With the year drawing to a close, it’s time to play one final 18. In this case, we’ll run down the top 18 Colorado golf stories of 2012, then throw in some honorable-mention selections at the end.

And just for the sake of a little suspense, we’ll start with the 18th-biggest story.

18. Woodard Inducted into National Black Golf Hall of Fame, Voted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: 2012 was a big year for longtime Coloradan Tom Woodard, now the director of golf for the Foothills Park & Recreation District. In March, he was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame, then in October he was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, along with fellow Colorado PGA professional Alan Abrams and Jimmy Vickers. COLORADO GOLF HALL OF FAME FULL STORY, NATIONAL BLACK GOLF HALL OF FAME FULL STORY

17. Tourney Routs by Eaton, Humerickhouse: There were a couple of lopsided state tournament victories that went beyond the norm. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton prevailed by 16 shots in the CWGA Senior Stroke Play at the course on which she grew up, Greeley Country Club. STORY And in winning his third straight CGA Mid-Amateur, Keith Humerickhouse was a dozen shots ahead of the runner-up, marking the biggest margin in the event since 1991. STORY Then Humerickhouse put an exclamation mark on the year by proposing to his girlfriend in the midst of his acceptance speech for the CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year award.

16. A Lucky Seven Straight for Kent Denver: Kent Denver, coached by Bob Austin, set a Colorado record by winning its seventh consecutive state high school boys team championship, this time in Class 3A. STORY 

15. Bertsch, Jacques, Huffer ‘Open’ the Door: Three Coloradans qualified for the top USGA championship for their respective gender. Shane Bertsch of Parker earned a U.S. Open berth for the first time since 1998. STORY And Becca Huffer and Kelly Jacques made it through qualifying at the Broadmoor to punch their tickets to their first U.S. Women’s Open. STORY Then in December, Jacques joined former University of Denver golfer Stephanie Sherlock in earning LPGA Tour status in 2013. STORY

14. Jones Joining Nicholson in Colorado Sports Hall of Fame: Former USGA president Will Nicholson Jr., was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in April. STORY And after being voted in in October, 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, a former University of Colorado golfer, will follow suit in the spring of 2013. STORY

13. Ringsby Hits the National Stage: Calli Ringsby of Cherry Hills Village had a memorable 2012 tournament season. She swept both the CWGA Junior Stroke Play STORY and Junior Match Play titles. Then she was one of just four American girls selected to compete in the USA-China Youth Golf Match. STORY

12. Lee Adds Still More Variety to Her Accomplishments: With a nine-shot victory in the CWGA Stroke Play, Somin Lee became just the second player in history to win the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, Junior Match Play, Stroke Play and Match Play. Lee joined Wendy Werley as the only golfers to capture all four of those titles during their careers. STORY

11. Colorado PGA Keeps its Streak Going: For the sixth and seventh time in six years, the Colorado PGA earned national awards from the PGA of America. Dale Smigelsky, the director of golf at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins, was named PGA Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities, while George Kahrhoff, head professional at The Country Club at Castle Pines in Castle Rock, earned the Merchandiser award for private facilities. STORY The Colorado PGA also was among the national leaders in the “Get Golf Ready” initiative in which PGA and LPGA professionals teach people everything they’ll need to know to play golf with confidence — in five lessons, usually for $99 total. The idea is to bring new and former golfers into the game as seamlessly as possible in a no-pressure environment.

10. Tolan Doubles Up in Colorado Open: Coloradan Derek Tolan won his second HealthOne Colorado Open in the last four years, this time rallying after trailing by four strokes with six holes to play. STORY

9. Bermel Departs CSU After 13 Years: After 13 successful years at the helm of the Colorado State University men’s team, Jamie Bermel resigned to take the same job at the University of Kansas. Bermel’s teams went to the NCAA regional tournament in 12 of his 13 years, and in 2011 the Rams earned a berth in the NCAA Finals for just the second time in program history. Overall, the Rams won 18 multi-team tournaments in Bermel’s tenure, including two conference titles. Former national assistant coach of the year Christian Newton succeeded Bermel at CSU. STORY

8. Near Miss in College Finale for Knous: Colorado School of Mines golfer Jim Knous finished up his college career with a flourish. After leading most of the final round of the NCAA Division II national finals, Knous finished second, losing in a playoff. STORY

