Over the years, 10 different clubs have advanced to the finals of the Team Interclub. And half of those have made at least two finals appearances. But the two clubs that have qualified for the finals most of all are The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs and Rifle Creek Golf Course in Rifle.

And guess who the two 2018 finalists are who will square off on Oct. 20 at CommonGround?

That’s right — The Broadmoor and Rifle Creek.

The Broadmoor will be making its fourth appreance in the finals and Rifle Creek its third. But the only time either club has actually won the title was in the one previous year that they squared off in the finals, 2014. The Broadmoor earned the trophy that year with a 23-13 victory. This year will mark the first time two teams have met twice or more in the Interclub finals.

(For the record, the other three clubs that have made the Team Interclub finals more than once are Lone Tree, Todd Creek and Battlement Mesa. And Lone Tree remains the only two-time champion of the event, having won in 2011 and ’12, though The Broadmoor would give LT company should it beat Rifle Creek next weekend.)

The CGA Team Interclub stands apart among CGA championships. Every other championship on the schedule is contested over the course of one to four days. The Team Interclub, on the other hand, typically lasts five months or more, with a regular-season round-robin of geographically-linked groups of teams going from May through July, then a 16-team single-elimination playoff from August to October.

Both in the regular season and the playoffs, teams of eight golfers each — of widely varying abilities — square off, with net singles and net four-ball matches held concurrently. Each individual match is worth two points — two for a win and one for a tie. Rosters can vary throughout the season.

This year’s original CGA Team Interclub field featured 32 teams, up six from last year. The record number of team entrants for the event was 64 in 2013. Notably, both Rifle Creek and The Broadmoor come from the two round-robin groups that are the furthest from Denver.

Two changes took effect for this year’s Team Interclub — going from teams of 12 to teams of eight, and teams are now comprised of four “A” players of low handicap indexes of 9.9 and under and four “B” players of low handicaps between 10 and 20.

Both clubs in this fall’s Team Interclub finals are undefeated going into the last match of the year, with The Broadmoor being 6-0 and Rifle Creek 5-0-1, with the tie coming against Battlement Mesa during the regular season.

The Broadmoor is the top seed in the playoff bracket, having scored more points in the regular season (57) than any other club, but it was tested in getting to the finals. Representatives of the Colorado Springs-based resort course edged Lone Tree and Elmwood by 14-10 margins in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, respectively, before beating The Meadows 16-8 in the semifinals. The Broadmoor’s previous finals appearances came in 2014, ’15 and ’16.

Seventh-seeded Rifle Creek, a public course that also made it to the finals in 2012 and ’14, defeated Broken Tee Englewood 17-7 in the round of 16 and Mariana Butte 16-8 in the quarterfinals. Then in the semis, RC ousted defending Team Interclub champion Saddle Creek/Murphy Creek, 16-8.

When The Broadmoor and Rifle Creek met in 2014 for the title, it was the first of three straight final appearances for the Colorado Springs club. The 23-13 win gave The Broadmoor a 7-0 record that 2014 season. In fact, it won all seven of its matches by double-digit margins.

Four Broadmoor players on that winning team in 2014 will compete again in the finals on Oct. 20: Mike Allred, Ron Crowder, Roger Perry and Scott Meagher. And five Rifle Creek competitors from that 2014 runner-up team are back: Jeb Savage, Tod Smith, Mark Sours, Michael Higginbotham and Pat Hays.

The Team Interclub finals will conclude the 2018 CGA championship season.

CGA Team Interclub Finals Pairings

Singles

Mike Allred (B) vs. Jeb Savage (RC)

Curtis Olson (B) vs. Tod Smith (RC)

Ron Crowder (B) vs. Cole Manupella (RC)

Luke Travins (B) vs. Eric Copen (RC)

Joe Diver (B) vs. Mark Sours (RC)

Roger Perry (B) vs. Michael Higginbotham (RC)

Tom Haggard (B) vs. Tim Roe (RC)

Scott Meagher (B) vs. Pat Hays (RC)

Four-Ball

Allred/Olson (B) vs. Savage/Smith (RC)

Crowder/Travins (B) vs. Manupella/Copen (RC)

Diver/Perry (B) vs. Sours/Higginbotham (RC)

Haggard/Meagher (B) vs. Roe/Hays (RC)  

Road to the 2018 CGA Team Interclub Finals

THE BROADMOOR
Regular Season (3-0 with 57 points)
— Defeated The Club at Flying Horse 18-6
— Defeated Garden of the Gods Club 15-9
— Defeated Colorado Springs Country Club 24-0

Playoffs
— Round of 16: Defeated Lone Tree 14-10
— Quarterfinals: Defeated Elmwood 14-10
— Semifinals: Defeated The Meadows 16-8

RIFLE CREEK
Regular Season (2-0-1 record with 45 points)
— Defeated Glenwood Springs 15-9
— Tied with Battlement Mesa 12-12
— Defeated Lincoln Park 18-6

Playoffs
— Round of 16: Defeated Broken Tee Englewood 17-7
— Quarterfinals: Defeated Mariana Butte 16-8
— Semifinals: Defeated 2017 champion Saddle Rock/Murphy Creek 16-8

For more information on the CGA Team Interclub, CLICK HERE and go to CGA Team Interclub tab.

