ram Masters tournament in 2015 while he was a CSU golfer before he transferred to Utah.

“That’s insane,” Dunkle said of someone shooting 61. “That’s golf. That’s an unbelievable score. Knowing historically some of the scores that have qualified here and even in CSU’s tournament, it’s really hard to see an individual take it over two or three rounds to 6 or 7 under and he shot 9 under in one round. That’s impressive.”

On Monday, Dunkle  (left) wasn’t quite as good, but shot consecutive 67s despite a balky putter. That left the 21-year-old in third place.

“I hit the ball great, unbelievably well,” said Dunkle, who’s been battling back problems but recently finished second in the Utah State Amateur. “Over 36 holes I missed three greens (in regulation). Proximity to the hole was awesome. I don’t want to even begin to count how many putts I had.”

But in the end, Dunkle, who now primarily lives in Salt Lake City, squeaked in for his third trip to the U.S. Am in the last four years.

He said when he advanced to the round of 16 in the 2016 national championship at Oakland Hills in Michigan, “that was by far the most fun I’ve ever had at a golf tournament. Being able to play these world-class golf courses under U.S. Open conditions is something not very many people get to do. The fact that I’ve done it twice and I get to go again, it’s awesome.”

Ott, who won the CGA Match Play last month, grew up in Fort Collins and plays Fort Collins CC regularly as a member of the CSU golf team. On Monday, he qualified for the U.S. Am at the site for the second straight year, this time finishing second. The 20-year-old posted rounds of 68-65, playing his final nine holes in 4 under par.

“Last year playing in the U.S. Am was a real confidence boost for me because I was close (to making match play),” Ott said. “I didn’t play my best and I missed the cut by one out there. The whole U.S. Am experience is cool. It means a lot to go back.

“I struggled so much my freshman year (at CSU), and to go out there (to the 2017 U.S. Amateur) and not play my best and still be right there to make match play, that was a huge confidence boost. I think that’s a big reason I improved my sophomore year.”

The scores on Monday were considerably lower than normal at the Fort Collins CC U.S. Amateur qualifier. Last year, 1-over-par 141 earned a spot in the national championship. This year, it took 6-under 134.

A second qualifying tournament for the U.S. Amateur will take place in Colorado on July 16 at Columbine Country Club.

U.S. Amateur Qualifying

At Par-70 Fort Collins CC
ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Dan Erickson, Loveland 61-67–128
AJ Ott, Fort Collins 68-65–133
Kyler Dunkle, Parker 67-67–134
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 68-67–135
Daniel Martinez, Austin, Texas 68-67–135

For all the scores from Fort Collins CC, CLICK HERE.

Having Pebble Beach Golf Links in the Monterey area of California serve as host will do that. And Spyglass Hill as the second stroke-play course isn’t bad either.

Pebble Beach GL, which will be home to the 2019 U.S. Open, will do the honors for the U.S. Am Aug. 13-19.

Two qualifying tournaments in Colorado will fill six spots in the 312-man international field. Fort Collins Country Club (on Monday, July 2) and Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley (July 16) will hold 36-hole qualifiers, with the top three finishers at each site earning trips to “Pebble”. The qualifying fields number 83 at Fort Collins and 84 at Columbine.

Three golfers who qualified for the 2017 U.S. Am will be back hoping for a return trip: Colorado State University players AJ Ott and Jake Staiano, along with the University of Northern Colorado’s Li Chen — all of whom are in the field at Fort Collins CC.

Ott, winner of the CGA Match Play last week, finished a stroke out of a playoff for the final match play spots at last year’s U.S. Am. Staiano also went to the U.S. Amateur in 2015. Chen was the medalist in qualifying at Fort Collins CC last year.

Two former CGA Players of the Year will be competing in Fort Collins: Staiano (2017) and Kyler Dunkle (2016). Another, Michael Harrington (2014), will be at Columbine.

Among the others competing Monday will be 2017 CGA Match Play champ Chris Korte, 2018 Match Play runner-up Ross Macdonald; 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Boys Player of the Year Davis Bryant, who was first alternate in U.S. Am qualifying in Fort Collins last year; 2016 CGA Amateur winner Colin Prater; and Hunter Paugh, who won a 5A state high school title at Fort Collins CC.

