On Wednesday evening, the Westminster resident was named to the team that will represent the U.S. in the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup, which for the first time is including a women’s contingent of players.

“It is a great honor to be on the first team that includes women,” Kupcho (pictured) said by email on Thursday morning. “I can’t wait to play overseas and get to know more men’s college golfers as well as play with my teammate from Wake Forest, Emilia (Migliaccio). I can’t wait to represent the USA!”

Kupcho is a junior at Wake Forest in North Carolina, where Palmer played his college golf. The King passed away in September 2016 at age 87.

The Palmer Cup features the best college golfers from the U.S. squaring off against an International squad in a Ryder Cup-style match-play format. This will be the first year that an International team will be competing instead of one just representing Europe.

The 2018 Palmer Cup is set for July 6-8 at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France. The club annually hosts the Evian Championship on the LPGA Tour.

Each squad will feature 24 players — a dozen men and a dozen women. On the U.S. women’s end of things, 11 of those golfers were announced on Wednesday, appropriately at Bay Hill in Orlando, Fla., site of this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour.

There were six automatic picks for the American women and five committee selections. A coach’s pick will be added on May 4.

Kupcho was among the committee selections. As Kupcho noted, also on the U.S. squad — as an automatic pick — is Wake Forest teammate Migliaccio.

Kupcho, currently No. 3 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, was the women’s NCAA individual runner-up last year after leading by two strokes with two holes remaining. In the national individual women’s college rankings this season, Kupcho sits No. 12 according to Golfweek and No. 15 according to Golfstat. So far this season individually, Kupcho has collected a victory, a runner-up and a sixth-place finish among her six tournaments.

The 20-year-old has been a dominant force in Colorado women’s golf for several years and has been making a mark nationally and internationally recently.

Besides finishing second in the Women’s NCAA Championships in 2017, Kupcho qualified for her second straight U.S. Women’s Open, and she went on to finish 21st overall — and second among amateurs — in arguably the most presigious women’s golf tournament in the world.

Kupcho also claimed her first national title as she won the Canadian Women’s Amateur by five strokes. At the U.S. Women’s Amateur, she made the match play round of 64. Collegiately, in the 2017 calendar year Kupcho won two individual titles, including at an NCAA Regional, and she was a finalist for women’s college player of the year.

The Jefferson Academy graduate earned the CWGA highest’s honor — the President’s Award — in 2017 after being named the CWGA Player of the Year for an unprecented three consecutive years (2014-16). She was inducted into the Sportswomen of Colorado’s Hall of Fame last year after being named the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame’s Golf Person of the Year in 2016.

Additionally in 2017, Kupcho won her third consecutive CWGA Stroke Play, this one with a 13-shot victory margin. And at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, she placed second for the second time while competing against a field that included many professionals.

The USGA announced in November that Kupcho was one of a dozen American players invited to a December practice session leading up to the 2018 Curtis Cup, a biennial competition between the top women’s amateurs from the U.S. and Great Britain & Ireland. Kupcho isn’t guaranteed a spot on the eight-person U.S. Curtis Cup squad, but has a leg up toward earning a berth in the matches, which will be played June 8-10 in Scarsdale, N.Y.

Also among the women competing in the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup — but on the International squad — will be Maria Fassi of Mexico and the University of Arkansas, who has qualified several times in Colorado for USGA championships.

The Arnold Palmer Cup was first contested in 1997. It was held at Cherry Hills Country Club south of Denver in 2009, with Coloradan Steve Ziegler competing for the U.S. team.

The Americans lead the all-time series in the Palmer Cup 11-9-1.

Among past Palmer Cup contestants are Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Billy Horschel and Matt Kuchar.

