Robert Polk, a member of the CGA board of directors from Colorado Golf Club in Parker, shot a 1-under-par 71 on Tuesday to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the 47th CGA Senior Am.

The champion in this event in 2005, ’07 and ’09, Polk (left) is attempting to become just the fourth person to win the CGA Senior Amateur at least four times, joining Larry Eaton (a seven-time champion), John Olive (five) and Les Fowler (four).

Polk made four birdies and three bogeys on Tuesday.

Keith Atkins of Highland Meadows Golf Course, the 2017 CGA Senior Player of the Year, trails by one after a five-birdie day.

Three players — including Wyoming resident John Hornbeck, winner of the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play — opened with 73s and share third place. Also at that figure are Owen Ellis of Flatirons Golf Course and Mark Spenner of Front Range Golf Club.

The last two champions in this tournament carded first-round 74s — Steve Ivan of Patty Jewett Golf Course (winner in 2017) and Kevin Ott of The Club at Rolling Hills (2016). John Hull of Collindale Golf Course also started with a 74.

The field will be cut from 84 to the low 40 players and ties after Wednesday’s second round. The tournament, limited to players 52 and older, will conclude on Thursday.

For all the scores from the CGA Senior Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

Pat Bucci (left) of West Woods Golf Club, the defending champion and No. 1 seed, scored a 5 and 4 victory over Dave Mittan of Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course.

Other past champions who won on Monday included Jeff Oneth of Colorado Golf Club (2016), David Delich of The Broadmoor Golf Club (2007, ’11 and ’15), Ray Makloski of Pueblo Country Club (2012), Guy Mertz of The Fox Hill Club (2010), Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club (2009) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club (2006).

The one former champ to fall on Monday was 2013 winner Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course, who claimed the trophy in the recent CGA Super-Senior Match Play. Rick Tarasiewicz of Patty Jewett Golf Course defeated Johnson 1 up.

Meanwhile, Moore needed 19 holes to advance over Colin Bork of Collindale Golf Course, while Delich won 1 up over Robert West of Cherry Creek Country Club.

Also winning on Monday was 2017 CGA Senior Player of the Year Keith Atkins, the No. 2 seed who went 19 holes to overcome Davis Butler of Cherry Hills Country Club.

The Senior Match Play, limited to players 52 and older, will feature the rounds of 32 and 16 on Tuesday and the quarterfinals and semifinals on Wednesday. The 18-hole championship match is set for next Thursday morning.

For results from Buffalo Run, CLICK HERE.
 

The CGA recently named its 2017 players of the year, and the honors were split between first-time winners and a couple of golfers who have earned season-long awards at least twice before.

Jake Staiano (left) of Glenmoor Country Club (the Les Fowler Player of the Year) and Keith Atkins of Highland Meadows Golf Course (Senior Player of the Year) captured CGA POY awards for the first time, while Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preseve (Mid-Amateur Player of the Year) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club (Super-Senior POY) have landed similar honors from the CGA in the past.

Thayer was named the Mid-Am Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, joining Keith Humerickhouse (2010, ’12 and ’13) as the only three-time winners of the award, which was first given in 2008. And while the CGA Super-Senior POY honor is new this year, Moore has previously been named the Les Fowler Player of the Year (1989) and the Senior Player of the Year (2006 and ’14).

Another honoree being saluted by the CGA is Tom Kennedy, who receives the Jim Topliff Award as on-course official of the year. The now-retired District Court Judge has volunteered for the CGA for the last five years, and in 2017 he served as chief rules official at several tournaments, including the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational that the University of Colorado hosts annually.

As for the players of the year, here’s a recap of some of their 2017 highlights:

— Jake Staiano, Les Fowler Player of the Year: The CGA’s top annual award for players has gone to first-time winners for the last nine years, since Pat Grady won in both 2007 and ’08. And Staiano, a Colorado State University golfer, is the 10th college-age player in the last 11 years to earn the overall POY honor, with the lone exception over that time being Michael Harrington of Colorado Springs in 2014.

“Being named player of the year definitely means a lot,” Staiano said in a recent email. “Just to be in the category with some of the best players to come out of Colorado shows a lot about how far I have come in the past few years with my game. I definitely went through some hard times, but to get this award really shows my maturity through it all and how I was able to get through those times.”

As CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year, Staiano joins a list of past honorees that includes 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones (1980 and ’81); Brandt Jobe, who has won more than $11.1 million combined on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions (1985); Kevin Stadler, winner of the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour (2002); and three-time Colorado Open winner and 1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Bill Loeffler (1986). (The CGA Player of the Year award debuted in 1978, after golfers such as Hale Irwin and Bob Byman had starred as amateurs in Colorado.)

Staiano was in the hunt for the title this year in the biggest tournament held annually in the state, the CoBank Colorado Open. He shared the lead after three holes of the final round, which is no small feat considering only two players (Gary Longfellow and Brian Guetz) have won the Colorado Open as amateurs.

Staiano ended up finishing eighth at 15-under-par for 72 holes, taking low-amateur honors by seven strokes. It was the best overall showing by an amateur at the Colorado Open since Cameron Harrell placed fifth in 2014.

Elsewhere, Staiano qualified for the U.S. Amateur for the second time and advanced to Sectionals at U.S. Open qualifying. In the biggest CGA championships, Staiano placed second at the CGA Amateur and fell in the semifinals of the CGA Match Play to eventual champion Chris Korte.

— Chris Thayer, Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: In capturing this award for the third straight year, Thayer (left) edged out Jon Lindstrom, winner of the 2008, ’15 and ’16 CGA Mid-Amateurs. This time around in the Mid-Am, which is limited to players 25 and older, Thayer prevailed by one stroke for his second victory in the state championship, having previously won in 2014. He placed second to Lindstrom in both 2015 and ’16.

Also in 2017, Thayer made the cut and finished 44th in the CoBank Colorado Open, tying for third among amateurs. He also advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying, but subsequently withdrew from that second and final stage of qualifying. Thayer made the round of 16 at the CGA Match Play.

— Keith Atkins, Senior Player of the Year: Atkins won three tournaments in the senior division during the course of the year, at the Aurora Senior Amateur, the Collindale Invitational and the Estes Park Labor Day tournament.

In CGA championships, Atkins placed fourth in the CGA Senior Amateur and second in the senior division of the Western Chapter Championship. In the CGA Senior Am, he ended up two strokes behind winner Steve Ivan.

CGA senior championships were limited to players 51 and older in 2017.

— Kent Moore, Super-Senior Player of the Year: When Moore (left) won the title in the Super-Senior Match Play in late May, it gave the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer victories in an amazing eight different CGA championships in his career. 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.

Moore was also in the hunt for the championship at the 2017 CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play, but Gary Albrecht edged him by one shot.

And in the Super-Senior Four-Ball tournament, Moore and partner Stephen Bell finished second in a playoff.

CGA super-senior championships were limited to players 61 and older in 2017.