But two-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Kaye, a part-time resident of Boulder, was a notable exception. The 1996 Colorado Open champion, who finished second last year, shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 and shares third place after day 1 of the $250,000 tournament.
Bryan Fox of Roswell, Ga., and Trevor Murphy of Saint Johnsbury, Vt., both of whom had to qualify to get in the championship, fired 6-under-par 66s to share the lead on Thursday. Murphy, like Kaye, didn’t have a bogey on his card, while Fox recorded seven birdies and one bogey.
With lightning causing a two-hour delay on Thursday, some players didn’t complete round 1 and will do so early Friday morning.
Kaye, who will turn 47 on Aug. 2, was part of a 10-way tie at 67. The next-best Coloradans after day 1 were Steven Kupcho of Westminster, a former CGA Player of the Year and the older brother of local women’s golf sensation Jennifer Kupcho; and amateurs Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village and Colorado State University; and Jack Cummings of Arvada. All three posted first-round 68s and are tied for 13th place.
Staiano and Cummings share the low-amateur lead with three rounds remaining.
The field will be cut to the low 60 playes and ties after Friday’s second round.
The winner — or low professional — on Sunday will receive $100,000.
For all the scores from GVR, CLICK HERE.
With the year drawing to a close, it’s time to play one final 18. In this case, we’ll run down the top 18 Colorado golf stories of 2012, then throw in some honorable-mention selections at the end.
And just for the sake of a little suspense, we’ll start with the 18th-biggest story.
18. Woodard Inducted into National Black Golf Hall of Fame, Voted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: 2012 was a big year for longtime Coloradan Tom Woodard, now the director of golf for the Foothills Park & Recreation District. In March, he was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame, then in October he was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, along with fellow Colorado PGA professional Alan Abrams and Jimmy Vickers. COLORADO GOLF HALL OF FAME FULL STORY, NATIONAL BLACK GOLF HALL OF FAME FULL STORY
17. Tourney Routs by Eaton, Humerickhouse: There were a couple of lopsided state tournament victories that went beyond the norm. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton prevailed by 16 shots in the CWGA Senior Stroke Play at the course on which she grew up, Greeley Country Club. STORY And in winning his third straight CGA Mid-Amateur, Keith Humerickhouse was a dozen shots ahead of the runner-up, marking the biggest margin in the event since 1991. STORY Then Humerickhouse put an exclamation mark on the year by proposing to his girlfriend in the midst of his acceptance speech for the CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year award.
16. A Lucky Seven Straight for Kent Denver: Kent Denver, coached by Bob Austin, set a Colorado record by winning its seventh consecutive state high school boys team championship, this time in Class 3A. STORY
15. Bertsch, Jacques, Huffer ‘Open’ the Door: Three Coloradans qualified for the top USGA championship for their respective gender. Shane Bertsch of Parker earned a U.S. Open berth for the first time since 1998. STORY And Becca Huffer and Kelly Jacques made it through qualifying at the Broadmoor to punch their tickets to their first U.S. Women’s Open. STORY Then in December, Jacques joined former University of Denver golfer Stephanie Sherlock in earning LPGA Tour status in 2013. STORY
14. Jones Joining Nicholson in Colorado Sports Hall of Fame: Former USGA president Will Nicholson Jr., was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in April. STORY And after being voted in in October, 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, a former University of Colorado golfer, will follow suit in the spring of 2013. STORY
13. Ringsby Hits the National Stage: Calli Ringsby of Cherry Hills Village had a memorable 2012 tournament season. She swept both the CWGA Junior Stroke Play STORY and Junior Match Play titles. Then she was one of just four American girls selected to compete in the USA-China Youth Golf Match. STORY
12. Lee Adds Still More Variety to Her Accomplishments: With a nine-shot victory in the CWGA Stroke Play, Somin Lee became just the second player in history to win the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, Junior Match Play, Stroke Play and Match Play. Lee joined Wendy Werley as the only golfers to capture all four of those titles during their careers. STORY
11. Colorado PGA Keeps its Streak Going: For the sixth and seventh time in six years, the Colorado PGA earned national awards from the PGA of America. Dale Smigelsky, the director of golf at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins, was named PGA Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities, while George Kahrhoff, head professional at The Country Club at Castle Pines in Castle Rock, earned the Merchandiser award for private facilities. STORY The Colorado PGA also was among the national leaders in the “Get Golf Ready” initiative in which PGA and LPGA professionals teach people everything they’ll need to know to play golf with confidence — in five lessons, usually for $99 total. The idea is to bring new and former golfers into the game as seamlessly as possible in a no-pressure environment.
