Hallberg (left) placed eighth in the PURE Insurance Championship, which concluded at Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Monterey Peninsula in California.

Hallberg carded rounds of 68-67-74 for a 6-under-par 209, which left him four strokes behind champion Ken Tanigawa, who two years ago qualified in Colorado for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. He’s since turned pro and Sunday marked his first Champions victory.

Hallberg’s previous best showing on PGA Tour Champions in 2018 was a 15th place at the Chubb Classic in February.

Meanwhile, 73-year-old Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Hale Irwin finished 42nd in the PURE Insurance Championship, matching his best individual showing of the season. The World Golf Hall of Famer shot six strokes under his age — a 5-under-par 67 — in the first round at Pebble Beach, where he won a PGA Tour event in 1984.
 

That goes with the territory when everyone left in the field has made the cut from the original 312 golfers to the 64 match play qualifiers.

Dan Erickson (left) of Loveland played solid in Wednesday’s round-of-64 match, but he didn’t go several under par at Pebble Beach Golf Links — which is what he would have needed to advance.

Erickson, a Texas A&M golfer whose family moved to Colorado earlier this year, fell to Pepperdine player Joshua McCarthy of Danville, Calif., 3 and 2 on Wednesday, seeing his run at the championship end.

Erickson was 1 over par for the 16 holes of the match, but McCarthy was 3 under.

The Coloradan, who shot a course-record 61 at Fort Collins Country Club in qualifying for the championship last month, was 1 up after making a birdie on No. 4 on Wednesday. And the match was all quare after nine.

But McCarthy, playing in his third straight U.S. Am, won 10 and 13 with birdies and 12 with a par to go 3 up with five holes left. After Erickson took 14 with a par and McCarthy 15 with a birdie, the latter closed out the match with a halved par on 16.

Here are the results for the local players who competed at the U.S. Amateur:

MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 64 (Wednesday)
Joshua McCarthy of Danville, Calif., def. Dan Erickson of Loveland, 3 and 2

STROKE PLAY (Monday and Tuesday)
Advanced to Match Play
24. Dan Erickson of Loveland 73-71–144
Failed to Advance to Match Play
182. CSU golfer Cullen Plousha 78-75–153
197. Austin Hardman of Highlands Ranch 78-76–154
210. AJ Ott of Fort Collins 79-76–155
257. Kyler Dunkle of Parker 78-80–158
280. Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch 82-79–161

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

It just happened to be the newest addition to the state among this week’s competitors.

Dan Erickson, a Texas A&M golfer whose family moved to Loveland early this year, shot an even-par 71 on Tuesday at Pebble Beach Golf Links to post a 1-over 144 total for the stroke-play portion of the event.

That was good for a 24th-place showing out of 312 players, which easily was good enough to make the 64-man match play field. The first round of match play will take place on Wednesday.

Erickson (left), who fired a course-record 61 at Fort Collins Country Club en route to qualifying for the U.S. Am last month, made four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on Tuesday at Pebble Beach.

Erickson finished seven strokes behind stroke-play medalists Daniel Hillier of New Zealand and Cole Hammer of Houston.

None of the other players with strong Colorado connections came within five strokes of making match play.

Here are the stroke-play scores for the local players at the U.S. Amateur:

Advances to Match Play
24. Dan Erickson of Loveland 73-71–144

Failed to Advance to Match Play
182. CSU golfer Cullen Plousha 78-75–153
197. Austin Hardman of Highlands Ranch 78-76–154
210. AJ Ott of Fort Collins 79-76–155
257. Kyler Dunkle of Parker 78-80–158
280. Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch 82-79–161

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

The Texas A&M golfer (left) shot a 1-over-par 73 at Spyglass Hill on Monday, which left him in 43rd place out of 312 players after one round of the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the event.

The Loveland resident, who made three birdies and four bogeys in round 1, trails co-leader Trevor Phillips of Inman, S.C. and Daniel Hillier of New Zealand by five strokes (relative to par) heading into Tuesday. After 36 holes, the top 64 players will advance to match play.

The other players with strong Colorado connections will need to rally on Tuesday if they hope to keep competing at Pebble Beach more than two days.

CGA Amateur champion Kyler Dunkle, who lived in Parker until recently, opened with a 6-over-par 78 at Spyglass, putting him in 202nd place. Dunkle struggled over the first eight holes, going 5 over par, but went 1 over for his last 10.

Austin Hardman of Highlands Ranch made three birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine at Spyglass, but also posted three double bogeys, also en route to a 78.

Colorado State University golfers Cullen Plousha and AJ Ott shot 7-over-par 78 and 8-over 79, respectively, at Pebble Beach Golf Links. And, after being even par through his first eight holes at Spyglass, Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch went 10 over for his last 10 to shoot 82.

