It’s still almost five months before the Colorado Open Championship is contested under the banner of its new title sponsor, but big changes are already in place.

On Tuesday at Topgolf Centennial, tournament organizers announced that the purse for this year’s CoBank Colorado Open will double from 2015, with the winner taking home a record $100,000, more than quadruple the $23,000 check Jimmy Gunn claimed for winning last summer’s tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

The $250,000 purse this year far exceeds the previous record for the Colorado Open — the $180,000 the tournament paid out in 2000 and 2001. The winners those years, Scott Petersen and Brett Wayment, respectively, each made $32,400. In fact, the CoBank Colorado Open now has the distinction of having the largest purse among all the state opens, according to Kevin Laura, CEO of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation. Some of the highest purses in comparable events are $190,000 for the Waterloo Open, $165,000 for the Long Beach Open and about $151,000 for the Texas State Open.

“Players are going to view (the Colorado Open) as one of the best — if not the best — state opens in the country,” said Petersen (left), who has a Web.com Tour victory to go with his Colorado Open win. “With the purse increase … everybody’s going to want to come now.

“Growing up here, the tournament had all these great players — Senior Tour players, PGA Tour players (including World Golf Hall of Famers Sam Snead, Phil Mickelson, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin and Fred Couples). We’re going to start to get back to that.”

That thought was seconded by another former University of Colorado golfer, current Metropolitan State University of Denver women’s coach Ben Portie, who won the Colorado Open in 2011. Portie sees just about anyone who isn’t exempt on the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour or PGA Tour Champions as a possibility for the Colorado Open. 

“Every good professional golfer will want to come here the end of July,” said Portie (left). “And if they’re not in the event, they’ll want to qualify. I always thought this was my major, being from Colorado. But this will make it even better.”

Last year, after four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay and other prominent PGA Tour veterans such as Shane Bertsch and Chris Riley noted how well the tournament was run and that the event could draw an even stronger field with a larger purse, his words weren’t lost on Colorado Open Golf Foundation founder Pat Hamill.

“Pat challenged me when he said he wanted to double the purse,” Laura said. “I swallowed hard. And when he said he was thinking about $100,000 for the winner, I swallowed even harder.”

But Laura put together a plan that’s become a reality.

“Getting first place to $100,000, it makes me want to go work on my golf game,” joked Hamill (left). “$100,000 is significant. There’s no other open in the country that has that amount. I think we’re going to get a lot of Web.com players.”

And how will Colorado Open organizers come up with the additional prize money?

Laura said two-thirds of the increase will come through new sponsorship deals with eight companies — including Oakwood Homes, where Hamill is CEO — and the remaining third through increased entry fees. The professional entry fee for the championship will increase to $600 from $400, and the fee for entering the qualfiers will jump to $250 from $175. More than a third of the 156-person field is filled through qualifying tournaments. This year’s qualifying events for the July 21-24 Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club are scheduled for July 6 at Inverness Golf Club in Englewood, July 12 at Eagle Ranch Golf Club in Eagle, and July 14 and 18 at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster.

This year’s Colorado Open will be the 52nd. It debuted in 1964 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen and has been held every year but one since (2003).

Since the Colorado Open Golf Foundation was formed and started running the event in 2004, the tournament has consistently featured a $125,000 purse. Now the winner alone will earn six figures.

“That first place of 100 grand — that in itself is going to grab people’s attention,” Petersen said. “That can do a lot of things for you. That’s a lot of money.”

Given the dramatic increases in the purse and the winner’s portion, suffice it to say that Colorado Open officials expect some notable names to compete in July at Green Valley Ranch. More than 60 percent of the hike in the purse will go to the champion that week.

“I think we’ll be creating a lot of buzz,” Laura said.

Registration for the 2016 Colorado Open and its four qualifiers opened on Tuesday — as did registration for the CoBank Senior Open (June 1-3) and the CoBank Women’s Open (Aug. 31-Sept. 2). For more information, CLICK HERE.