Here are the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup teams:

UNITED STATES
Men
Shintaro Ban, UNLVӬ
Zach Bauchou, Oklahoma State
Brad Dalke, Oklahoma
S.M. Lee, Dalton State
Collin Morikawa, CaliforniaӬ
Chandler Phillips, Texas A&M
Davis Riley, AlabamaӬ
Justin Suh, Southern CaliforniaӬ
Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine
Braden Thornberry, Ole Miss
Matthew Wolff, Oklahoma StateӬ
Coach’s Pick
ҬAnnounced May 4

Women
Jamie Freedman, Nova Southeastern
Mariel Galdiano, UCLA
Kristen Gillman, AlabamaӬ
Dylan Kim, Arkansas
Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest
Andrea Lee, Stanford
ҬEmilia Migliaccio, Wake Forest
Sophia Schubert, TexasӬ
Lauren Stephenson, Alabama
Alana Uriell, Arkansas
Lilia Vu, UCLAӬ
Coach’s Pick
ҬAnnounced May 4

Coaches 
“¨Head Coach — Therese Hession, Ohio State”¨
Head Coach — Ryan Hybl, Oklahoma
“¨Assistant Coach — Ryan Blagg, Baylor”¨
Assistant Coach — Susan Rosenstiel, Alabama

INTERNATIONAL
Men
Harry Hall, UNLV — England
Viktor Hovland, Oklahoma State — Norway”¨
K.K. Limbhasut, Cal — Thailand
Hurly Long, Texas Tech — Germany
Stefano Mazzoli, TCU — Italy”¨
Fredrik Nilehn, Texas Tech — Sweden
“¨Alvaro Ortiz, Arkanasas — Mexico”¨
Jovan Rebula, Auburn — South Africa
“¨Lorenzo Scalise, Tennessee — Italy
Andy Zhang, Florida — China
The R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament Champion
ҬContested April 2-3
Coach’s Pick
ҬAnnounced May 4

Women
Jaravee Boonchant, Duke — Thailand
Maria Fassi, Arkansas — Mexico”¨
Jiwon Jeon, Daytona State — South Korea
Olivia Mehaffey, Arizona State — Northern Ireland”¨
Ainhoa Olarra, South Carolina — Spain”¨
Pimnipa Panthong, Kent State — Thailand
Maddie Szeryk, Texas A&M — Canada
Patty Tavatanakit, UCLA — Thailand”¨
Albane Valenzuela, Stanford — Switzerland
Dewi Weber, Miami — Netherlands”¨
Coach’s Pick
Announced May 4
The R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament ChampionӬ
Contested April 2-3

Coaches
Head Coach — Herb Page, Kent State — Canada”¨
Head Coach — Anne Walker, Stanford — Scotland”¨
Assistant Coach — Jan Dowling, Michigan — Canada”¨
Assistant Coach — Adrien Mork, TCU — France
 

Oraee remembers it well five years after the fact. And why not? It isn’t often that a guy — especially a 15-year-old — wins a tournament by 18 strokes, setting an AJGA victory-margin record in the process.

And no doubt Oraee’s second 64 in competition likewise will make an indelible impression. This time around, the University of Colorado golfer carded a bogey-free 6-under-par 64 in Sunday’s final round of the 78th CGA Stroke Play to win by four at Lakewood Country Club.

“I’ve shot 60 in casual play, but to do it in a tournament is something else,” said the 21-year-old (above and below) from Colorado National Golf Club. “Out here I did it bogey-free, and my goal today was to stay bogey-free no matter how many birdies I made. If I did, I thought I had a good shot at it. I did that, and the rest took care of itself.”

Oraee’s 64 Sunday marked the lowest final round by a CGA Stroke Play champion back through at least the year 2000, before which records are incomplete.

“I figured if I shot 63, I was pretty sure I’d get a win,” said Jimmy Makloski, who started the day two behind Oraee. “Apparently that wasn’t even enough. So it’s not that disappointing.”

With Sunday’s victory, Oraee becomes just the third player since 1990 to complete a career sweep of the CGA Match Play and Stroke Play tournaments.

Oraee won the CGA Match Play last year. He’s the 20th player to claim both the CGA Match Play and Stroke Play titles, but only Pat Grady and Steve Ziegler have done so since 1990. Longtime PGA Tour players Hale Irwin, Steve Jones and Brandt Jobe are among those who accomplished the feat in earlier decades.