Here are the scores for the local players at the U.S. Amateur:

43. Dan Erickson of Loveland 73 (+1, SH)
202. Kyler Dunkle of Parker 78 (+6, SH)
202. Austin Hardman of Highlands Ranch 78 (+6, SH)
236. CSU golfer Cullen Plousha 78 (+7, PB)
256. AJ Ott of Fort Collins 79 (+8, PB)
283. Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch 82 (+10, SH)

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

Qualifying for a U.S. Amateur is a big deal under any circumstances. Earning a spot in the championship for the first time adds considerably to the excitement. And doing it when the tournament is being hosted by historic and spectacularly scenic Pebble Beach Golf Links makes that excitement go off the charts.

That’s what Austin Hardman and Coby Welch, both of Highlands Ranch, along with Nick Costello of Austin, Texas, experienced Monday evening when they all punched their tickets to their first U.S. Am.

Pebble Beach, site of the 2019 U.S. Open, will be home to the U.S. Amateur Aug. 13-19, with Spyglass Hill serving as the second stroke-play course in the Monterey area of California.

“My grandparents used to live in Monterey, so Pebble is my favorite place on the entire planet, without question,” Hardman said. “I’m pretty excited about it for sure. This U.S. Amateur will definitely be the biggest tournament I’ve ever played in.

“I’ve played Pebble Beach (Golf Links) twice. It was a hit and giggle out there for six hours, which is the best six hours in my life.”

The three 20-year-old college golfers — Hardman just completed his second and final year at Mesa Community College in Arizona, Welch his second year at the University of Northern Colorado, and Costello his second year at the University of Texas — all advanced thanks to their performances Monday at Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley. They’ll be part of a 312-man field at Pebble Beach. (The qualifiers are pictured above, from left: Hardman, Costello and Welch.)

Hardman (left) earned medalist honors in the 36-hole event, finishing at 6-under-par 138 after rounds of 70-68. Costello placed second at 139 (71-68) and Welch third at 141 (69-72) out of a field that originally numbered 84.

Hardman was 3 over par through his first five holes of the qualifier, but rallied and finished the day with 12 birdies and six bogeys.

Costello carded an eagle, nine birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

Welch, the 2015 Colorado Boys Junior Player of the Year, recorded an eagle, eight birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey. Welch becomes the second UNC golfer in two years to qualify for the U.S. Am as Li Chen made the grade last year.

It’s been a big week at the Welch house as Coby’s younger brother Jake won the boys division of the Colorado Junior Amateur on Wednesday.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Coby (lower left), winner of the 2016 Colorado Mark Simpson Invitational college tournament. “(Jake) played really well. Good for him. I’m glad he did that.”

And now Coby, who’s previously competed in the U.S. Junior Am, will give the U.S. Amateur a shot.

“It will be awesome,” said Coby, who had to sweat out his position after playing his final six holes in 3 over par. “I’ve never been there (to Pebble Beach), so it’ll be great. I played in the Junior Am, so I like making the U.S. Am.”

With pin positions set up a little more difficult than recent years at Columbine, a score that forced a playoff last year (138) was medalist this time around. But to earn that honor this year was quite a feat for Hardman, considering he had to play his final 31 holes in 9 under par to get there.

“This is going to sound cliche, but after I was 3 over after five holes, my caddie and I kept saying, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint,'” said Hardman, who finished 11th in this year’s Junior College Division II national championship. Hardman will be transferring to a new NAIA program, Ottawa University Arizona, for the new school year.

Costello, a veteran of two U.S. Junior Amateurs, only came to this U.S. Amateur qualifier because he made it into a tournament that conflicted with his plans to attempt to qualify in San Antonio. So he changed sites and came up with a friend who likewise competed.

“The course conditions aren’t really what we get in Texas,” said Costello, whose only previous tournament in Colorado was the 2015 AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. “It’s really nice playing on pure grass. I really enjoyed that. And from a few years ago, I knew how the elevation affects the yardages, so I knew what I was getting into and was ready for it.”

Costello (left) started and finished his final round on a high note, which assured him of the U.S. Am berth. He played his first three holes in 4 under par, eagling the par-5 12th from 4 feet. Then after a double bogey on No. 5 (his 14th hole), he two-putted for birdie on his penultimate hole and made a 2-footer for birdie on his last.

Tristan Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, a 2016 U.S. Amateur qualifier at Columbine, landed the first alternate spot on the third hole of a playoff with George Markham of Phoenix, a Colorado School of Mines golfer. But despite a second-round 69, Rohrbaugh lamented playing his last five holes of regulation in 3 over par.

