Qualifying for a U.S. Amateur is a big deal under any circumstances. Earning a spot in the championship for the first time adds considerably to the excitement. And doing it when the tournament is being hosted by historic and spectacularly scenic Pebble Beach Golf Links makes that excitement go off the charts.

That’s what Austin Hardman and Coby Welch, both of Highlands Ranch, along with Nick Costello of Austin, Texas, experienced Monday evening when they all punched their tickets to their first U.S. Am.

Pebble Beach, site of the 2019 U.S. Open, will be home to the U.S. Amateur Aug. 13-19, with Spyglass Hill serving as the second stroke-play course in the Monterey area of California.

“My grandparents used to live in Monterey, so Pebble is my favorite place on the entire planet, without question,” Hardman said. “I’m pretty excited about it for sure. This U.S. Amateur will definitely be the biggest tournament I’ve ever played in.

“I’ve played Pebble Beach (Golf Links) twice. It was a hit and giggle out there for six hours, which is the best six hours in my life.”

The three 20-year-old college golfers — Hardman just completed his second and final year at Mesa Community College in Arizona, Welch his second year at the University of Northern Colorado, and Costello his second year at the University of Texas — all advanced thanks to their performances Monday at Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley. They’ll be part of a 312-man field at Pebble Beach. (The qualifiers are pictured above, from left: Hardman, Costello and Welch.)

Hardman (left) earned medalist honors in the 36-hole event, finishing at 6-under-par 138 after rounds of 70-68. Costello placed second at 139 (71-68) and Welch third at 141 (69-72) out of a field that originally numbered 84.

Hardman was 3 over par through his first five holes of the qualifier, but rallied and finished the day with 12 birdies and six bogeys.

Costello carded an eagle, nine birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

Welch, the 2015 Colorado Boys Junior Player of the Year, recorded an eagle, eight birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey. Welch becomes the second UNC golfer in two years to qualify for the U.S. Am as Li Chen made the grade last year.

It’s been a big week at the Welch house as Coby’s younger brother Jake won the boys division of the Colorado Junior Amateur on Wednesday.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Coby (lower left), winner of the 2016 Colorado Mark Simpson Invitational college tournament. “(Jake) played really well. Good for him. I’m glad he did that.”

And now Coby, who’s previously competed in the U.S. Junior Am, will give the U.S. Amateur a shot.

“It will be awesome,” said Coby, who had to sweat out his position after playing his final six holes in 3 over par. “I’ve never been there (to Pebble Beach), so it’ll be great. I played in the Junior Am, so I like making the U.S. Am.”

With pin positions set up a little more difficult than recent years at Columbine, a score that forced a playoff last year (138) was medalist this time around. But to earn that honor this year was quite a feat for Hardman, considering he had to play his final 31 holes in 9 under par to get there.

“This is going to sound cliche, but after I was 3 over after five holes, my caddie and I kept saying, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint,'” said Hardman, who finished 11th in this year’s Junior College Division II national championship. Hardman will be transferring to a new NAIA program, Ottawa University Arizona, for the new school year.

Costello, a veteran of two U.S. Junior Amateurs, only came to this U.S. Amateur qualifier because he made it into a tournament that conflicted with his plans to attempt to qualify in San Antonio. So he changed sites and came up with a friend who likewise competed.

“The course conditions aren’t really what we get in Texas,” said Costello, whose only previous tournament in Colorado was the 2015 AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. “It’s really nice playing on pure grass. I really enjoyed that. And from a few years ago, I knew how the elevation affects the yardages, so I knew what I was getting into and was ready for it.”

Costello (left) started and finished his final round on a high note, which assured him of the U.S. Am berth. He played his first three holes in 4 under par, eagling the par-5 12th from 4 feet. Then after a double bogey on No. 5 (his 14th hole), he two-putted for birdie on his penultimate hole and made a 2-footer for birdie on his last.

Tristan Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, a 2016 U.S. Amateur qualifier at Columbine, landed the first alternate spot on the third hole of a playoff with George Markham of Phoenix, a Colorado School of Mines golfer. But despite a second-round 69, Rohrbaugh lamented playing his last five holes of regulation in 3 over par.

Monday marked the second and final U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament in Colorado this year. Qualifying for the U.S. Am at Fort Collins Country Club two weeks ago
were Dan Erickson of Loveland, AJ Ott of Fort Collins and Kyler Dunkle of Parker.
 

U.S. Amateur Qualifying
At Par-72 Columbine CC in Columbine Valley 
ADVANCE TO U.S. AMATEUR
Austin Hardman, Highlands Ranch 70-68–138
Nick Costello, Austin, Texas 71-68–139
Coby Welch, Highlands Ranch 69-72–141
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Tristan Rohrbaugh, Carbondale 73-69–142
George Markham, Phoenix 71-71–142

For all the scores from Columbine, 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.

Fifty years to the month after Columbine Country Club hosted the PGA Championship, Coloradan Jake Staiano, Colorado State University teammate Parathakorn Suyasri of Thailand, and UCLA golfer Cole Madey from West Linn, Ore., had reason to celebrate at the club on Monday.

The three qualified for the U.S. Amateur by setting the standard over 36 holes in a tournament field that originally numbered 83.

Suyasri, who turned 17 years old on Monday and will begin his CSU golf career in September, earned medalist honors by posting rounds of 67-68 for a 9-under-par 135 total at Columbine. Staiano went 66-71 and birdied the final hole from 8 feet to land the second spot at 137. And Madey, who just won the Oregon Amateur Championship, carded scores of 68-70 for a 138 total, then prevailed in a playoff against Henrik Olsson of Austin, Texas, a Southern Methodist University golfer who went 70-68.