7. Mallon, Neumann Will Lead the Way at Colorado Golf Club: The leadership of the competing teams for the 2013 Solheim Cup matches that will be played at Colorado Golf Club in Parker was set early this year. Meg Mallon, winner of 18 LPGA Tour events in her career, will captain the U.S. squad, while 1988 U.S. Women’s Open champion Liselotte Neumann will be her European counterpart. STORY 

6. CU Women Score NCAA Breakthrough in Colorado: An NCAA women’s regional golf tournament was held in Colorado for the first time, and the University of Colorado took advantage of its host role at Colorado National by advancing to the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history. STORY

5. Kupcho Rallies from 9 Down in Final Round to Win CGA Stroke Play: After starting the final round nine strokes out of the lead and in 16th place, Steven Kupcho posted one of the biggest final-round rallies ever by a winner of the CGA Stroke Play. His final-round 66 at Fort Collins Country Club gave him the title as a 19-year-old. STORY

4. Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy Debuts: The CGA and CWGA launched a unique initiative to promote the use of caddies and foster candidates for the Evans Caddie Scholarship at the University of Colorado. The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course — which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA — provides a powerful incentive to use caddies by paying all of their base fees. The program’s mission is to use caddying and the game of golf to help kids learn how to succeed in life. STORY

3. Stacy Gains Spots in World Golf Hall of Fame: Part-time Colorado resident Hollis Stacy earned one of golf’s biggest honors by being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Stacy, who lives in Lakewood during the summer, won 18 times on the LPGA Tour, but particularly excelled in USGA events. She won three U.S. Women’s Opens and three U.S. Girls’ Juniors. STORY

2. Austin Departing Powerful USGA Executive Committee: Not many women preceded Coloradan Christie Austin as a member of the USGA Executive Committee, one of golf’s most powerful governing bodies. But after six years in that role, Austin will be stepping down in February. STORY 

1. U.S. Amateur a Hit in Colorado: The U.S. Amateur was held in Colorado for just the fourth time, with Cherry Hills hosting and CommonGround being the second stroke-play course. The week started with Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 major championships and two U.S. Amateurs, playing the role of spectator as son Gary competed. It continued with two players with strong Colorado ties — Michael Schoolcraft and Justin Spray — qualifying for match play. And it ended with largely unheralded and 63rd-seeded Tennesseean Steven Fox winning a final in 37 holes after being 2 down with two holes left. Fox (pictured above with his dad Alan) was the the highest-seeded player to win the U.S. Amateur since the USGA began the seeding process in 1985. About 4,500 fans attended the final day, one of the largest totals in recent U.S. Amateurs. STORY

Honorable Mention: Former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin followed the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in receiving the Nicholson Award given for a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Later in the year, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program was launched, with the initiative designed to nurture the budding careers of exceptional young golfers in the state. … After Ray Makloski won the CGA Senior Match Play in May, son Jimmy claimed a CGA title of his own (the Junior Stroke Play) in June. Later in the year, University of Denver golfer Andy Yang qualified for the U.S. Amateur shortly after sister Jennifer advanced to the U.S. Women’s Amateur. … Former college hockey standout David Delich won the CGA Senior Stroke Play the week after placing second in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, which marked the best finish by an amateur in that event since 1999. … Despite dozens and dozens of entrants both years, Lone Tree Golf Club repeated as champion in the season-long CGA Team InterClub Championship. … Nicole Zhang made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur after qualifying for the event in Colorado. … At age 14, Jordan Sahm of Centennial qualified for U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. … Cherry Creek’s Mackenzie Cohen, who shot 93 in the first round of the 5A state tourney in 2011, posted a score 26 strokes better in the final round of this year’s meet en route to an improbable victory. … Six-time CGA Player of the Year Rick DeWitt, who had never before competed in an event on the PGA, Champions or Web.com Tours, qualified for the U.S. Senior Open.
 

Michael Schoolcraft certainly wasn’t the most notable player competing in Wednesday’s first round of match play at the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club.

But you wouldn’t have known that from the number of people — a few hundred — surrounding the greens on the 18th and 19th holes of Schoolcraft’s match against Zack Munroe of Charlotte, N.C.

Even on-course TV reporter Dottie Pepper from the Golf Channel was on hand at the end.

Alas, Schoolcraft, the 20-year-old who was playing the U.S. Amateur on his home course, couldn’t produce a storybook ending. In fact, the way things played out, it was an agonizing loss. Schoolcraft (pictured above) led Munroe 2 up through 13 holes, but lost two holes down the stretch, then made a bogey on the first extra hole to be eliminated.