10. Tolan Doubles Up in Colorado Open: Coloradan Derek Tolan won his second HealthOne Colorado Open in the last four years, this time rallying after trailing by four strokes with six holes to play. STORY
9. Bermel Departs CSU After 13 Years: After 13 successful years at the helm of the Colorado State University men’s team, Jamie Bermel resigned to take the same job at the University of Kansas. Bermel’s teams went to the NCAA regional tournament in 12 of his 13 years, and in 2011 the Rams earned a berth in the NCAA Finals for just the second time in program history. Overall, the Rams won 18 multi-team tournaments in Bermel’s tenure, including two conference titles. Former national assistant coach of the year Christian Newton succeeded Bermel at CSU. STORY
8. Near Miss in College Finale for Knous: Colorado School of Mines golfer Jim Knous finished up his college career with a flourish. After leading most of the final round of the NCAA Division II national finals, Knous finished second, losing in a playoff. STORY
7. Mallon, Neumann Will Lead the Way at Colorado Golf Club: The leadership of the competing teams for the 2013 Solheim Cup matches that will be played at Colorado Golf Club in Parker was set early this year. Meg Mallon, winner of 18 LPGA Tour events in her career, will captain the U.S. squad, while 1988 U.S. Women’s Open champion Liselotte Neumann will be her European counterpart. STORY
6. CU Women Score NCAA Breakthrough in Colorado: An NCAA women’s regional golf tournament was held in Colorado for the first time, and the University of Colorado took advantage of its host role at Colorado National by advancing to the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history. STORY
5. Kupcho Rallies from 9 Down in Final Round to Win CGA Stroke Play: After starting the final round nine strokes out of the lead and in 16th place, Steven Kupcho posted one of the biggest final-round rallies ever by a winner of the CGA Stroke Play. His final-round 66 at Fort Collins Country Club gave him the title as a 19-year-old. STORY
4. Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy Debuts: The CGA and CWGA launched a unique initiative to promote the use of caddies and foster candidates for the Evans Caddie Scholarship at the University of Colorado. The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course — which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA — provides a powerful incentive to use caddies by paying all of their base fees. The program’s mission is to use caddying and the game of golf to help kids learn how to succeed in life. STORY
3. Stacy Gains Spots in World Golf Hall of Fame: Part-time Colorado resident Hollis Stacy earned one of golf’s biggest honors by being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Stacy, who lives in Lakewood during the summer, won 18 times on the LPGA Tour, but particularly excelled in USGA events. She won three U.S. Women’s Opens and three U.S. Girls’ Juniors. STORY
2. Austin Departing Powerful USGA Executive Committee: Not many women preceded Coloradan Christie Austin as a member of the USGA Executive Committee, one of golf’s most powerful governing bodies. But after six years in that role, Austin will be stepping down in February. STORY
1. U.S. Amateur a Hit in Colorado: The U.S. Amateur was held in Colorado for just the fourth time, with Cherry Hills hosting and CommonGround being the second stroke-play course. The week started with Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 major championships and two U.S. Amateurs, playing the role of spectator as son Gary competed. It continued with two players with strong Colorado ties — Michael Schoolcraft and Justin Spray — qualifying for match play. And it ended with largely unheralded and 63rd-seeded Tennesseean Steven Fox winning a final in 37 holes after being 2 down with two holes left. Fox (pictured above with his dad Alan) was the the highest-seeded player to win the U.S. Amateur since the USGA began the seeding process in 1985. About 4,500 fans attended the final day, one of the largest totals in recent U.S. Amateurs. STORY
Honorable Mention: Former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin followed the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in receiving the Nicholson Award given for a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Later in the year, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program was launched, with the initiative designed to nurture the budding careers of exceptional young golfers in the state. … After Ray Makloski won the CGA Senior Match Play in May, son Jimmy claimed a CGA title of his own (the Junior Stroke Play) in June. Later in the year, University of Denver golfer Andy Yang qualified for the U.S. Amateur shortly after sister Jennifer advanced to the U.S. Women’s Amateur. … Former college hockey standout David Delich won the CGA Senior Stroke Play the week after placing second in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, which marked the best finish by an amateur in that event since 1999. … Despite dozens and dozens of entrants both years, Lone Tree Golf Club repeated as champion in the season-long CGA Team InterClub Championship. … Nicole Zhang made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur after qualifying for the event in Colorado. … At age 14, Jordan Sahm of Centennial qualified for U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. … Cherry Creek’s Mackenzie Cohen, who shot 93 in the first round of the 5A state tourney in 2011, posted a score 26 strokes better in the final round of this year’s meet en route to an improbable victory. … Six-time CGA Player of the Year Rick DeWitt, who had never before competed in an event on the PGA, Champions or Web.com Tours, qualified for the U.S. Senior Open.