“It means a lot” Oraee said. “These are the two top tournaments in Colorado, so to win both in a year’s span is good. I would have loved to win the Match Play this year and have them both in one year. But I had to play pretty solid this whole week. Knowing that you played that solid to win the tournament means a lot.”

A senior-to-be at CU, Oraee finished with a 12-under-par 268 total at Lakewood CC. Makloski, a Colorado State University golfer from Pueblo Country Club, shared second place at 272 with Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course. Makloski — whose dad Ray, the 2012 CGA Senior Match Play champion, caddied for him (left) — closed with a 66 despite bogeying his final two holes Sunday. As for 54-hole leader Nosewicz, he carded a 69 Sunday to go sub-par in each round.

“My goal was to shoot in the 60s all four days and I did that,” said the 30-year-old Nosewicz, who works for his dad, who owns Lenny’s Golf in southeast Aurora. “Other than that, it would have been nice to get my name on the trophy. But there’s a few more years left.”

Steve Irwin, who was attempting to win the title at his home course of Lakewood CC, battled an uncooperative putter on Sunday en route to a 68. Irwin (left) missed four putts inside of 5 feet on Sunday, including two on No. 3, where he three-putted from 3 1/2 feet. But he still shot 2 under for the day, which left him in a tie for fourth place at 273 with former CSU golfer Parker Edens, who posted a final-round 65.

The low round of the tournament (63) was carded on Sunday by former Colorado Christian University golfer Minkyu Jeon, of Raccoon Creek Golf Course, who placed seventh at 276. In all, 10 players finished under par for the tournament.

Makloski held the outright lead briefly on Sunday after getting up and down from a greenside bunker, sinking a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 12. But Oraee took control for good when he reeled off three straight birdies starting on No. 12. He 2-putted for the birdie on 12, pitched to 1 foot for his birdie on 13, and drained a 7-foot putt for complete the trifecta on No. 14. And he added another on No. 16, where he holed a 15-foot putt from the fringe after Nosewicz had chipped in for birdie.

“That was a big putt obviously but I didn’t feel threatened at all going into it,” Oraee said. “I knew if I just played well (on Sunday), I didn’t have to worry about what other people did. I was 6 under through 16, so I really wasn’t too worried about it. If (someone) was going to beat me, that’s fine. I played as well as I could have.”

All told, Oraee was only in significant danger of making a bogey once in Sunday’s final round, and that came on the 260-yard, par-3 first hole. There, he needed to sink a 15-foot putt for his 3.

Certainly Oraee’s playing partners were duly impressed by his performance on Sunday.

“The dude is solid. He’s good,” said Nosewicz (left). “I knew he was good. I got beat by him last year in the Match Play (3 and 2 in the round of 32), so I kind of knew what he was going to bring to the table.”