Staiano (left) particularly relished earning a berth on Monday as it’ll be his second time around at the U.S. Am. Two years ago, as an 18-year-old, he tied for eighth place out of 312 golfers in stroke play, beating current PGA Tour players Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau (who claimed that U.S. Am title in match play) and 2017 NCAA champion Braden Thornberry in the medal-play portion of the championship. After a rough draw, the CSU golfer then bowed out in the first round of match play to Sam Horsfield of England, who was the No. 3-ranked amateur in the world before turning pro in May.

“It means a lot” to go the U.S. Am a second time, said Staiano, a junior-to-be at CSU. “It was a great experience (in 2015). Just having that experience under your belt is always key. I know what it takes to get into match play. If I can do that again, then I’ll see if I can make something special happen.”

What did Staiano take from the U.S. Am two years ago?

“Just the fact that I can play with the best players in the world. I beat Jon Rahm in the stroke-play portion, I beat DeChambeau in the stroke play. I beat a bunch of the top 20-30 players in the world. That sort of stands out and gives me confidence that I can compete with these guys and beat these guys, which is always good to feel.”

For Suyasri, Staiano and Madey, their U.S. Amateur berths will take them to Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., for the U.S. Amateur, which is set for Aug. 14-20. While it’ll be the second U.S. Am for the 20-year-old Staiano, it’ll be the debut for both Suyasri and Madey. Madey’s UCLA golf team plays frequently at Riviera and at Bel-Air Country Club, the compansion course for stroke play for next month’s U.S. Am. In fact, his college apartment is right across the street from Bel-Air CC.

“Especially with the U.S. Am at my home course, it’s pretty special,” Madey said.

On Monday at Columbine, after Madey made a 10-foot par putt on the first hole of sudden death, the 20-year-old hit a wedge on the second extra hole, the par-4 18th, from 81 yards to 6 inches from the cup and tapped in the birdie to advance. Olsson, whose approach shot from the right rough hit a tree but still managed to finish 30 feet behind the pin, left his birdie putt short and will be the first alternate from the Columbine site.

Zachary Zurcher of Parker, who made a hole-in-one on the 186-yard seventh hole in the afternoon, landed the second alternate spot at 140 after rounds of 73-67.

But it was Suyasri, on his 17th birthday, that really thrived on Monday. He finished the day with an eagle, 10 birdies and three bogeys over the two rounds. (Suyasri is pictured at left with Staiano.)

“My putting went well today,” he said. “It was really good today. My putting is bad one day, then another it’s really good. This was my (good) day.”

The Thai golfer is no stranger to playing well in big events as he’s posted two top-30 finishes in Asian Tour pro tournaments this year — as a then-16-year-old. He also won the 11-12 age division of the IMG Academy Junior World Championships — arguably one of the top two junior tournaments in the world — in 2012. But this will be his first U.S. Amateur. In fact, it will be his first USGA championship of any sort.

“I’m pretty excited because it’s my first time there,” said the lanky teenager. “I’ll try to do my best.”

As for his new CSU teammate Staiano, he was extra determined to earn a U.S. Amateur berth after missing out last year at Columbine, where he was in contention for a national spot until going triple bogey-double bogey on Nos. 5-6 — two par-4s under 350 yards — in the second round.

This time around, he wasn’t going to be caught unprepared, so Staiano played Columbine roughly a half-dozen times in the weeks leading up to Monday’s qualifier. The extra preparation paid dividends as he racked up a dozen birdies, offset by five bogeys.

“Playing it that much really helped me feel comfortable, especially with the tee shots,” Staiano said. “To do well on this course, I think you need to play it pretty aggressive off the tee. I hit drivers on holes where my playing competitor hit 4-iron.

“I was really determined to get back, especially after what happened last year.”

For Staiano, it will be his third USGA championship. Besides the two U.S. Ams, he went to the 2014 U.S. Junior Am, where he also made match play. He’s also advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying twice.

As for Madey (left), he’s been on a roll of late. As a UCLA sophomore, he finished ninth in the Pac-12 Championship tournament at Boulder Country Club at the end of April, then earned honorable mention all-conference honors. And last week, he won the Oregon Amateur on his home course in West Linn. And now, the U.S. Amateur awaits him.

He qualified at Columbine despite just playing nine holes of practice on the course after flying in on Sunday morning. Madey, who couldn’t try to qualify for the U.S. Am in the Northwest because of tournament conflicts, carded nine birdies and three bogeys on the day.

“I had to gather myself on each shot because I don’t play at elevation (much) like most of the players here and I don’t know the course as well,” he said. For the Pac-12 tournament, “My (UCLA) coach made a card for us to help with the yardage differences from sea level to up here. I used that this week.”

A second Colorado-based U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament will be held July 13 at Fort Collins Country Club, where the top three finishers will advance to the national championship.
 

U.S. Amateur QualifyingӬ
At Par-72 Columbine CC in Columbine Valley
QUALIFIED FOR U.S. AM
Parathakorn Suyasri, Thailand 67-68–135
Jake Staiano, Cherry Hills Village 66-71–137
Cole Madey, West Linn, Oregon 68-70–138
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Henrik Olsson, Austin, Texas 70-68–138
Zachary Zurcher, Parker 73-67–140

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

And two other Coloradans — Jake Staiano (2015) and Wyndham Clark (2016) — have likewise earned spots in the 64-man match play field in the 312-player event.