Zen Brown eagled the second hole and was 5 under par through 6 on Saturday, which helped kick Zahkai into gear.
“I saw my brother — he was 5 under for the day — and I thought ‘Jeez, I better start playing better,'” said Zahkai (pictured).
The result was the younger Brown making nine birdies Saturday and matching the course record with an 8-under-par 63 that lifted him to a three-stroke lead. Only a three-putt par on No. 18 kept the rookie professional from owning the GVR course record outright.
“That 63 is a hell of a round,” said Canadian Tour player Joel Dahmen, Brown’s closest pursuer. “That’s a lot of good golf. That’s impressive stuff. The greens were firmer today, they were faster, the pins were more tucked. Given that, I think the 63 was quite the round.”
Brown, just two months into his professional career after playing golf for Colorado State University, stands at 13-under-par 200 going into Sunday’s final 18. Only one player is closer than five strokes to the Arvadan: Dahmen, a Clarkston, Wash., resident who carded a 69 Saturday and holds down second place at 203.
Four players share third, five strokes back of Brown: amateur Steven Kupcho of Westminster, the second-round leader (72 Saturday); 2009 Open champion Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch (71); Dustin Pimm of Sandy, Utah (69) and Eric Meierdierks of Wilmette, Ill. (68).
Brown’s 63 matches his personal best in a tournament. He rolled in a 25-foot birdie on No. 4 and a 20-footer on No. 9, but most of the putts he drained were from much closer.
“That’s a great round of golf, even in perfect conditions,” Tolan said. “Bottom line, that’s phenomenal.”
Said Brown, the 2011 CGA Player of the Year: “I just wanted to play as best I could and stay patient. I’ve been playing well coming into here. I love the event, the course is good and I just stayed patient and the putts kept going in.
“You’ve got a lot of golf left, but hopefully the putts will go in (Sunday) like they did today and it should work out.”
But Dahmen, who has been in contention a lot this year on the Gateway and Canadian Tours, won’t concede anything yet.
“Three back isn’t very much on this golf course,” he said. “I gave up five shots in three holes (on Friday) and I’ve made some eagles, so three shots isn’t a lot. That can evaporate out here real quick.”
But it all depends on how Brown performs Sunday, especially early in the round.
“He has a chance to run away and hide,” Dahmen said. “With three shots — if he goes out and shoots 66, that makes me have to go out and shoot 63, which is almost impossible on a Sunday. He definitely has it in his hands right now, but a bogey early kind of changes everything.”
On Saturday, Tolan held the lead after nine holes, having made three birdies. But bogeys on 10 and 11 and a double on 16, where he had to hit a shot left-handed from a bunker, changed things in a hurry, particularly with Brown’s run.
“Basically my game just felt like crap today,” the 26-year-old from Highlands Ranch said. “Nothing was very solid. The back nine here is really pretty tough. You can make some birdies if you’re hitting it all right, but if you’re hitting it both ways like I was it’s pretty hard to score, and it caught up with me.”
Meanwhile, Kupcho was 2 under par for the day after a chip-in birdie on No. 10, but he bogeyed four of the next five holes to drop back.
“I just lost my patience is all it came down to,” the 19-year-old said. “I was hitting greens, hitting great shots, just not making the birdie putts. That kind of wore on me. I’m getting there with the patience, but it snapped. I’m kicking myself now, but what are you going to do?”
While Kupcho still has an outside chance at the overall title on Sunday, he leads the competition for low amateur by four strokes over Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village.
Notable: Because of concerns about the weather, final-round tee times on Sunday will run from 7 to 9:01 a.m. off both tees. The lead threesome — Brown, Dahman and Meierdierks — will go off at 9:01 a.m. on No. 1. … Amateur Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood remains in the top 25 at 210 despite incurring a two-stroke penalty for showing up late for his tee time Saturday. With the extra strokes, he shot a 72 in the third round. … Three players in one group had stellar back nines on Saturday, with James Drew of Las Vegas posting a 29, Michael Baird of Castle Rock a 31 and Schovee a 32. Drew ended up with a 65, Baird a 68 and Schovee a 69. … Two players were penalized one stroke for slow play Saturday: Tony Aguilar of Arvada (75) and Geoff Keffer of Lakewood (71). … R.W. Eaks, winner of four Champions Tour events, fired a 66 Saturday to move into the top 25 with a 3-under-par 210 total. … The Open’s low pro finisher will receive $23,000 on Sunday.
For scores, CLICK HERE.
