The 2015 CGA Match Play champion closed with a 1-over-par 73 on Friday, giving him a 12-over 300 total. Nosewicz (pictured) made a snowman — a triple-bogey 8 — on the seventh hole, but also carded four birdies plus two bogeys.
The last Coloradan to finish better than Nosewicz at the Pac Coast was David Schroeder of Colorado Springs, who placed 12th in 2012.
As for the other Colorado players competing this week, Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield ended up 50th at 305, while University of Denver golfer Chris Korte of Littleton was 63rd at 308.
Wake Forest golfer Will Zalatoris of Plano, Texas claimed the individual title on Friday after defeating Nahum Mendoza of San Diego in a playoff. Both players posted 3-under 285 totals.
On Wednesday, the CGA team finished 10th out of 15 squads in the Morse Cup portion of the competition. For more on that, CLICK HERE.
Here are the round-by-round scores for the Coloradans who competed in the Pacific Coast Amateur:
36. Nick Nosewicz of Aurora 73-77-77-73–300
50. Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield 78-78-71-78–305
63. Chris Korte of Littleton 79-77-75-77–308
For all the scores from the Pacific Coast Amateur, CLICK HERE.
Parker Edens has never had much success in match-play tournaments, but in a way he’s experienced what it’s like to win the CGA Match Play Championship.
The Colorado State University golfer, who plays out of Greeley Country Club, lost in the first round of last year’s CGA Match Play, but he caddied for Michael Lee, who won the title.
This year, Lee couldn’t defend his championship in the 112th Match Play, but Edens has an opportunity to win the trophy a year after caddying for the champ.
Edens, the top seed in the event, and third-seeded Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club advanced to the finals Thursday with two more victories at The Club at Rolling Hills in Golden. They’ll go head-to-head over 36 holes on Friday with the title on the line.
“Last year was my first time playing in this thing,” said Edens, a qualifier for the 2010 U.S. Amateur. “I lost in the first round, then I caddied for Mike and he went all the way. I’ve seen it done. Hopefully we can get it done tomorrow.
“Mike plays at Mines (which is based in Golden) and they get to play out here (at Rolling Hills) a lot. So I’ve talked to him every night about different tee shots and different holes and what he thinks. To know somebody that knows the course pretty well helps.”
Edens, a junior-to-be on the CSU golf team, posted a 5-and-4 quarterfinal victory Thursday over Andrew Cornella of The Club at Flying Horse, then cooled off red-hot David Schroeder of the Broadmoor Golf Club with a 3-and-2 win in the semifinals. (Edens is pictured above teeing off, with Schroeder watching.)
Meanwhile, Dorfman, a two-time tournament winner at Georgetown University last season, scored a 2-up quarterfinal victory over 2009 CGA Mid-Amateur champion Michael Harrington of Garden of the Gods Club, then won 1-up over Black Canyon Golf Club’s Brandon Bingaman, a Colorado Mesa University golfer.
“I actually work full-time now and haven’t been able to practice as much as I’d like,” said Dorfman (pictured at left), the 2008 CGA Junior Match Play champ. “But I’ve been hitting it good, and I’ve been getting better as the week goes on.”
In both his victories Thursday, Dorfman birdied the par-5 18th, the same hole he eagled to force extra holes in his 24-hole round-of-32 victory over Drew Trujillo on Wednesday.
“That was an incredible match,” said Dorfman, who just completed his senior season at Georgetown, though he won’t graduate until December. “That’s probably the best match I’ve ever had. But this one (in the semifinals) is probably second. I shot 3 under par and it went to the end, so it was really hard. But I played great.”
Dorfman never trailed in Thursday’ semifinals, but he didn’t go ahead for good until Bingaman bogeyed No. 17 after missing the green on the par-3.
As for Edens, after being the co-medalist in stroke play, he has had only one of his five matches go beyond the 16th hole.
In the semifinals, he faced Schroeder — the 2011 CGA Stroke Play runner-up who won his previous matches this week on hole 14 twice, 15 once and 16 once. But Edens was likewise riding a wave of momentum, and when he made four birdies in five holes starting on No. 8, he built a comfortable lead he wouldn’t relinquish.
“I’ve been on a huge roll,” Edens said, despite playing poorly over the weekend and taking second at the Dick Billehus Invitational in Greeley. “I played the practice round (at Rolling Hills) and didn’t know if I was going to like the course at all. Then on Monday I came out and shot a bogey-free 2 under. I fell in love with it on Monday. I’ve just been hitting it real well and putting lights out — best I’ve ever putted.”
Indeed, Edens has made just six bogeys in six rounds this week.