CGA Stroke Play Championship
At Par-70 Lakewood CC

David Oraee, Colorado National GC, 68-68-68-64–268
Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo CC, 72-65-69-66–272
Nick Nosewicz, Meadow Hills GC, 67-69-67-69–272
Steven Irwin, Lakewood CC, 68-71-66-68–273
Parker Edens, Greeley CC, 69-69-70-65–273
Braden Baer, The Ranch CC, 68-69-69-69–275
Minkyu Jeon, Raccoon Creek GC, 65-76-72-63–276
Jon Lindstrom, Lakewood CC, 73-70-67-68–278
Cameron Harrell, Collindale GC, 70-69-74-66–279
Keith Humerickhouse, Glenwood Springs GC, 69-72-67-71–279
Adam Griffith, Thorncreek GC, 76-70-67-67–280
Grant Rogers, Omni Interlocken GC, 71-67-72-70–280
Tanner Jenson, Ridge at Castle Pines N., 70-68-72-71–281
Jonathan Marsico, Castle Pines GC, 69-72-71-69–281
Chris Korte, Lone Tree GC, 65-72-75-70–282
Jacob Allenback, Walking Stick GC, 66-75-71-70–282
Cole Cunningham, Valley CC, 74-70-68-71–283
Brendan Connolly, Ridge at Castle Pines N., 72-74-68-69–283
Dylan Mitchell, Lakewood CC, 73-73-70-67–283
Christopher Thayer, Bear Creek GC, 70-76-70-67–283
Alex Kephart, Eisenhower GC, 70-72-73-69–284
Steve Connell, Riverdale GC, 70-71-72-71–284
A.J. Morris, River Valley Ranch GC, 71-71-71-71–284
Eric Hallberg, Colorado GC, 71-64-78-72–285
Grant Dinkel, Flatirons GC, 75-71-68-71–285
Danny Riskam, Columbine CC, 70-74-69-73–286
Matt Porter, CommonGround GC, 73-72-70-71–286
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 70-72-70-75–287
Christopher Wilson, Eisenhower GC, 74-68-74-71–287
Cody Kent, CC at Castle Pines, 68-73-75-72–288
Colin Prater, Broadmoor GC, 70-73-72-73–288
Matt Robertson, Foothills GC, 75-71-73-70–289
Matthew Goddard, Ptarmigan CC, 69-77-71-73–290
Drew Vance, Raccoon Creek GC, 72-74-71-75–292
Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, 70-75-73-75–293
Zach Tripp, Foothills GC, 77-70-70-77–294
James Banyas, CommonGround GC, 70-77-72-75–294
Behrod Keshtavar, CJGA Club, 71-75-75-74–295
Ryan Schmitz, Colorado GC, 72-75-76-73–296
Michael McNulty, Fossil Trace GC, 72-73-78-73–296
Ryan Sturm, Buffalo Run GC, 73-74-82-73–302

MISSED 36-HOLE CUT
Thomas Roos, Spring Valley GC, 73-75–148
Harry Johnson, Eagle Ranch GC, 76-72–148
Dylan Wonnacott, Fox Hill CC, 73-75–148
Sean Thomas, Indian Tree GC, 74-74–148
Sam Marley, South Suburban GC, 75-73–148
Josh Gardella, Highlands Ranch GC, 72-77–149
Curt Jenkins, Lakewood CC, 70-79–149
Tyler Steigerwald, Club at Flying Horse, 76-74–150
Tristan Sanders, CommonGround GC, 79-71–150
Nathaniel Goddard, Ptarmigan CC, 74-76–150
Mike Chavez, Applewood GC, 77-73–150
Drew Trujillo, The Bridges, 73-78–151
Michael Passananti, Desert Hawk GC, 76-75–151
Wesley Martin, CommonGround GC, 77-75–152
Sean Kato, Highland Hills GC, 81-71–152
John Luoma, Colorado GC, 75-77–152
Jack Cummings, Omni Interlocken GC, 78-74–152
Jack Adolfson, Colorado National GC, 76-77–153
Jared Bickling, Gypsum Creek GC, 75-78–153
Adam Pladson, Aurora Hills GC, 75-78–153
Ethan Yamada, Omni Interlocken GC, 78-75–153
Will Myer, Denver CC, 77-76–153
Billy Ramsey, Lone Tree GC, 80-74–154
Mitch Shinkle, Lake Arbor GC, 82-72–154
Clayton Crawford, Maroon Creek Club, 77-77–154
Kevin Liao, CJGA Club, 76-78–154
Tristan Rohrbaugh, Ironbridge GC, 79-76–155
Jared Tedesco, Plum Creek G&CC, 76-79–155
James Adam Jones, South Suburban GC, 82-74–156
Trevor McKune, Pinehurst CC, 78-79–157
Brent Modak, City Park GC, 75-82–157
Cameron Berndt, Spring Valley GC, 80-77–157
Matthew Weiss, Highlands Ranch GC, 80-78–158
Hunter Lee, Highlands Ranch GC, 79-79–158
Neil Tillman, Heritage at Westmoor, 81-78–159
Ray Makloski, Pueblo CC, 78-83–161
Adam Thoutt, Legacy Ridge GC, 80-81–161
Brian Kittleson, Eagle Ranch GC, 79-82–161
Chris Jones, CC at Castle Pines, 81-83–164
Chad Gonzalez, Pinery Country Club, 86-78–164
Matt Lazzeri, Lakewood CC, 81-85–166
Lamar Carlile, City Park GC, 78-WD–WD
Jeffrey Gravina, Pinehurst CC, WD

During the next two weeks, 14 “first stage” tournaments will be held around the country, and dreams of plenty of Coloradans — as well as many other top-level golfers — will be on the line.

