Through the first 19 holes of the event, he was 9 over par and looked like he was heading home after the two rounds of stroke play in his third U.S. Senior Am.

But three straight birdies and two more late in the round led to a 1-under-par 71 on Sunday, getting him into the top 64 that made match play.

Sullivan, the 2018 CGA Western Chapter senior champion, parlayed that into victories in the round of 64 (1 up) and the round of 32 (3 and 2). But he met up with co-medalist Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, Calif., in Tuesday afternoon’s round of 16, and Sullivan’s run came to an end, 2 and 1. (Thursday update: Wilson went on to win the Senior Am title.)

Wilson, the low amateur in this summer’s U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, trailed early but led throughout the back nine. After the match was all square through eight holes, he won the ninth and 12th with pars to go 2 up. Sullivan won the 13th with a birdie and the 16th with a par, with Wilson prevailing on No. 14 with a birdie. That left Sullivan 1 down through 16. But Wilson closed out the match with a birdie on 17 while Sullivan made a bogey.

Sullivan finished 3 over par for the 17 holes of the match, while Wilson was 2 over.

In the morning round of 32, Sullivan defeated Jeff New of Scottdale, Ariz., 3 and 2.

Sullivan, who started off with a birdie, never trailed in the match. After being 1 up through 10, he won 11 and 12 with pars and parred out for the victory. He was 3 over par for the 16 holes.

Also in the round of 32, stroke-play co-medalist Greg Condon of the southern Colorado town of Monte Vista was upset 2 and 1 by 33rd-seeded Buzz Fly of Memphis, Tenn.

Condon, competing in this national championship for the second time, never led in the match, though he squared it up with a winning par on 9. But Fly, a former PGA Tour player who advanced to the semifinals of this event in 2013, won Nos. 11 and 13 with pars to go 2 up and the players halved the next four holes to close things out.

Condon, who made the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links six years ago, finished 1 over par for the 17 holes.

Here were the results for the Coloradans competing this week in the U.S. Senior Amateur:

TUESDAY’S MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 16
Jeff Wilson, Fairfield, Calif., def. Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction, 2 and 1

TUESDAY’S MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 32
Buzz Fly, Memphis, Tenn., def. Greg Condon, Monte Vista, 2 and 1
Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction, def. Jeff New, Scottsdale, Ariz., 3 and 2

MONDAY’S MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 64
Greg Condon, Monte Vista, def. Kirk Wright, Oklahoma City, 4 and 3
Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction, def. Louis Brown, Marietta, Ga., 1 up

STROKE PLAY
Advance to Match Play
T1. Greg Condon, Monte Vista 67-72–139
41. Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction 80-71–151
Failed to Advance to Match Play
93. Guy Mertz, Longmont 80-76–156

For all the results from the championship, CLICK HERE.
 

Stroke-play co-medalist Greg Condon from the southern Colorado town of Monte Vista and Scott Sullivan (left) of Grand Junction scored victories Monday in the match play round of 64 at Eugene Country Club in Oregon.

Condon, who qualified for the Senior Amateur in Sandia Park, N.M., defeated Kirk Wright of Oklahoma City, 4 and 3. And the 47th-seeded Sullivan won the 18th hole with a par to beat 18th seed Louis Brown of Marietta, Ga., 1 up.

Condon, competing in this national championship for the second time, lost the first hole with a bogey but led most of the day. He won four holes in a six-hole stretch starting on No. 4 to go 3 up after nine, then closed out the match with a birdie on No. 15. Condon finished 1 over par for 15 holes.

“Today, I was a little off,” Condon told the USGA. “I didn’t play very well. I would mess up and he would mess up. That’s how it went. I hit a couple good shots when I needed to. Sometimes, match play goes that way.”

Condon will face former PGA Tour player Buzz Fly of Memphis, Tenn., in the round of 32, one of two match play rounds scheduled for Tuesday. Fly went to the semifinals of the U.S. Senior Amateur in 2013.

Sullivan played in a match in which neither player was ever more than 1 up. Brown held that 1-up lead through 14, but Sullivan won Nos. 15 and 18 with pars to pull out the victory. Sullivan, who made one birdie on Monday, was 4 over par for the round.

In Tuesday’s round of 32, Sullivan will meet Jeff New of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Here are the results for the Coloradans competing this week in the U.S. Senior Amateur:

MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 64
Greg Condon, Monte Vista, def. Kirk Wright, Oklahoma City, 4 and 3
Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction, def. Louis Brown, Marietta, Ga., 1 up

STROKE PLAY
Advance to Match Play
T1. Greg Condon, Monte Vista 67-72–139
41. Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction 80-71–151
Failed to Advance to Match Play
93. Guy Mertz, Longmont 80-76–156

For all the results from the championship, CLICK HERE.
 