CGA Match Play Championship
At The Club at Rolling Hills in Golden
(Seeds in Parentheses)
QUARTERFINALS
Parker Edens, Greeley CC (1) def. Andrew Cornella, The Club at Flying Horse (8), 5 and 4
David Schroeder II, Broadmoor GC (28) def. Jonathan Park, Green Valley Ranch GC (4), 5 and 4
Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon Golf Club @ Montrose (7) def. Steven Kupcho, Commonground Golf Course (47), 2 and 1
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC (3) def. Michael Harrington, Garden of the Gods Club (6), 2 up
SEMIFINALS
Parker Edens, Greeley CC (1) def. David Schroeder II, Broadmoor GC (28), 3 and 2
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC (3) def. Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon Golf Club @ Montrose (7), 1 up
If it’s July, it’s time for teams representing Colorado to be assembled for three significant regional tournaments — the boys and girls Junior America’s Cup, and the Pacific Coast Amateur. All three events take place the last full week of July.
Four players representing the CGA — Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo, Josh Seiple and Ross Macdonald of Castle Rock and Ethan Freeman of Littleton — will participate in the boys Junior America’s Cup July 24-26 in Eagle, Idaho. The CWGA representatives for the Girls Junior America’s Cup — Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Hannah Wood of Centennial, Taylor Dorans of Erie and Sydney Merchant of Morrison — will get the extra treat of a trip to Maui as they’ll also compete July 24-26. And CGA Pac Coast participants — Michael Harrington and David Schroeder of Colorado Springs and Sean Thomas of Arvada — will get a treat of their own as the tournament will be played at the Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon July 24-27.
Eric Wilkinson, the CGA’s director of junior competitions, will accompany the boys JAC team to Idaho, while CWGA assistant executive director Kim Nissen and CWGA rules & competitions manager Kelley Mawhinney will serve as captain and assistant captain, respectively, in Hawaii.
Both the boys JAC and the Pacific Coast teams from Colorado are coming off the best team performances in their history. At last year’s JAC at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, the host Colorado team placed third. And at the Pac Coast, the Coloradans finished second in the two-round Morse Cup. Meanwhile, at the girls JAC, the CWGA golfers placed eighth.
Both the boys and girls JAC tournaments feature teams from Canada, Mexico and the western U.S., with the girls field including 18 teams and the boys 17. The Pacific Coast Amateur has 15 teams from Canada and the western U.S.
Here are some of the top golf accomplishments for all the representatives of Colorado in the upcoming tournaments.
Boys Junior America’s Cup
Jimmy Makloski — Won the 2012 CGA Junior Stroke Play Championship and the 2011 CJGA Tournament of Champions. Competed in the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur. Makloski is playing in his second consecutive JAC.
Josh Seiple — 2012 U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier. Won the 2012 AJGA Aspen Junior Golf Classic. Finished sixh in the 2012 Future Collegians World Tour Tour Championship in Florida.
Ethan Freeman — Two-time 3A state high school champion and also won the 2011 CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship.
Ross Macdonald — A runner-up in the 2012 CGA Junior Stroke Play. Plays golf at Valor Christian High School with Seiple.
Girls Junior America’s Cup
Hannah Wood — Qualified for the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior and finished second in the recent CWGA Junior Stroke Play and third in the 5A state high school championship.
Taylor Dorans — Qualified for the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior, and won the girls division of the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship and placed fourth in the 4A state high school tournament.
Jennifer Kupcho — Finished second in the 2012 Colorado Junior PGA Championship and third in the 4A state high school meet. Kupcho has won several CJGA tournaments so far in 2012.
Sydney Merchant — Now just 14 years old, Merchant won the girls division of the CJGA 11-13 Junior Series Championship last year. She finish 46th in the girls 13-14 division of 2011 Calloway Junior World Golf Championships and tied for fourth in the 2012 CWGA Junior Stroke Play.
Pacific Coast Amateur
Michael Harrington — Won the 2009 CGA Mid-Amateur. This will be the third consecutive Pac Coast for Harrington, who played in the U.S. Amateur in 2009 and 2010.
David Schroeder — Runner-up in both the 2011 CGA Stroke Play and the 2012 CGA Public Links.
Sean Thomas — The Colorado State University-Pueblo golfer qualified for the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
In a tournament that yielded 10 rounds of 65 or better — including a course-record 63 — it wasn’t surprising that a final-day score in the mid-60s was needed to earn the championship trophy.
University of Wyoming golfer Eric Parish played red-hot golf in triple-digit heat on Sunday to win the CGA Public Links Championship at Highland Meadows Golf Course in Windsor.
Parish (pictured at left), a CGA member from Laramie, Wyo., shot a 6-under-par 65 in the final round to capture the title by two strokes.