“I’m angry now, but I’m just going to be devastated,” the golfer from Englewood said. “I mean, it’s a tough way to go out. The farther you make it, the more it hurts. This will hurt for a while.”

Meanwhile, Justin Spray, who grew up in Colorado Springs and recently graduated from Colorado State University, lost 3 and 2 to Stanford golfer Patrick Rodgers after the match was all square through 12 holes.

“This game is hard,” noted Spray (pictured below). “This course is hard. But I’m going to keep getting better and learning.”

The two losses leave Colorado without any local representatives in Thursday’s round-of-32 matches. The round of 16 also will be played on Thursday.

Schoolcraft, seeded 50th after stroke play, battled back from being 2-down by winning three straight holes in the middle of the round, two of them with birdies. And the University of Oklahoma golfer went 2 up when Munroe missed a 4-foot par putt on No. 13.

After winning No. 14 with a par, Munroe squared the match in improbable fashion on the par-5 17th. In the thick rough near the second set of cross bunkers, he hit his approach to 40 feet and drained the birdie putt.

After both players made bogey on 18, they went to extra hole No. 1, a 327-yard par-4. Schoolcraft drove it into the front bunker and had a mound of sand in front of his ball. His blast came out soft and stayed in the rough short of the green. Munroe eventually sank a 6-footer for par, and after a decent pitch shot, Schoolcraft was left with a 4-footer to prolong the match. With the few-hundred spectators watching, he lipped out the putt on the left side, ending his U.S. Amateur.

With all the attention his match received, Schoolcraft admitted, “I felt the pressure, but I love that. I absolutely love that. When you make a birdie putt or you make a putt to save par it’s awesome because (the spectators) are going to be loud. I love that atmosphere. I’d rather have that than to go out and play on a regular Sunday afternoon. So I really really enjoyed it, and I appreciated everyone coming out. It was fun.”

Schoolcraft was visibly upset after the loss — not surprisingly — but minutes later he was able to put into perspective what he accomplished. He not only qualified for the U.S. Amateur, he made it to the 64-man match play and was on the verge of the final 32.

“It was a good experience,” he said. “Not playing well in the first two rounds (of stroke play), it was huge to just kind of figure it out and make the top 64. The takeaway on this was just to keep on fighting, and I know I can battle through the worst.

“I hate to say this, but it was a good experience. I would love to go win the thing, but it’s good experience to get into the first round and see how it goes.”

Like Schoolcraft, Spray rallied in the middle of his match after being 2 down early. The former CSU and Fort Lewis College golfer actually had a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 12 that would have put him ahead. But Rodgers made a 15-foot par and Spray missed his birdie putt and they halved the hole.

“That was kind of the game-changer for him,” Spray said of Rodgers. “He kind of got a little confidence off that. From there he just played steady golf. He just hit fairways and greens and was tough to beat.”

Rodgers won No. 13 with a birdie, and 14 and 16 with pars to end the match.

“I just kept getting myself in the wrong spot,” said Spray, who made only one birdie on Wednesday. “And my putter wasn’t working as well as it had been.”

Overall for the week, Spray said, “I didn’t exceed my expectations, but I’m happy.”

Spray said he intends to turn pro eventually, but doesn’t know how soon.

Spieth Ousted; 55-Year-Old Advances: Wednesday’s round-of-64 matches featured the ouster of arguably the pre-tournament favorite — two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion Jordan Spieth — and a victory by 55-year-old Doug Hanzel of Savannah, Ga.

In the featured match of the day, NCAA champion Thomas Pieters — who had survived a playoff early in the morning just to make match play — defeated Spieth, the No. 3-ranked amateur in the world, 1 up.

Spieth, the low amateur in the 2012 U.S. Open, never led in the match, and he missed two putts inside of 6 feet on the last two holes.

“(The putting) has been a struggle this summer,” said Spieth, who led Texas to the NCAA team title in the spring. “I’ve been struggling with my short putts just like on that last hole. And my distance control is pretty off. I worked really hard the last few weeks for moments like that, but I couldn’t pull it off.”

Pieters, a Belgian who plays for the University of Illinois, is competing this week after not playing any practice rounds at either Cherry Hills or CommonGround, the second course for stroke play. After competing in the European Amateur, he didn’t arrive in Denver until Sunday.

