The former University of Colorado golfer, who won the Colorado Open in 1996, has competed in three Web.com Tour events this year, with a best finish of 33rd in the United Leasing & Finance Championship in April.

Last year at the Colorado Open, Kaye (pictured) finished at 20-under-par 268, three strokes behind champion Neil Johnson of River Falls, Wis.

Also in the field this week at Green Valley Ranch are Steven Fox of Hendersonville, Tenn., who won the 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club south of Denver.

Michael Weaver of Fresno, Calif., who lost to Fox in the title match of the U.S. Am at Cherry Hills, also is competing in the Colorado Open. The two will be paired together for the first two rounds — along with Cherry Hills PGA head professional John Ogden — and will tee off at 1:05 p.m. on No. 1 on Thursday and at 8 a.m. on No. 10 on Friday.

This will mark the second year that the Colorado Open has featured a $250,000 purse, with $100,000 going to the winner — or low professional. In 2015, the purse was $100,000, with the winner receiving $23,000.

This week’s 156-person field will include seven former champions, including Coloradans Zahkai Brown of Arvada (2013), Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch (2009 and ’12), Ben Portie of Westminster (2011), Scott Petersen of Parker (2000) and Kaye.

Among the other players entered are Nick Karavites of Cherry Hills Village, who won the PNC Father/Son Challenge with stepfather David Duval in December; former CU golfer David Oraee, who just won the Wyoming State Open; father and son Doug and Tristan Rohrbaugh; 2016 CGA Player of the Year Kyler Dunkle; 2016 Colorado PGA Professional champion Geoff Keffer; Nick Mason of Denver, who’s competed in five PGA Tour events since 2010; and 2017 CoBank Colorado Senior Open champion Jeff Gallagher.

3 Coloradans Qualify for Open Monday at Legacy Ridge; Medalists Shoot 62: The fourth and final qualifier for the CoBank Colorado Open was held on Monday at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster, and among the 15 players who earned spots in the field at GVR were three Colorado amateurs.

Dylan Wonnacott of Longmont shot a 7-under-par 64 to advance, while Cole Nygren of Longmont and Neil Tillman of Arvada each posted a 68.

Bryan Fox of Roswell, Ga., and Eric Kline of Ponca City, Okla., each fired a sizzling bogey-free 9-under-par 62 to share medalist honors on Monday.

For all the qualifying scores from Legacy Ridge on Monday, CLICK HERE.

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Here are the essentials regarding the 2017 CoBank Colorado Open:

What — 53rd CoBank Colorado Open.

Where — Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).

When — Thursday through Sunday (July 20-23).

Live Scoring — CLICK HERE. 

Admission — Free.

Field — 156 players, with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes.

Purse — $250,000, with $100,000 going to the champion (or top professional). The purse has more than doubled from 2015, with first place more than quadrupling, from $23,000 two years ago.

PGA Tour Winner Entered — Former University of Colorado golfer Jonathan Kaye (2 victories).

Former Champions in Field — Neil Johnson of River Falls, Wis. (2016), Ian Davis of Edmond, Okla. (2014), Zahkai Brown of Arvada (2013), Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch (2009 and ’12), Ben Portie of Westminster (2011), Scott Petersen of Parker (2000), Jonathan Kaye of Boulder (1996).

Thursday Tee Times — CLICK HERE.  “¨

“¨For More Information — Visit the CoBank Colorado Open website (CLICK HERE). 

Very seldom during Sunday’s nine-hour-long U.S. Amateur final at Cherry Hills Country Club did Steven Fox seem much of a threat to win the national title.

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer was 8 over par through 27 holes of the final, and even though he heated up after that, he was still 2 down with two holes left to play.

Yet there he was late Sunday afternoon raising the Havemeyer Trophy and hugging his dad, caddie, coaches … just about anyone who wanted to celebrate with him.

And University of California golfer Michael Weaver was left wondering what hit him.

“The whole match is the definition of being ‘Foxed,'” the term’s namesake said after his 37-hole title-match victory over Weaver on Sunday. “Definitely 2 down with two to go, then winning the first playoff hole by making a 20-footer there, that’s the definition of being ‘Foxed.'” (Fox is pictured above with his dad Alan during Sunday’s awards ceremony.)

And maybe the whole 312-man field for the 112th U.S. Amateur was “Foxed”. Even going back to the 36-hole U.S. Amateur qualifying, Fox shot 73-64 to finish one shot ahead of a competitor who failed to make the national field.