Speaking of the Women’s Open, Hamill said one of the next priorities for tournament organizers will be to increase the purse for that event, which currently stands at $60,000, plus $15,000 for the pro-am.

For a guy who hasn’t competed in the HealthOne Colorado Open in a while, Brian Guetz certainly seemed to make a major impact on this year’s tournament, the 50th Open ever held.

Guetz, of course, grew up in Littleton and has won two Colorado Opens himself (1994 and 2008), with the former making him one of just two amateurs (along with Gary Longfellow) who has claimed the Open title outright.

Now Guetz is an assistant coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, and he played a big role in OSU product Ian Davis’ preparation for the Colorado Open — and subsequent victory on Sunday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

“I talked to coach Guetz earlier in the week before I started because obviously he’s won it twice and he knows how to go about it around here,” said Davis, who turned pro in late May immediately after Oklahoma State finished second in the NCAA Championships. “He kind of helped me out with the altitude and how that’s going to affect the ball. We went through a couple of holes, what he hit off certain tees. He’s great. He walked with me my whole junior year of college pretty much. He knows my game, so he’s a good one to talk to.”

Interestingly, in 2011 Guetz served as an assistant coach at Colorado State University, working with, among others, 2013 Colorado Open champ Zahkai Brown. Nowadays, Brian’s brother, Bret, is an assistant at CSU. And one of the Ram players Bret Guetz coaches is Cameron Harrell, who just happened to earn low-amateur honors in the Colorado Open on Sunday.

Davis (above celebrating with his caddie, and at left) put Brian Guetz’s advice to good use as he took the lead on Saturday and never relinquished it on Sunday in posting a five-stroke victory. The winning margin matched the second-largest at the Open since 1976.

Davis birdied his final two holes Sunday to post a 4-under-par 67 and a 14-under 270 total and earn his first tournament paycheck as a pro, good for $23,000.

Brandon Hagy, a first-team All-American at Cal last season who likewise is in the initial phase of his pro career, birdied No. 18 Sunday to claim second place outright at 275 after a final-round 69. He earned $13,500.

Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz., the 2010 champion, tied for third at 276 with Brock MacKenzie of Yakima, Wash., as both players closed with 70s.

So, looking back, how much did Brian Guetz’s advice about the Open and Green Valley Ranch help Davis come out on top?

“A lot actually,” said the 22-year-old Davis, a former All-American at OSU. “The altitude here makes the ball go so much farther. He gave me a couple of different percentages to factor in when I was getting my yardages. Sometimes it’s hard to trust it when you’ve got 190 (yards) and you’re going to hit a 9-iron over water. I just tried to trust it all week. Fortunately it worked out.”

Davis, from Edmond, Okla., wasn’t challenged to any great extent on Sunday. He started the day at 10 under par and shot a 3-under-par 33 on the front nine in the final round. The only other competitor to reach 10 under par on Sunday was Hagy (left), who was 3 under par for the day through seven holes and again through nine. But Hagy pulled his approach on 10 and made bogey and three-putted from in front of the green on 11 for another bogey.

“I just kind of lost momentum on 10 and 11,” he said. “That sort of threw me out of it. I was feeling really good, then I had those few bad swings on 10 and 11. And (Davis) played really well. I wasn’t able to hit it close enough on the back nine to put pressure on.”

Interestingly, both of the top two finishers Sunday, Davis and Hagy, were playing in their first Colorado Open and had never seen GVR before the week began. By Sunday, Davis especially looked very comfortable on the layout.

“I was focused on getting off to a good start (on Sunday), and I did,” he said. “I parred the first three holes, then I told my caddie Ben it’s time to get going, and I birdied the next couple holes. That felt pretty good. After those two birdies, I felt pretty comfortable all day.

“I’ll tell you what: This is pretty special.”

Low Amateur, Low Coloradan for Harrell: About the only thing Cameron Harrell didn’t do Sunday was win the Colorado Open. The Colorado State University golfer not only captured low-amateur honors — by four strokes — but he tied for fifth overall and was the top Colorado finisher, pro or amateur.