Monday marked the second and final U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament in Colorado this year. Qualifying for the U.S. Am at Fort Collins Country Club two weeks ago
were Dan Erickson of Loveland, AJ Ott of Fort Collins and Kyler Dunkle of Parker.
 

U.S. Amateur Qualifying
At Par-72 Columbine CC in Columbine Valley 
ADVANCE TO U.S. AMATEUR
Austin Hardman, Highlands Ranch 70-68–138
Nick Costello, Austin, Texas 71-68–139
Coby Welch, Highlands Ranch 69-72–141
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Tristan Rohrbaugh, Carbondale 73-69–142
George Markham, Phoenix 71-71–142

For all the scores from Columbine, CLICK HERE.

Having Pebble Beach Golf Links in the Monterey area of California serve as host will do that. And Spyglass Hill as the second stroke-play course isn’t bad either.

Pebble Beach GL, which will be home to the 2019 U.S. Open, will do the honors for the U.S. Am Aug. 13-19.

Two qualifying tournaments in Colorado will fill six spots in the 312-man international field. Fort Collins Country Club (on Monday, July 2) and Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley (July 16) will hold 36-hole qualifiers, with the top three finishers at each site earning trips to “Pebble”. The qualifying fields number 83 at Fort Collins and 84 at Columbine.

Three golfers who qualified for the 2017 U.S. Am will be back hoping for a return trip: Colorado State University players AJ Ott and Jake Staiano, along with the University of Northern Colorado’s Li Chen — all of whom are in the field at Fort Collins CC.

Ott, winner of the CGA Match Play last week, finished a stroke out of a playoff for the final match play spots at last year’s U.S. Am. Staiano also went to the U.S. Amateur in 2015. Chen was the medalist in qualifying at Fort Collins CC last year.

Two former CGA Players of the Year will be competing in Fort Collins: Staiano (2017) and Kyler Dunkle (2016). Another, Michael Harrington (2014), will be at Columbine.

Among the others competing Monday will be 2017 CGA Match Play champ Chris Korte, 2018 Match Play runner-up Ross Macdonald; 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Boys Player of the Year Davis Bryant, who was first alternate in U.S. Am qualifying in Fort Collins last year; 2016 CGA Amateur winner Colin Prater; and Hunter Paugh, who won a 5A state high school title at Fort Collins CC.

The competitors at Columbine, in addition to Harrington, will include three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jon Lindstrom, two-time U.S. Open Sectional qualifier Josh Seiple and 2012 CGA Match Play champion Brian Dorfman.

For tee times at Fort Collins CC, CLICK HERE.

For tee times at Columbine CC, CLICK HERE.

First, he qualified for the 3A state high school championship by tying for fourth individually in a regional touranment and helping his Kent Denver team cruise to a regional title.

Then he not only had the opportunity to play one of the most famous and beautiful courses in the world — Pebble Beach Golf Links — but with one of the best players on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, Scott McCarron.

And to cap it all off, Manzanares and McCarron were in contention on Sunday for the pro-junior team title at the PURE Insurance Championship PGA Tour Champions tournament. The two ended up finishing fourth in the gross best-ball competition. After rounds of 62-68-67, they posted an 18-under-par 197 total, three strokes behind winners Bernhard Langer and Justin Potwora. Manzanares even received some air time on the Golf Channel, which showed his tee shot on the par-3 12th hole on Sunday.

“He’s got a bright future ahead of him,” McCarron said of Manzanares on the Golf Channel.

Manzanares was one of two representatives of The First Tee of Denver who competed in the PURE Insurance Championship, where 81 First Tee kids from around the country are paired with PGA Tour Champions players during championship rounds at Pebble Beach and Poppy Hills.

Cole Drew of Centennial teamed with Steve Flesch, but they didn’t make the 36-hole team cut, checking in at 4-under-par 139.

Colorado residents Craig Stadler and Aaron Woodard won the pro-junior in this event in 2004, when Stadler was the professional champion.

The juniors — age 14-18 — who competed were picked based on their playing ability and comprehension of the core values and life skills The First Tee teaches.

–– Saunders Drops to 24th Place in Web.com Tour Finals in Quest for Better PGA Tour Status: Despite missing the cut in the DAP Championship, former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders remained in the top 25 with one event left in the Web.com Tour Finals.

Saunders will go into next week’s Web.com Tour Championship in 24th place in the four-event finals. Should he finish in the top 25 in the standings, he’ll regain full status on the PGA Tour.

Meanwhile, Denver native Mark Hubbard will need a very strong finish at the Tour Championship to make it into the top 25. He placed 54th on Sunday in the DAP Championship, which left him in 57th place in the standings.