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Colorado Open: All the Essentials
What: 48th annual HealthOne Colorado Open.
When: Thursday through Sunday (July 26-29).
Where: Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).
Prize Money: $125,000, with $23,000 going to the low professional.
Field Size: 156 players, with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes.
Defending Champion: Ben Portie.
Other Former Champions in Original Field: Nathan Lashley (2010), Derek Tolan (2009), John Douma (2007), Dustin White (2006), Wil Collins (2005), Scott Petersen (2000), Mike Zaremba (1995), Jim Blair (1983 and 1987).
Attendance: Free.
In a tournament that yielded 10 rounds of 65 or better — including a course-record 63 — it wasn’t surprising that a final-day score in the mid-60s was needed to earn the championship trophy.
University of Wyoming golfer Eric Parish played red-hot golf in triple-digit heat on Sunday to win the CGA Public Links Championship at Highland Meadows Golf Course in Windsor.
Parish (pictured at left), a CGA member from Laramie, Wyo., shot a 6-under-par 65 in the final round to capture the title by two strokes.
Parish’s 13-under-par 200 total is believed to tie for the second-lowest in CGA Public Links history, behind only Derek Tolan’s 199 in 2008 at Fox Hollow Golf Course.
“It was a good round, especially coming on the last day,” Parish said of the 65, which matched the low tournament score of his life. “I putted pretty awesome. I probably hit the ball better the first day, but I putted great today.”
Indeed, the left-hander needed only 23 putts on Sunday in rallying from a three-stroke deficit.
The fourth-year junior-to-be on the Wyoming golf team finished two shots ahead of runners-up Steven Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course (69 Sunday) and David Schroeder of the Broadmoor Golf Club (65). Schroeder also placed second in the CGA Stroke Play Championship last year.
Paul Erdman of Colorado National Golf Club (67 for a 204 total) finished fourth on Sunday.
Parish carded seven birdies in the final round, but it took three of them in a four-hole stretch from holes 14-17 to go ahead for good. A stellar approach shot on the par-4 14th set him up for a 4-foot birdie, then he two-putted from 40 feet for another on the par-5 15th, and he rolled in a 15-footer on 17.
After that, a routine par on No. 18 was enough for a comfortable win.
“I didn’t expect (the winning score) to be 13 under,” said Kupcho (pictured at left), the 2011 CGA Junior Stroke Play champion. “I didn’t see anybody coming in at 6 under (for the day). I figured 5 under was about the best they’d do, but you’ve got to hand it to them. That’s a great round, and better than what I thought would happen.”
Kupcho, Schroeder and Parish were all neck-and-neck before Parish went on his late-round tear.
“On the 15th hole, “I said to Matt (Parish’s caddie and brother), ‘I wish there was a leaderboard.’ He said, ‘Well, I kind of have an idea (of how things stood).’ Right then and there, I figured I had the lead by one. I ended up making birdies on 14, 15 and 17. I had a rough start to the back nine, so it was good to get some birdies coming in.”
Kupcho, a sophomore-to-be on the University of Northern Colorado golf team, paid the price for an uncooperative putter. He missed three putts inside of 4 feet on Sunday and six of that length for the week.
“You make half of those and you win it,” he said. “That’s disappointing, but I’ve been working on it the last six months and it’s getting better.
“It’s tough to lose (the tournament), but you have to look on the bright side. I hit the ball about as good as I’ve hit it in about six months.”
Schroeder, meanwhile, played holes 5 through 15 in 6 under par on Sunday, but making up five strokes in the final round proved too much.
As for Parish (pictured at left), a lifelong Wyoming resident who played most of his junior golf in Colorado, it was a victory he won’t soon forget.
“It’s been a while since I’ve won a good tournament,” he said. “In high school I won a lot, but it’s been tough since then. I’ve been playing good the last year or so, so this feels good.
“This is my biggest win for sure. I played really well. It’s hard to say it’s the best I’ve ever played but it’s definitely right up there.”