Greg Condon of Monte Vista in southern Colorado shared stroke-play medalist honors Sunday in the U.S. Senior Amateur, while Scott Sullivan of Grand Junction shot a 1-under-par 71 in round 2 to join Condon in advancing to match play in Eugene, Ore.

The top 64 players in stroke play over the weekend earned spots in match play, which starts on Monday.

Condon, 56, who made the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links six years ago, posted rounds of 67-72 for a 5-under-par 139 total. That tied for low in stroke play at Eugene Country Club with Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, Calif. But that’s not necessarily a good omen as the medalist hasn’t won the U.S. Senior Amateur since 1987, according to the USGA.

Condon (left in a USGA photo, and below), who’s competing in his second U.S. Senior Am, made two birdies and two bogeys in Sunday’s second round.

Meanwhile, Sullivan was in 116th place after shooting 80 on Saturday. His second-round 71, giving him a 7-over 151 total, vaulted him up to 41st place. Sullivan chalked up five birdies to go with four bogeys on day 2.

Guy Mertz of Longmont also played better on Sunday, but it wasn’t good enough to make match play. In his second straight Senior Am, he went 80-76 for a 156 total, good for 93rd place.

Here are the scores by the Coloradans competing this week in the U.S. Senior Amateur:

ADVANCE TO MATCH PLAY
T1. Greg Condon, Monte Vista 67-72–139
41. Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction 80-71–151
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO MATCH PLAY
93. Guy Mertz, Longmont 80-76–156

For all the results from the championship, CLICK HERE.
 

Condon bogeyed his second hole and was 1 over par through four holes. But he made six birdies and no bogeys from then on, and birdied three of his last four.

Condon (left in a Sun Country Amateur Golf Association photo) is two ahead of a trio of players going into Sunday’s final round of stroke play, after which the top 64 players will advance to match play, which starts on Monday.

The other two Coloradans in the field struggled on Saturday and will need to rally on Sunday to make match play.

Guy Mertz of Longmont, competing in this event for the second straight year, opened with an 8-over-par 80, which leaves him in 116th place. Mertz made one birdie, five bogeys and two double bogeys on Saturday.

Scott Sullivan of Grand Junction match Mertz’s 80 after a day that included one birdies, seven bogeys and a double bogey.

Here are the scores by the Coloradans competing this week in the U.S. Senior Amateur:

1. Greg Condon, Monte Vista 67
116. Guy Mertz, Longmont 80
116. Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction 80

For all the results from the championship, CLICK HERE.
 

Fifty-five players will be in the field, with the top three finishers earning spots in the Senior Am, which will be contested Aug. 25-30 at Eugene Country Club in Oregon.

Of those 55, almost one-fifth have competed in the U.S. Senior Am just in the last five years.

The list includes Wyoming resident John Hornbeck, the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play champion who has played in three U.S. Senior Amateurs, going to the quarterfinals in 2016. Also, there’s three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk (round of 64 in 2017), Guy Mertz (2017), Robin Bradbury (round of 64 in 2016), Gary Albrecht (2016), Jim Reynolds (2016), Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore (2015), Thomas Roos (2015), and David Delich and Harry Johnson (both 2013 and ’14).

Also competing on Tuesday are Steve Ivan, winner of the 2017 CGA Senior Amateur and runner-up in the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play; Charlie Post, who played in the 2017 U.S. Senior Open; 2015 CGA Senior Amateur winner Bill Fowler; 2014 CGA Senior Match Play champ Tom Musselman and Sean Forey.

For Tuesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

In Monday’s round-of-64 matches at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, both Robert Polk of Parker and Greg Condon of Monte Vista saw their runs at the championship end.

John McClure of Los Angeles, a quarterfinalist in this event last year, beat Polk, a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year, 4 and 3. And Claud Cooper of Birmingham, Ala., who competed in this year’s U.S. Senior Open, defeated Condon, 6 and 4.

McClure birdied the first two holes to go 2 up on Polk, but the Coloradan squared things by winning No. 3 with a par and No. 4 with a birdie. Starting on No. 6, McClure won five of eight holes to take control of the match. McClure was even par through 15 holes. Polk, who made it into the Senior Amateur field after originally being an alternate, was 4 over.

Meanwhile, Cooper took a 6-up lead through eight holes on Monday, going 3 under par in that stretch. Cooper ended up 2 under through 14 holes, while Condon finished 4 over.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed at the U.S. Senior Amateur:

MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 64
John McClure of Los Angeles, def. Robert Polk of Parker, 4 and 3
Claud Cooper of Birmingham, Ala., def. Greg Condon of Monte Vista, 6 and 4

STROKE PLAY
ADVANCE TO MATCH PLAY
30. Robert Polk of Parker 77-71–148
49. Greg Condon of Monte Vista 73-78–151
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO MATCH PLAY
125. Guy Mertz of Longmont 81-79–160

For all the scores from the Senior Am, CLICK HERE.