Parish’s 13-under-par 200 total is believed to tie for the second-lowest in CGA Public Links history, behind only Derek Tolan’s 199 in 2008 at Fox Hollow Golf Course.
“It was a good round, especially coming on the last day,” Parish said of the 65, which matched the low tournament score of his life. “I putted pretty awesome. I probably hit the ball better the first day, but I putted great today.”
Indeed, the left-hander needed only 23 putts on Sunday in rallying from a three-stroke deficit.
The fourth-year junior-to-be on the Wyoming golf team finished two shots ahead of runners-up Steven Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course (69 Sunday) and David Schroeder of the Broadmoor Golf Club (65). Schroeder also placed second in the CGA Stroke Play Championship last year.
Paul Erdman of Colorado National Golf Club (67 for a 204 total) finished fourth on Sunday.
Parish carded seven birdies in the final round, but it took three of them in a four-hole stretch from holes 14-17 to go ahead for good. A stellar approach shot on the par-4 14th set him up for a 4-foot birdie, then he two-putted from 40 feet for another on the par-5 15th, and he rolled in a 15-footer on 17.
After that, a routine par on No. 18 was enough for a comfortable win.
“I didn’t expect (the winning score) to be 13 under,” said Kupcho (pictured at left), the 2011 CGA Junior Stroke Play champion. “I didn’t see anybody coming in at 6 under (for the day). I figured 5 under was about the best they’d do, but you’ve got to hand it to them. That’s a great round, and better than what I thought would happen.”
Kupcho, Schroeder and Parish were all neck-and-neck before Parish went on his late-round tear.
“On the 15th hole, “I said to Matt (Parish’s caddie and brother), ‘I wish there was a leaderboard.’ He said, ‘Well, I kind of have an idea (of how things stood).’ Right then and there, I figured I had the lead by one. I ended up making birdies on 14, 15 and 17. I had a rough start to the back nine, so it was good to get some birdies coming in.”
Kupcho, a sophomore-to-be on the University of Northern Colorado golf team, paid the price for an uncooperative putter. He missed three putts inside of 4 feet on Sunday and six of that length for the week.
“You make half of those and you win it,” he said. “That’s disappointing, but I’ve been working on it the last six months and it’s getting better.
“It’s tough to lose (the tournament), but you have to look on the bright side. I hit the ball about as good as I’ve hit it in about six months.”
Schroeder, meanwhile, played holes 5 through 15 in 6 under par on Sunday, but making up five strokes in the final round proved too much.
As for Parish (pictured at left), a lifelong Wyoming resident who played most of his junior golf in Colorado, it was a victory he won’t soon forget.
“It’s been a while since I’ve won a good tournament,” he said. “In high school I won a lot, but it’s been tough since then. I’ve been playing good the last year or so, so this feels good.
“This is my biggest win for sure. I played really well. It’s hard to say it’s the best I’ve ever played but it’s definitely right up there.”
CGA Public Links Championship
At Par-71 Highland Meadows GC in Windsor
Eric Parish, CommonGround GC, 67-68-65–200
Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC, 65-68-69–202
David Schroeder II, Broadmoor GC, 68-69-65–202
Paul Erdman, Colorado National GC, 68-69-67–204
Cameron Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 70-68-67–205
Steve Connell, Riverdale GC, 65-71-69–205
Kirby Pettitt, Harmony Club, 66-69-70–205
Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon GC, 64-68-74–206
Kory Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 63-72-71–206
Andy Moore, The Olde Course at Loveland, 72-70-64–206
David Oraee, Highland Hills GC, 67-69-70–206
Ben Krueger, Pine Creek GC, 73-68-66–207
Matt Porter, CommonGround GC, 71-64-72–207
Jordan Burgess, Highland Hills GC, 73-70-65–208
Andy Yang, Highlands Ranch GC, 70-72-66–208
Chun-Ji Kim, Highlands Ranch GC, 65-71-72–208