Harrell (left), who grew up in Colorado Springs, also was one of just three players — along with professionals Nathan Lashley and Brock MacKenzie — to record sub-par rounds each day of the tournament. Harrell went 68-70-70-69 for a 7-under-par 277 total.

“I wanted to prove to myself in a pro tournament like this that I can definitely compete because this is what I’m going to be doing in a year (after completing his senior season at CSU),” Harrell said. “I’ll be in stuff like this competing and paying my own way. So it feels really good to finish this well, especially as an amateur right now. And I’ve still got another year to get better and see where I can go from there.”

Harrell, who started the day five behind leader Ian Davis, made an early surge on Sunday. He birdied the first three holes, making putts of 25, 5 and 5 feet, to get within two of Davis. And after a bogey on No. 6, he drained a tough 35-foot birdie putt on No. 8. But when Davis started to pull away, neither Harrell nor anyone else in the field could keep up.
 
“I closed the gap real fast, which I wanted to do early on,” the 20-year-old said. “It was just a bummer I couldn’t put any pressure on (Davis on the back nine). I was trying to do that by posting a 10 or 11 under. It was a little frustrating after such a great start to have a little drop-off. But I’ll take top five.”

Harrell’s finish was the best by an amateur at the Open since Gunner Wiebe was runner-up in 2010.

Cole Nygren of Longmont, who on Friday made a double-eagle at the par-5 ninth hole, took second place in the amateur competition, closing with a 67 for a 281 total.

Award Puts Chenoweth in Good Company: LindaSue Chenoweth, a key figure in the success of the HealthOne Colorado Open since the tournament was revived more than a decade ago, on Sunday received the Robert M. Kirchner Award, which is given to an individual who has contributed greatly to amateur golf, professional golf and/or tournament golf in the state of Colorado.

Chenoweth served executive roles for the Colorado Open from 2004-13, at different times holding the titles of executive director and chief operations officer.

“There’s no one better at the little things than LindaSue,” noted CGA executive director Ed Mate (pictured with Chenoweth), a recipient of the Kirchner Award in 2009.

Having played such an integral role in the tournament over the years, Chenoweth was all smiles in accepting the award.
   
“To be among that list of recipients, that’s about the coolest honor a girl in golf can get, particularly in this golf family,” she said.

Notable: Scott Petersen of Parker, winner of the Colorado Open in 2000, carded Sunday’s best round, a bogey-free 6-under-par 65, to post a 10th-place finish at 279. Another Coloradan cracking the top 10 on Sunday was fellow former University of Colorado golfer Luke Symons of Aurora, who tied for eighth at 278 after a 71. Two other former Buffs, Derek Fribbs and Kevin Kring, shared 11th place. … Speaking of former CU golfers, three of them were paired together in Sunday’s final round, with two-time Open champion Derek Tolan joining Pat Grady and Kane Webber. After all starting the day at 1 under par, Tolan and Webber (284) finished a stroke better than Grady.

Scores: For all the scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.

Ross Macdonald apparently has taken quite a shine to the CGA Junior Stroke Play trophy.

The golfer from the Country Club at Castle Pines on Friday became the first player since the 1980s to win consecutive Junior Stroke Play Championships. And just for good measure, he also finished second in the event, in 2012 to Jimmy Makloski.

And the scary thing is, if he so chooses he’ll probably be eligible to compete in the event one more time before he begins his college golf career at the University of Colorado in the fall of 2015.

If he would by chance win again next year, with three victories and a second he’d probably be the top performer ever in the CGA Junior Stroke Play. That title currently belongs to Scott Petersen, who won three straight championships from 1987 through ’89.

As it is, only two other players in the 38-year history of the Junior Stroke Play have repeated as champion: Petersen and Luke Maten, who won the event in 1980 and ’81.

“I’ve worked hard this whole year to give myself a chance to win this tournament again,” said Macdonald (pictured above). “To join the few players who have accomplished that, it means a lot to me.