All those golfers began their U.S. Amateur journey with a 36-hole qualifying tournament in Colorado. Two of those qualifying events are on tap in the next two weeks as Columbine Country Club will host one on Monday (July 3) and Fort Collins Country Club one on July 13.

In each case, the top three finishers out of a field of 80-plus players will earn berths to the U.S. Am, scheduled for Aug. 14-20 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

The qualifying field for Monday at Columbine features 2016 CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater, who earned a U.S. Am berth at Columbine last year. Also set to compete are 2017 CGA Match Play winner Chris Korte; former U.S. Am qualifiers Staiano, Chris Thayer, Spencer Painton and Jeff Chapman; Josh Seiple, the 2016 CGA Match Play runner-up who recently advanced to the round of 32 at the British Amateur; and 2015 CGA Match Play champ Nick Nosewicz.

At Fort Collins CC on July 13, 2016 U.S. Am qualifiers Tristan Rohrbaugh and Colton Yates are in the field. Also scheduled to play are Steve Irwin, who’s twice competed in the U.S. Amateur and once in the U.S. Open; 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur qualifiers Jackson Solem and Davis Bryant; and former 5A state high school champion Hunter Paugh.

For pairings, click on the following: COLUMBINE CC, FORT COLLINS CC.

The 1967 PGA Championship, held at Columbine Country Club, proved to be the little engine that could.

A half-century ago this year, this Grand Slam event overcame multiple major hurdles to finally become a reality. To this day, it remains one of just six men’s major championships ever to be held in Colorado — and the only one at a course other than Cherry Hills Country Club, which has hosted three U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships.

Specifically, the ’67 PGA came to fruition despite a flood of the South Platte River that postponed the Championship in Colorado a year, a potential player boycott, an ill-timed major hailstorm, and being held a week after the British Open, which made for a very rough travel schedule over the course of two weeks.

Suffice it to say that the road to the 49th PGA Championship included a lot of hairpin turns.

“Until two weeks before the start of the tournament, it looked as if the 1967 PGA was destined to go down in history as the Snakebit Open,” Sports Illustrated’s Alfred Wright wrote in the July 31, 1967 issue. 

When Don January (pictured with trophy) defeated fellow Texan Don Massengale in a playoff to win the only major championship of his career, it concluded a 25-month odyssey for the tournament.

First, there was the flash flood of June 16, 1965, with the South Platte, which directly borders the course at several junctures, laying waste to much of Columbine Country Club, which was scheduled to host the 1966 PGA. Roughly 25 homes at Columbine were either destroyed or severely damaged, and overall, the town of Columbine Valley suffered an estimated $2 million in financial loss.

“At one point, a third of the golf course was, in effect, the bottom of a lake,” SI noted. “When it emerged two days later, two holes had disappeared. So had some $35,000 worth of face-lifting. In September, Tournament Chairman (Everett) Collier, the gregarious businessman-golfer who had launched Columbine 11 years earlier and had brought the championship to his new club, invited 500 eager citizens for a kickoff dinner. The kickoff turned out to be more like a touchback. Former Colorado Governor Dan Thornton arose to announce that there was no chance to rebuild the course in time for a tournament only 10 months away.”

Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, was set to host the 1967 PGA, but with Columbine’s situation, PGA Championship director J. Edwin Carter convinced officials from the Ohio club to switch years and give Columbine an extra 12 months to recover from the flood.

In that recovery period, $90,000 was spent on getting the Columbine course back up to snuff for a major championship, with some strategically-placed fairway bunkers and trees being added to the Henry Hughes layout.

Then it was player unrest that threatened the championship. In 1967, we were still a year away from the professional golf separation of what is now known as the PGA Tour from the PGA of America. The latter still owns and operates the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, among other championships. But in ’67, there was ongoing unrest between touring professionals and PGA of America leadership. Since the Masters in April, the touring pros had been threatening to boycott the PGA Championship. The situation was dire enough that PGA of America president Max Elbin was calling “aging” former PGA Champions in the hopes that they would compete at Columbine if the boycott came to fruition.

Despite no resolution to the touring pros’ ongoing grievances, they voted in early July to play at Columbine. The ’67 PGA had dodged another bullet.

But not the last …

Not long after the player vote, a major storm hit Columbine, with hailstones the size of golf balls pock-marking the greens. Fortunately, a rainy stretch helped the course recover — just in time for the championship, which was contested July 20-24, including the playoff day.

Then there was the problematic schedule, with players competing in major championships in Liverpool, England and Columbine Valley, Colorado, in back-to-back weeks.

“This is the toughest time I’ve ever had adjusting to the time change,” 1967 U.S. Open champion Jack Nicklaus said at Columbine. “Then there is the altitude and the heat. I don’t have any zip, and I’ve never slept worse in my life.”

Oh, yes. Then there was a heat issue. High temperatures were in the 90-degree range, with largely cloudless skies and the altitude taking a toll on several players. Dan Sikes, who would lead after 54 holes, almost collapsed on the 13th hole in round 2 and didn’t feel up to participating in an expected post-round press conference. Playing partner Al Geiberger, the defending champion, almost fell over while teeing up his ball on No. 17 on Friday and hit it out of bounds.

“This should be a fall tournament — something to wind up the tournament year,” Nicklaus said. “Then it would have some meaning. Until they do that, it is just another stop on the summer tour.”