Sean Thomas, Indian Tree GC, 68-71-70–209
Bryan Kruse, Heritage at Westmoor, 68-75-67–210
Jeff Slupe, Pelican Lakes G & CC, 72-69-69–210
Ben Lyons, South Suburban GC, 72-67-72–211
Neil Metz, Flatirons GC, 75-66-70–211
Curtis Garver, Conquistador GC, 71-71-69–211
Jon Lindstrom, Heritage at Westmoor, 74-69-69–212
Stu Allen, Fox Hollow GC, 71-72-70–213
Jonathan Park, Walking Stick GC, 67-74-72–213
Brian Richmeier, Meadow Hills GC, 68-72-73–213
Thomas Roos, Spring Valley GC, 69-70-74–213
Brad Rowe, Ute Creek GC, 70-68-75–213
Nick Tarasiewicz, Patty Jewett GC, 74-71-68–213
Derek Fribbs, Colorado National GC, 74-72-68–214
Tristan Sanders, CommonGround GC, 72-71-71–214
Tyler Winslow, Lake Valley GC, 71-71-73–215
Grant Suggs, Collindale GC, 69-76-70–215
Lanny Cameron, Mariana Butte GC, 73-71-71–215
Blake Basham, Lone Tree GC, 73-71-72–216
Adam Pladson, Aurora Hills GC, 69-77-71–217
Steve Kass, CommonGround GC, 76-70-72–218
Robert Bedan, Wellshire GC, 74-71-74–219
Matt Goodson, Colorado National GC, 76-70-73–219
Clint Miller, Meadow Hills GC, 72-73-75–220
Travis Fore, Highland Meadows Golf Course, 70-70-80–220
Taylor Stamp, Broadmoor GC, 70-76-75–221
Chris Shaw, Collindale GC, 68-77-77–222
Robert Burke, Twin Peaks GC, 72-72-WD
FAILED TO QUALIFY
James Kurtenbach, South Suburban GC, 75-72–147
Casey Knuepfer, Tiara Rado GC, 70-77–147
Lamar Carlile, City Park GC, 73-74–147
Mitch Shinkle, Lake Arbor GC, 73-74–147
Christopher Wilson, Eisenhower GC, 75-72–147
Nick Berry, The Meadows GC, 73-74–147
Cameron Freeman, Collindale GC, 73-74–147
Shane Unfred, Highland Meadows GC, 72-76–148
Danny Hahn, CommonGround GC, 80-69–149
Spencer Stern, Vail GC, 77-72–149
Jeff Berthiaume, Southridge GC, 76-73–149
Zachary Coe, Eagle Ranch GC, 74-75–149
Christopher Good, Lone Tree GC, 78-71–149
Pete Perry, South Suburban GC, 73-77–150
Nicholas Reisch, Thorncreek GC, 76-74–150
Wes Martin, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 74-76–150
Michael Glaesel, Indian Tree GC, 79-71–150
Grant Wozencroft, Highlands Ranch GC, 72-78–150
Wes Adkins, Highland Meadows GC, 72-79–151
Adam Thoutt, Legacy Ridge GC, 72-79–151
Pat Bucci, West Woods GC, 76-77–153
Wlad Colmenares, Legacy Ridge Golf Course, 80-73–153
Eli Schoenbeck, Desert Hawk GC, 75-79–154
Kyle Thurman, Broadlands GC, 77-78–155
Casey Hannen, CommonGround GC, 75-80–155
Levi Fladebo, CommonGround GC, 75-81–156
Grant Javernick, Meadow Hills GC, 74-82–156
Chris Weinstein, Green Valley Ranch GC, 77-79–156
James Pullin, The Olde Course at Loveland, 79-78–157
Stephen Hemphill, Plum Creek G & CC, 80-77–157
Keyven Gibson, Indian Tree GC, 80-78–158
Kent Wilmes, Aurora Hills GC, 76-82–158
Dan Deppen, Broadlands GC, 77-82–159
Aaron Irving, Fox Hollow GC, 79-81–160
Kyle Beard, Meadow Hills GC, 79-82–161
Michael Davis, Meadow Hills GC, 83-81–164
Peyton Lindbloom, Thorncreek Golf Club, 80-85–165
Nathan Johnson, Fort Collins CC, 76-DQ
Andy Dannewitz, Meadow Hills GC, 77-WD
Four times, Schroeder agonized as his ball refused to stay on the upper tier of the two-tier green — where he wanted it. The result was a snowman — a quadruple-bogey 8 — that melted away the Broadmoor golfer’s chances of winning the 75th CGA Stroke Play Championship.
Those miscues, combined with a hard-charging start by Colorado State University golfer Zahkai Brown allowed Brown to overcome a six-shot deficit Sunday and win the title.
“You don’t want that to happen to your playing partner,” Brown said of Schroeder’s struggles on No. 15. “It’s hard to see. He was doing well. But it’s a competitive game. I don’t want to say I was happy, but it helped me win the title.”
Brown, from Indian Tree Golf Course, shot a 6-under-par 30 on the front nine and carded a 5-under 66 overall in the final round, which proved good enough for a three-stroke victory. The 21-year-old, who led after the first round, finished at 13-under-par 271.
Despite trailing by six going into Sunday, Brown caught Schroeder after just nine holes. But a birdie by Schroeder on No. 11 and a bogey by Brown on No. 12 had Schroeder leading by two going into the par-4 15th hole.
