Tyler Bishop had never advanced past the first stage of U.S. Open qualifying. Derek Tolan, on the other hand, played in the 2002 U.S. Open as a 16-year-old, and has already competed in 10 USGA championships. Despite the differences, the two pros had something special in common on Monday.
Both were very impressive in earning medalist honors in separate U.S. Open Local Qualifying tournaments. Bishop, a Longmont resident, used back-to-back eagles to shoot a course-record 8-under-par 63 at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins. And Tolan (pictured), the reigning HealthOne Colorado Open champion, fired a 3-under-par 69 at The Heritage at Westmoor on a day when eight times as many players shot in the 90s (eight) than shot in the 60s (one).
Five competitors from each site earned spots in Sectional Qualifying tournaments, which will complete the field for the 2010 U.S. Open, scheduled for June 17-20 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.
Advancing to Sectionals from Collindale were Bishop, Mike Kitowski of Aurora (68), Jon Levy of Scottsdale, Ariz. (68), Jason Preeo of Highlands Ranch (69) and former Fort Collins resident Drew Stoltz (69). Kitowski, a former Colorado State golfer, was the medalist from the Collindale Local Qualifier last year.
Moving on from The Heritage at Westmoor in Westminster were Tolan (3-under-par 69), fellow former University of Colorado golfers Kane Webber of Aurora (71) and Ben Portie of Westminster (71), Josh Creel of Cheyenne, Wyo. (71) and Arvada resident and former CSU player Zen Brown (71). Portie played in the 2002 U.S. Open.
Most of those who advanced Monday will play in the June 7 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying tournament at Columbine Country Club in Littleton. That’s one of 15 Sectionals scheduled worldwide.
Bishop, winner of the 2009 Nebraska Open, eagled the par-5 sixth hole at Collindale Monday by draining a 15-foot putt. Then he added one on the par-4 seventh by driving the ball 15 yards short of the green and chipping in from 30 yards. The back-to-back eagles — a first for Bishop — left him 6 under par through seven holes and he went on to set the course record by one stroke.
“My goal since I started playing was to get a course record,” Bishop said. “But it’s a dream come true to do it in U.S. Open qualifying. It makes it doubly sweet.”
Meanwhile, Tolan, fresh off playing in the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open last week, finished strong on Monday to win the Heritage at Westmoor qualifier by two strokes. The Centennial resident birdied four of his last eight holes and sank four straight putts of at least 6 feet during that stretch to clinch a spot in the Sectionals.
“The greens were the fastest I’ve played on in over a year — by far,” Tolan said. “I’ve played here between 50 and 75 times, but (the conditions Monday were such that) it felt like I had never played here before.”
In a throwback to the 2008 CGA Match Play final, Tolan was paired with former CU teammate Luke Symons, which didn’t hurt.
“I was really excited when I saw the pairing,” Tolan said. “He’s one of my favorite people. It’s nice when you play with someone and you’re truly rooting for one another.” Symons, the 2008 CGA Match Play champion, shot a 73 on Monday, but will put tournament golf on hold for several months as he undergoes hip surgery for the second time in a year (different hips).
Tolan plans to play in a U.S. Open Sectional in Memphis rather than in Colorado, and he’s confident he can make his first return trip to the U.S. Open since 2002.
“I have a deep, deep belief that if I play well I’ll get in — but I have to play well,” the 24-year-old said.
Even though it’s been eight years since Tolan competed in the U.S. Open at Bethpage as a 16-year-old, that experience is still brought to his attention almost daily.
“It’s weird; I’ve talked about it almost every single day since then,” he said. “Someone will ask me about it. It was kind of a surreal situation. It almost felt like a dream — like how you only pick up a few things from a dream.”
Monday marked the second and third U.S. Open Local Qualifying tournaments held in Colorado this year. On May 10 at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo, five other players advanced to Sectionals: Tom Glissmeyer of Colorado Springs, David Jackson of Scottsdale, Ariz., Dustin White of Pueblo West, Charles Rider of Centennial and Pete Severson of Pueblo.
