Jared Reid had modest goals going into the 32nd CGA Mid-Amateur Championship this weekend at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

“This week, honestly, my goal was to make the cut and be top 30 — just so I didn’t have to qualify again for next year’s (Mid-Am),” the 28-year-old from Legacy Ridge Golf Course said.

To say that the Denver resident exceeded expectations — his own and those of others — at the Mid-Am would be an understatement of monumental proportions.

Not only did Reid finish in the top 30 on Sunday, but he won the state title in the tournament limited to players 25 and older. And not only did he win, but he did so while going head to head in the final group with two players who have won five CGA Mid-Ams between them — two-time champ Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve and three-time winner Jon Lindstrom of Lakewood Country Club.

“Teeing off with those two and they’re announcing all the times they’ve won the championship and runner-ups and everything like that,” noted Reid (pictured above and below). “I’m like, ‘Geez, how am I going to do this today? Hopefully I get out of their way most of the time.'”

Certainly no need to worry about that, as it turned out. And, on top of all that, Reid became just the third player in the history of the championship to finish double digits under par, joining four-time champ Keith Humerickhouse (11 under in 2012) and seven-time winner Rick DeWitt (10 under in 2000).

The victory was the first by Reid in a CGA championship. In fact, he’s only competed in three — two Mid-Ams and the CGA Four-Ball — since moving from Michigan about five years ago.

“This is definitely, definitely” the biggest thing he’s done in golf, he said. “I never won any events in college — just maybe some best balls back home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This is definitely the biggest individual accomplishment I’ve ever had. I couldn’t imagine what the week was going to end up like.”

Reid completed a wire-to-wire performance on Sunday by finishing with a 10-under-par 203 total at CommonGround. He avoided a playoff when Thayer, the defending champion, saw his 9-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole slip just to the right of the cup.

Reid, who played college golf at Northern Michigan University, closed with a 1-under-par 70 on Sunday — the same score as playing partners Thayer and Lindstrom.

After he was tied for the lead with Thayer through nine holes on Sunday, Reid took the lead for good when he sank a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 10. Then he two-putted the par-5 11th for another birdie, giving him three birdies in four holes. And Thayer didn’t help his cause when he slightly pulled his 6-iron second shot and it went into the water on 11, though he did save par on the relatively easy par-5, where the stroke average on Sunday was 4.36.

But Reid’s most impressive shot came on the 495-yard, par-4 15th hole, where a massive drive left him with just 140 yards for his approach shot. He hit a gap wedge to 1 foot for birdie to go two ahead.

Reid then two-putted from 65 feet for par on 16, but bogeyed 17 after going into the greenside bunker on the par-3, leaving him with a one-stroke lead going into the par-5 18th. There, he was right of the green in two and pitched over a bunker complex to 25 feet, two-putting for par.

That gave Thayer (left) a chance to force a playoff, but the 38-year-old couldn’t sink his 9-footer for birdie.

In the last five CGA Mid-Amateurs, Thayer has now finished first, second, second, first and second. He’s posted six straight sub-par rounds in this event, dating back to last year.

“I was happy with the way I hung in there,” Thayer said. “I hit the ball really well, but I missed a 7-footer on 9, a 5-footer on 13 and a 9-footer (on 18). There were a lot of putts like that.

“But Jared played great. He played smart and hit good shots under pressure. He rips it and he hit it really straight all day. With that type of clubhead speed, you could be just a little bit off and they could go a bunch of different directions.

“But this is definitely a bomber’s course. I’m not a bomber, but I’m in the top 20 percent of the field in terms of distance. But these guys that hit it 30 yards by me, it’s an edge for sure.”

Lindstrom (below) will second Thayer’s praise of Reid’s performance this week.

“It’s awesome. The guy hits it a mile,” Lindstrom said. “I had a couple of really good drives and he was 70 yards ahead of me. It’s tough to compete.”

Reid fully acknowledges the difference his driver can make. He wasn’t hitting it well on the front nine on Sunday, but on the back side, it returned to form and he was smacking it long and straight down the stretch.