The former Fort Lewis College golfer (pictured at left) saw his approach shot trickle down off the top tier of the green, leaving him a difficult sidehill putt up and over a large ridge, with the hole cut not far from the crest of the ridge. Schroeder’s first putt didn’t stay up on the top level, rolling down the hill to the right and off the green.
On each of Schroeder’s next two shots — one played with a wedge and another with a putter — he failed to get his ball over the ridge and it rolled back toward him and off the green. His sixth stroke, which was further from the hole than his third, rolled 15 feet by the cup and he missed that comebacker.
For those keeping score, Schroeder took six shots to get down after having a 35-foot putt.
“I thought I hit a pretty good shot in there and it just caught the ridge and came down,” Schroeder said. “That pin was tucked so tightly on that massive ridge, but I thought I hit a pretty good first putt. It went down. After that it’s just disappointing how many it took me to get the speed right.”
Asked what he would have done differently if he had the hole to play over again, Schroeder said, “I maybe would have made sure that I got it on top of the ridge to ensure at worst a bogey. I guess I was trying to get a little greedy and hit a perfect putt.”
After Brown two-putted for par from the lower level of the green, he suddenly went from two behind to two ahead. And three pars later, he won his second CGA championship, following his 2009 victory in the CGA Public Links. The CSU senior-to-be also recently qualified for his second U.S. Amateur.
“It’s great because it’s something my brother didn’t do,” Zahkai (pictured at left) said of Zen Brown, who won the CGA Match Play and the Public Links but not the Stroke Play. “Growing up he was always better than me. Now that I’m surpassing him, it’s fun.”
“This is definitely a great win, being one of the CGA majors, and there are a lot of great players in the field. It’s one of my best wins for sure. It’s a big achievement for me.”
Schroeder, who led after the second and third rounds, shot a 4-over-par 75 Sunday and finished second at 10-under-par 274. Colorado School of Mines golfer Jim Knous, runner-up in the CGA Stroke Play last year, placed third this time at 275 following a final-round 67.
While Schroeder certainly opened the door for Brown, the CSU golfer made sure he was in position to take advantage with a stellar front nine on Sunday. In addition to making six birdies in his first nine holes — including four in a row from 6 through 9 — Brown missed two 3-footers for birdie.
With Schroeder shooting an even-par 36 on the front side, the tournament was tied with nine holes remaining.
“I just went out firing at every pin, and trying to make putts and it happened,” Brown said. “I had all the momentum and I was really excited. But I was telling myself to calm down and be patient. It’s not over. Keep going.”
Brown wouldn’t make a birdie on the back nine, and even though he was down two after his 12th-hole bogey, he certainly didn’t give up hope.
“We had a few tough holes coming up, then I saw that pin on 15,” he said. “I thought something could happen there. (Schroeder) had a tough putt coming across that mound.”
Schroeder had held at least a share of the lead since Friday, but that changed in a matter of minutes.
“I played 71 good holes,” said Schroeder, who made no worse than a bogey for those 71 holes. “It’s unfortunate that one hole cost me the whole tournament, but I’m proud of myself for how I played on 71 of the 72 holes.”
CommonGround Golf Course is owned and operated by the CGA and the CWGA. When Cherry Hills Country Club hosts the 2012 U.S. Amateur, CommonGround will serve as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event.
CGA Stroke Play Championship
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
Zahkai Brown, Indian Tree GC, 66-73-66-66–271
David Schroeder, Broadmoor GC, 68-64-67-75–274
Jim Knous, GC at Ironbridge, 69-66-73-67–275
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 72-66-67-71–276
Alex Buecking, Columbine CC, 67-67-76-67–277
Danny Riskam, Columbine CC, 67-68-70-73–278
Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC, 70-69-73-68–280
Jonathan Marsico, Castle Pines GC, 74-69-73-64–280
Steve Irwin, Lakewood CC, 69-69-73-70–281
Cameron Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 73-65-73-70–281
Patrick Wilson, Colorado National GC, 77-69-71-65–282
Brendan Connolly, The CC at Castle Pines, 73-71-68-70–282
Danny Hahn, CommonGround GC, 70-71-71-71–283
Keith Humerickhouse, Glenwood Springs GC, 69-74-72-68–283
Matt Schovee, Cherry Hills CC, 71-67-75-70–283
Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon GC @ Montrose, 67-76-71-69–283
C.J. Kim, CommonGround GC, 69-70-77-69–285
Steve Connell, Riverdale GC, 67-73-70-76–286
Cody Kent, Plum Creek G&CC, 71-72-72-72–287
Jordan Burgess, Highland Hills GC, 75-70-75-70–290
Michael Lee, Greeley CC, 73-71-71-76–291