“It’s probably one of the biggest days of my life. Last year winning the tournament was definitely my biggest win, but defending it was even tougher with all the pressure. Doing it two years in a row means a whole lot to me.”

Macdonald rallied on the back nine Friday to catch his Valor Christian High School teammate, Coby Welch (left) of The Links Golf Course, then beat him on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff at Indian Tree Golf Club in Arvada.

After both players parred the first extra hole, Welch gave Macdonald an opening when he missed the green on the second hole and couldn’t sink his 6-foot par putt. Macdonald two-putted from 40 feet for his par, draining a 5-footer for the victory.

Macdonald, part of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course, matched the lowest round on Friday — a 3-under-par 67 — to finish at even-par 210 for three days. The 15-year-old Welch closed with a 72 to force the playoff.

Grant Rogers (left) of the Omni Interlocken Resort Golf Club (212 after a 71 Friday) placed third, while second-round leader Isaac Petersilie of Colorado Springs Country Club (76 Friday) shared fourth place at 213 with Glenn Workman of Desert Hawk at Pueblo West (73).

Welch (left) was in control for much of the final day, standing at 5 under par for the tournament through 11 holes. But he played the next four holes in 5 over par, going bogey, par, triple bogey, bogey. After bogeying the par-5 12th, the par-5 14th proved even more costly as his tee shot went out of bounds right and he needed to sink a 15-foot putt for an 8. Then he missed a short par putt on the next hole to drop back further.

“It was a bad swing (off the tee on 14),” said Welch, a junior-to-be at Valor Christian. “I hadn’t done it all day. I was hitting the ball good, then that one shot killed me.

“I knew I was (still in it). I just couldn’t get it started again. I started off the day well, but couldn’t finish.”

Macdonald (left), in the fourth-to-last group, played his back nine in 3-under-par 32 to make up a lot of ground in a hurry on Welch, who carded a 39 on that side. Macdonald drove the green on the 328-yard 10th hole and two-putted for birdie, and added birdies on the two par-5s on the back nine, making up six strokes on Welch on those two holes alone.

Macdonald liked being out of the main fray of contenders in the final round, teeing off almost a half-hour before the second-day leaders. He stayed under the radar most of the day.

“I looked at it as a positive so I wouldn’t have as much pressure on me,” the 17-year-old said. “I could just go out, put a good number up there and see what happens. I ended up making some birdies on the back nine. It all ended up going my way.

“I thought I was a little out of (contention for the title), but then I got to 17 and some of the kids walking with us told us things were kind of going downhill in the groups behind us and everything was really close,” Macdonald said. “I knew I was still in it if I made the smart decisions and finished strong.”

Playing against a high school teammate and a friend in the playoff had its pluses and minuses.

“It was kind of tough because we’re such good friends,” Macdonald said. “Beating one of your best friends is always hard. But I knew it was all positive. Both of us get along so well that this wouldn’t really affect it. It was probably a little easier because we know each other so well. It’s not too stressful playing someone like that.”

Welch (left) thought it was a mixed bag: “I wanted to beat him, but I also wanted him to win because he’s a teammate.”

Macdonald and Welch helped Valor Christian win the 4A state high school team title last fall. Over the last two years, the four players on that team have won three CGA junior championships (two for Macdonald and one for Jake Staiano, who captured the 2013 Junior Match Play) and have qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur twice (both Josh Seiple).