Then at the Amateur itself, Fox needed a four-hole playoff to earn the second-to-the-last spot in match play. Then as the 63rd seed — the highest to win the U.S. Amateur since the USGA began the seeding process in 1985 — he knocked off the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world and five other opponents to reach the promised land. And on Sunday, he was 3 down after 22 holes and 2 down after 34.

With apologies to George Clooney, this was the real Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Let’s face it: Winning the U.S. Amateur is quite an accomplishment for a guy who a year ago would probably consider the 2011 Tennessee Golf Association Match Play title his biggest feat in golf.

“This is unreal,” the 21-year-old from Hendersonville, Tenn., said. “I mean, it doesn’t even feel real. The whole week is like a dream to me.”

And the end of Sunday’s match seemed particularly dreamlike. Through 27 holes, Fox had made a double bogey, eight bogeys and two birdies (one of which was a conceded 10-footer after Weaver made the mess of a hole). But Fox was still only 2 down because Weaver wasn’t playing great himself (roughly 4 over through 27).

But Fox came to life down the stretch, making five birdies in the last 10 holes.

Still, when Weaver sank a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 16 in the afternoon, you couldn’t blame him for feeling the Havemeyer Trophy was almost in his grasp.

“Just to see (the title) slip through my fingers, it sucks,” he said. “I know I had a great week and all that, but I’m not really thinking about that now. I know I led from the seventh hole and I lost on the 37th. I never trailed between then.”

Even Fox said that after Weaver’s birdie on 16, “I thought it was over. I definitely thought it was his day. Then it kind of switched.”

This Chattanooga Choo-Choo apparently couldn’t be stopped, no matter how bleak things looked.

“I’ll never be one to give up,” he said. “Things can click at any moment. You can find your swing or stroke wherever throughout a round.”

After Fox drained 12-foot birdie to win No. 17, Weaver had a 4 1/2-foot uphill par putt on 18 to win the title, but it horseshoed out, leaving him in disbelief (pictured at left).

“I hit a good putt, hit my line, and for it to lip out like that, I would rather it just not even have hit the hole. I mean, I would have rather just hit a bad putt. But to have that happen, I don’t know what to say.”

Even Fox thought the match was over.

“It was like dead center from my angle, and when I saw it bounce out, I kind of gasped a little bit,” he said. “I think I put my hand over my mouth. I was shocked. And quickly I had to gather myself to go to the playoff.”

On the extra hole, Weaver pulled his drive near the second tee, and while keeping his ball under tree limbs, he left his pitch short of the green. His chip then came up 18 feet short of the cup.

Fox hit a 6-iron off the tee and wedged to 20 feet past the flag. With Weaver already lying three, Fox trickled his downhill putt into the cup for a birdie and the victory, setting off a frenzy of celebration.

Among the people who hugged Fox were his dad, who caddied for him in the first 18 on Sunday; Chattanooga assistant coach Ben Rickett, who caddied for him the final 19; and Chattanooga head coach Mark Guhne. Rickett was especially happy to be along for the ride Sunday afternoon.

“I’ve never seen someone so clutch down the stretch.” Rickett said of Fox. (At left, Rickett celebrates Fox’s birdie on No. 17.)

Asked why he changed caddies after the morning round — he was 2 down after 18 — Steven Fox said, “I made a few mistakes and would just fire and not pick a target. And with Ben as my caddie, we did talk about every shot. Ben was perfect for the job.”

Fox had quite a large — and vocal — rooting section on Sunday, especially down the stretch.

“This is by far the coolest thing I’ve done,” he said. “Seeing them cheering, it was unreal. And we just kind of kept calm. For some reason, I wasn’t nervous at all. I don’t know why.”

Besides being U.S. Amateur champion, Fox receives some prestigious exemptions in 2013 — for the U.S. Open, British Open and probably the Masters, all provided he remains an amateur.

“I’ve tried picturing myself on the first tee at Augusta, and it doesn’t seem real,” Fox said.

Weaver, as the runner-up, also earns a berth to the U.S. Open and likely the Masters, also only if he’s still an amateur.

Sunday marked the first time the U.S. Amateur final has gone extra holes since 2003.

Finalists Bronco Buddies on Saturday Night: The night before they squared off for the U.S. Amateur title, Fox and Weaver attended the Denver Broncos-Seattle Seahawks game together at Sports Authority Field in Denver.

“We went to the Denver Broncos game last night and had a great time,” Fox reported.

Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway, a member at Cherry Hills, was on hand several times during the U.S. Amateur, and he spoke at the players’ dinner on the eve of the championship.

Attendance Report: USGA officials were very pleased with the attendance at the U.S. Amateur, saying the crowds were among the largest of any of the recent Amateurs.