Given the temperatures, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that two Texans were left to battle it out in a playoff after finishing regulation at 7-under-par 281. Coincidentally, the playoff was one of just two of the 18-hole variety in PGA Championship history — the tournament was a match play affair through 1957, then went to sudden-death playoffs in 1977 — and January was involved in both 90-hole competitions. He lost to Jerry Barber in round 5 in 1961 and was 0-4 in playoffs overall when he squared off with Massengale at Columbine. This time, just to get to face Massengale — who had closed with a 6-under-par 66 in the final round of regulation — January had to rally from the four-stroke deficit he encountered after 54 holes.

The Monday playoff attracted just 7,500 fans after 74,500 came out for the four days of regulation play.

January, 37, trailed Massengale by two strokes after six holes, but made five birdies in the eight-hole stretch from No. 8 through 15 to gain control. With both players posting sub-par rounds in the playoff, January prevailed 69-71. He won $25,000 out of the $148,200 purse.

“January is playing fine golf and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Massengale said.

Here’s how the most prominent players — past and future — fared at Columbine, which played at a then-PGA record 7,436 yards, offset largely by the mile-high altitude:

— Nicklaus, who had won the ’67 U.S. Open and placed second the week before at the British Open, finished a stroke out of the playoff, in third place. The Golden Bear posted rounds of 67-75-69-71 for a 6-under-par 282 total, but battled a problematic putter. Nicklaus, of course, would go on to earn five wins in the PGA Championship. In Colorado, he notched the first and last of his USGA championship titles — at the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills. He also finished second as an amateur at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. (Nicklaus is pictured at left with Dave Hill during a Columbine practice round.)

— Arnold Palmer, winner of the 1960 U.S. Open, tied for 14th place in the PGA at 287 (70-71-72-74). In the third round, The King showed his integrity when his second shot on the par-4 fourth hole landed in the crowd near the green before mysteriously coming out of Arnie’s Army and rolling 6 feet from the pin. Palmer demanded to know approximately where it had landed in the crowd. He then dropped it there, pitched to the green and made par. Arnie would never win the PGA Championship, finishing second in 1964, ’68 and ’70.

— Meanwhile, Billy Casper and Ray Floyd finished 19th and 20th, respectively, at Columbine. 

Several players with significant Colorado ties made the cut at the ’67 PGA. Then-Englewood resident Hill, who called Colorado home for much of the 1960s and ’70s and went on to win a record four Colorado Opens, led after round 1 with a then-course-record 66 in which he holed out a 170-yard shot for eagle on the par-4 14th. He ended up finishing 11th at 2-under-par 286. (As it turned out, Hill’s course record lasted only a day as Tommy Aaron fired a 65 in round 2, carding 10 3s and needing just 24 putts.)

Bill Bisdorf, winner of three of the first four Colorado Opens in the mid-1960s, tied Floyd for 20th place at 289. Fred Wampler, the head professional at Denver Country Club at the time, placed 38th. Dale Douglass, now a Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, came in 44th. Davis Love Jr., twice a winner of the CGA Junior Match Play and at the time father to a 3-year-old Davis Love III, finished 55th. Dow Finsterwald, the 1958 PGA Champion who served as director of golf at The Broadmoor at the time, placed 60th.

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tony Novitsky, the longtime head professional at Columbine, missed the cut as the host pro in the ’67 PGA, carding rounds of 79-83. (Novitsky is pictured behind January in the top photo.)

As a postscript, 50 years after the eyes of the golf world were on Columbine — which was named after Colorado’s state flower — the club is taking on a fresh look. A new $20 million clubhouse is currently under construction and is tentatively expected to be completed by late September, according to head professional Bryan Heim.
 

Earning the honor — which recognizes some of the world’s outstanding youth golf instructors — were Bryan Heim, PGA head professional at Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley, and Alex Fisher, PGA director of instruction at The Glacier Club in Durango.

“These coaches are honored as more than instructors,” said Dan Van Horn, the president and founder of U.S. Kids Golf. “They create outstanding opportunities for young golfers to learn in a fun and rewarding environment that instills a love for the game and engages the entire family. Their ability to connect with students and fully engage them in the learning process sets them apart.”

U.S. Kids Golf has presented its Top 50 Kids Teacher Awards since 2004. Among the qualifications considered are experience, innovation, creativity, communication, parental engagement, organization, devotion and growing the game.

The 2016 honorees — from the U.S., along with Canada, England and Kenya — will be recognized during a special celebration at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando on Jan. 26. For a list of all of the honorees, CLICK HERE.

Here’s more on the Colorado-based award recipients and their junior programs: BYRAN HEIM, ALEX FISHER

Wyndham Clark made his U.S. Amateur debut as a 16-year-old in 2010 at Chambers Bay, which would go on to host the 2015 U.S. Open.

And thanks to his performance Monday at Columbine Country Club, he’ll likely make his final U.S. Amateur appearance at Oakland Hills in Michigan, home to six U.S. Opens, three PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup over the years.

Clark, the Highlands Ranch resident who twice won the 4A state high school tournament and claimed the 2010 CGA Amateur title as a 16-year-old, had qualified for the U.S. Am four previous times, but wanted to make sure he made it to one more before likely turning pro late next spring following his senior season at the University of Oregon. That’s his new college golf home after playing his previous years at Oklahoma State.

“I’m running out of chances to play in it because I’m looking to turn pro soon,” the 22-year-old said Monday. “It’s definitely important to me. I really wanted to make it, especially not making it last year. It always sucks watching it from a distance. It’ll be nice to be there this time and compete and see where my game is at.”

The 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year joined Tristan Rohrbaugh of Carbondale and Colin Prater of Colorado Springs in punching their tickets to the 116th U.S. Amateur through a 36-hole qualifying tournament at Columbine. While Clark will be going to his eighth USGA championship overall, Rohrbaugh and Prater will be making their USGA championship debuts. (The qualifiers are pictured above, from left: Rohrbaugh, Clark and Prater.)