Ryan Boshoven, Boomerang GL, 72-73-73-73–291
Joshua Mathis, Colorado Springs CC, 75-70-72-75–292
Andy Moore, The Olde Course at Loveland, 69-74-76-73–292
Bill Fowler, Bear Creek GC, 73-72-72-76–293
Bryan Kruse, Heritage at Westmoor, 70-75-73-78–296
Christopher Wilson, Eisenhower GC, 76-71-74-76–297
Grant Porter, CommonGround GC, 74-72-73-79–298
Oliver Grabb, Boulder CC, 73-73-76-79–301
Christopher Good, Saddle Rock GC, 69-76-80-76–301
Chris Beabout, South Suburban GC, 75-69-78-79–301
Charles Scheinost, Boomerang GL, 72-73-78-78–301
Kory Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 70-74-82-75–301
Thomas Roos, Plum Creek G&CC, 68-78-77-79–302
Dillon Mcdonald, Red Sky GC, 74-73-81-75–303
Wes Martin, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 72-73-79-81–305
Sean Thomas, Indian Tree GC, 73-73-79-82–307
Mike Schoolcraft, Cherry Hills CC, 68-68-72-DQ
Go to full CGA Stroke Play Results
Go to CGA Stroke Play Results Archive
After David Schroeder made a birdie putt on the 10th hole Saturday, improving to 7 under par for the day, Danny Riskam joked to playing partner Alex Buecking that they should use their best-ball score to try to keep pace with Schroeder.
It was that kind of performance for Schroeder Saturday morning at the 75th CGA Stroke Play Championship at CommonGround Golf Course. The former Fort Lewis College golfer (pictured at left) was 7 under par through 10 holes before the clock struck noon and he cooled down as the day heated up.
Despite going 3 over par in his last seven holes, the 22-year-old from the Broadmoor Golf Club still will take a hefty six-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the Stroke Play.
“We were just getting hammered (after 10 holes),” said Riskam, a former playing professional. “If we would have played him best ball, we still would have lost. He could have shot 61 or 62 today.”
Actually, Riskam and Buecking’s best-ball score would have edged Schroeder by one on Saturday, but you get the idea.
Schroeder backed up his second-round 64 with a 4-under-par 67 on Saturday and stands at 14-under 199 going into Sunday’s final 18.
“You obviously want as much of a lead as you can get going into the final day,” said Schroeder, who is looking for his first CGA championship victory. “I’m glad I increased my lead by four shots today. That’s going to help.”
Only three players are within eight strokes of the lead, and all share second place at 205: Colorado State University golfer Zahkai Brown, the first-round leader (66 Saturday); Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club, who plays for Georgetown University (67); and Riskam, from Columbine Country Club (70).
Brown, the 2009 CGA Public Links champion, used an eagle on No. 11 and birdies on his last two holes to post the low round Saturday at CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and the CWGA.
Schroeder used a 15-yard chip-in for eagle on No. 3 to start a stretch in which he played six holes in 6 under par. When he added a 12-foot birdie on No. 10, he was on pace to threaten the course record of 62. But he parred the par-5 11th after being just over the green in two, three-putted for bogey on No. 12, then bogeyed his final two holes.
Schroeder, Riskam and Buecking received a warning about slow play after the 13th hole, and hustled enough on the remaining holes to avoid a penalty.
“That definitely threw off my tempo a little bit,” Schroeder said. “We had to start playing ‘ready golf’ and play really quickly, but I don’t think that’s a good excuse for making two bogeys coming in.”
After posting consecutive nine-hole scores of 32-32-30, it’s a good thing for his opponents that Schroeder let up on the gas a little Saturday afternoon, or the lead could have ended up in double digits.
Schroeder’s closest challengers believe he can be caught on Sunday, but it won’t be easy.
“If he goes out and shoots 30 (on the front nine) like he did this time, we’re all playing for second,” said the 33-year-old Riskam (pictured at left). “But I never say it’s over. I’ve played enough tournament golf where I’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen, especially on the last day of tournaments. We’ll fire at some flags tomorrow and hopefully a few more putts go in than did today.
“If I’m going to catch David tomorrow I’ve probably got to shoot 32 on the front and I need a little help. But there’s no reason to hang back. There’s no reason to shoot at the middle of the green. I really didn’t come here to finish second. If that’s what happens, great, but I’m going to give it my best.”
Despite the big lead, one need look no further back than last year’s CGA Stroke Play to see why nothing has been settled yet. In the final round last summer, Jim Knous shot a course-record 60 at Boulder Country Club to force a playoff before losing to Wyndham Clark.
Schroeder, who is considering turning pro after he completes his final semester of college, has never won anything as big as the CGA Stroke Play.