While PGA Tour cards won’t be handed out until the third and final stage — Nov. 28-Dec. 3 in La Quinta, Calif. — many competitors will lose out on that opportunity by the end of this month.

And the stakes are only compounded by the fact that this will be the final Q-school in which PGA Tour cards will be awarded. Starting next year, the final reward in the qualifying process will be spots on the Web.com Tour.

But even with the PGA Tour door still ajar for Q-school competitors this year, the odds are still heavily stacked against most of the players. After pre-qualifying weeded out many golfers, the first stage will be where most players enter — and exit — the process.

Though the number of golfers who will advance to next month’s second stage hasn’t yet been announced, typically about one out of four Stage I players advance. Then those who do move on will have to survive the second stage to get to the finals, where the top 25 finishers and ties will earn 2013 PGA Tour cards and the other competitors will gain some Web.com Tour status.

PGATour.com hasn’t yet revealed the fields for next week’s first-stage tournaments, but the players who will compete this week (Tuesday through Friday) are set.

A total of 15 golfers with strong Colorado ties will play at one of the six sites being utilized this week. Included are the last three CGA Players of the Year — Zahkai Brown, Gunner Wiebe (pictured) and Steve Ziegler — along with current Web.com Tour player James Love, a former University of Denver golfer.

Also scheduled to compete is 2006 HealthOne Colorado Open champion Dustin White of Pueblo West and Colorado Springs’ Tom Glissmeyer, who qualified for the U.S. Open as a 16-year-old in 2003.

Here are all the local competitors and where they’ll be playing in this week’s first-stage tournaments:

Oct. 16-19 in Lantana, Texas — Nick Hodge of Littleton, James Love of Denver, former CSU golfer Dustin Morris, former Fort Collins resident Drew Stoltz.

Oct. 16-19 in Dayton, Nev. — Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett, Jeff Franks of Highlands Ranch, Darrin Hall of Lakewood, Dustin White of Pueblo West, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora, Steve Ziegler of Westminster.

Oct. 16-19 in Palm Desert, Calif. — Zahkai Brown of Arvada, Tom Glissmeyer of Colorado Springs.

Oct. 16-19 in Madison, Miss. — Former Durango resident Tom Kalinowski, Nick Mason of Denver, Blake Moore of Denver.

Meanwhile, Champions Tour qualifying starts this week. Two regional tournaments are set for this week — Murrieta, Calif., and ChampionsGate, Fla. — and one Oct. 30-Nov. 2 in Montgomery, Texas.

Those who advance will gain berths in the Champions Tour Q-school finals Nov. 13-16 in Coral Springs, Fla.

Among the local players entered in regionals are PGA professional Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale and former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo.
 

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.

The CGA will put some of Colorado’s best — past and present — on display in the weeks leading up to the U.S. Amateur, which is being contested in the state for just the fourth time. Cherry Hills Country Club will host the championship Aug. 13-19, with the CGA/CWGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora serving as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event Aug. 13-14.

As part of the buildup to the U.S. Am, the CGA and CommonGround are planning a “U.S. Amateur Alumni Day Skills Challenge” on July 17. Coloradans who have qualified for the U.S. Amateur in the past will be invited to attend, and some will participate in a skills exhibition and competition. The public is welcome to come to the Challenge — free of charge — from 1 to 2 p.m. on July 17 at CommonGround.

U.S. Amateur Alumni Day, Junior Golf Clinic and Skills Challenge
Schedule of Events

10:00 a.m. to noon – Junior Golf Clinic and Kids Course Activities.

Noon to 1:00 p.m. – Lunch for Junior Golfers (courtesy of King Soopers).