Rohrbaugh (left), a former 3A state high school champion and a junior-to-be at Boise State, captured medalist honors Monday, shooting rounds of 68-66 for a 10-under-par 134 total. Rohrbaugh holed out from 97 yards for eagle at the par-4 17th hole in the morning and racked up a dozen birdies go along with four bogeys.

Prater, a University of Colorado-Colorado Springs golfer who won the Pikes Peak Amateur on Saturday, went 68-69 to check in at 137. He carded 11 birdies and four bogeys on the day.

Clark matched Prater’s 68-69 day, chalking up an eagle (from 30 feet on his 20th hole of the day), eight birdies and three bogeys overall.

While Clark (left), who’s No. 461 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, overcame a necessary hurdle on Monday, he has bigger things in mind. After all, the 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year twice made it to the 64-man match-play bracket in the U.S. Am and would like to be a contender for the title this time around.

“It’s good to be back,” he said. “I love playing that (U.S. Am) tournament. My game is OK right now. I need to hit it a little better. If I hit it good, I know I can play really well. All the guys I play against on a regular basis are the ones that play at the U.S. Am and have a chance to win it. I know I can do that. I just need to get my game in shape and take it to the course and hope that I show up. Once you get into match play, it’s a crapshoot. You can play good and lose and you can play bad and win. The first goal is to get into match play because that’s really where the tournament starts.”

Of course, Rohrbaugh and Prater would like to make some noise on the national stage as well. But the step of qualifying for the U.S. Am for the first time is a major accomplishment in itself.

“It’s pretty cool,” Rohrbaugh said. “It’s cool to even go play that place (Oakland Hills), let alone going to the U.S. Amateur there. I’m pretty excited. It hasn’t really sunk in.”

Said Prater (left): “It’s a dream come true. I think this is the fourth year I’ve tried to qualify for the U.S. Am, and the first time I make it. This is the tournament I circled on the schedule; this was the biggest one. This is what I wanted to peak for.”

For Rohrbaugh, while he will be competing in his first USGA championship, he’s certainly not a stranger to being inside the ropes at such events. He’s caddied at three U.S. Senior Opens for his dad, three-time Colorado PGA Professional Champion Doug Rohrbaugh.

To be sure, though, playing in a national championship — and arguably the most prestigious amateur tournament on the planet — will be unique. That’s why Rohrbaugh had to work to keep his emotions in check on Monday at Columbine.

“I just tried to stay as calm as possible out there, especially coming down the stretch,” he said.

And it seemed to work, as his double-digit-under-par total would indicate.

“I think this was pretty good,” Rohrbaugh said. “I didn’t miss much, and when I did I’d hit it to like 3 feet every time. I had a lot of birdies inside 10 feet (and) probably four or five inside 5 feet. It’s not like I was putting lights out. I was just hitting it good.”

Prater, meanwhile, carried over his strong play from the Pikes Peak Amateur, where he easily prevailed in Saturday’s 36-hole final match to take the title.

“That (win) gave me some confidence coming into this today,” said Prater, who advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying last year.

“Overall today, I made a lot of putts. I think I just had complete control of my game. I hit wedges correct distances, I hit it in the correct spots, I gave myself good looks at birdie. When I missed the green or hit it in the trees, I was able to hit a wedge close. I think that’s what saved me today. I hit a couple balls in the trees. I punched them back into play, hit it inside 15 feet and made the putt or par.”

All told, 75 players competed Monday for the three U.S. Amateur berths.

In the earlier U.S. Amateur qualifier held in Colorado — on July 18 at Fort Collins Country Club — Parker residents Kyler Dunkle and Tanner Jenson, and Colorado State University golfer Colton Yates, punched their tickets to the national championship.

Overall, 312 players will compete in the U.S. Am.

For interactive scores from Monday, CLICK HERE.