If there’s an individual CGA championship for which Kent Moore has been eligible and competed, he’s won it at one time or another.

And that’s no exaggeration.

On Thursday, the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer added yet another different CGA championship to his variety-filled golf resume.

In defeating Jim Reynolds of Bear Creek Golf Club 1 up to claim the CGA Super-Senior Match Play title at Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville, Moore became a winner of his eighth different CGA individual championship. Over the last 44 years, he’s won the 1973 Junior Match Play, the 1986 Amateur, the 1989 Match Play, the 1995 Mid-Amateur, the 2006 Senior Match Play, the 2014 Senior Stroke Play, the 2016 Super-Senior Stroke Play and the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play.

Strangely, though, Moore hasn’t won any of those events more than once. He just seems to spread out his success.

“I figure I’ve won every (CGA) championship that I’m eligible for now,” said Moore, who notes the CGA Junior Amateur didn’t exist when he was a teenager. “It’s just fun to compete.”

Overall, including team championships like the Parent/Child, and the now-defunct Two-Man Team and CGA/CWGA Mixed Team, Moore has won roughly 16 CGA championships. Oh, and by the way, he also serves as a vice-president on the CGA’s volunteer Board of Governors.

On Thursday, the 61-year-old from Cherry Hills Country Club (pictured above and at left) finished strong to edge Reynolds in the 18-hole final at Coal Creek. Moore won the first two holes with pars, but from the fourth through the 18th holes, neither player was more than 1 up.

Reynolds — a 63-year-old whose caddie, Gus Lundquist, is a former 5A state high school champion and a two-time U.S. Amateur qualifier who recently turned pro — won the 13th and 14th holes to take his only lead on Thursday.

“I actually thought I was going to lose,” Moore said. “He was hitting the ball so solid and he kept getting better.”

But trailing for the first time seemed to spark Moore, who hadn’t made a birdie in the first 14 holes. Hitting an approach onto the top ledge of a three-tier green on No. 15, Moore left his ball a mere 6 inches from the cup and made birdie to even the match.

“That birdie was just huge,” he said. “Sometimes you go from playing defense to ‘I need to win.’ And you’re only going to win by making a really good swing, committing to it and getting it there. I had the perfect distance. I was 80 yards, uphill, into the wind, which is a perfect 58 (degree wedge) for me.”

After Moore received a fortunate bounce on his tee shot to avoid trouble on No. 16, Reynolds (left) had an opportunity to regain the lead, but missed a 10-foot birdie putt.

“If I had made the putt on 16, who knows what would have happened then?” Reynolds said. “I just misread the putt. Gus read it right and I didn’t see it going left so that was kind of unfortunate.”

Then the decisive shots came on the par-3 17th, where Moore hit a 9-iron from 148 yards to 6 feet and drained the putt to regain a 1-up advantage.

“It was one of those when I needed to hit it good and I did. It was perfect,” he said.

Needing a birdie on the 18th hole, Reynolds cut a tee shot on the dogleg right onto the right hazard line and he couldn’t pull off the near-miracle he needed. When Moore putted from the front collar of the green to gimme range, the final hole was halved with pars and Moore had the victory.

“(Moore) played to win, and he really came through in the end,” Reynolds said after his best performance in a CGA championship. “What I feel is, I made him earn it. He’s been in these kind of positions many times before, and that’s really the first time I’ve ever been in the hunt (for a state title). So I feel proud I took him to the last hole. I played my heart out.

“I feel like I won, to tell you the truth. He’s such a good, strong, competitive player.”

Said Moore: “It was a good match, a really good match.”

The win gives Moore (left) victories in each of his first two individual CGA Super-Senior Championships as he prevailed in the Super-Senior Stroke Play last August. The tournament at Coal Creek marked his first Super-Senior Match Play. At 61, Moore is part of an ongoing rookie class in CGA Super-Senior events as, starting in 2017, the association is raising the minimum age for super-senior tournaments by one year each year. So next year, for instance, the minimum age will be 62. From 2021 and beyond, competitors must be at least 65.

“I just happen to hit that just right,” the Centennial resident said. “I turned 60 exactly the right time.”
 