CGA Public Links Championship
At Par-71 Highland Meadows GC in Windsor
Eric Parish, CommonGround GC, 67-68-65–200
Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC, 65-68-69–202
David Schroeder II, Broadmoor GC, 68-69-65–202
Paul Erdman, Colorado National GC, 68-69-67–204
Cameron Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 70-68-67–205
Steve Connell, Riverdale GC, 65-71-69–205
Kirby Pettitt, Harmony Club, 66-69-70–205
Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon GC, 64-68-74–206
Kory Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 63-72-71–206
Andy Moore, The Olde Course at Loveland, 72-70-64–206
David Oraee, Highland Hills GC, 67-69-70–206
Ben Krueger, Pine Creek GC, 73-68-66–207
Matt Porter, CommonGround GC, 71-64-72–207
Jordan Burgess, Highland Hills GC, 73-70-65–208
Andy Yang, Highlands Ranch GC, 70-72-66–208
Chun-Ji Kim, Highlands Ranch GC, 65-71-72–208
Sean Thomas, Indian Tree GC, 68-71-70–209
Bryan Kruse, Heritage at Westmoor, 68-75-67–210
Jeff Slupe, Pelican Lakes G & CC, 72-69-69–210
Ben Lyons, South Suburban GC, 72-67-72–211
Neil Metz, Flatirons GC, 75-66-70–211
Curtis Garver, Conquistador GC, 71-71-69–211
Jon Lindstrom, Heritage at Westmoor, 74-69-69–212
Stu Allen, Fox Hollow GC, 71-72-70–213
Jonathan Park, Walking Stick GC, 67-74-72–213
Brian Richmeier, Meadow Hills GC, 68-72-73–213
Thomas Roos, Spring Valley GC, 69-70-74–213
Brad Rowe, Ute Creek GC, 70-68-75–213
Nick Tarasiewicz, Patty Jewett GC, 74-71-68–213
Derek Fribbs, Colorado National GC, 74-72-68–214
Tristan Sanders, CommonGround GC, 72-71-71–214
Tyler Winslow, Lake Valley GC, 71-71-73–215
Grant Suggs, Collindale GC, 69-76-70–215
Lanny Cameron, Mariana Butte GC, 73-71-71–215
Blake Basham, Lone Tree GC, 73-71-72–216
Adam Pladson, Aurora Hills GC, 69-77-71–217
Steve Kass, CommonGround GC, 76-70-72–218
Robert Bedan, Wellshire GC, 74-71-74–219
Matt Goodson, Colorado National GC, 76-70-73–219
Clint Miller, Meadow Hills GC, 72-73-75–220
Travis Fore, Highland Meadows Golf Course, 70-70-80–220
Taylor Stamp, Broadmoor GC, 70-76-75–221
Chris Shaw, Collindale GC, 68-77-77–222
Robert Burke, Twin Peaks GC, 72-72-WD
FAILED TO QUALIFY
James Kurtenbach, South Suburban GC, 75-72–147
Casey Knuepfer, Tiara Rado GC, 70-77–147
Lamar Carlile, City Park GC, 73-74–147
Mitch Shinkle, Lake Arbor GC, 73-74–147
Christopher Wilson, Eisenhower GC, 75-72–147
Nick Berry, The Meadows GC, 73-74–147
Cameron Freeman, Collindale GC, 73-74–147
Shane Unfred, Highland Meadows GC, 72-76–148
Danny Hahn, CommonGround GC, 80-69–149
Spencer Stern, Vail GC, 77-72–149
Jeff Berthiaume, Southridge GC, 76-73–149
Zachary Coe, Eagle Ranch GC, 74-75–149
Christopher Good, Lone Tree GC, 78-71–149
Pete Perry, South Suburban GC, 73-77–150
Nicholas Reisch, Thorncreek GC, 76-74–150
Wes Martin, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 74-76–150
Michael Glaesel, Indian Tree GC, 79-71–150
Grant Wozencroft, Highlands Ranch GC, 72-78–150
Wes Adkins, Highland Meadows GC, 72-79–151
Adam Thoutt, Legacy Ridge GC, 72-79–151
Pat Bucci, West Woods GC, 76-77–153
Wlad Colmenares, Legacy Ridge Golf Course, 80-73–153
Eli Schoenbeck, Desert Hawk GC, 75-79–154
Kyle Thurman, Broadlands GC, 77-78–155
Casey Hannen, CommonGround GC, 75-80–155
Levi Fladebo, CommonGround GC, 75-81–156
Grant Javernick, Meadow Hills GC, 74-82–156
Chris Weinstein, Green Valley Ranch GC, 77-79–156
James Pullin, The Olde Course at Loveland, 79-78–157
Stephen Hemphill, Plum Creek G & CC, 80-77–157
Keyven Gibson, Indian Tree GC, 80-78–158
Kent Wilmes, Aurora Hills GC, 76-82–158
Dan Deppen, Broadlands GC, 77-82–159
Aaron Irving, Fox Hollow GC, 79-81–160
Kyle Beard, Meadow Hills GC, 79-82–161
Michael Davis, Meadow Hills GC, 83-81–164
Peyton Lindbloom, Thorncreek Golf Club, 80-85–165
Nathan Johnson, Fort Collins CC, 76-DQ
Andy Dannewitz, Meadow Hills GC, 77-WD