CGA Junior Stroke Play Championship

At Par-70 Indian Tree GC in Arvada
x-won sudden-death playoff

x-Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines 73-70-67–210
Coby Welch, The Links GC 70-68-72–210
Grant Rogers, Omni Interlocken GC 67-74-71–212
Glenn Workman, Desert Hawk GC 70-70-73–213
Isaac Petersilie, Colorado Springs CC 68-69-76–213
Todd Millard, Twin Peaks GC 71-72-71–214
Spencer Painton, Green Valley Ranch GC 67-73-75–215
Jake Kelley, Pinehurst CC 77-69-69–215
Trevor Olkowski, Bookcliff CC 72-72-72–216
Evan Buchalski, Olde Course at Loveland 71-71-75–217
Alex Gorman, Broadlands GC 69-73-75–217
Alan Berry, Meadows GC 73-73-71–217
Garrett Jones, West Woods GC 75-71-71–217
Aj Ott, Ptarmigan CC 73-73-72–218
Gregory Shelton, Raccoon Creek GC 71-70-77–218
Kyler Dunkle, Club at Pradera 80-72-67–219
Tristan Rohrbaugh, Ironbridge GC 77-71-71–219
Erik Young, CommonGround GC 71-74-74–219
Andrew Cooper, Glenmoor CC 75-75-69–219
Troy Dangler, Tiara Rado GC 72-73-74–219
Tyler Zhang, Lone Tree GC 71-73-75–219
Bretton Krantz, Ptarmigan CC 71-73-76–220
Jackson Solem, Fox Hill CC 75-74-71–220
Keegan Sheard, Applewood GC 75-76-70–221
Li Chen, Legacy Ridge GC 75-76-70–221
Behrod Keshtavar, Indian Peaks GC 71-74-76–221
Neil Tillman, Heritage at Westmoor 73-74-75–222
Roy Carlsen, Heritage at Westmoor 72-76-75–223
Andrew Howe, Fox Hill CC 78-72-74–224
Cole Folwell, Boulder CC 70-75-79–224
Justin Allenback, Elmwood GC 73-76-75–224
Jackson Vacek, Harmony Club 78-69-78–225
Andrew McCormick, Denver CC 73-77-75–225
Reese Leiker, South Suburban GC 76-74-75–225
Donny Kinnaman, Lincoln Park GC 72-77-77–226
Bridger Ryan, Broadlands GC 75-73-78–226
Clayton Crawford, Maroon CC 72-78-78–228
Grant Dinkel, Flatirons GC 81-71-76–228
Zach Gomez, Indian Tree GC 74-75-80–229
Samuel Taylor, Indian Peaks GC 73-79-77–229
Kyle Pearson, Meridian GC 77-74-78–229
Taylor Rodriguez, Walking Stick GC 76-75-79–230
Ryan James Zetwick, CC at Castle Pines 74-78-81–233
Charlie Schneider, The Links GC 77-75-82–234

FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR ROUND 3
Oliver Jack, Glenmoor CC 77-76–153
Alec Poorman, Flatirons GC 77-76–153
Nick Leibold, Columbine CC 80-73–153
Bradley Scalia, Green Valley Ranch GC 79-74–153
Justin Markel, CC at Castle Pines 74-79–153
Davis Bryant, Green Valley Ranch GC 79-74–153
Coleson Krantz, Ptarmigan CC 81-73–154
Alex Liss, Olde Course at Loveland 77-77–154
Kyle Peterson, Hiwan GC 76-79–155
Jack Lazzeri, Columbine CC 75-80–155
Daniel Mastrobuono, Canongate Colorado 80-75–155
Griffin Barela, Fox Hollow GC 73-82–155
Chase Federico, Elmwood GC 73-83–156
Ji Woo Jang, Family Sports GC 80-76–156
Grant McGinty, South Suburban GC 73-83–156
Kevin Shafer, Meridian GC 79-78–157
Braden Bentley, Pueblo CC 78-79–157
Matthew Atkins, Harmony Club 71-86–157
Cole Edwards, Cherry Creek CC 80-78–158
Jackson Crist, Lone Tree GC 79-79–158
Ryan Pearson, Meridian GC 81-77–158
Cameron Berndt, Spring Valley GC 81-77–158
Hunter Lee, Highlands Ranch GC 79-80–159
Jack Cavanagh, Broadlands GC 81-78–159
Mitchell Nevin, Eagle Ranch GC 82-78–160
Josh Pusar, Inverness GC 78-82–160
Anthony Pedersen, Red Rocks CC 78-84–162
Tony Clark, Eagle Ranch GC 84-79–163
Ryan Boitz, Desert Hawk GC 77-87–164
Mark Hillary, Cherry Hills CC 84-82–166
Derek Leydecker, Roaring Fork Club 83-83–166
Roger Nakagawa, CommonGround GC 83-84–167
Cody Steigerwald, Club at Flying Horse 84-84–168
Harrison Wagnaar, Legacy Ridge GC 88-81–169
Timothy Scherman, Colorado GC 86-84–170
Hunter Tuite, Glenmoor CC 78-93–171
Luke Toillion, Ute Creek GC 88-84–172
Jimmy Ringsby, Castle Pines GC 90-84–174
David Roney, Red Hawk Ridge GC 93-87–180
 