U.S. Amateur Qualifying
At Par-72 Columbine CC in Columbine Valley

QUALIFIED FOR U.S. AM
Tristan Rohrbaugh, Carbondale, Colo., 68-66–134
Colin Prater, Colorado Springs, Colo., 68-69–137
Wyndham Clark, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 68-69–137
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Ethan Freeman, Denver, Colo., 71-70–141
Christopher Thayer, Denver, Colo., 74-68–142
DID NOT QUALIFY
Easton Paxton, Riverton, Wyo., 73-70–143
Timothy Amundson, Littleton, Colo., 72-72–144
Jake Staiano, Englewood, Colo., 69-76–145
Ryan Schmitz, Littleton, Colo., 71-74–145
Philip Lee, Denver, Colo., 74-74–148
Darrin Hall, Lakewood, Colo., 73-75–148
Spencer Painton, Aurora, Colo., 75-73–148
Jordan McBrayer, Carlsbad, Calif., 74-75–149
Jake Kelley, Littleton, Colo., 76-74–150
Taylor Kennedy, Littleton, Colo., 75-75–150
David Lysaught, Aspen, Colo., 79-71–150
Clayton Crawford, Aspen, Colo., 74-77–151
Benjamin Sherlund, Denver, Colo., 77-74–151
Brittain Walton, Steamboat Springs, Colo., 77-74–151
Sean Crowley, Littleton, Colo., 75-77–152
Brian Dorfman, Denver, Colo., 77-75–152
Mark Zbrzeznj, Edwards, Colo., 78-74–152
Coby Welch, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 78-74–152
John Gorell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 77-77–154
Bradley Phelps, Arvada, Colo., 79-75–154
Clint Miller, Lone Tree, Colo., 80-74–154
Jeff Chapman, Centennial, Colo., 81-74–155
Troy Anderson, Denver, Colo., 78-77–155
Gus Lundquist, Parker, Colo., 79-76–155
Jonathan Doern, Denver, Colo., 75-81–156
Hayden Nicholaides, Englewood, Colo., 75-81–156
Zach Fowlds, Lone Tree, Colo., 78-78–156
Jack Lazzeri, Littleton, Colo., 77-79–156
John Hayes, Denver, Colo., 79-77–156
Austin Lienemann, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 74-83–157
Bridger Ryan, Broomfield, Colo., 79-79–158
Harris Butler, Denver, Colo., 79-79–158
Bryan Cannon, Columbine Valley, Colo., 85-73–158
Alan Boyko, Greenwood Village, Colo., 77-81–158
Barry Erwin, Aurora, Colo., 84-74–158
Roy Carlsen, Arvada, Colo., 84-74–158
Nick Leibold, Littleton, Colo., 79-79–158
David Leede, Greenwood Village, Colo., 79-80–159
Kailer Rundiks, Denver, Colo., 83-76–159
Joey Saad, Grand Junction, Colo., 78-81–159
Cole Cunningham, Centennial, Colo., 79-81–160
Barrett Jones, Eagle, Colo., 79-81–160
Shawn Mercer, Arvada, Colo., 80-80–160
Braden Bentley, Colorado Springs, Colo., 81-79–160
Andrew McCormick, Denver, Colo., 80-81–161
Drew Vance, Lakewood, Colo., 83-78–161
Nicholas Michas, Golden, Colo., 78-83–161
Ross Hansen, Englewood, Colo., 77-85–162
Kyle Koelbel, Centennial, Colo., 79-83–162
Andrew Cooper, Englewood, Colo., 77-86–163
Ryan Alger, Denver, Colo., 78-85–163
Brock Dowdy, Denver, Colo., 80-84–164
Michael Boylan, Denver, Colo., 82-82–164
Clayton Thatch, Aurora, Colo., 84-81–165
Wesley Martin, Denver, Colo., 78-87–165
Brandon Bervig, Colorado Springs, Colo., 83-82–165
Zach Zurcher, Parker, Colo., 81-84–165
Eric Oneth, Greenwood Village, Colo., 78-88–166
David Packer, Greenwood Village, Colo., 84-84–168
Russell Otten, Centennial, Colo., 88-81–169
Eli Mackay, Colorado Springs, Colo., 80-90–170
Austin Hardman, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 81-91–172
Burhan Muzaffar, Denver, Colo., 91-82–173
Dylan Mitchell, Breckenridge, Colo., 86-87–173
Michael Glaesel, Arvada, Colo., 90-85–175
Harrison Murphy, McKinney, Texas, 79-WD
Dan Weisser, Denver, Colo., 79-WD
Kurt Walker, Denver, Colo., 90-WD
Nicholas Schippel, Lakewood, Colo., 90-WD
 

The Centennial State will host two 36-hole U.S. Amateur qualifying tournaments, Monday (July 18) at Fort Collins Country Club and July 25 at Columbine Country Club. Seventy-seven players are in the field in Fort Collins and 80 at Columbine. At each site, three spots into the 312-player national championship will be at state.

The 2016 U.S. Amateur will be contested Aug. 15-21 at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., a course that’s hosted six U.S. Opens, three PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup.

Among those in the field at Fort Collins CC are two 2015 U.S. Amateur qualifiers, Kyler Dunkle of Fort Collins and Steve Irwin of Arvada, who went to his second U.S. Am last summer. Also entered there are 2016 CGA Match Play winner Nathaniel Goddard of Fort Collins and runner-up Josh Seiple of Castle Pines; 2015 CGA Stroke Play champ Chris Korte of Littleton; and last year’s CGA Mid-Amateur winner Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield.

Meanwhile, on July 25 at Columbine, the competitors will include four-time U.S. Amateur qualifier Wyndham Clark of Lone Tree and Colorado State golfer Jake Staiano, who finished eighth in the stroke-play portion of the 2015 U.S. Am and advanced to the round of 64 in match play. Likewise set for Columbine are incoming University of Colorado golfer Spencer Painton, who also qualified for the U.S. Am last year; two-time U.S. Amateur qualifier Gus Lundquist; and 2013 qualifier and 2014 alternate Chris Thayer.

For July 18 tee times from Fort Collins CC, CLICK HERE.

Sometimes the pursuit of a goal can be just as satisfying as reaching that goal.

At least that’s the approach Aili Bundy of Fort Collins and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland were taking after qualifying Wednesday at Columbine Country Club for the second annual U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

Bundy and Lehigh, who will be teammates on the Loveland High School girls golf team in the spring, earned medalist honors — and the lone national qualifying spot available — by shooting an even-par 72 at Columbine. (The medalists are pictured above, with Lehigh at left.)

But a scheduling conflict makes it very possible that Bundy and Lehigh won’t end up competing at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Four-Ball, which is set for May 21-25 in Streamsong, Fla. That’s because the 2016 girls state high school tournaments are scheduled for May 23-24.

So unless Bundy and Lehigh elect to skip the state tournament, fail to qualify for it, or just choose to play in the stroke-play portion (May 21-22) of the Women’s Four-Ball before catching a late-night flight back to Colorado on May 22 — all unlikely scenarios — they won’t be playing in their first USGA championship. If that’s the case, an alternate team — not necessarily one from Colorado — would replace them in the field in Florida.