The competitors at Columbine, in addition to Harrington, will include three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jon Lindstrom, two-time U.S. Open Sectional qualifier Josh Seiple and 2012 CGA Match Play champion Brian Dorfman.

For tee times at Fort Collins CC, CLICK HERE.

For tee times at Columbine CC, CLICK HERE.

There’s no two ways about it: AJ Ott was Ram tough on Friday.

There are examples of greater margins of victory in the finals of the CGA Match Play than the one the Colorado State University golfer dealt out this week, but not many.

When the player from Ptarmigan Country Club beat University of Colorado golfer Ross Macdonald, from the Country Club at Castle Pines, for the title in the CGA’s oldest championship on Friday, it was by a formidable 9-and-8 score.

In the 118-year history of the tournament, that made it into the top five in terms of most lopsided results in scheduled 36-hole finals for this event.

The only ones higher on that list are:

— 12 and 11: Brandt Jobe over Bill Fowler in 1985.

— 12 and 11: Harold Fisher over D.B. Ellis in 1909.

— 10 and 9: Zen Brown over Tom Glissmeyer in 2007.

— 10 and 9: N.C. “Tub” Morris over E.A. Campbell in 1927.

And there are two other finals that matched the 9-and-8 score from Friday at The Club at Ravenna in Littleton.

But suffice it to say that Ott’s performance was a rarity. In a matchup of two friends who happen to play at rival college programs in Colorado, the Fort Collins resident never trailed and ended up playing the 28 holes of the match in 8 under par, with a few concessions thrown in that might have lessened that total slightly.

It’s the first CGA championship for Ott (left and above), who was the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s male player of the year in 2016.

“Ross is a year older than me and I’ve looked up to him since I was 9 or 10 years old. He’s one of my really good friends,” Ott said. “Just to be able to play him in the final was an honor. I know he probably didn’t have his best game today, but a match like that can go either way any time. But he’s been a role model to me, honestly, for 10 or 12 years, so it was cool to be able to play him.

“With the CU-CSU thing, we honestly just embrace it and have more state pride, so that was really cool. We both play in a lot of the same (college) tournaments, so it’s cool to be able to have a match against one another like this. We loved it.”

Macdonald will second that.

“To make it to finals and to play AJ, there’s no one I’d really rather lose to,” said the 21-year-old. “He’s an amazing player. It was fun playing one of your best friends.”

Ott, a junior-to-be at CSU, birdied six of the first seven holes of the match — with a bogey on No. 3 — to grab a 5-up lead. From there on, Macdonald got no closer than 4 down.

The 20-year-old Ott shot a 4-under-par 67 in the first 18 and led 7 up. He earned a conceded eagle from 12 feet on the par-4 seventh hole in the afternoon to go 9 up, then halved the final three holes. Had Ott made a 4-foot par putt on the 28th hole, he would have won 10 and 8, but he lipped it out, settling for a 9-and-8 margin.

“I didn’t think about the margin the whole round because I knew I was playing such a great player,” Ott said of Macdonald, winner of two Colorado Junior Amateurs. “I had to leave every hole behind me and focus on my next shot.”

Ott said he chatted on Thursday night with CSU teammate Jake Staiano, the 2017 CGA Player of the Year, about what to expect in the finals.

“Jake has been in a few of these matches, so I asked him if he had any advice on 36-hole matches,” Ott said. “He gave me some good input. He said to stay patient, and that was the mindset all day. That really helped.”

Macdonald (above and below), a former Colorado junior player of the year himself (in 2014), couldn’t continue his strong play from Thursday, when he was a combined 8 under par for two matches. On Friday, the 2018 Pac-12 Conference runner-up was 5 over par for the 28 holes.

“I couldn’t really get it going the whole day. It’s a long week,” Macdonald said. “AJ and I were both tired and fatigued after playing the Southwestern Amateur (in Scottsdale, Ariz.) last week, then the Match Play.

“Getting off to a slow start, especially against AJ, I knew it was going to be tough. I didn’t have my best stuff. I tried to fight, but I was just so far back. It was asking a lot. And he wasn’t going to stop (playing well). I was just in a hole and I was trying to dig myself out.”