“My game kind of lives and dies by my driver,” he said. After struggling off the tee in the first half of the round, “the driver was kind of working (starting on the back nine) and I didn’t miss a fairway through the rest of the day, which kept my momentum going. I started feeling good on the tee and I could swing as hard as I could and the ball was going right where I was looking for. I springboarded off that.

“When I’m hitting gap wedge into some of the par-4s and they’re hitting 7- through 5-irons, that’s definitely an advantage.”

Really, it was with nine holes left that Reid had the confidence to feel he could win the title.

“Honestly I’ve only won probably two or three tournaments, even in high school,” he said. “That’s what the most uncomfortable feeling was: Could I finish this off?

“But (after 45 holes) I thought, ‘I might as well just do it since you’ve come all this way.”

Lindstrom, who’s won the title in 2008, ’15 and ’16, finished third for the second straight year, sharing that spot this time at 205 with with former Colorado State University golfer Dominic Kieffer of Collindale Golf Course, who closed with a 68.

At age 51, Lindstrom was the first winner of the Super Mid-Amateur Division for players 40 and older. He was six strokes better than Super Mid-Am runner-up Michael Harrington of Garden of the Gods Club, who likewise posted a 70 on Sunday.

“I’m glad they have the old-man flight now,” Lindstrom said with a smile. “It feels great (to be the first Super Mid-Am champ). I was telling (CGA executive director Ed Mate) they should get us a sponsor like Joint-Ritis or Depends. How about the Depends Super-Senior Mid-Am Flight?”

For all the scores from the CGA Mid-Amateur, CLICK HERE.

Despite bogeying two of his last three holes on Saturday, Jared Reid of Legacy Ridge Golf Course grabbed a one-stroke lead through 36 holes.

Reid eagled the par-5 11th hole to stand 6 under par for the day, but bogeyed 16 and 17 to shoot a 4-under-par 67. That left him at 9-under 133 overall. Over two days, Reid has played the first 11 holes at CommonGround in 13 under par, and the final seven holes in 4 over.

Reid’s closest pursuers going into Sunday’s final round are both multiple-time champions of this event. Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, winner in 2014 and ’17, is in second place at 134 after a second-round 68. Dating back to last year, Thayer has posted five consecutive sub-par rounds in this event. He made four birdies and one bogey on Saturday and has carded just two bogeys in two days. Thayer has two victories and two seconds in the past four CGA Mid-Ams.

Jon Lindstrom of Lakewood Country Club, Mid-Am champ in 2008, ’15 and ’16, holds third place after shooting a 6-under-65 — the lowest round of the tournament so far — on Saturday. His six-birdie, bogey-free day puts him two behind Reid.

Three players share fourth place at 137 — Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course, former Colorado State University University golfer Dominic Kieffer of Collindale Golf Course and Pete Mangold of Columbine Country Club. Nosewicz, who won the 2015 CGA Match Play at CommonGround, and Kieffer shot 68s on Saturday and Mangold a 69.

The field was cut to the low 40 players and ties after 36 holes, with all those at 8-over-par 150 or better advancing to Sunday.

The Mid-Amateur is limited to players 25 and older, but starting this year, there’s also a Super Mid-Amateur Division for players 40 and older. Through two days, Lindstrom holds a six-stroke lead in that division. Next best after Lindstrom’s 135 are 2014 CGA Player of the Year Michael Harrington of Garden of the Gods Club and Michael Slutzky of Columbine, who are tied at 141.

Reid, Thayer and Lindstrom will tee off for Sunday’s final round at 10:30 a.m.

For all the scores from the CGA Mid-Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

It seems like wherever the CGA Mid-Amateur is held, Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve finds himself either in the lead or darn close to it.

Since 2014, Thayer’s finishes in the championship have been first, second, second, first. 

And on Friday in the 32nd edition of the Mid-Am — an event limited to golfers 25 and older — Thayer put himself in position to add to his stellar record by shooting a 5-under-par 66 and sharing the lead at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

The defending champion (left) eagled the par-5 11th hole and added four birdies while making just one bogey in the first round of the 54-hole event.