“We’ll probably end up playing in state even though it’s so exciting that we got to qualify,” said Bundy, a high school junior who qualifed for state as both a freshman and sophomore. “That’s something that we’ve kind of already committed ourselves to. But this is definitely something really special.

“I’m just super excited. We worked together really well today. Honestly I’m just excited that we won for the school season — for the two years together that we will have on the same team.”

Bundy (left), 16, and Lehigh, 14, didn’t realize there was a date conflict until Wednesday, but even if they don’t end up going to Florida, they still took great satisfaction in qualifying Wednesday at Columbine.

After all, though there were only four teams competing in the qualifier after withdrawals, they still beat some formidable competition. That included CWGA Junior Stroke Play champion Mary Weinstein and her Regis Jesuit teammate Jaclyn Murray, the CWGA Junior Match Play runner-up; and Amy Chitkoksoong, winner of the Junior Match Play, and Caroline Jordaan, who was a Colorado Girls Junior Americas Cup teammate of Weinstein’s this past summer.

Weinstein and Murray placed second on Wednesday, shooting a 73.

“I’ve played with some of these girls before and I know just how good they really are,” said Lehigh, a freshman at Loveland. “Mary and Jaclyn are amazing players, and Amy and Caroline are just as good. They’re all really good friends of mine. It was kind of hard playing against them but at the same time really almost motivating to go out there and try to beat them. To actually do it is just amazing.”

Bundy and Lehigh (left) met each other through the successful LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Northern Colorado program that LPGA head professional Kim Stiner leads along with her husband, Gale, at the Olde Course in Loveland. And this spring will be their first as teammates on the Loveland High School squad.

After placing third as a team this year in the CJGA Dave Askins Four-Ball event at Legacy Ridge, Bundy and Lehigh really hit stride on Wednesday as they combined for four birdies, with each making two.

After their previous four-ball tournament, “we know how to pick each other up if we hit bad shots,” said Lehigh, the girls 13-14 Colorado qualifying medalist for the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships. “We know what we needed to do to keep each other focused. It’s definitely different playing in these things as a team because golf is a very individual sport. You don’t get to play as a team very often, and it’s so much fun playing with her.”

Bundy and Lehigh became the second set of Colorado junior players to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. Last year, Jennifer Kupcho and Gillian Vance did so, then advanced to the round of 32 at the 2015 national championship. Kupcho now plays for Wake Forest and Vance for the University of Colorado.

U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying
At Par-72 Columbine CC in Columbine Valley

Qualified for National Championship
Aili Bundy, Fort Collins/Lauren Lehigh, Loveland 36-36–72

Alternates (In Order)
Jaclyn Murray, Aurora/Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch 37-36–73
Tiffany Maurycy, Denver/Amy Ellertson, Free Union, Va. 37-37–74

Failed to Qualify
Amy Chitkoksoong, Aurora/Caroline Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village 41-37–78
Taylor Dorans, Erie/Kathleen Kershisnik, Highlands Ranch WD

A Canadian may have shot one of the lowest rounds in the history of Columbine Country Club, but that did not keep Coloradan Spencer Painton from one-upping him to capture medalist honors in U.S. Amateur qualifying on Monday.

The Aurora resident, who won the 2013 5A state high school title, shot rounds of 69-67 for an 8-under-par 136 total. He finished two strokes better than Edmonton’s Tyler Saunders, who fired a 9-under-par 63 in the second round of the day.

Those two, along with former University of Colorado golfer David Oraee, of Greeley, landed the three U.S. Amateur berths available Monday out of a field of 77 at Columbine. Oraee, who like Painton is a former 5A state high school champion, went 69-73–142 to end up six behind his fellow Coloradan and four back of Saunders.

All three qualifiers are headed for this year’s U.S. Amateur, the world’s most prestigious amateur golf championship, which is scheduled for Aug. 17-23 in Olympia Fields, Ill. (The qualifiers are pictured above, from left: Oraee, Saunders and Painton.)

Monday “was a really, really fun day,” said Painton (below), a 19-year-old who plays college golf for the University of Kansas.

“I putted absolutely outstanding,” added the former member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course. “I made everything I looked at. It was just one of those days.”

For all three of Monday’s qualifiers, next month’s U.S. Amateur will be their first. In fact, Saunders had never even attempted to qualify before this year.

“It’ll be cool,” said Oraee, who has won one of the CGA’s two major state amateur titles each of the past two years. “It’s going to be at a course we had a (college) tournament at. It’s a really good course (Olympia Fields). It’s the best amateur tournament in the world. I’m excited to play in it and see how it goes.”

Saunders, a 19-year-old who plays collegiately at Texas State, didn’t look like he’d be a qualifying contender after shooting a 75 in the morning round. But he rebounded with a 63 that featured an eagle (at No. 12), eight birdies and one bogey.

“Something changed as soon as I got to the second 18, it seemed like,” said Saunders, who won the the 2014 Alberta Amateur by nine strokes. “Two completely different rounds of golf. It was unbelievable.

“That’s the lowest score I’ve ever shot. I’ve shot 64 three times, but not from this distance or on this difficult a golf course. This is definitely my best round ever.”

Saunders, whose only other experience playing golf in Colorado came at the 2011 Junior America’s Cup at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, needed just 25 putts to negotiate the afternoon round on Monday.

“I didn’t feel like I missed a putt this afternoon,” he said.

Painton felt similarly. He made just one bogey on the day to go along with nine birdies. He played his final nine holes in 5-under 31.

