Dan Erickson’s first competitive round in his new home state of Colorado was a doozy.

The Texas A&M golfer, whose family moved to Loveland early this year, shot a 9-under-par 61 Monday and set the course record — by two strokes — in the first round of U.S. Amateur qualifying at Fort Collins Country Club.

The 19-year-old backed that up with a 3-under 67 in the afternoon, giving him a 12-under 128 total for the day, good for medalist honors out of a field that originally numbered 83.

The stakes were high on Monday as Pebble Beach Golf Links, site of the 2019 U.S. Open, will be hosting the U.S. Amateur Aug. 13-19.

Joining Erickson in earning berths Monday to the historic venue were Colorado State University golfer AJ Ott of Fort Collins, and University of Utah golfer Kyler Dunkle of Parker. (The qualifiers are pictured, from left: Ott, Erickson and Dunkle.)

“We grew up playing Pebble on the Wii and the Tiger Woods (video games) and stuff like that,” Ott noted with a smile. “That was always everyone’s favorite course. It will be really fun.”

Added Dunkle, the 2016 CGA Player of the Year and a former 5A state high school champion: “You’re going to basically the golf mecca. Pebble has had numerous U.S. Opens and other big tournaments. They have a PGA Tour stop there every year. The amount of history there … To be able to walk down those fairways and remember some of the shots hit — like Tiger’s 3-wood onto the green on No. 18 … That will be an experience itself. Being able to play the golf course, that will be really fun, knowing what’s happened there. One of the coolest things will be playing it this year and watching the U.S. Open there next year. It’s a special place, and to have the opportunity to go there will be really cool.”

It will be the second straight U.S. Amateur for Ott, who narrowly missed advancing to match play last year, and the third overall for Dunkle, who went to the match play round of 16 in 2016. Meanwhile, next month will mark the U.S. Amateur debut for Erickson. None of the three has had the pleasure of playing Pebble Beach.

Erickson (left), who claimed one individual victory in the spring portion of the college schedule, had a tap-in eagle on his first hole of the day Monday after hitting a 7-iron from 210 yards, and added nine birdies and two bogeys in round 1. By draining a 40-foot birdie on No. 18 — his fourth in a row — he shot the best score of his golf career and bettered his competitive best by three strokes.

“When we were playing the practice round yesterday and I birdied the first hole and chipped in for birdie on 2 I was like, ‘Oh man, what’s the course record?’ Now I guess I figured it out,” Erickson said with a smile. “That felt pretty good.

“I was driving it fantastic all day to put myself in good positions. I was hitting every drive almost perfect. I did everything pretty good obviously. Everything was just working. This course is great. I love every second of being out here. It was good all around.”

In the afternoon round, Erickson was a bogey-free 6 under par through 12 holes, making him a whopping 15 under for the day. But two double bogeys down the stretch, with a birdie sandwiched in between, left him at 12 under.

Coincidentally, the Fort Collins CC course record that Erickson bettered by two belonged to Dunkle, who shot a 63 in the first round of the Ram Masters tournament in 2015 while he was a CSU golfer before he transferred to Utah.

“That’s insane,” Dunkle said of someone shooting 61. “That’s golf. That’s an unbelievable score. Knowing historically some of the scores that have qualified here and even in CSU’s tournament, it’s really hard to see an individual take it over two or three rounds to 6 or 7 under and he shot 9 under in one round. That’s impressive.”

On Monday, Dunkle  (left) wasn’t quite as good, but shot consecutive 67s despite a balky putter. That left the 21-year-old in third place.

“I hit the ball great, unbelievably well,” said Dunkle, who’s been battling back problems but recently finished second in the Utah State Amateur. “Over 36 holes I missed three greens (in regulation). Proximity to the hole was awesome. I don’t want to even begin to count how many putts I had.”

But in the end, Dunkle, who now primarily lives in Salt Lake City, squeaked in for his third trip to the U.S. Am in the last four years.

He said when he advanced to the round of 16 in the 2016 national championship at Oakland Hills in Michigan, “that was by far the most fun I’ve ever had at a golf tournament. Being able to play these world-class golf courses under U.S. Open conditions is something not very many people get to do. The fact that I’ve done it twice and I get to go again, it’s awesome.”

Ott, who won the CGA Match Play last month, grew up in Fort Collins and plays Fort Collins CC regularly as a member of the CSU golf team. On Monday, he qualified for the U.S. Am at the site for the second straight year, this time finishing second. The 20-year-old posted rounds of 68-65, playing his final nine holes in 4 under par.

“Last year playing in the U.S. Am was a real confidence boost for me because I was close (to making match play),” Ott said. “I didn’t play my best and I missed the cut by one out there. The whole U.S. Am experience is cool. It means a lot to go back.

“I struggled so much my freshman year (at CSU), and to go out there (to the 2017 U.S. Amateur) and not play my best and still be right there to make match play, that was a huge confidence boost. I think that’s a big reason I improved my sophomore year.”

The scores on Monday were considerably lower than normal at the Fort Collins CC U.S. Amateur qualifier. Last year, 1-over-par 141 earned a spot in the national championship. This year, it took 6-under 134.