CGA Super-Senior Match Play
At Coal Creek GC in Louisville
QUARTERFINALS
Mark Runyan, Clubcorp Colorado, def. Jeff English, CommonGround GC, 3 and 2
Jim Reynolds, Bear Creek GC, def. Dan Grigsby, Todd Creek GC, 1 up
Steve Scheffel, Ptarmigan CC, def. Don Alley, Antler Creek GC, 4 and 3
Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, def. Bruce Hayes, Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, 2 up

SEMIFINALS
Jim Reynolds, Bear Creek GC, def. Mark Runyan, Clubcorp Colorado, 4 and 3
Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, def. Steve Scheffel, Ptarmigan CC, 2 and 1

FINAL
Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, def. Jim Reynolds, Bear Creek GC, 1 up

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Moore, a two-time CGA Senior Player of the Year and the winner of the CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play in 2016, defeated Bruce Hayes of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve 2 up in the quarterfinals, and 2016 runner-up Steve Scheffel of Ptarmigan Country Club 2 and 1 in the semis. That semifinal was all-square through nine before Moore (pictured) went 1 under par for the final eight holes.

Moore’s CGA championships include the Junior Match Play, Amateur, Match Play, Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur, Senior Match Play and the Super-Senior Stroke Play.

Reynolds, the No. 4 seed in the 32-man bracket, beat Dan Grigsby of Todd Creek Golf Club 1 up in the quarterfinals, and Mark Runyan of Clubcorp Colorado 4 and 3 in the semis. Earlier, Runyan ended defending champion Jeff English’s seven-match win streak in this event, prevailing 3 and 2.

Thursday’s 18-hole final match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m.

This year’s Super-Senior Match Play is limited to competitors 61 and older.

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

The redshirt sophomore for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs tied for fifth individually in the men’s NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional in Las Cruces, N.M. More importantly, that left him in a three-way tie for second among individuals not on one of the five teams that qualified for nationals. And with just two players in that category earning individual spots in the upcoming DII nationals at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, he played off with much at stake on Wednesday.

Alas, a bogey by Prater (pictured) on the first playoff hole cost him a shot at the remaining national berth as Calum Hill of Western New Mexico made par to secure the spot.

In regulation, Prater carded rounds of 72-70-69 for a 2-under-par 211 total, which left him five strokes behind regional champion Sam Johnston of Oklahoma Christian.

All told on Wednesday, 180 golfers — though none from Colorado schools — qualified for the men’s or women’s NCAA Division II Championships that will be held in the Denver area later this month. The men’s finals are set for May 17-21 at Green Valley Ranch, while the women’s nationals will be May 18-21 at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

On the men’s side, the top five team finishers and the top two individuals not on those teams from each regional earned spots in the finals in Denver.

Other players from Colorado schools who finished in the top 10 in Las Cruces were Nick Berry of the Colorado School of Mines and Luke Condon of Colorado Christian, who both tied for eighth place at 1-under-par 212. Colorado Christian was the top team finisher from Colorado, placing 10th in the 20-team field.

As for the women, the top three team finishers at each regional, and the top three individuals not on those teams, earned spots in the NCAA DII finals at CommonGround.

Metro State University of Denver junior Allie Johnston, the 2012 CWGA Match Play champion, entered the final round in seventh place at Super Region 4 in Stockton, Calif. But she was forced to withdraw due to an injury on Wednesday, dashing her hopes for a spot in the nationals.

The national tournaments, part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) will be at stake, will be hosted by Metro State and the Denver Sports Commission.

The men’s NCAA DII finals at Green Valley Ranch May 17-21 will feature 108 competitors — 20 teams and eight individuals. The format will be three rounds of stroke play, followed by two days of medal-match play. The top eight teams after the first three rounds of stroke play will advance to the match-play portion of the championship.

The women’s Division II finals at CommonGround May 18-21 will include a field of 72 golfers — 12 teams and 12 individuals. They’ll all play 72 holes of stroke play.

Tickets for the DII Spring Sports Festival will be $5 per person per day, or $15 for an all-session pass for the week. Tickets purchased at one site will be valid at all other competition sites.

For more information on the Spring Sports Festival, CLICK HERE.

For all the scores from the NCAA Division II regionals, CLICK HERE.
 

Women’s NCAA Division II Super Region 4

May 2-4, 2016 (final) in Stockton, Calif.
25. Cha Cha Willhoite, Metro State 74-74-78–226
66. Allie Johnston, Metro State 75-70-WD

Men’s NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional
May 2-4, 2016 (final) in Las Cruces, N.M.
10. (out of 20 teams) Colorado Christian 301-291-290–882
8. Luke Condon 73-69-70–212; 38. Matthew Goddard 78-73-70–221; 48. Nathaniel Goddard 74-73-76–223; 80. Sean Kato 76-78-74–228; 100. Andrew Kennedy 80-76-78–234.