It was a day more than 20 years ago, but Ben Portie recalls the details as if it were yesterday.

Long before Portie won the 2011 HealthOne Colorado Open, a few hours he spent at the International PGA Tour event helped set him on the path toward becoming a professional golfer.

At the end of a weather delay at Castle Pines Golf Club when he was 12 or 13 years old, Portie was sitting behind the practice tee. Out of the blue, Tour player Russ Cochran invited Portie — a lefty like himself — out on to the range to hit a few balls.

“He actually let me hit some of his clubs,” Portie recalled on Tuesday. “I remember hitting a 6-iron and it was the heaviest club that I’d ever swung. He let me hit three balls. After the rain delay I followed him around for the last nine. Most of the people had left, so I got to chit-chat with him for about nine holes. I still remember it to this day. And that’s what kind of (got me thinking), ‘this is what I want to do — play professional golf.'”

And on Tuesday, Portie — along with nine fellow professionals with strong ties to Colorado — had an opportunity to pay it forward. With a few hundred people in attendance — many of them kids — Portie (pictured above) thought he might be doing for some youngster what Cochran did for him way back when.

The International episode “was a little different, but it was kind of similar to this,” he said.

The “this” Portie was referring to was the U.S. Amateur Alumni Day the CGA and CWGA held Tuesday at CommonGround Golf Course as a way of promoting next month’s U.S. Amateur, and getting kids involved in the game. CommonGround will serve as the second stroke-play course for this summer’s Amateur, while Cherry Hills Country Club will be the primary host course for the Aug. 13-19 championship.

A total of about 30 past U.S. Amateur qualifiers from Colorado showed up to participate in the Alumni Day, including Jim English, who competed in the event about five times from 1947 to 1961. English hit a shot on the CommonGround practice tee to start a Skills Challenge in which 10 U.S. Amateur alums competed against one another and put on a show for the kids and adults in attendance.

For the record, Gunner Wiebe won the “Phlop” shot contest (named in honor of Phil Mickelson). Scott Petersen was tops in accurately curving the ball around an obstacle to a designated target (a la Bubba Watson at the Masters). Former Air Force Academy golfer Tom Whitney earned the distance title with a 342-yard drive. And Tom Glissmeyer, who qualified for the U.S. Open as a 16-year-old in 2003, landed the overall title with the best combined score in the three contests.

Besides the “Skills Challenge” per se, there was some trick-shot freelancing by some of the players, including hitting drives off their knees and whacking balls in mid-air. (Charlie Soule is pictured above.)

“To see the guys interacting with all the kids and interacting with each other, and giving each other a little grief when they hit a bad shot, that was fun,” said Wiebe, whose dad, Mark, was in attendance and signed autographs a couple of days after finishing eighth in the U.S. Senior Open. “I have never been to something like this on such a wide scale.” (Mark Wiebe is pictured below signing autographs.)

Combined, the Skills Challenge contestants have won a couple of Colorado Opens, five state high school titles and eight CGA Stroke Play or Match Play championships. They’ve also competed in four U.S. Opens.

At the end of the day, the “alumni” seemed to be having just as much fun as the kids and adults who watched the show.