A second qualifying tournament for the U.S. Amateur will take place in Colorado on July 16 at Columbine Country Club.

U.S. Amateur Qualifying

At Par-70 Fort Collins CC
ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Dan Erickson, Loveland 61-67–128
AJ Ott, Fort Collins 68-65–133
Kyler Dunkle, Parker 67-67–134
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 68-67–135
Daniel Martinez, Austin, Texas 68-67–135

For all the scores from Fort Collins CC, CLICK HERE.

While the former world No. 1 now plays just sporadically on the Tour — where he notched all 13 of his victories between 1997 and 2001 — he’s been a fixture at the AT&T Pebble Beach, having missed the event just three times since 1994.

And Duval has not only competed there, he’s excelled, which is no doubt why he continues to land a spot in the field. He’s been runner-up in the tournament three times (1995, ’97 and 2010), with his 2010 showing being the last top-five finish he’s posted in an official PGA Tour event.

In addition, Duval finished eighth at the 2000 U.S. Open that Pebble Beach hosted.

“I’ve always loved coming here,” he said.

This week will mark Duval’s debut in the 2015-16 wraparound season. He made two cuts in six events last season.

(Feb. 13 Update: Duval ended up missing the cut, posting rounds of 71-75-72 for a 3-over-par 218 total.)

After all, part of what makes Pebble Beach such a fixture among the best golf courses in the world is its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. And No. 4 is the first hole on the course that’s set directly along the coastline, with great views of Stillwater Cove and beyond.

It’s memorable for Denver resident Connie Gallagher for that reason, but also for a couple of others following her recent trip to the resort.

One of those other reasons was that she was in Pebble Beach to attend an Oct. 11 wedding, which just happened to be held on the old fifth tee at Pebble Beach, not far from the fourth green.

But the thing that really makes No. 4 special is what Gallagher did there during her round at Pebble Beach on Oct. 9. Playing the iconic course for the first time, the CWGA member made some history at the fourth hole by becoming — to the best knowledge of club officials — the first female ever to make a hole-in-one on a par-4 at Pebble Beach, which opened in 1919.

Gallagher, a member at Denver Country Club, aced her first test with flying colors by holing out her 253-yard tee shot with a driver on the uphill par-4.

“It was embarrassing,” Gallagher said in a recent phone interview. “It was the first time I had ever played Pebble Beach and I was not paying attention (to club selection). I was just looking at the view. Looking back, I wouldn’t have taken out driver. It was just kind of a fluke.”

And neither Gallagher, nor her playing partners (husband Mike and Clif Louis, also of Denver, and Adam Kantor of Carmel, Calif.), saw where Connie’s tee shot ended up. After driving up to the green, Connie and Mike looked in the bunker before Mike suggested glancing in the cup. And, sure enough, there the ball was.

“You don’t want to know what came out of me,” Connie Gallagher said with a laugh.

After Mike took a picture of the ball in the hole, Connie of course had to buy drinks for not only each person in her group, but for the other foursome they were with, including the bride-to-be, Molly Louis — both during the round and afterward. Suffice it to say, “the round ended up being more expensive than we thought,” Connie said.

The hole-in-one was the third by Connie Gallagher, who currently sports a 9.9 USGA handicap index. But the previous two were more conventional, one coming about 30 years ago at Denver City Park and the second at Denver Country Club a couple of years back.

This one, on a par-4 and at Pebble Beach, fits into a different category.

“It’s kind of surreal,” the 57-year-old said. “I can’t drive it 250 at sea level. It had to roll up there.”

The Pebble Beach staff quickly caught wind of Gallagher’s feat. One of the assistant professionals came out to congratulate her, and told her to come into the golf shop after the round to commemorate the ace. That included accepting a flag signed by Pebble Beach head professional Chuck Dunbar. (Connie is pictured above with that flag, flanked by Mike, right, and Clif Louis, left.)

In a subsequent email exchange, Dunbar noted that he and Pebble Beach course historian Neal Hotelling believe Gallagher is the first female to ace a par-4 at the course.

“As far as we know, it’s the first HIO made by a woman on all holes except the par-3s,” Dunbar said in an email to COgolf.org.

And both Dunbar and Hotelling are very familiar with Pebble Beach golf history. Dunbar joined Pebble Beach Resorts in 1995 and instituted hole-in-one record-keeping for Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Spanish Bay and Del Monte. Hotelling has authored three books about Pebble Beach golf.

“It was fun that it happened on this occasion,” said Gallagher, who also played Spyglass and Spanish Bay during the trip. But her best score, an 83, came on the unforgettable round at Pebble Beach.

“It helps when you put it in in one on a par-4,” she said with a laugh.
 

As Frank Sinatra noted when signing “My Way”, “Regrets, I’ve had a few.”

Then again, who hasn’t?

My biggest related to golf came in 1992. As the golf writer for the (Boulder) Daily Camera newspaper, I was sent to cover the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, primarily because Boulder High and University of Colorado graduate Hale Irwin was just two years removed from his third U.S. Open victory, and because he had an interesting history at Pebble Beach.