The 62-year-old Parker resident, who made it into the field when fellow Coloradan John Olive withdrew last weekend, posted a sub-par round on Sunday to make match play at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.

Polk (pictured), a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year, fired a 1-under-par 71, giving him a 4-over 148 total for stroke play, good for a share of 30th place out of the field of 156. He made one 2 and four 3s in the first 11 holes on Sunday, finishing with four birdies and three bogeys.

The top 64 finishers in stroke play — which ended on Sunday — will advance to match play, which begins on Monday.

Two of the three Coloradans in the field will be in that match play bracket as Greg Condon of Monte Vista finished 49th in stroke play at 7-over 151. He carded a 78 on Sunday after a 73 on Saturday, avoiding a playoff for the final match play berths by one shot.

David Brown of Ligonier, Pa., landed medalist honors on Sunday with a 6-under-par 138 total after rounds of 68-70.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans competing at the U.S. Senior Amateur:

ADVANCE TO MATCH PLAY
30. Robert Polk of Parker 77-71–148
49. Greg Condon of Monte Vista 73-78–151
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO MATCH PLAY
125. Guy Mertz of Longmont 81-79–160

For all the scores from the Senior Am, CLICK HERE.

Condon (pictured) made one birdie and two bogeys and trails co-leaders Matthew Sughrue of Arlington, Va., and David Brown of Ligonier, Pa., by five with one round left in the stroke-play portion of the championship.

The top 64 finishers in stroke play after 36 holes will advance to match play, which begins on Monday.

As for the other two Coloradans competing, Robert Polk of Parker, who made it into the field after being an alternate, opened with a 5-over 77 and shares 67th place. The three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year carded one birdie and six bogeys on Saturday. And Guy Mertz of Longmont, who lived in Minnesota for the first 26 years of his life, posted an 81, which leaves him tied for 126th place. Mertz didn’t make a birdie on Saturday, carding seven bogeys and a double bogey.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans competing this weekend at the U.S. Senior Amateur:

17. Greg Condon of Monte Vista 73
67. Robert Polk of Parker 77
126. Guy Mertz of Longmont 81

For all the scores from the Senior Am, CLICK HERE.

Twice after finishing as first alternate in qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur, Polk has gotten into the national field by virtue of Olive withdrawing ahead of time.

It happened in 2011, and a repeat scenario has played out this summer, which means that Polk will tee it up in the national championship starting Saturday (Aug. 26) at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.

“(Olive) had some other stuff come up that he had to take care of,” Polk (pictured) said Wednesday after finishing third in the CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play at Buffalo Run Golf Course in Commerce City. “He called me Friday afternoon and said, ‘Do you want to play?’ I said, ‘Of course, I’d love to.’ He called the USGA and it was all set Friday afternoon.”

Ironically, it was a playoff against Olive that kept Polk from being in the national field in the first place. In a July 24 qualifier at Colorado Springs Country Club, the two were part of a three-golfer playoff to determine the final two national berths from the site. Guy Mertz from Longmont advanced with a par on the first extra hole.

But Polk’s drive on the second playoff hole finished stymied behind a tree in the rough rough and he took an unplayable-lie penalty. Olive finished with a regulation par on the hole to land the final national berth.

But after Olive’s WD, Polk is heading to Minneapolis after all.

“It’s wonderful,” said Polk, a 62-year-old from Colorado Golf Club Parker and a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year. “I’ve always said, ‘This is why you do it.’ The USGA is the pinnacle for us. You just want to see what you’ve got against the best in the country. That’s always fun.”

It will be the fifth USGA championship overall for Polk, who has also competed in a U.S. Senior Open, a U.S. Mid-Amateur, and a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with Bill Fowler.
 

Sixty-three players, all 55 and older, will be competing for three national berths into the Senior Amateur, set for Aug. 26-31 at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.

Gary Albrecht of CommonGround Golf Course and Robin Bradbury of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, both 2016 U.S. Senior Am qualifiers, will be in the field in Colorado Springs.

Other qualifiers in Colorado from recent years — David Delich (2013 and ’14), Harry Johnson (2013 and ’14), Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Kent Moore (2015) and John Olive (2012), Thomas Roos (2015), Ted Warner (2013) and Kelly Crone (2012).

Also scheduled to play on Monday are three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk and other former CGA senior champions Tom Musselman, Guy Mertz and Ken Sady.