But he survived stroke play to advance — in a playoff — only to find out that his first-round match was against Spieth, arguably the most highly regarded amateur on the planet. But Pieters didn’t mind in the least.

“I was happy,” he said. “I knew he’s a world-class player and knew it would be a good match. He’s a great player.”

Meanwhile, at a U.S. Amateur dominated by college players, 55-year-old Hanzel made it to the round of 32 with a 3-and-2 victory over Andrew Biggadike of Ridgewood, N.J. Hanzel, a physician who earned low-amateur honors at last month’s U.S. Senior Open, plays with a wrap on his left elbow and is a diabetic who has an insulin pump attached to his shorts.

Hanzel is the oldest player to qualify for match play at the U.S. Amateur since 1979. A 44-year-old, Todd White, also is in the round of 32. If they both win their Thursday morning matches, they’ll square off in Thursday’s round of 16.

“This golf course is a little bit of a neutralizing factor … because you have to be so precise,” Hanzel said of Cherry Hills. “I am confident in my game. I can shoot under par on this golf course and that will win a lot of matches here.

“As I look at this event, I have no pressure. The kids have the pressure. Losing to a 55-year-old is pressure. The further I go, there’s no pressure on me.”

Meanwhile, medalist Bobby Wyatt of the University of Alabama and Chris Williams, the top-ranked amateur in the world, scored 4-and-2 and 3-and-2 wins, respectively, on Wednesday.

Three University of California players made the final 32: Max Homa, Michael Weaver and Brandon Hagy.

For match play results and pairings, CLICK HERE.

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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials

What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.

When: Aug. 13-19. Matches on Thursday will begin at 7:30 a.m.

Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71). Cherry Hills is hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).

Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.

Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)

Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.

Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Television: Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.

The last time the U.S. Amateur was held in Colorado, no golfers with major ties to the state advanced to match play.

But 22 years later, Colorado wouldn’t be denied again.

Two of the nine U.S. Amateur competitors with strong Colorado connections are guaranteed to make the 64-man match play, which begins Wednesday at 8 a.m., at Cherry Hills Country Club.

Justin Spray, who grew up in Colorado Springs and recently graduated from Colorado State University, overcame a triple bogey Tuesday on a hole where he drew a one-stroke penalty to finish 25th out of the 312 players in stroke play.

Spray (pictured above) followed up his 1-under-par 69 at CommonGround Golf Course with a 1-over 72 Tuesday at Cherry Hills, giving him an even-par 141 total.

“This was a goal,” the 24-year-old said of making match play. “It’s not surprising; I’ll say that. But it’s an honor. It feels great. And I’m ready. My game is the best it’s been in 24 years. I’m ready to go play with the best of them.”

Meanwhile, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, one of two Cherry Hills members to qualify for the U.S. Am, fired a 73 on his home course Tuesday to finish stroke play at 142, good for 39th place.

Schoolcraft (pictured below) played his final nine at Cherry Hills in 1-under-par to assure himself a match play spot without a playoff.

“It’s fun because in match play the 64th seed can beat the 1 seed,” the University of Oklahoma golfer said. “Everyone here is just trying to make match play. It doesn’t matter what seed you are because it all starts over. It’ll be fun.”

Overall, University of Alabama golfer Bobby Wyatt earned medalist honors with a 9-under-par 132 total after a 2-under-par 68 at CommonGround Tuesday. The 132 ties the lowest 36-hole total by a medalist, joining Hank Kim (1994) and Gregor Main (2011).

“It’s very humbling to have part of that record,” said Wyatt, the No. 7 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and the winner of the Sunnehanna Amateur. “It’s an honor. There have been a lot of great names to play in this championship, and to do that certainly means a lot. But I have a lot of work to do this week.”

But while gaining the medal and part of the record is nice — and it may help for seeding purposes — all 64 players start from scratch on Wednesday.

A total of 1-over-par 142 or better was needed to make match play without a playoff. That playoff — 17 players for 14 spots for the golfers who posted 143 totals — will begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Among the competitors in that playoff is NCAA champion Thomas Pieters (73-70).

Spray, a former CSU and Fort Lewis College golfer, made a triple bogey on Cherry Hills’ fourth hole Tuesday after incurring a one-stroke penalty for picking up his ball — which he thought was embedded — without marking the spot first. But he played the rest of his round in 2 under par, making an eagle on the 595-yard 11th hole, hitting a 3-wood to 10 feet and canning the putt.