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Skills Challenge (younger qualifiers will show off their skills in long drive, driving for distance and accuracy and other fun challenges).

2:30 p.m. – U.S. Amateur Alumni Medal Ceremony.

2:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Visit with U.S. Amateur Alumni.

“We just wanted to do something unique and show a Colorado connection to the championship,” said CGA executive director Ed Mate. “It’s a way to celebrate the U.S. Amateur in Colorado. I know (competing in a U.S. Am) is a source of pride for a lot of players.”

Colorado has previously hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1959 and ’67 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, and in 1990 at Cherry Hills. Two of the winners those events have produced are among the top players in professional golf history, with Jack Nicklaus prevailing in 1959 and Phil Mickelson in 1990, joining Robert Dickson (1967) among the winners in Colorado.

As you might expect, many Coloradans have competed in the U.S. Amateur since it debuted in 1895, and at least one current Colorado resident — Craig Stadler of Evergreen — captured the title (in 1973), though at the time he was living in California.

In recent years, a Coloradan made it as far as the quarterfinals of the U.S. Am. Steve Ziegler of Broomfield (pictured) advanced to the final eight in 2009, the same year he won both the CGA Match Play and Stroke Play championships. In the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals, Ziegler fell in 21 holes to Byeong-Hun An, who went on to win the title that year.

Ziegler will be among those invited to participate in this summer’s Skills Challenge. But he’s just one of many notable players from Colorado who have competed in the U.S. Amateur.

Just since the 1990 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills, that list includes Kevin Stadler (son of Craig), Steve Irwin (son of Hale), Gunner Wiebe (son of Mark), Derek Tolan, Tom Glissmeyer and current teenage phenom Wyndham Clark. And if you go back a little further, Bill Loeffler — winner of several national championships, including the 1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur — played in some U.S. Ams.

Not surprisingly, almost all of the aforementioned have been CGA Players of the Year at one time or another in their careers.

It’s uncertain how many Coloradans who have competed in the U.S. Amateur will participate in the Skills Challenge on July 17, but it’s good bet they’ll put on a show. Though the format for the event hasn’t been finalized, Mate would like to see a variation of the NBA slam dunk contest, with the contestants showing off their best, then perhaps being rated by a panel of judges.

It should be a good time for U.S. Am alums and spectators alike, and it also will be a nice showcase for CommonGround, a three-year-old public facility designed by Tom Doak.

“Hosting the U.S. Amateur, at least for CommonGround, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mate said. “And we wanted to do something outside of the championship as a way to celebrate the Amateur coming here. We want to make a connection with the tournament and show the longstanding history of Colorado (regarding amateur golf). And it will be great having the ‘alumni’ back and giving kids something they can aspire to.”

As part of the festivities, youngsters will be invited to participate in a junior clinic on the morning of July 17. Then both kids and adults can attend the Skills Challenge.
 

It’s very costly, and the chances for a big payoff are close to nil.

But it’s also the holy grail for golfers who aspire to be top-level playing professionals, so it’s no wonder why the Q-school process for the elite U.S.-based tours lasts for months on end.

This is the time of year when qualifying for those major tours gears up considerably, especially for the PGA and LPGA. The Champions Tour Q-school will get rolling next month. In each case, there’s no shortage of Coloradans involved.

Entry fees will put a dent in the wallet, running from roughly $2,500 to more than $5,000, depending on the tour and where a player starts in the process. And that doesn’t even count potentially thousands in travel and related expenses.

In addition, the odds are stacked heavily against most players, especially those who are forced to go through multiple stages of tournaments. At the end of the day, roughly 25-30 players will earn their 2012 playing privileges for the PGA Tour, with a similar number making the LPGA Tour. A dozen players gain some status on the Champions Tour, though only five are fully exempt.

Nevertheless, hopes are very high at this point, given that it’s early in the process.

Here’s the rundown on the various tours, and which local players are competing in PGA and LPGA Tour qualifying tournaments this month.