Asked what it would mean to him if he prevails on Sunday, he said, “It would be huge — real exciting.”
Helping Schroeder’s cause this week has been having his dad, also named David, caddie for him.
“That’s been really great,” Schroeder said. “He’s been giving me a lot of good advice. He’s a really good player and he knows my game better than anyone. I play with him all the time. We talk over every shot and he’s been a huge help to me so far.”
Clark, who won last year’s Stroke Play at age 16, came into the third round of this year’s tournament in 10th place, but he was disqualified Saturday after having a distance-measuring device that didn’t conform to local rules.
Schroeder, Brown and Dorfman will tee off for Sunday’s final round at 9:12 a.m.
For Sunday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
CGA Stroke Play Championship
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
David Schroeder, Broadmoor GC, 68-64-67–199
Danny Riskam, Columbine CC, 67-68-70–205
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 72-66-67–205
Zahkai Brown, Indian Tree GC, 66-73-66–205
Jim Knous, GC at Ironbridge, 69-66-73–208
Mike Schoolcraft, Cherry Hills CC, 68-68-72–208
Alex Buecking, Columbine CC, 67-67-76–210
Steve Connell, Riverdale GC, 67-73-70–210
Steve Irwin, Lakewood CC, 69-69-73–211
Cameron Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 73-65-73–211
Danny Hahn, CommonGround GC, 70-71-71–212
Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC, 70-69-73–212
Brendan Connolly, The CC at Castle Pines, 73-71-68–212
Matt Schovee, Cherry Hills CC, 71-67-75–213
Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon GC @ Montrose, 67-76-71–214
Keith Humerickhouse, Glenwood Springs GC, 69-74-72–215
Cody Kent, Plum Creek G&CC, 71-72-72–215
Michael Lee, Greeley CC, 73-71-71–215
C.J. Kim, CommonGround GC, 69-70-77–216
Jonathan Marsico, Castle Pines GC, 74-69-73–216
Joshua Mathis, Colorado Springs CC, 75-70-72–217
Bill Fowler, Bear Creek GC, 73-72-72–217
Patrick Wilson, Colorado National GC, 77-69-71–217
Bryan Kruse, Heritage at Westmoor, 70-75-73–218
Ryan Boshoven, Boomerang GL, 72-73-73–218
Andy Moore, The Olde Course at Loveland, 69-74-76–219
Grant Porter, CommonGround GC, 74-72-73–219
Jordan Burgess, Highland Hills GC, 75-70-75–220
Christopher Wilson, Eisenhower GC, 76-71-74–221
Oliver Grabb, Boulder CC, 73-73-76–222
Chris Beabout, South Suburban GC, 75-69-78–222
Charles Scheinost, Boomerang GL, 72-73-78–223
Thomas Roos, Plum Creek G&CC, 68-78-77–223
Wes Martin, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 72-73-79–224
Sean Thomas, Indian Tree GC, 73-73-79–225
Christopher Good, Saddle Rock GC, 69-76-80–225
Kory Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 70-74-82–226
Dillon Mcdonald, Red Sky GC, 74-73-81–228
Wyndham Clark, Cherry Hills CC, 67-72-DQ
Derek Fribbs, Plum Creek G&CC, 67-72-DQ
Matthew Sullivan, CommonGround GC, 72-75-WD
The former Fort Lewis College golfer made eight birdies and one bogey Friday to reach the halfway point of the tournament at 10-under-par 132, which is good for a two-stroke lead. Schroeder has made 13 birdies in two days at CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and the CWGA.
Former professional Alex Buecking of Columbine Country Club fired a bogey-free 67 Friday to gain sole possession of second place at 134. Another former pro who plays out of Columbine, Danny Riskam, shares third place at 135 with Jim Knous of Ironbridge Golf Club. Knous, who earlier this week set the course record at Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club in U.S. Amateur qualifying, posted a 66 Friday, while Riskam had a 68.
First-round leader Zahkai Brown of Indian Tree Golf Course and defending champion Wyndham Clark of Cherry Hills Country Club, fell back in the second round. They share 10th place at 139 as Brown carded a 73 and Clark a 72 on Friday.
The 41 players who stand at 147 or better survived the cut and advanced to the weekend. The tournament will conclude on Sunday.
Schroeder, Buecking and Riskam will tee off for Saturday’s third round at 9:23 a.m.