Tied with Thayer at 66 was Jared Reid of Legacy Ridge Golf Course, who started on No. 10 and played his final nine holes in 6-under-par 30. He finished with eight birdies and three bogeys on the day.

Four players share third place at 68 — Ryan Axlund of Valley Country Club, Nicholas Engen of Colorado Golf Club, Pete Mangold of Columbine Country Club and Stephen Powers of CommonGround. Mangold played his first two holes in 3 under par.

Though he hasn’t won the CGA Mid-Amateur, Axlund has finished in the top 10 five staight years, including posting four top-5s.

Also among the 15 players who broke par on Friday were past champions Michael Harrington of Garden of the Gods Club (69) and three-time winner Jon Lindstrom of Lakewood Country Club (70), along with Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course (69), who won the 2015 CGA Match Play at CommonGround.

In the new Super Mid-Amateur Division for players 40 and older, Harrington, the 2014 CGA Player of the Year, leads the way with his 69, while Lindstrom and Michael Slutzsky of Cherry Hills Country Club are next best, at 70. Since the same tees are used for everyone in the championship, the Senior Mid-Ams can still contend for the overall title.

Keith Humerickhouse of Glenwood Springs Golf Club, who won this CGA Mid-Am four straight times starting in 2010, struggled to an 81 on Friday.

The championship will continue through Sunday, with a cut to the top 40 players and ties coming after Saturday’s second round.

For all the scores from the CGA Mid-Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

The 54-hole event is set for Friday through Sunday (Sept. 28-30). An 84-man field is planned, and the top 40 players and ties after two rounds will advance to Sunday’s action.

Let’s run down some of the top entrants according to their past performance in the event:

— Defending champion Chris Thayer of Golden has two wins and two seconds at the Mid-Am in the last four years.

— Jon Lindstrom of Lakewood Country Club owns three titles (2008, ’15 and ’16) and finished third last year.

— Keith Humerickhouse of Glenwood Springs Golf Club won the Mid-Am four consecutive years (2010-13), becoming just the third player in history to captured the same CGA championship four times in a row.

— Steve Irwin of Lakewood CC has claimed the Mid-Am title twice (2003 and ’05) and contended on numerous other occasions.

— As for those who have yet to win the Mid-Am, Ryan Axlund of Valley Country Club has certainly been impressive, with five consecutive top-10s, including four top-5s. He placed third last year.

And those are by no means the only players who could be in the hunt for the championship come Sunday. There’s 2009 winner Michael Harrington, the 2014 CGA Player of the Year; former Colorado State University golfer Dominic Kieffer; Nick Nosewicz, who won the 2015 CGA Match Play at CommonGround; 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier Matt Evelyn; 2008 CGA Amateur champion Jonathan Marsico; and Jeff Chapman.

The list goes on and on.

All told, the winner of every CGA Mid-Am since 2007 — when Robert Polk prevailed — is in the field this weekend.

And this year’s tournament at CommonGround has a new twist. For the first time, players who are 40 and older will also be entered in a Super Mid-Amateur competition. And since the same tees will be used for everyone at CommonGround, those older players can still contend for the overall title.

For Friday’s tee times at CommonGrond, CLICK HERE.

But in the bigger picture, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the 2019 U.S. Mid-Am national championship will be held at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, with CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora serving as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event. The dates for that championship are Sept. 14-19, 2019.

For the record, that will be just the second U.S. Mid-Am — which is limited to players 25 and older — ever conducted in Colorado, with Cherry Hills Country Club having hosted the 1983 championship.

As for this year, Charlotte will host the U.S. Mid Am Sept. 22-27. At Tuesday’s qualifying tournament, the 78 contestants will be vying for four spots in the national championship.

Several players who competed in the 2017 U.S. Mid-Am are in the Lone Tree field. That includes five-time national Mid-Am qualifier — and three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion — Jon Lindstrom, who went to the match play round of 64 last year; 2017 Colorado-based qualifying medalist Ryan Axlund; Pete Mangold; and Walter Koelbel.