Spray and his playing partners were also nearly assessed a one-stroke slow-play penalty on Tuesday, but after much discussion in the scoring tent, USGA officials didn’t penalize them.

“Every day, I’m learning more and more,” Spray said. “If it’s not about your swing, it’s about the game. If it’s not about the game it’s about life.”

But even with the triple bogey and the penalty on the fourth hole, “I stayed level-headed,” Spray said. “I wasn’t letting it get to me. I stayed patient all the way through.”

As for Schoolcraft, Tuesday was a day of survival as he didn’t have his “A” game. He bogeyed three of the first four holes, but held it together and made three crucial birdies early on the back nine.

“My warmup wasn’t great today,” the 20-year-old said. “I got off to a really, really poor start and because of that it didn’t feel good all day. My swing really felt off. I made a couple putts on the back nine that helped out. Overall that’s probably the best I could have shot today. But I always enjoy playing this course.”

As you might imagine, Schoolcraft has quite a bit of local support this week, especially at Cherry Hills.

“It’s been really special,” he said. “I’ve been trying to keep the pressure off. It’s been so nice. I was telling one of the USGA guys — he was asking me if I feel comfortable (competing) at home — and I said, ‘You know what? I feel so comfortable.’ My mom is cooking for me. I live across the street. It’s really, really enjoyable to know the restaurants around here, to live close and come out and practice on your own range. It’s really special.”

While Spray and Schoolcraft advanced to match play, Parker Edens of Greeley just missed out when he faltered at the finish of his round Tuesday. The CSU golfer went double bogey-bogey at Nos. 17 and 18 at Cherry Hills to come in at 146, three out of the playoff.

Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills was in good shape through 28 holes of stroke play, but played his final eight holes at CommonGround in 3 over par to likewise post a 146 total.

Here are the results of the players with strong Colorado connections:

ADVANCED TO MATCH PLAY
Justin Spray, CSU graduate 69-72–141
Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood 69-73–142

FAILED TO ADVANCE
Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village 73-73–146
Parker Edens of Greeley 74-72–146
Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock 75-75–150
Bryan Kruse of Westminster 72-79–151
Andy Yang, DU golfer 83-70–153
Jeff Chapman of Denver 74-81–155
Ryan Axlund of Denver 74-82–156

How the ‘Big Names’ Fared: Several of the big-name players at the U.S. Amateur safely advanced to match play: Chris Williams, the world’s top-ranked amateur (65-73–138); Jordan Spieth, two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion (69-69–138); and college player of the year Justin Thomas (65-74–139).

However, quite a few notables didn’t survive the cut: Beau Hossler, the 17-year-old who led the U.S. Open during round 2 (72-72–144), Hideki Matsuyama, the world’s No. 2-ranked player and low amateur at the 2011 Masters (73-72–145); Jack Nicklaus’ son Gary (71-74–145); and U.S. Public Links champion T.J. Vogel (74-72–146).

Notable: Zac Blair of Ogden, Utah, who had the fifth-best score in stroke play (65-71–136) is no stranger to Colorado. He was low amateur in last year’s HealthOne Colorado Open, a tournament his dad, Jim, won twice in the 1980s. … New Hampshire residents Phil Pleat, 56, and son James, 21, the first father and son to compete in the same U.S. Amateur since 2011, both failed to make match play on Tuesday. Phil withdrew Tuesday and James finished at 146. … Phil Pleat was one of two players in this year’s field to also compete in the 1990 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills. The other, Todd White of Moore, S.C., did make match play on Tuesday, going 70-72 for a 142 total. At 44, Moore is one of the oldest players to make match play in recent decades at the U.S. Amateur. … At the other end of the spectrum, 14-year-old Andy Zhang, who also played in the U.S. Open this year, exited after two days of competition, shooting rounds of 78-82–160. … Robert Mize, son of 1987 Masters champion Larry Mize, also failed to make match play after carding scores of 72-81–153.

For the stroke-play scores, CLICK HERE.

To follow first-round matches, CLICK HERE.

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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials

What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.

When: Aug. 13-19. Matches on Wednesday will begin at 8 a.m.

Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71). Cherry Hills is hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).

Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.

Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)

Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.

Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.