Each of the two finalists played eight rounds of golf in five days at Ravenna, including six rounds in the last three days. To add to that, Ott was driving back and forth each day to his home in Fort Collins, often with tee times in the 7 a.m. range.

“It’s been a really long week,” he said. “We were both just exhausted all day today. I got up at 3:45 this morning and drove down at 4:30. But I was so excited. It was fun.”
 

CGA Match Play
At The Club at Ravenna in Littleton

THURSDAY’S QUARTERFINALS
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Chris Korte, CGA Club, 1 up
Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, def. Jake Staiano, Glenmoor CC, 19 holes
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, def. Jackson Solem, The Fox Hill Club, 5 and 3
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Jake Ice, Walking Stick GC, 5 and 4

THURSDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, 1 up
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 3 and 1

FRIDAY’S 36-HOLE FINAL
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, 9 and 8

To view the brackets from the CGA Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Consider it a Rocky Mountain Showdown, only with clubs.

There have been other CGA Match Play finals that have featured golfers from both the University of Colorado and Colorado State University — most recently in 2013, when CU’s David Oraee prevailed over CSU’s Parker Edens — but the current installment of the rivalry on the golf course will take place on Friday.

This time around, it will be Ross Macdonald from CU and the Country Club at Castle Pines taking on AJ Ott from CSU and Ptarmigan Country Club in a scheduled 36-hole final that will conclude the 118th CGA Match Play at The Club at Ravenna in Littleton.

“I know AJ well,” Macdonald said. “I know he’s a Ram; that’s the only thing I don’t like. No, he’s a great friend — in golf and outside. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Both of the college players won two matches for the second straight day on Thursday, highlighted by the 530-yard par-5 14th hole Thursday afternoon. That’s where Ott (left) made a double eagle in his semifinal (4 iron from 220 yards) and Macdonald narrowly missed one of his own 10 minutes later, settling for a mere eagle there after a 7-iron from 178 yards finished 5 feet from the cup.

Ott didn’t see his shot turn into an albatross — his first in competition — but was elated nonetheless.

“I couldn’t do that out of another 500 balls,” he said. “It was a lucky bounce. But it was a good match.”

Said Macdonald, who was informed of the feat as he approached the 14th green: “I was a little rattled by it. That is incredible. To make it with that (front pin), that’s almost unheard of.”

That hole gave Ott a 2-up lead and helped lift him to a 3 and 1 semifinal victory over 28-year-old Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club, the 2012 champion and the last mid-am remaining in the bracket. And Macdonald’s eagle squared up his match after he was 3 down through eight to Josh Hill of the Omni Interlocken Resort, who was 5 under through his first seven holes.

Macdonald (left), who had 2014 champion and current Ravenna assistant pro Cody Kent caddying for him in the afternoon, went 1 up on 15 when Hill lost his ball on his tee shot and Macdonald made a conceded birdie. The CU golfer went on to prevail 1 up when Hill narrowly missed a 7-foot birdie attempt on the final hole. In the semis, Ott played his final six holes in 6 under par, while Macdonald was 5 under for his final 18 after being 3 under in the quarterfinals.

In those quarterfinals, Macdonald ended the nine-match win streak of defending champion Chris Korte in this event. The CU junior-to-be beat the recent University of Denver graduate 1 up by getting up and down from a bunker from 60 yards to halve the 18th hole.

“I shot 68 in the morning and 66 in the afternoon and made one bogey all day,” noted Macdonald. “I played really solid and didn’t do anything stupid.

“I didn’t have a great range session this morning so I wasn’t quite sure. I told myself to stay in it, one hole at a time. That’s what my assistant coach (at CU, Pat Grady) told me and he’s won this before (in 2005). He said eliminate the dumb stuff. If you don’t have a chance to look at a pin, then (hit it to) 30 feet and put the pressure on them to make a putt. I kind of did that all day, and it was good enough.”

In his quarterfinal, Ott defeated former Colorado State-Pueblo golfer Jake Ice 5 and 4.

“It’s awesome” to make the final, Ott said. “It’s been a lot of golf (six rounds from Monday through Thursday), that’s for sure. I didn’t have my best stuff in a few of my earlier matches, but I played nice this morning and played good this afternoon. Now I’ll just rest up and get ready for another 36.”