Also scheduled to play on Tuesday are 2012 CGA Match Play champion and 2018 Match Play semifinalist Brian Dorfman; 2014 and 2017 CGA Mid-Amateur winner Chris Thayer; four-time CGA Mid-Am champ Keith Humerickhouse; two-time U.S. Amateur qualifier Kyle Danford; 2014 CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Michael Harrington; Denver City Amateur champion Jeff Chapman; and Alex Kephart.

For Tuesday’s pairings at Lone Tree, CLICK HERE.
 

The Broadmoor Invitation, which dates back to 1921 in a different iteration, crowned its 2018 champions on Thursday, and they looked remarkably similar to the 2017 winners.

Jon Lindstrom and Tom Lawrence, both Denver-area residents and Lakewood Country Club members, repeated as Invitation champions, marking the first time there have been back-to-back winners since the event was reincarnated as a four-ball team tournament in 2014. The last time someone won two straight Broadmoor Invitations when it was an individual event was 1959 and ’60, when Fred Brown prevailed. (The 2018 champions are pictured, with Lawrence at left. Photo by Mic Garofolo)

Last week also marks the third consecutive year that Lakewood CC members have claimed the title as Steve Irwin and Richard Bradsby did the honors in 2016.

After switching from an event that decided the winners by match play in 2017 and prior, to a 72-hole stroke-play tournament this year, Lindstrom and Lawrence shot gross better-ball scores of 72-67-71-72 at the Colorado Springs resort. Their 6-under-par 282 total matched that of 2015 champions Mike Allred and Brad Grogg. Then Lindstrom and Lawrence prevailed on the first hole of a playoff.

Lindstrom is a three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion, while Lawrence is a former CGA president and the current president and CEO of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

The winners in the other flights at The Broadmoor were:

Traditions Nicklaus — Mark and John Austin of Norman, Okla.

Traditions Ross — Doug Stimple and Jack Mason Jr. of Colorado Springs.
 
Traditions Jones — Bill Carder of Colorado Springs and Scottsdale, Ariz., and Kyle Keefe of Denver.

Legends Gullane — Larry Phillips and Steve Cole of Midland, Texas.

For almost 75 years in the 20th century, The Broadmoor Invitation was considered one of the nation’s top amateur events. Among its winners were World Golf Hall of Famers Hale Irwin and Lawson Little, along with two-time U.S. Amateur champion Charlie Coe. But its run ended in 1995. It was resurrected in 2014 as a scratch four-ball championship for amateurs.

The Broadmoor hosted this year’s U.S. Senior Open and will do so again in 2025. 

The proverbial cream — which in this case refers to PGA Tour veterans — rose to the top Friday in the final round of the CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

On a day only three players shot in the 60s at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, two of them were guys who have played more than 200 PGA Tour events in their career. And of the top five finishers, three fall into the same category, including the champion.

John Riegger of Henderson, Nev., who has made 224 starts on the PGA Tour and has won once on PGA Tour Champions, rallied from three down going into the final round to score a one-stroke victory in his first time playing the Senior Open.

“Winning is winning,” said Riegger (left), a 54-year-old. “I’ve won on the Champions Tour. I’ve won everywhere in the world except for the PGA Tour. Winning is winning. It’s always good for the confidence.”

Another PGA Tour veteran, Skip Kendall, tied for second with 2017 Arizona Senior Open winner Brian Cooper of Pittsburgh, who’s qualified for this month’s U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor. And sharing fourth place was one-time PGA Tour winner Guy Boros and two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair.

Overall, Friday wasn’t a stellar day scoring-wise, despite the good weather aside from some wind. Cooper shot a Friday-best 4-under-par 68, though he left a 10-foot birdie attempt an inch or two agonizingly short. Had it dropped it would have forced a playoff. He’d birdied 15, 16 and 17 to make a run at the title.