On Monday, the former Southern Methodist University golfer earned a berth in the 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club, which just happens to be Schovee’s home course.

“It’s a dream come true,” said the 22-year-old, who lives just a couple of minutes from Cherry Hills. “Once I heard they were going to have (the U.S. Amateur) at Cherry this year, I marked down the date as something I obviously wanted to go to.

“It’ll be fun to be at a course I essentially grew up on. Hopefully I’ll have a lot of support out there.”

Schovee punched his ticket Monday by sharing medalist honors in Sectional qualifying at the Country Club of Colorado.

Former Colorado State and Fort Lewis College golfer Justin Spray used his home-course advantage at the Colorado Springs club to join Schovee in leading Monday’s 78-man field with 5-under-par 137 totals over 36 holes. Schovee and Spray matched rounds of 70-67.

Earning the third and final national spot was Castle Rock’s Eric Hallberg, son of longtime tour player Gary Hallberg, winner of three events on the PGA Tour and one on the Champions circuit. Eric Hallberg, 18, finished at 139 after shooting 72-67.

All three qualifiers will be competing in not only their first U.S. Amateur, but their first USGA championship. (The three are pictured above, from left, Spray, Hallberg and Schovee.)

This year’s U.S. Amateur will be played in Colorado for just the fourth time, with Cherry Hills hosting the championship Aug. 13-19, and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora serving as the second stroke-play course Aug. 13-14.

The U.S. Am being in Colorado definitely served as extra incentive for the three longtime Coloradans who qualified on Monday.

“It’s the best moment of my life in golf,” said Hallberg, who has been caddying a lot for his dad over the last year. “I’m really excited. I haven’t done anything well in golf for the last year or so, so I’m finally breaking through.”

But for Spray, the most special aspect of what happened Monday was that he qualified at his home course, a layout he estimates he’s played more than 1,000 times.

“This is something I’ve dreamed about for sure,” said the 23-year-old, who recently has been living in Arizona. “I’ve played in so many Am qualifiers and so many Junior Am qualifiers — probably every year since I was 16. It’s definitely special to have this happen on my home course. I definitely feel comfortable out here.”

Both Schovee and Spray had to right the ship after less-than-stellar starts on Monday. Schovee was 3 over par for his first nine holes after a triple bogey on the 18th hole (his ninth of the morning round). But after that, he went bogey-free for his final 27 holes. All told, he posted nine birdies, a bogey and a triple.

“Honestly, starting 3 over probably helped,” the Kent Denver High School graduate said. “I was thinking at that point, ‘Let’s just try to keep it cool and try to make some birdies.’ That probably kept me sane.”

Spray made three bogeys in his first 11 holes Monday, but went bogey-free for his last 25 and finished with eight birdies and three bogeys overall.

The performance came on the same Country Club of Colorado course on which Spray’s Cheyenne Mountain team — which also included 2003 U.S. Open qualifier Tom Glissmeyer — won the 4A state high school title.

“I have some good memories out here.” Spray said.

Hallberg was a bit more erratic Monday than Schovee and Spray, carding 12 birdies, seven bogeys and a double bogey.

“It was really an up-and-down day,” he said. “I made some bombs, missed some short putts, had some three putts. …”

One player competing Monday who was in a similar situation as Schovee was Wyndham Clark, who also has grown up at Cherry Hills and was focused on playing the U.S. Amateur there. But after qualifying for the championship the last two years, Clark fell a few strokes short on Monday as he went 70-72 for a 142 total.

The two alternates, in order, from Monday’s tournament were two-time U.S. Amateur qualifier Michael Harrington of Colorado Springs (66-74–140) and Stephen Summers of Dallas (73-67–140).

A second U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament in Colorado will be held July 23 at Inverness Golf Club in Englewood, where 78 golfers will compete for three U.S. Amateur berths.