Besides seeing some skillful demonstrations, the kids received a free lunch and a U.S. Amateur hat for autographs and got an up-close-and-personal look at the U.S. Amateur replica trophy that was on hand.

“Personally I wish we had the opportunity to do this more often,” said Steve Ziegler, a quarterfinalist in the 2009 U.S. Amateur. “This is the kind of thing that inspired all the guys here who are performing to get to the higher levels of golf. Seeing all these kids … it’s a special opportunity. I think it’s wonderful.”

Gunner Wiebe, who like Ziegler grew up honing his skills on the Colorado junior circuit, spoke with CGA executive director Ed Mate six or seven months ago about the possibilities for what eventually became Tuesday’s Alumni Day. And the end result left a big smile on Wiebe’s face.

“I think this is one of the coolest things we could do as part of the CGA, the U.S. Amateur or anything,” said Wiebe, who won a CGA Match Play Championship at CommonGround. “We don’t get enough opportunities to come back and have fun with a bunch of kids who just want to see golf. We might not be Tiger Woods or Phil (Mickelson), but to them we might be more than just your normal everyday (golfer).

“I just wanted to come back and say thanks really more than anything because I think I owe these guys (at the CGA) a lot. And since I don’t have enough money yet to donate back, I can at least donate my time. I wish I could do it more.”

Mate, who came up with many of the ideas that led to the Alumni Day, thinks such events could become mainstays at other venues set to host USGA championships.

“I think this is a perfect model for every state and regional golf association anytime they’re the host association for a USGA championship,” he said. “It makes sense to do an event like this where you invite all your past qualifiers from the event and make sure there’s lots of activities for the kids to keep them entertained.”

The festivities will be held Tuesday, July 17 at CommonGround Golf Course, which will serve as the second stroke-play course for the U.S. Amateur. The CGA and CWGA own and operate CommonGround, which is located at Havana and 1st Ave., in Aurora.

Cherry Hills Country Club will be the host for the U.S. Amateur, with competitors playing one stroke-play round each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround Aug. 13-14 before all of the match-play portion of the event is held at Cherry Hills Aug. 15-19.

The July 17 U.S. Amateur Alumni Day at CommonGround, which runs from noon to 2 p.m., is open to the public, free of charge. Youngsters age 17 and under are especially encouraged to attend. In fact, any adult who brings kids will receive a ticket to the U.S. Amateur.

Free lunches, courtesy of King Soopers, will be given to the kids at noon, and Imperial Headwear will provide them a U.S. Amateur hat and pen for autographs. In addition, the youngsters will be eligible for prize drawings.

The Skills Challenge will begin at 1 p.m., with 10 Coloradans who have competed in the U.S. Amateur demonstrating their golf abilities to those in attendance. Among the players expected to participate are Steve Ziegler, who made it to the quarterfinals of the 2009 U.S. Amateur, and past HealthOne Colorado Open champions Ben Portie and Scott Petersen.

Also planning to be on hand are Tom Glissmeyer, who qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open as a 16-year-old; two-time U.S. Open qualifier Jason Allen; Gunner Wiebe; brothers Zen and Zahkai Brown; former Air Force Academy golf standout Tom Whitney; and one other player to be determined.

Combined, the confirmed participants have won two Colorado Opens, a Web.com Tour event, eight CGA Stroke or Match Play Championships and five state high school titles, and they’ve competed in four U.S. Opens.

All of the attending U.S. Amateur “alumni” from Colorado will be presented Alumni Day commemorative medals, and they’ll be available to sign autographs after the Skills Challenge.
 

In short, they’ve got some serious golf skills.

And the skills of those participating golfers will be on display July 17 when the CGA holds its U.S. Amateur Alumni Day Skills Challenge and related activities at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. CommonGround, which the CGA and CWGA own and operate, will be the second course for the stroke-play portion of this year’s U.S. Amateur. Cherry Hills Country Club is the host club for arguably the world’s top amateur championship, which is set for Aug. 13-19.