“I had a number in my head” that it would take to qualify, he said. “It was 4 under (for entire day) and I doubled it.

“It was very, very satisfying. It was a big tournament for me.”

Painton has competed in one previous USGA championship, the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur. It’s not a tournament he’ll soon forget as he advanced to match play before losing to the eventual championship (Scottie Scheffler) in a round-of-64 match.

“They treated us so well,” Painton remembers. “I really, really wanted to get back to that. The best amateurs in the world are there.”

As for Oraee (left), this could very well be not only his first U.S. Amateur, but his last. He plans to turn pro next year after finishing his one remaining semester of undergraduate work at CU. And, depending on how his golf career is going, he’ll likely pursue an advanced degree in medical school.

Speaking of school, Oraee took a “brutal” class in June, which prevented him from going to the course. In fact, he said he didn’t play at all for almost five weeks, the longest such stretch the 22-year-old has had since high school.

“It kind of gave me the itch to play again, so that was good,” he said.

A second Colorado-based qualifying tournament for the U.S. Amateur will be held July 20 at Fort Collins Country Club.

U.S. Amateur Qualifying
At Par-72 Columbine CC in Columbine Valley

QUALIFIED
Spencer Painton, Aurora, Colo., 69-67–136
Tyler Saunders, Canada, 75-63–138
David Oraee, Greeley, Colo., 69-73–142
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Cole Cunningham, Centennial, Colo., 75-70–145
Clayton Crawford, Aspen, Colo., 74-71–145
FAILED TO QUALIFY
Alex Buecking, Columbine Valley, Colo., 73-73–146
Gus Lundquist, Parker, Colo., 74-72–146
Jon Lindstrom, Westminster, Colo., 72-74–146
Steven Drake, Chicago, Ill., 75-71–146
Zachary Berhost, Santa Fe, N.M., 76-71–147
John Hayes, Carlsbad, Colo., 74-74–148
Colin Prater, Colorado Springs, Colo., 71-77–148
Quintin Pope, Cheyenne, Wyo., 77-72–149
Braden Baer, Westminster, Colo., 75-74–149
Brian Dorfman, Denver, Colo., 77-73–150
Harrison Murphy, McKinney, Texas, 77-73–150
Christopher Thayer, Denver, Colo., 76-74–150
Andrew Spencer, Prairie Village, Kan., 76-74–150
Jake Kelley, Littleton, Colo., 74-77–151
Timothy Amundson, Littleton, Colo., 74-77–151
Glenn Workman, Pueblo West, Colo., 76-76–152
Josh Frye, Las Vegas, Nev., 77-75–152
Ross Macdonald, Castle Rock, Colo., 75-77–152
Stephen Summers, Dallas, Texas, 74-79–153
Neil Tillman, Arvada, Colo., 75-78–153
Mark Zbrzeznj, Edwards, Colo., 76-78–154
Drew Vance, Lakewood, Colo., 81-73–154
Hayden Nicholaides, Englewood, Colo., 80-74–154
Sean Crowley, Littleton, Colo., 81-73–154
Joey Saad, Grand Junction, Colo., 78-76–154
Joel Perez, Denver, Colo., 73-81–154
Cameron Berndt, Elizabeth, Colo., 77-78–155
Bill Parker, Denver, Colo., 77-78–155
Zach Johnson, Littleton, Colo., 77-78–155
Wesley Martin, Denver, Colo., 75-80–155
Connor Klein, Lone Tree, Colo., 75-81–156
David Lee, Bennett, Colo., 79-77–156
Tristan Sanders, Denver, Colo., 83-73–156
James Kackley, Denver, Texas, 79-77–156
John Fowlds, Lone Tree, Colo., 80-76–156
Tristan Rohrbaugh, Carbondale, Colo., 80-77–157
Jonathan Kuzava, Littleton, Colo., 81-76–157
Adam Griffith, Westminster, Colo., 77-81–158
Josh Gardella, Littleton, Colo., 81-77–158
Michael Slutzky, Littleton, Colo., 76-82–158
Steve Connell, Thornton, Colo., 81-77–158
Gerald (Alex) Gorman, Broomfield, Colo., 77-81–158
Matt Robertson, Lakewood, Colo., 81-77–158
Nathaniel Green, Green River, Wyo., 84-75–159
Quade Mitchell, Littleton, Colo., 79-80–159
Patrick Manning, Cody, Wyo., 79-82–161
Devyn Solano, Aurora, Colo., 80-82–162
Cody Ryan, Denver, Colo., 84-78–162
Tim Dreger, Northglenn, Colo., 75-88–163
Robb Bierbaum, Arvada, Colo., 87-77–164
Chris Jaster, Colorado Springs, Colo., 84-82–166
Riggs Winz, Littleton, Colo., 85-81–166
Chase Chaldekas, Lakewood, Colo., 79-88–167
David Yergert, Thornton, Colo., 89-78–167
Adam Thoutt, Westminster, Colo., 83-84–167
Austin Hardman, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 84-85–169
Ryan Bent, Evergreen, Colo., 84-85–169
Alec Aichinger, Englewood, Colo., 84-86–170
Logan Rants, Tumwater, Wash., 85-86–171
Austin Fedrich, Irvine, Calif., 86-86–172
Zach Florence, Denver, Colo., 91-81–172
Connor Alexander, Castle Rock, Colo., 86-87–173
Tony Macaluso, Denver, Colo., 96-84–180
Alex Macaluso, Denver, Colo., 92-WD
Jeremy Lederer, Eagle, Colo., 90-WD