For Ott, it wasn’t like his double eagle on No. 14 in the afternoon was an isolated good shot. In fact, right after his albatross, Dorfman put the pressure on by hitting his approach on 15 to within a foot. After conceding that birdie, Ott proceeded to hit his to 4 feet and halve the hole with a birdie.

“He threw a great shot in there,” Ott said of Dorfman. “I had to sack up and hit a good one. It felt good to make birdie there, especially after making two on the last hole.”

Macdonald (left, with Kent) and Ott are certainly no strangers, having played plenty of junior and college golf together over the last seven or eight years. Both are former male junior players of the year in the state (Macdonald in 2014 and Ott in 2016). In college, Macdonald finished second in this year’s Pac-12 Championships and Ott was fifth in the Mountain West Conference tournament. Both players will be juniors, eligibility-wise, in 2018-19. Ott is 20 years old and Macdonald 21.

Asked what it would mean to prevail on Friday and earn the trophy, Ott said, “It would be awesome. It’s going to be fun. I’ve never made it even close to this far in the match play. So it would mean a lot.”
 

CGA Match Play
At The Club at Ravenna in Littleton
QUARTERFINALS

Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Chris Korte, CGA Club, 1 up
Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, def. Jake Staiano, Glenmoor CC, 19 holes
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, def. Jackson Solem, The Fox Hill Club, 5 and 3
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Jake Ice, Walking Stick GC, 5 and 4

SEMIFINALS
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, 1 up
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 3 and 1

FRIDAY’S 36-HOLE FINAL
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, vs. AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, 7 a.m.

To view the brackets from the CGA Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Korte, who just graduated from the University of Denver, was one of two former champions to win two matches on Wednesday and earn quarterfinal berths in the CGA’s oldest championship. Likewise advancing was 2012 champion Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club.

Korte (left) defeated 2016 CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater of The Broadmoor Golf Club 3 and 1 in the round of 16. The former DU golfer made an eagle, seven birdies and nine pars in the 17 holes of a match in which he never trailed.

Meanwhile, Dorfman was 2 down to former University of Colorado golfer Brennan Dolan of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve through 15 holes, but won three of the last four to prevail in 19 holes in the round of 16. Earlier in the day, Dolan had beaten another former champion, 2015 winner Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course, 2 up.

Joining Korte and Dorfman in the quarterfinals will be Colorado State University teammates AJ Ott of Ptarmigan Country Club and Jake Staiano of Glenmoor Country Club; stroke-play medalist Jackson Solem of The Fox Hill Club, a DU teammate of Korte last season; University of Colorado golfer Ross Macdonald of the Country Club at Castle Pines; former CSU-Pueblo golfer Jake Ice of Walking Stick Golf Course; and Josh Hill of Guilford College and the Omni Interlocken Resort.

In Thursday’s quarterfinals, Korte will face Macdonald, Staiano will play Hill, Solem will take on Dorfman, and Ott will meet Ice. Then the semifinals await on Thursday afternoon, setting the stage for Friday’s 36-hole final.

For results from the CGA Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Jackson Solem of The Fox Hill Club, a University of Denver golfer, earned medalist honors with a 7-under-par 64 after an eight-birdie, one-bogey day. Solem, who made the match play round of 32 at last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, will be the No. 2 seed in the match-play bracket, behind defending champion Chris Korte, who recently graduate from DU. Korte shot a 74 on Monday.

Colorado State University golfer AJ Ott of Ptarmigan Country Club finished second in Monday’s qualifying, shooting a 65. Another CSU Ram, 2017 CGA Player of the Year Jake Staiano of Glenmoor Country Club, carded a 67 for third place in stroke play.

Among the five players who posted a 68 was 2015 CGA Match Play champion Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course. Another former champion, 2012 winner Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club, also broke 70, with a 69.

In all, 64 players will advance to match play, which begins on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday will each feature two rounds of matches, setting the stage for Friday’s 36-hole final.

The golfers who shot 79 on Monday played off for the final spot in the match-play bracket, with Blake Schneiter earning the final berth.

Ravenna is hosting the CGA Match Play — the CGA’s oldest championship — for the second straight year, marking the first time the championship has been held at the same site in consecutive years since 2000-01.

For all the scores from Monday, CLICK HERE.

For the round-of-64 matchups, CLICK HERE.