Both Saunders and Hubbard were regulars on the PGA Tour in the 2016-17 wraparound season.

— Former DU Golfer Kempter Posts Symetra Tour Top 10: Former University of Denver golfer Katie Kempter finished a season-best 10th Sunday in the Symetra Tour’s Guardian Championship in Prattville, Ala. Kempter posted rounds of 70-69-70 for a 7-under-par 209 total, which left her five strokes behind champion Lindsey Weaver. 

This being Father’s Day weekend, I decided to do a little rummaging through some old newspaper clips — and I mean really old newspaper clips.

My dad — his first name was Francis but everyone called him by his middle name, Clyde — passed away a decade ago this year at the age of 86. I subsequently received some of his personal collectibles from those 8 1/2 decades. Included was a newspaper photo and story about him and a few other U.S. soldiers meeting Princess Elizabeth — now Queen Elizabeth — while on leave in Scotland in 1942. There were plenty of other military-related pictures from his days serving in North Africa, Italy, Taiwan, Vietnam and all over the U.S.; of him as a champion trap shooter; and tons of family photos.

But all that isn’t what led to my search of these personal archives. No, I was looking for a golf-related newspaper item that featured my dad as a youngster. To indicate how old it is, the newspaper it ran in, the Omaha Bee-News, folded in 1937. I’m not sure of the date of the clip I located, but based on a few snippets in the newspaper, I’m guessing 1935, during the thick of the Depression.

The paper published a large photo and caption (above, with my dad at far left in the picture) about the caddie tournament at the Omaha Field Club, which had 140 loopers at the time. For the record, my dad won the third flight, though the paper misspelled his last name as “Barnes”.

Anyway, golf turned into a longtime bond between my dad and me. Four decades after my dad caddied in Omaha, I followed a similar path by looping at Columbine Country Club and later becoming caddiemaster and working in the bag room there.

The reason all this strikes home now is threefold:

— Obviously, it’s Father’s Day weekend.

— The U.S. Open, which has concluded on Father’s Day all but once in the last 50 years — barring a playoff or weather issues — was probably my dad’s favorite tournament, though he watched PGA Tour events about every weekend after retiring.

— My dad’s favorite golfer, by far, was Hale Irwin, who grew up in Boulder and won his NCAA title almost exactly when we were moving to Colorado in 1967. And, of course, Irwin largely made his career on Father’s Day weekend at the U.S. Open, winning in 1974, ’79 and ’90. That last victory — which actually came in a playoff the day after Father’s Day — made Irwin the oldest U.S. Open champion ever, at age 45, a distinction he still holds.

As a sports writer, I’ve only had the pleasure of covering two major championships held outside of Colorado, and both are due to Irwin. As the golf writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder for many years, we paid a great deal of attention to PGA Tour players such as Irwin, Dale Douglass and Steve Jones, all of whom played on the University of Colorado golf team. And after Irwin made his improbable run to win the U.S. Open in 1990, the Camera’s sports editor, Dan Creedon, wanted plenty of coverage for Irwin’s U.S. Open title defense in 1991 at Hazeltine outside of Minneapolis, and in 1992 at Pebble Beach. It was eight years earlier at Pebble Beach that Irwin won the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am after bouncing a drive off the rocks bordering the Pacific Ocean and back into the fairway en route to a birdie on the 72nd hole, forcing a playoff which he won.

But the golf connection that linked my dad and me went far beyond that. I knew that he had played golf as a youngster and into middle age. But major back problems, no doubt exacerbated from many, many hours spent as a navigator/bombardier in B-52s, kept him from playing for a long time. But by the early 1980s, he recovered enough to be able to join me for a round in the Evans Scholars Father-Son tournament.

Soon, my dad was playing a lot of golf. Just about every time we’d chat, he’d note proudly that he had racked up some ungodly number of rounds that year. I remember tallies getting well over 100, which is pretty impressive for Colorado, and he normally walked during those rounds despite getting along in years. I joined my dad and his retired military buddies occasionally for rounds, almost always at his two favorite military-course haunts — Fitzsimons and the Air Force Academy. (At left, we’re at Fitzsimons in the late ’80s.)

My dad and mom also got a huge kick over the years from annually attending The International at Castle Pines. The folks at The International were nice enough to give me a couple of complimentary passes, and my parents made good use of them for about the first dozen years the PGA Tour event was held. I’d run into them in between my coverage duties at the tournament, and you couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces.

Though it’s been quite a while since last celebrating a Father’s Day with my dad, those golf-induced smiles are etched permanently in my memory. And so is the joy that golf brought my dad.