U.S. OPEN LOCAL QUALIFYING RESULTS
At Par-72 The Heritage at Westmoor GC in Westminster (click to view scorecards)
Advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying
Derek Tolan, Centennial, Colo., 33-36–69
Joshua Creel, Cheyenne, Wyo., 33-38–71
Zenon Brown, Arvada, Colo., 35-36–71
Ben Portie, Westminster, Colo., 35-36–71
Kane Webber, Aurora, Colo., 35-36–71
Alternates (In Order)
Michael Baird, Castle Rock, Colo., 35-37–72
Geoffrey Keffer, Lakewood, Colo., 36-36–72
Failed to Qualify
Luke Symons, Aurora, Colo., 35-38–73
Dustin Mills, Arvada, Colo., 35-38–73
Kenny Coakley, Bluffton, S.C., 37-37–74
Bill Loeffler, Castle Rock, Colo., 37-37–74
Derek Eley, Westminster, Colo., 38-36–74
Barry Milstead, Centennial, Colo., 36-38–74
Zachary Ray, Carbondale, Colo., 34-40–74
Jeff Franks, Steamboat Springs, Colo., 39-35–74
Greg Johnson, Lakewood, Colo., 35-39–74
Matthew Brunk, Fort Collins, Colo., 35-40–75
James Grady, Broomfield, Colo., 36-39–75
Bryan Kruse, Westminster, Colo., 38-37–75
Drew Trujillo, Montrose, Colo., 38-37–75
Collin Covault, Bagdad, Ariz., 36-39–75
Michael Love, Castle Rock, Colo., 37-38–75
Justin Bardgett, Boulder, Colo., 36-39–75
Dan Sniffin, Castle Rock, Colo., 38-38–76
Brennan Dolan, Boulder, Colo., 35-41–76
Robert Quaratino, Commerce City, Colo., 38-38–76
Christopher Johnson, Castle Rock, Colo., 38-38–76
Kevin Bolles, Louisville, Colo., 38-38–76
Rob Hunt, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 37-39–76
John Ahern, Morrison, Colo., 40-37–77
Scott Huelskamp, Englewood, Colo., 38-39–77
Michael Schoolcraft, Englewood, Colo., 38-39–77
Zane Zwemke, Aurora, Colo., 36-41–77
Charles Soule, Denver, Colo., 38-40–78
Chad Bell, Parker, Colo., 35-43–78
Tim Wohlgemuth, Denver, Colo., 38-40–78
Jonathon Widmer, Boulder, Colo., 38-40–78
Derek Fribbs, Castle Rock, Colo., 35-43–78
Mike Troyer, Boulder, Colo., 40-38–78
David Lindquist, Castle Rock, Colo., 38-40–78
Branden Walters, Montrose, Colo., 39-40–79
Jason Coffin, Denver, Colo., 36-43–79
Bradley Neher, Englewood, Colo., 37-42–79
Daniel O’Shaughnessy, Aurora, Colo., 40-39–79
Erik Billinger, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 39-40–79
Jeremy Berbert, Westminster, Colo., 41-38–79
Dustin Irby, Lakewood, Colo., 38-41–79
Tom Gempel, Parker, Colo., 37-42–79
Brian Larson, Longmont, Colo., 36-43–79
Clint Miller, Englewood, Colo., 41-39–80
Jonathan Marsico, Denver, Colo., 39-41–80
Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield, Colo., 35-45–80
Chase Cooper, Guymon, Okla., 39-42–81
Tim Fitzgerald, Lone Tree, Colo., 36-45–81
Grant Jackson, Aurora, Colo., 39-42–81
Dean Sessions, Westminster, Colo., 40-42–82
Steven Irwin, Golden, Colo., 42-40–82
Thomas Steiner, Scottsdale, Ariz., 40-42–82
Ryan Bent, Evergreen, Colo., 43-39–82
Tristen Fay, Denver, Colo., 40-42–82
Brad Delman, Eagle, Colo., 40-42–82
Chad Seibert, Golden, Colo., 39-44–83
Gabriel Alcala, Carbondale, Colo., 38-46–84
Kenneth Forward, Superior, Colo., 43-43–86
Jonathan Shaver, Parker, Colo., 47-39–86
David McDuffee, Westminster, Colo., 42-44–86
Dan Keyghobad, Aurora, Colo., 44-42–86
David Strawbridge, Centennial, Colo., 42-45–87
Will Panella, Commerce City, Colo., 41-46–87
Wladimir Colmenares, Aurora, Colo., 45-43–88
Bryan Pieper, Louisvillle, Colo., 39-49–88
Jay-Jay Botha, Englewood, Colo., 43-45–88
Sean Moffat, Fayetteville, N.C., 43-45–88
Brian Mooney, Westminster, Colo., 42-48–90
Adam Vasilakis, Colorado Springs, Colo., 43-47–90
Cory Thelen, Castle Rock, Colo., 44-46–90
Scott Schultz, Denver, Colo., 41-49–90
Michael Ford, Longmont, Colo., 48-42–90
Craig Dunning, Littleton, Colo., 41-49–90
Bernie Blan, Delta, Colo., 40-51–91
Brian Carlson, Westminster, Colo., 47-47–94
Jason Davis, Centennial, Colo., NC