On Sunday, the association reported that about 4,500 people watched the title match. That was roughly the same number that was on hand for Saturday’s semifinals.

Beyond that, the entire week was nearly ideal from the USGA’s perspective.

“It was wonderful,” USGA executive director Mike Davis said. “Every time we come to Cherry Hills, something magical just happens. Whether it’s the 1960 U.S. Open — which is one of the great U.S. Opens we’ve ever had … And this is where (Phil) Mickelson kind of made his name (at the 1990 U.S. Amateur). And you think about Jack Nicklaus winning here at the (1993) U.S. Senior Open. And we had a great Women’s Open (in 2005).

“The club couldn’t have done a better job. CommonGround couldn’t have been a better companion course for stroke play. The weather couldn’t have been better. And the golf course (at Cherry Hills) was a true championship test.”

For U.S. Am results, CLICK HERE.

Two players who barely snuck into match play at the U.S. Amateur will now square off for arguably the most prestigious title in amateur golf.

University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer Steven Fox and Michael Weaver of the University of California-Berkeley, who both needed a playoff to join the 64 players who advanced to match play, punched their tickets Saturday for the 36-hole final at Cherry Hills Country Club.

A day after knocking off the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, Fox, seeded 63rd, defeated Brandon Hagy of Cal in a back-and-forth semifinal, 2 up.

And Hagy’s Cal teammate, 60th-seeded Michael Weaver, toppled the college player of the year, Justin Thomas of the University of Alabama, 3 and 2, after being 5 up through 10 holes.

Weaver (pictured above with his dad/caddie) and Fox will face off in Sunday’s 36-hole final, which begins at 7:30 a.m.

Suffice it to say both 21-year-olds have come a long way since Wednesday morning’s 17 players-for-14 spots playoff. In that event within an event, Weaver made a birdie on the third extra hole to advance to match play, while Fox moved on with a par on the fourth — and last — additional hole.

“Whether you’re the No. 1 or 64 (seed), you always have a chance,” said Fox (pictured below). “It’s awesome how we survived a playoff and got this far. It’s really unreal.”

The stakes were definitely high on Saturday, when an estimated 4,500 spectators were on hand at Cherry Hills. By being U.S. Amateur finalists, Fox and Weaver will receive exemptions into the U.S. Open and probably the Masters, provided they’re still amateurs. The winner on Sunday also will get a spot in the British Open, again assuming he’s still an amateur.

“I’m excited about Merion (for the U.S. Open),” Weaver said. “I think I’m more excited about going to Augusta (for the Masters).”

Between being in the final of the U.S. Am, and gaining berths in some of the top events in golf, Weaver was overcome by emotion a couple of times following his victory over Thomas. When he sank the 6-foot birdie putt on No. 16 that secured his berth in the final, Weaver raised both of his fists in triumph, then gave his dad/caddie, Bill, a bear hug.

“That was pretty special,” Weaver said while fighting back tears. “I’ll remember that forever. I’m so excited. My dad caddies for me all the time. I’m so excited he could be here to be a part of this. I owe a lot to him. He’s supported me all along, and I wouldn’t be here without him.”

And Weaver will have even more family support on Sunday as his mother will return to Cherry Hills after leaving on Tuesday evening to help her daughter move into an apartment in San Diego. And Weaver’s sister and a couple of his dad’s friends are expected to be on hand, too.

Weaver started off his semifinal with three straight birdies. And the All-American who finished eighth in the NCAA finals made six birdies overall, including the clincher on No. 16.

“My start was incredible; it was awesome,” Weaver said. “To start like that in the biggest match I’ve ever played in, that was an awesome feeling.”

After Weaver made a birdie on No. 10 to go 5 up, Thomas rallied, as he had in his three previous matches. He won holes 12 and 14 with pars, and 15 with a birdie, to cut the deficit to 2 down. But Weaver’s short birdie on 16 ended the comeback.

“Although it hurts a lot to lose, especially this late in the tournament, it’s a lot better to get beat than to lose,” said Thomas, the fifth-ranked amateur in the world. “With 5 down through 10 against a player like Michael, when he was playing as well as he was, there’s just not enough holes.”

With Weaver and Hagy in separate matches, “Go Bears” was yelled on several occasions by spectators on Saturday. And though Hagy took a 1-up lead on No. 9 and kept it through No. 13, he couldn’t hold on.

“One out of two (Cal players in the final) is a little bittersweet,” longtime Bears coach Steve Desimone said. “It’s great to have one in (but we) would have loved to have had two.”