U.S. Amateur Sectional Qualifying
At Par-71 CC of Colorado in Colorado Springs

ADVANCE TO U.S. AMATEUR
Justin Spray, Gold Canyon, Ariz., 70-67–137
Matthew Schovee, Englewood, Colo., 70-67–137
Eric Hallberg, Castle Rock, Colo., 72-67–139

ALTERNATES (In order)
Michael Harrington, Colorado Springs, Colo., 66-74–140
Stephen Summers, Dallas, Texas, 73-67–140

FAILED TO QUALIFY
Brendan Connolly, Castle Rock, Colo., 73-67–140
Steven Kupcho, Westminster, Colo., 69-72–141
Jonathan Park, Denver, Colo., 66-75–141
Wyndham Clark, Greenwood Village, Colo., 70-72–142
Andrew Cornella, Colorado Springs, Colo., 72-71–143
Blake Mitchell, Loveland, Colo., 70-73–143
Kory Harrell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 77-66–143
Kirby Pettitt, Fort Collins, Colo., 72-72–144
Kale Waaso, Aurora, Colo., 74-70–144
Christopher Thayer, Chicago, Ill., 73-71–144
Chris Hyten, Colorado Springs, Colo., 73-72–145
Cameron Harrell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 71-74–145
Jonathan Marsico, Denver, Colo., 74-71–145
Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo, Colo., 75-71–146
Steven Irwin, Arvada, Colo., 76-70–146
Danny Hahn, Denver, Colo., 75-72–147
David Delich, Colorado Springs, Colo., 73-74–147
David Schroeder II, Colorado Springs, Colo., 68-79–147
David Holtgrewe, Englewood, Colo., 79-68–147
Alex Kephart, Colorado Springs, Colo., 78-70–148
Josh Mitchell, Boulder, Colo., 75-73–148
Andrew Tapia, Raton, N.M., 70-78–148
Adam Vasilakis, Colorado Springs, Colo., 74-75–149
Ryan Choi, Colorado Springs, Colo., 75-74–149
A. J. Morris, Aspen, Colo., 73-76–149
Chris Longfellow, Castle Rock, Colo., 73-76–149
Zach Tripp, Littleton, Colo., 74-75–149
Drew Trujillo, Montrose, Colo., 71-79–150
Jackson Stimple, Colorado Springs, Colo., 76-74–150
Ken Cosper, Fort Collins, Colo., 73-77–150
Alexander Gutesha, Greenwood Village, Colo., 81-69–150
Greg Carlin, Denver, Colo., 73-78–151
Russell Einspahr, Arvada, Colo., 79-73–152
Adam Pladson, Aurora, Colo., 79-74–153
Stephen Fernandes, Denver, Colo., 79-74–153
Blake Basham, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 73-80–153
Andrew Rapp, Denver, Colo., 72-81–153
Ben Lyons, Centennial, Colo., 76-78–154
Michael Tilghman, Castle Rock, Colo., 77-77–154
Zachary Coe, Gypsum, Colo., 78-76–154
Kyle Graham, Las Vegas, Nev., 77-78–155
Patrick Mullin, Colorado Springs, Colo., 78-77–155
Matthew Evelyn, Denver, Colo., 72-83–155
John Gorell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 77-79–156
Kevin Koelbel, Centennial, Colo., 80-76–156
James Doidge, Pueblo, Colo., 80-76–156
Wilson Belk, Colorado Springs, Colo., 80-77–157
Dillon Mcdonald, Wolcott, Colo., 77-80–157
Carson Torchia, San Diego, Calif., 81-77–158
Michael Slutzky, Littleton, Colo., 82-76–158
Will Myer, Denver, Colo., 80-79–159
Jim Murray, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 81-79–160
Arnold Hoy, Castle Rock, Colo., 84-77–161
Kyle Thurman, Broomfield, Colo., 78-83–161
Brian Thomas, Aurora, Colo., 84-77–161
Keenan Dickard, Colorado Springs, Colo., 83-79–162
Christopher Platt, Arcadia, Calif., 81-82–163
Tyler Hogg, Colorado Springs, Colo., 78-86–164
Nick Willenbrock, Cherry Hills Village, Colo., 85-80–165
Jack Allen, Centennial, Colo., 75-91–166
Alex Crall, Aurora, Colo., 78-89–167
Travis Mills, Arvada, Colo., 80-90–170
Jeffrey Johnson, Parker, Colo., 84-91–175
Nicholas Purvis, Montrose, Colo., 93-92–185
Brooks Andrisen, Englewood, Colo., 76-DQ
Steve Summers, Dallas, Texas, NC
Ryan Bent, Evergreen, Colo., 81-NC
Ricky Rathjen, Durango, Colo., 77-WD
Andrew Hebert, Longmont, Colo., 79-WD
John Luoma, Parker, Colo., 77-WD
Dean Clapp, Centennial, Colo., 76-WD
Troy Duerr, Colorado Springs, Colo., 81-WD