For Saturday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
CGA Stroke Play Championship
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
David Schroeder, Broadmoor GC, 68-64–132
Alex Buecking, Columbine CC, 67-67–134
Jim Knous, GC at Ironbridge, 69-66–135
Danny Riskam, Columbine CC, 67-68–135
Mike Schoolcraft, Cherry Hills CC, 68-68–136
Steve Irwin, Lakewood CC, 69-69–138
Matt Schovee, Cherry Hills CC, 71-67–138
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 72-66–138
Cameron Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 73-65–138
Wyndham Clark, Cherry Hills CC, 67-72–139
Derek Fribbs, Plum Creek G&CC, 67-72–139
C.J. Kim, CommonGround GC, 69-70–139
Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC, 70-69–139
Zahkai Brown, Indian Tree GC, 66-73–139
Steve Connell, Riverdale GC, 67-73–140
Danny Hahn, CommonGround GC, 70-71–141
Keith Humerickhouse, Glenwood Springs GC, 69-74–143
Cody Kent, Plum Creek G&CC, 71-72–143
Jonathan Marsico, Castle Pines GC, 74-69–143
Andy Moore, The Olde Course at Loveland, 69-74–143
Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon GC @ Montrose, 67-76–143
Michael Lee, Greeley CC, 73-71–144
Chris Beabout, South Suburban GC, 75-69–144
Brendan Connolly, The CC at Castle Pines, 73-71–144
Kory Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 70-74–144
Bryan Kruse, Heritage at Westmoor, 70-75–145
Joshua Mathis, Colorado Springs CC, 75-70–145
Bill Fowler, Bear Creek GC, 73-72–145
Jordan Burgess, Highland Hills GC, 75-70–145
Christopher Good, Saddle Rock GC, 69-76–145
Ryan Boshoven, Boomerang GL, 72-73–145
Charles Scheinost, Boomerang GL, 72-73–145
Wes Martin, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 72-73–145
Sean Thomas, Indian Tree GC, 73-73–146
Oliver Grabb, Boulder CC, 73-73–146
Grant Porter, CommonGround GC, 74-72–146
Patrick Wilson, Colorado National GC, 77-69–146
Thomas Roos, Plum Creek G&CC, 68-78–146
Matthew Sullivan, CommonGround GC, 72-75–147
Christopher Wilson, Eisenhower GC, 76-71–147
Dillon Mcdonald, Red Sky GC, 74-73–147
Failed to Qualify
Dean Clapp, Meadow Hills GC, 76-72–148
David Delich, Broadmoor GC, 72-76–148
Cameron Brown, Sonnenalp GC, 78-70–148
John Luoma, Colorado GC, 69-79–148
Jonathan Park, Walking Stick GC, 73-76–149
Sam Rock, Coal Creek GC, 78-71–149
Nick Zelie, Boulder CC, 71-78–149
Eric Parish, Jacoby Park GC, 72-77–149
Martin Prazak, CommonGround GC, 71-78–149
Justin Russell, Black Canyon GC @ Montrose, 74-75–149
Jason Coffin, Colorado National GC, 75-74–149
Michael Harrington, Garden of the Gods , 77-73–150
Tristan Sanders, CommonGround GC, 72-78–150
Ken Cosper, Ptarmigan CC, 73-77–150
Ryan Bent, Hiwan GC, 74-76–150
Nicholas Welshons, Avid Golfer Passport, 72-78–150
John Ahern, Bear Creek GC, 73-78–151
James Kurtenbach, South Suburban GC, 78-73–151
Greg Braford, The Club at Pradera, 75-76–151
Jake Ice, Eaton CC, 70-81–151
Ben Lyons, South Suburban GC, 76-76–152
Brad Rowe, Ute Creek GC, 75-77–152
Sean Griswold, Hillcrest GC, 76-76–152
Andrew Hebert, Ute Creek GC, 73-80–153
Chun-Ji Kim, CommonGround GC, 77-76–153
Branden Barron, South Suburban Family Sports, 73-81–154
Jim Doidge, Pueblo CC, 76-78–154
Bob Chandler, CommonGround GC, 78-76–154
Will Roth, Lake Valley GC, 78-77–155
Grant Javernick, Meadow Hills GC, 76-79–155
Chris Jones, The CC at Castle Pines, 77-78–155
Clayton Crawford, Maroon Creek Club, 77-79–156
Nicholas Allen, Raccoon Creek GC, 76-81–157
Mark Brown, Highlands Ranch GC, 78-79–157
Steve Sullivan, The CC at Castle Pines, 73-84–157
Gus Lundquist, The Club at Pradera, 75-82–157
Kyle Thurman, Coal Creek GC, 79-81–160
Matt Goodson, Colorado National GC, 81-79–160
Eric Scanniello, Flatirons GC, 84-79–163
Henry Appel, Wellshire GC, 80-83–163
Will Fowler, Bear Creek GC, 84-88–172
Jon Lindstrom, Heritage at Westmoor, 74-WD
Troy Sidabras, Collindale GC, 75-WD