The other two sub-70 rounds were 3-under-par 69s by Rieger and Boros. Guys like Mike Northern of Colorado Springs (two eagles on the front nine) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler (4 under through 12) surged before rough finishes.

Riegger’s 9-under-par 207 score was the highest by a CSO winner since 2014.

“It was probably just nerves,” Blair said of the relatively high final-day scores. “That always happens. I was surprised that 9 under won it. Our group, we weren’t very good. John (Riegger) just hung in there and made a couple of putts.”

Indeed, he did. Riegger ended up draining five putts between 10 and 20 feet on Friday and was especially on target during the back nine. He made a 12-footer for bogey on 10 after hitting his tee shot into the left hazard, sank a 15-foot birdie on 11, a 15-foot par on 13 and a 20-foot birdie on 15. But he did miss a 5-foot birdie try on No. 18, though he didn’t know exactly where he stood at the time — and it didn’t end up costing him.

“To be honest with you that one on 18 was the only putt I missed all day” that he’d regularly expect to make, Riegger said. “I made a lot of putts. This is the best I’ve putted in five years.”

Two groups in front of Riegger, Cooper could have gotten to 9 under by getting up and down for birdie from just off the green. But as noted earlier, he couldn’t believe it when he left his 10-foot birdie attempt just short (left).

Then 18- and 36-hole leader Kendall could have forced a playoff with a final-hole birdie after making one on 17. But his 35-foot attempt fell short.

That gave Riegger the $8,500 first prize, while Cooper and Kendall settled for $4,250 each for tying for second place a stroke back. Kendall was 1 under par for the day through 11 holes, but played his final seven in 2 over en route to a 73.

“I’m disappointed,” said Kendall, who was playing in just his second tournament of the year. “I had it. I really did. I just got into some bad spots on the back side and made some bogeys because of it. I made some errors in judgment. But you know what? It was great to be in the thick of things again and to feel that. I know it’s going to help me this year and in the long run. I’m going to take positives out of it.”

Boros and Blair checked in at 209, two back of Riegger, to tie for fourth place. With his best finish in a Colorado Senior Open, the 63-year-old Blair also had the top showing by a super-senior this week, adding a $1,000 prize to his $2,150 payday in the overall purse breakdown.

As for Riegger, he should give some credit for the victory to 2017 champion Jeff Gallagher, a fellow resident of Henderson, Nev., who told Riegger it would be worth his while to play in the CSO. And this week’s performance gave Riegger his first tournament victory since he won the 2013 Boeing Classic in his fifth start on PGA Tour Champions.

“When I won on the Champions Tour, I’d won twice on the Web Tour in my 40s,” he said. “I beat Bernhard Langer down the stretch to win when I won the Boeing Classic. You have the same emotions.”

Lindstrom Posts Best Overall Finish by Am in CSO Since 2014: At age 50, Broomfield resident Jon Lindstrom is a rookie in senior golf. But he adapted quickly this week in his first CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

Not only did the three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion earn low-amateur honors by 10 shots, but he tied for the best finish overall by a Coloradan, sharing sixth place. And that sixth-place showing was the best by an amateur in this event since Kent Moore did the same in 2014.

Lindstrom went 71-69-70 for a 6-under-par 210 total, leaving him just three strokes behind overall champion John Riegger.

“Being low amateur is a nice way to start,” Lindstrom said. “I hit it pretty good and made some putts, but I felt like I left a bunch out there.

“It’s fun being low amateur. I don’t want to say that’s my goal, but it’s probably one of them.”

On Friday, Lindstrom played his front nine in 2 under, but he double bogeyed No. 10. Then he rebounded with birdies on 14 and 15.

“I really did” think about getting in contention for the overall title “because I was surprised that scores weren’t lower,” Lindstrom said.

Finishing second in the amateur competition on Friday was reigning CGA Senior Amateur champion Steve Ivan of Colorado Springs, who posted a 220 total.