12. Colorado-Colorado Springs 293-293-299–885
5. Colin Prater 72-70-69–211; 55. Kyle Southard 72-76-76–224; 63. Zach Tripp 75-75-75–225; 88. Zach Berhost 74-77-79–230; 108. Chris Reina 79-72-WD.

20. Regis 296-308-297–901
55. Jack Savage 77-74-73–224; 70. Matt Robertson 75-80-71–226; 80. Jordan McBrayer 75-76-77–228; 80. Grant Gavin 73-79-76–228; 98. Sam McKay 73-79-81–233.

Also
8. Nick Berry, Colorado School of Mines 73-71-68–212
24. George Markham, Colorado School of Mines 73-71-74–218
96. Jacob Allenback, Colorado State-Pueblo 77-80-75–232
 

Suffice it to say that the fifth annual CGA Team Interclub Championship has had all parts of the state covered.

And, after almost six months of competition, the 2014 champion will be crowned on Sunday at CommonGround, where the Broadmoor and Rifle Creek will meet in the finals of a competition which originally featured 61 teams, the second-most in the history of the event.

The CGA Team Interclub is a season-long net match play competition that involves golf clubs from throughout the state. This year’s championship included teams from as far west as Adobe Creek National Golf Course in Fruita, as far east as Bunker Hill Country Club in Brush, as far south as Elmwood Golf Course in Pueblo, and as far north as Fort Collins Country Club.

The “regular season” lasted from May through early August, with geographically-linked groups of four teams playing round-robins against one another. The team from each group with the highest point total advanced to the playoffs, which run August through October. This year, the finals will mark the 83rd match of the year, not counting walkovers.



Both in the regular season and the playoffs, teams of a dozen men each — of widely varying abilities — square off, with singles and four-ball matches held concurrently. Each individual match is worth two points — two for a win and one for a tie.

Rifle Creek, a public course located just north of I-70 in Rifle, about 185 miles west of Denver, becomes just the second club to qualify for two CGA Team Interclub finals. Rifle Creek also made it in 2012, when it lost 28-8 to two-time champion Lone Tree Golf Club. (Pictured above are two players from that 2012 Rifle Creek team, Jeb Savage and Cole Manuppella. Savage is one of seven Rifle Creek competitors returning from that 2012 finals team.)

In this year’s Team Interclub, Rifle Creek has gone 5-0, not counting one walkover match. It has outscored its opponents by a combined 115-65, with its closest match being a 19-17 victory over Glenwood Springs Golf Club.

The other finalist, the Broadmoor, has been even more dominant. The resort club, seeded No. 1 in the playoffs, has gone 6-0, collectively outscoring opponents 165-51. Every one of the Broadmoor’s six victories has come by a double-digit margin, with the closest a 23-13 win over Hiwan Golf Club.

Both teams came up with strong semifinal performances to make it to the final two, with the Broadmoor routing Sunset Golf Course 30-6 and Rifle Creek defeating Lincoln Park/Tiara Rado 26-10.

Overall in the playoffs, the Broadmoor has beaten the Pinery 25-11, Hiwan 23-13 and Sunset 30-6. Rifle Creek defeated Riverdale 21-15, 2013 runner-up Todd Creek 23-13, and Lincoln Park/Tiara Rado 26-10.

The Team Interclub concludes the 2014 CGA championship season.

CGA Team Interclub Finals Pairings
Oct. 26, 2014 at CommonGround GC

Singles
Mike Allred, B, vs. Jeb Savage, RC
Ron Crowder, B, vs. Michael Smith, RC
Phillip Temple, B, vs. Jack Parkinson, RC
Greg Flaks, B, vs. Tod Smith, RC
Doug Wasson, B, vs. Jim Grabe, RC
Jerry Tilton, B, vs. Jeff Hauer, RC
James Hafemeister, B, vs. Mark Sours, RC
Roger Perry, B, vs. Steve Stanek, RC
Scott Meagher, B, vs. Clint Hostettler, RC
Josh Waymire, B, vs. Michael Higginbotham, RC
Duke Mitchell, B, vs. Pay Hayes, RC
Jerry Petersen, B, vs. Mike Whitt, RC

Four-Ball
Allred/Crowder, B, vs. Savage/Smith, RC
Temple/Flaks, B, vs. Parkinson/Smith, RC
Wasson/Tilton, B, vs. Grabe/Hauer, RC
Hafemeister/Perry, B, vs. Sours/Stanek, RC
Meagher/Waymire, B, vs. Hostettler/Higginbotham, RC
Mitchell/Petersen, B, vs. Hayes/Whitt, RC