Irwin won the 1984 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am after watching his tee shot on the 72nd hole head for the Pacific Ocean before it bounced off the rocks and out into the fairway. He went on to make birdie, force a playoff, then win the tournament.

Anyway, on the final day of the ’92 U.S. Open that Tom Kite won (my media credential is at left), I learned that I was among the winners of a media “lottery”. That meant that I was among a lucky group of journalists that would be allowed to play Pebble Beach for free on Monday, the day following the conclusion of the Open.

That’s when I did one of the stupidest things of my adult life. I turned down the spot because I had some pressing work-related reason to get back to Colorado on that Monday morning. At this point, I can’t even remember the assignment for which I had to get back.

All I know is I’ve regretted that move ever since. I’m sure my boss at the time, Dan Creedon, would have told me to stay in Pebble Beach another day if I had explained. But I dutifully returned on time to Colorado.

Over the years, I’ve brought up this “regret” on occasion, mentally kicking myself each time. Anyway, this apparently made an impression on my oldest daughter, Laura, a former high school golfer.

With that in mind, fast forward to a couple of months ago. My wife and I were at a high school football game when we received a text from Laura seeing if I had anything pressing on my calendar Jan. 14-16 of this year. After replying that there was nothing those days that I couldn’t rearrange, I was told that I should keep those dates free.

Then on Christmas morning, Laura clearly had something up her sleeve in having her present to me being the last opened at our family gathering.

First I read the card: “Didn’t want you to live with this regret. Merry Christmas. Love, Laura” Then, with Laura videotaping, I unwrapped a sheet of paper — a tee time confirmation at Pebble Beach Golf Links for Jan. 15.

Now, having been a golf writer for quite a while, I know what green fees run at Pebble Beach, which is one of the reasons for my regret, knowing that I probably wouldn’t ever be able to justify spending that much on a round of golf.

Laura (pictured at left) graduated from the University of Colorado in the spring of 2013 and had just landed her first full-time job. But I knew the amount she was earning, and suffice it to say that paying for golf at Pebble Beach for her and me was a large portion of her monthly pay. And with her saving up for graduate school, the first words out of my mouth were something like, “Laura, you shouldn’t have done that. That’s way too expensive.”

But, realizing the thought she’d put into it and the exceeding generosity she was demonstrating, the least I could do was be grateful — and very thankful.

Fortunately, Pebble Beach didn’t require us to stay on property in order to play golf, so with an inexpensive hotel and dirt-cheap flights, the only real big expense was the green fees.

So our pilgrimage to one of golf’s meccas became reality last week.

And let me join in the chorus by saying Pebble Beach does live up to its hype, and it’s an experience that will be etched into my memory to my dying days. It was great covering the U.S. Open there 22 years ago, but playing the course takes it to an entirely different level.

I can say that despite finishing with the highest score I’ve shot since I was a beginner at the game. While a good final tally would certainly have been nice, it’s somewhat beside the point. When you’re playing nine holes right on the Pacific Ocean — and the other nine holes very close — on a course with so much history and renown, worrying much about your score seems like quibbling.

I realize plenty of Colorado-based golfers have had the pleasure of playing Pebble Beach, but for many — probably including me — this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As a guy who plays most of his golf at courses that charge $30-$35 per round, this was very tall cotton indeed.

For someone like me, among the most enjoyable parts of playing Pebble Beach was recounting for Laura some of what’s occurred on different holes of the course — Nick Faldo climbing a tree on the 14th hole in search of his ball during the 1992 U.S. Open; the incredibly difficult 14th green that last week had the toughest pin placement I’ve ever encountered; Jack Nicklaus’ 1-iron at No. 17 in the 1972 U.S. Open and Tom Watson’s chip-in there in the 1982 Open; Irwin’s improbable lucky shot on 18; and Tiger Woods’ incredible 273-yard second shot that sliced around the fairway trees and over the ocean, hitting the green on the par-5 18th during the 2010 U.S. Open.

While there are beaches adjacent to Pebble Beach Golf Links, it was the sand on the course with which I became most familiar. Even though I was hitting my driver very good — by my standards — and my irons OK, I visited 11 bunkers. And with quite a few of them having nasty-deep faces on them, I felt like I was having a Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day” experience — reliving the same thing over and over.

Part of the reason I encountered so much sand was sheer thick-headedness. I knew my shots at sea level carried roughly 10 percent less than in Colorado, but it took a while before I could pull the trigger on an 8-iron from 130 yards slightly into the wind, when 150-155 is the norm at mile-high altitude.

The golf aside, the day was all you’d expect. With 77-degree weather, sunny skies, little wind, a jaw-dropping setting and sharing the experience with my daughter and some very nice playing partners (a German couple), a person couldn’t ask for much more. Even the inexplicable empty water jugs throughout the course didn’t mar the joy of walking Pebble Beach.

And it didn’t hurt that I hit my best drive of the day on the intimidating 18th hole, with my ball finishing just to the right of the two trees in the fairway.

The day was capped off by a little souvenir shopping, looking at the old photos of Bing Crosby in the locker room, and with visits to The Lodge and eating establishments overlooking the 18th hole as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

All in all, life doesn’t get much better.

And now, that old regret is long gone.