As for the best finish by a Coloradan, regardless of pro or amateur, Lindstrom shared that honor by tying for sixth place with Jeff Hanson (left) of Edwards, the PGA director of golf at Red Sky Golf Club. Hanson went 68-71-71 for his 210 total. Like Lindstrom, Hanson double bogeyed the 10th hole on Friday, but he added four birdies and one bogey.

Four Coloradans were among those who tied for 10th place at 211: 2013 champion Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, Rick Cole of Eaton, Mike Northern of Colorado Springs and Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West. Zaremba, the 2005 CSO champion, was near the top of the leaderboard through 11 holes, but played his final eight in 4 over en route to a 75.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

It was a day of firsts at the CGA Four-Ball Championship on Sunday at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster.

Let’s count the ways:

— Jon Lindstrom and Richard Bradsby, both of Lakewood Country Club, became the first team to win consecutive CGA Four-Balls since Rick DeWitt and Mike Glaesel did the trick in 1998 and ’99.

— With a 23-under-par 193 total for three rounds, they set the tournament scoring record, relative to par, since the Four-Ball went to a 54-hole format in 2011.

— With the victory, Lindstrom became the first person to win the CGA Four-Ball at least four times. He had been tied for the most titles in the event, with Steve Irwin, another Lakewood CC member. Prior to the last two years, Lindstrom won in 2002 with Rick Larson and in 2012 with Dean Clapp.

Despite playing their last six holes in even-par on Sunday, Lindstrom and Bradsby prevailed by two strokes. They followed up their back-to-back rounds of 64 with a 7-under-par 65 on Sunday.

Through 54 holes, the partners never recorded a better-ball bogey. (They’re pictured above and below, with Lindstrom in the striped shirt.)

“I’m going to create a conflict for Lindstrom next year” for this event, runner-up Alex Buecking said with a smile on Sunday.

The victory at Legacy Ridge marked the 10th CGA championship for the 50-year-old Lindstrom, who has claimed four Four-Balls, three Mid-Amateurs, two Two-Mans (with Clapp) and one Mid-Amateur Match Play.

“I like winning CGA events, so that’s awesome,” Lindstrom said. “I like team events. There used to be the two-man event, and I won that a couple of times too. It’s a lot of fun playing with somebody (as a teammate).”

Meanwhile, the 49-year-old Bradsby owns two CGA titles, both in the Four-Ball. Lindstrom and Bradsby also finished second in the event, in 2014.

“It’s special absolutely” to win CGA state titles, Bradsby said. “It’s amazing.”

Bradsby provided the spark in Sunday’s final round by shooting a 4-under 32 on his own ball on the front nine, making six 3s on that side.

“Richard played great today,” Lindstrom said.

“And John was killing it the other two (days),” Bradsby added.

With Lindstrom throwing in a birdie, he and Bradsby posted a 5-under 31 on the front nine. Then Lindstrom drained an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 11 and Bradsby an 18-foot birdie on 12. Even with no more birdies after being 7 under through 12, it was good enough.

“Obviously the week was great,” Lindstrom said. “We did a good job of ham and egging it. There were three or four times one of us was out of the hole and the other guy ended up making birdie on that hole. It couldn’t have worked out better.”

As for their recent success in the Four-Ball, Lindstrom points to the two meshing as partners.

“We’re both members at Lakewood and we play a lot of golf together — both as opponents and partners,” he said. “We know each other’s games. We both go out and try to win it on our own, and if the other guy helps out, great. As opposed to putting pressure on, expecting the other guy to play well. We both do that really well, I think. Neither one of us gets pissed off if the other guy hits a bad shot.”

Claiming second place for the second time in the last three years on Sunday were Buecking, of Columbine Country Club, and Trent Isgrig of Cherry Hills Country Club. Buecking, who won the 2009 title with Irwin, also placed fourth last year, with Sean Crowley.

Buecking and Isgrig, who shot a tournament-low 62 in the first round, had sterling opportunities at birdies at holes 6, 7, 9 and 10 on Sunday, but didn’t convert any of them, costing themselves a chance at the title.

They closed with a 66 for a 195 total.