PGA TOUR

There are four stages in Q-school, including Pre-Qualifying. In all, there will be 27 qualifying tournaments played — seven in Pre-Qualifying, 13 in First Stage, six in Second Stage, and one in the Final Stage. Pre-Qualifying runs Sept. 13-23, First Stage is Oct. 18-29, Second Stage Nov. 15-19 and Final Stage Nov. 30-Dec. 5. In that final stage, the top 25 finishers and ties earn 2012 PGA Tour cards, with the rest of the players receiving some level of Nationwide Tour status.

No players with major Colorado ties competed in the four Pre-Qualifying tournaments already held, but more than 10 will be involved in the coming week. The list includes the last two CGA Players of the Year, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora (2010, pictured above) and Steve Ziegler of Broomfield (2009). Wiebe has finished second and third in the last two HealthOne Colorado Opens, while Ziegler was sixth this year.

Here’s what’s coming up in PGA Tour Pre-Qualifying, where roughly half the field at each site advances to the First Stage:

— Sept. 21-23 in Dallas — Local participants: former CSU golfer Dustin Morris, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora.

— Sept. 21-23 in Nebraska City — Local participants: former CU golfer Justin Bardgett, Tommy Carpenter of Englewood, Tom Gempel of Parker, Grant Jackson of Aurora, Jonathan Shaver of Parker, Luke Symons of Aurora, Steve Ziegler of Broomfield.

— Sept. 21-23 in Maricopa, Ariz. — Local participants: Riley Arp of Fort Collins, Nicholas Hodge of Littleton.

First Stage sites include Kannapolis, N.C.; Lakeland, Fla.; McKinney, Texas; Dayton, Nev.; Kingwood, Texas; Auburn, Ala.; Pinehurst, N.C.; Lantana, Texas; St. Augustine, Fla.; Hollister, Calif.; Valdosta, Calif.; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and Beaumont, Calif.

Second Stage will be held in Humble, Texas; Brooksville, Fla.; McKinney, Texas; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Murrieta, Calif.; and Plantation, Fla.

This year’s Final Stage is scheduled for La Quinta, Calif.

LPGA TOUR

LPGA Tour qualifying consists of three stages this year, and Futures Tour qualifying is now incorporated, instead of being separate, as in the past. The First Stage was July 26-29, the Second will be Sept. 27-30 in Venice, Fla., and the Final Stage is set for Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The number of 2012 LPGA cards available has yet to be determined, but last year the top 20 finishers in the Final Stage were fully exempt, with the next-best performers earning partial exemptions. The rest of the finishers in the Final Stage will earn some level of Futures Tour status.

Among the players already in the Final Stage is Coloradan Dawn Shockley, who earned her spot by finishing 13th on the 2011 Futures Tour money list. Also expected in the event are former University of Denver golfer Kimberly Kim and part-time Denver resident Alison Whitaker, who have LPGA Tour cards for 2011 but have yet to make a cut.

Here is what’s upcoming in the LPGA Tour qualifying process:

— Second Stage Sept. 27-30 in Venice, Fla. (the top 70 finishers and ties out of a field of about 240 advance to the Final Stage) — Local participants: former DU golfer Ellie Givens (competing as an amateur); Kelly Jacques of Longmont (pictured above); former DU golfer Katie Kempter, who played on the LPGA Tour in 2010; Ashley Tait of Littleton; Kristin Walla of Aspen; and CU golfer Jessica Wallace (competing as an amateur). Jacques, by the way, will be one of the contestants on Golf Channel’s Big Break Ireland. The taped program premieres Tuesday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m. (MT)

— Final Stage Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

As in the past, there will be two stages of Champions Tour qualifying — the regionals and finals. Regional tournaments will be held Oct. 25-28 in Montgomery, Texas, and Oct. 26-29 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Primm, Nev.

The top players will advance to the Final Stage Nov. 15-18 in Scottsdale, Ariz. There, out of a field of 78 contestants, the top five finishers will be fully exempt for 2012, with the next seven conditionally exempt.

As of earlier this month, HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion R.W. Eaks, a Colorado Springs native, was deciding whether to enter the Final Stage, which will be played at his home course in Scottsdale. Eaks has won four times on the Champions Tour.