In Fox’s win over Hagy, no player led more than 1 up until after the 18th hole. After being 1 down, Fox won 14 and 15 with pars when Hagy missed par putts of 5 feet and 8 feet.

When Fox put his 4-iron approach on No. 18 to 4 feet from the cup, and with Hagy unable to make birdie from 40 feet, the match ended.

“The shot on 18 was unreal,” said Fox, winner of the 2011 Tennessee Golf Association Match Play Championship and a round-of-16 player at this year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links. “I was just trying to put it on the green or find a way to make par. It was the best shot of my life by far.”

Neither Fox nor Weaver are in the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, with Fox No. 127 and Weaver No. 149.

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. The 36-hole final on Sunday 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. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Television: Sunday,  2-4 p.m., NBC.

It is, by several measures, an improbable final four.

Two University of California teammates earned semifinal berths in the U.S. Amateur on Friday, and so did two players who had to survive a playoff just to make match play.

In addition, four Americans advanced to the U.S. Am final four for the first time since 2004.

But one player who didn’t make the semis was the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, University of Washington golfer Chris Williams, who never trailed during his first three matches but never led in Friday’s quarterfinals at Cherry Hills Country Club.

Suffice it to say he was out-Foxed. University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer Steven Fox never gave the Idaho resident an opening in a 4 and 2 drubbing.

“This is by far the best thing I’ve done in my career,” said Fox, who didn’t lose a hole to Williams until making his only bogey, on No. 15. That’s not bad considering Williams had won his three previous matches 3 and 2, 5 and 3, and 3 and 2.

Joining Fox in Saturday’s semifinals will be Cal teammates Brandon Hagy and Michael Weaver, and college player of the year Justin Thomas from the University of Alabama.

Thomas, the No. 5-ranked amateur in the world, went to the 18th hole for the second straight match, defeating 18-year-old Australian Oliver Goss 2 up in the first quarterfinal. The the two Cal players won by 4 and 3 margins, Weaver over Ricardo Gouveia and Hagy over Cheng-Tsung Pan of Chinese Taipei.

The result is an all-American semifinals, which last happened in the U.S. Amateur eight years ago. Thomas will face Weaver at 8 a.m. on Saturday, while Fox will meet Hagy at 8:15.

Fox, seeded 63rd after barely making match play, is No. 127 in the world amateur rankings. He advanced to the round of 16 at this year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and won the 2011 Tennessee Match Play title, and on Friday he was solid as a rock in beating Williams.

In 16 holes, Fox made three birdies and one bogey on a formidable Cherry Hills set-up. From holes 9 through 13, Fox went 4-for-4 in getting up and down from off the green.

“He played great,” Williams (pictured at left) said of Fox. “He didn’t make any bogeys (until 15). I didn’t win a hole until the 15th, so it’s hard to win a match when you do that. He didn’t make any mistakes and when he did he got up and down. He beat me. I didn’t play terrible (roughly even par); he just played great.

“Quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur isn’t bad. Obviously you want to go all the way, but only one guy can win.”

Fox knew he had to perform very well to beat Williams, but he wasn’t intimidated by his No. 1 ranking.

“I give him a lot of respect,” the bearded Tennessean said. “I knew I had to bring out my ‘A’ game, and luckily I did. … I was nervous the first couple of matches, but for some reason this match I kind of felt at home. I was finally playing with the galleries and enjoyed myself out there and really just had fun.”

With Williams out, Thomas is the top remaining player in the world amateur rankings. On Friday, he prevailed over Goss despite putting two balls in the water and making a triple-bogey 8 on the 17th hole.

Goss won that hole with a bogey to cut his deficit to 1 down, but he three-putted No. 18 to assure Thomas of the win.

Thomas has rallied to win despite being 2 down in each of his last three matches.

“It’s good to know that I’ve done it before,” Thomas said of the comebacks. “But at the same time it would be a lot nicer if I wasn’t 2 down. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with that. Hopefully I can get off to a little better starts and I won’t have to worry about that.”

As for the two Cal players, they’re both hoping to set up an all-Bear final by winning on Saturday. Weaver, like Fox, had to survive a playoff to get to match play, and he was seeded 60th in the match play bracket.

Two Cal players in the final “would be very special,” said Hagy, a long-hitter who drove a ball pin-high Friday on the 411-yard seventh hole. “We’re definitely pulling for each other.”

Three of the semifinalists are 21-year-olds: Fox, Hagy and Weaver, while Thomas is 19. The U.S. Amateur is the first USGA championship for 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. Semifinal matches on Saturday 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. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

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