“We had a good time, but we’re a little disappointed,” Isgrig said. “The turning point was 6, 7, 9 and 10. We should have made at least two or three (birdies), and we didn’t make any of them. That was the difference, no doubt.”

Jake Staiano, the 2017 CGA Player of the Year, and Pierce Aichinger of Glenmoor Country Club fired an 8-under 64 on Sunday to tie for third place at 197. Staiano also placed third last year, with then-Colorado State University teammate Blake Cannon.

Also at 197 were Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course and Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve — winners of a CGA Match Play and two CGA Mid-Amateurs, respectively — and Alan Boyko of CommonGround Golf Course and Dean Siskowski of Collindale Golf Course. Nosewicz and Thayer carded a 66 on Sunday, and Boyko and Siskowski a 68.

(Pictured above, from left, are Nosewicz, Buecking and Thayer.)

In all, six teams out of 60 broke 200 for the 54-hole event. 

For all the scores from the CGA Four-Ball, CLICK HERE.

The defending champions, who still haven’t made a better-ball bogey through two rounds, fired their second straight 8-under-par 64 on Saturday, leaving them at 16-under 128 at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster.

Should Lindstrom, a three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion, win on Sunday, he’ll become the first four-time CGA Four-Ball champ, breaking a tie with Steve Irwin. Lindstrom previously won in 2002, ’12 and last year. (The 2017 winners are pictured, with Lindstrom at left.)

The last players to win two straight CGA Four-Ball titles are Rick DeWitt and Mike Glaesel, who prevailed in both 1998 and ’99.

But two teams are just a stroke back of the leaders after Saturday’s second round, and another is three behind.

First-round leaders Alex Buecking of Columbine Country Club and Trent Isgrig of Cherry Hills Country Club backed up their Friday 62 with a 5-under-par 67 on Saturday, putting them at 15-under 129. They made six better-ball birdies and both bogeysed the 14th hole on Saturday.

Also at 129 are Alan Boyko of CommonGround Golf Course and Dean Siskowski of Collindale Golf Course, who shot the low round of day 2, a 9-under 63. With Siskowski posting a 66 on his own ball, the pair recorded nine better-ball birdies in round 2.

Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, winner of two CGA Mid-Ams, and Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course, who claimed the 2015 CGA Match Play title, stand in fourth place at 131. They carded a second-round 64 despite a better-ball bogey on the par-3 eighth hole.

The 54-hole championship will conclude on Sunday.

For all the scores from the CGA Four-Ball, CLICK HERE.
 

Two years ago, the Columbine Country Club member teamed up with Jason Enloe to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. In 2009, he paired with Steve Irwin to win the CGA Four-Ball. And in 2016, he and Trent Isgrig, who now plays out of Cherry Hills Country Club, finished runner-up in that same CGA event.

And this week, it appears Buecking and Isgrig will make another run at the CGA Four-Ball title.

The pair (pictured, with Isgrig at left) bolted from the gate on Friday, shooting a 10-under-par 62 at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster in the opening round of the scratch better-ball event.

Buecking and Isgrig made an eagle (by Isgrig on the par-5 11th) and eight birdies on Friday to grab a two-stroke lead in the 54-hole event.

Defending champions Jon Lindstrom and Richard Bradsby of Lakewood Country Club went bogey-free with eight better-ball birdies to shoot a 64 and hold down second place. Lindstrom, a three-time winner of this event, shot a 7-under-par 65 on his own ball in round 1, while Bradsby posted a 69.

Another team of former champions sits in third place, at 7-under 65. Sam Marley and James Richardson of South Suburban Golf Course won this title on 2015. On Friday, Marley, a University of Northern Colorado golfer, carded a 66 on his own.

Tied at 66 are 2017 CGA Player of the Year Jake Staiano and Pierce Aichinger from Glenmoor Country Club, and Alan Boyko of CommonGround Golf Course and Dean Siskowski of Collindale Golf Course.

The championship will continue through Sunday.

For all the scores from the CGA Four-Ball, CLICK HERE.