Ryan Cancino, Denver, Colo., NS
Seth Kaplan, Denver, Colo., WD
———————————————
At Par-71 Collindale GC in Fort Collins (click to view scorecards)
Advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying
Tyler Bishop, Longmont, Colo., 31-32–63
Mike Kitowski, Aurora, Colo., 38-30–68
Jon Levy, Scottsdale, Ariz., 35-33–68
Drew Stoltz, Scottsdale, Ariz., 34-35–69
Jason Preeo, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 35-34–69
Alternates (In Order)
Bryce Hanstad, Alexandria, Minn., 35-35–70
Braxton Marquez, Scottsdale, Ariz., 36-34–70
Failed to Qualify
Mike Northern, Colorado Springs, Colo., 34-36–70
Troy Anderson, Paradise Valley, Ariz., 34-36–70
Brett Dean, Arvada, Colo., 37-34–71
Richard Lash, Dillon, Colo., 36-35–71
Andrew Moore, Loveland, Colo., 36-35–71
Ryan Anderson, Boulder, Colo., 36-35–71
Michael Tilghman, Castle Rock, Colo., 38-34–72
Zahkai Brown, Arvada, Colo., 38-34–72
Nolan Martin, Colorado Springs, Colo., 39-33–72
Stewart Dodson, Amarillo, Texas, 37-35–72
Michael Larson, Longmont, Colo., 40-32–72
Patrick Kent, Tukwila, Wash., 36-36–72
Douglas Wherry, Lakewood, Colo., 36-36–72
Kory Harrell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 37-36–73
Andrew Connell, Denver, Colo., 34-39–73
Bryan Hackenberg, Thornton, Colo., 37-36–73
Austin Blake, Fort Morgan, Colo., 39-34–73
Nicholas Tarasiewicz, Colorado Springs, Colo., 40-33–73
Kyle Danford, Fort Collins, Colo., 36-37–73
Aaron Johnson, Laramie, Wyo., 39-34–73
Jesse Wheeler, Castle Rock, Colo., 36-37–73
Riley Arp, Fort Collins, Colo., 36-37–73
Shane Wahbeh, Aurora, Colo., 39-35–74
Nick Hodge, Littleton, Colo., 43-31–74
Justin Spray, Colorado Springs, Colo., 41-33–74
James Kurtenbach, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 37-37–74
Kaleb Mahanes, Erie, Colo., 36-38–74
Don Hurter, Sedalia, Colo., 40-34–74
Klinton Krieger, Cheyenne, Wyo., 39-36–75
Alexander Gutesha, Greenwood Village, Colo., 39-36–75
Derrick Whiting, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 39-36–75
Vince Buelk, Fort Collins, Colo., 38-37–75
Ben Weatherly, Melbourne Vic, 37-38–75
Branson Real, Wray, Colo., 38-37–75
Carson Henry, Commerce City, Colo., 39-37–76
Rick Cole, Eaton, Colo., 38-38–76
Mitch Gilchrist, Lone Tree, Colo., 39-37–76
Ryan Peterson, Eagan, Minn., 37-39–76
Riley O’Neill, Colorado Springs, Colo., 38-38–76
Tray Shehee, Mead, Colo., 39-37–76
Charles Chon, Aurora, Colo., 40-37–77
Patrik Jaerbyn, Edwards, Colo., 40-37–77
Sean Riley, Cambridge, Neb., 43-34–77
Doug Rohrbaugh, Carbondale, Colo., 39-39–78
Chris Shaw, Fort Collins, Colo., 38-40–78
Zachary Tripp, Littleton, Colo., 41-37–78
Dale Smigelsky, Fort Collins, Colo., 42-36–78
Mikal Timm, Fort Collins, Colo., 38-41–79
Grant Wozencroft, Littleton, Colo., 42-37–79
Ramon Habel, Colorado Springs, Colo., 38-41–79
Ben Lyons, Centennial, Colo., 38-41–79
Scott Sommers, Longmont, Colo., 41-38–79
Danny Armstrong, Steamboat Springs, Colo., 40-40–80
Patrick Manning, Denver, Colo., 43-37–80
Brad Hettinger, Aurora, Colo., 47-33–80
Greg Eby, Vail, Colo., 41-39–80
Sean Gouran, Broomfield, Colo., 38-43–81
Peter Norwood, Cheyenne, Wyo., 39-42–81
Jackson Giro, Fort Collins, Colo., 41-40–81
Lamar Carlile, Denver, Colo., 42-39–81
Scott Sellers, Squamish, BC, 43-38–81
Rick Shovald, Salida, Colo., 43-39–82
Neil Metz, Boulder, Colo., 43-39–82
David Erickson, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 41-43–84
Blake Mitchell, Loveland, Colo., 47-37–84
Gus Lundquist, Parker, Colo., 43-42–85
Audie Dean, Centennial, Colo., 44-41–85
Ricky Rathjen, Durango, Colo., 47-38–85
Wesley Castle, Centennial, Colo., 47-43–90
Matt Keeler, Dillon, Colo., NC
Joseph Schwark, Westminster, Colo., WD
Marc Biagiotti, Greenwood Village, Colo., WD
Sean McNamara, Monte Sereno, Calif., WD