The public is invited to attend the July 17 festivities — free of charge — from noon to 2 p.m., and youngsters are especially encouraged to come. In fact, any adult who brings kids will receive a ticket to the U.S. Amateur.

Free lunches, courtesy of King Soopers, will be given to kids (17 and under) at noon, and Imperial Headwear will provide them a U.S. Amateur hat and pen for autographs. In addition, the youngsters will be eligible for prize drawings.

One of the highlights of the day will be a Skills Challenge exhibition put on by Coloradans who have qualified for the U.S. Amateur in years past. Eight golfers who fall into that category have indicated they plan to participate in the Skills Challenge, which begins at 1 p.m. on July 17.

That’s where all of the earlier-mentioned golf credentials come in.

Among those expected to demonstrate their skills is Steve Ziegler (pictured above), who not only qualified for the 2009 U.S. Amateur, but made it to the quarterfinals before losing in 21 holes to the eventual champion. Barring changes to the July 17 lineup, joining him will be players ranging in age from teenager to 40-something: Wyndham Clark, Gunner Wiebe, Scott Petersen, Tom Glissmeyer, Ben Portie, and brothers Zen and Zahkai Brown.

Here’s a brief rundown of some of the top golf accomplishments for each expected participant:

— Wyndham Clark: Won the 2010 CGA Stroke Play Championship at age 16, becoming the youngest winner of that event since 1971. The Oklahoma State-bound golfer also claimed two 4A state high school titles and was recently named the Denver Athletic Club’s male high school student-athlete of the year. He’s qualified for the U.S. Amateur each of the last two years.

— Gunner Wiebe: Won the CGA Match Play title in 2010, the same year he placed second in the HealthOne Colorado Open, the best finish by an amateur in that event since 1997. He was named the CGA’s Player of the Year that season. The son of Champions Tour regular Mark Wiebe, Gunner competed in the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Amateur, making it to match play in 2010.

— Scott Petersen: In 2000, he won both the Colorado Open and the Nationwide Tour’s Inland Empire Open. The year before, he claimed the title in the Canadian PGA Championship. In the early 1990s, Petersen won two CGA Stroke Play Championships and two Division I college tournaments while playing for the University of Colorado. He was medalist in U.S. Amateur qualifying in both 1990 and ’92.

— Tom Glissmeyer: Qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open as a 16-year-old, a year after fellow Coloradan Derek Tolan managed a similar feat. Glissmeyer won two 4A state high school titles and finished third individually at the 2009 NCAA Championships while competing for the University of Southern California.

— Ben Portie: Was the CGA Player of the Year in 2001, a year before qualifying for the U.S. Open. The former University of Colorado golfer won the Colorado Open last summer and the Enstrom’s Rocky Mountain Open in 2010.

— Zen Brown: Won the CGA Match Play title in 2007. The following year, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur along with his brother Zahkai.

— Zahkai Brown: Won the 2011 CGA Stroke Play en route to being named the association’s Player of the Year. The former 5A state high school champion qualified for the 2008 U.S. Amateur at the same site as older brother Zen. He also earned a spot in the 2011 U.S. Am, where he advanced to match play. Brown won two individual college titles while at Colorado State University.

— Steve Ziegler: Had one of the best performances ever by a Coloradan at the U.S. Amateur, making it to the final eight in 2009 before losing on the third extra hole of his quarterfinal match to Byeong-Hun An, who went on to win the national title. Earlier that year, Ziegler won the CGA Match and Stroke Play Championships, becoming the first person to sweep the titles in the same calendar year since 1985. (As you might imagine, he was named CGA Player of the Year in 2009.) The two-time 5A state high school champ also qualified for the 2008 U.S. Amateur.

All of the attending U.S. Amateur “alumni” from Colorado will be presented Alumni Day commemorative medals, and they’ll be available to sign autographs after the Skills Challenge.

To access a PDF of a CGA promotional flier on the U.S. Amateur Alumni Day, CLICK HERE.