Bert Welz was a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year in the early 1990s, but he said Tuesday with a laugh, “I’ve taken up fly-fishing anymore. It’s a lot easier.”
David Gross is a full-time University of Colorado professor who had to teach a mid-afternoon seminar in Boulder on Tuesday.
But work commitments and joking aside, neither Gross nor Welz wanted to miss the chance to play in the first CGA Senior Challenge, a tournament for golfers 70 and older in which almost all the competitors walked and many carried their own bags.
“I’ve been saying, I thought I was one of the better players in my 50s, and also in my 60s,” Welz said. “Now I’m 74. Where is the tournament for the 70-year-old guys? And sure enough, they must have heard me because here it is.”
Said Gross, who finished his final round in time to make it back to Boulder for his Tuesday seminar: “I think (the Senior Challenge) is wonderful. As you get to 70 — which is what I am — it gets harder and harder to keep up with the young guys. Even 50 year olds are young. So it’s great for us.”
And it was especially great for Dave Lawson of The Courses at Hyland Hills. The 72-year-old shot his age Monday — for the first time in competition and the second time overall — then won the Senior Challenge by one stroke on Tuesday at CommonGround Golf Course.
The Westminster resident shot an 8-over-par 79 in the final round, but his 9-over 151 total was good for a one-stroke victory over Welz, a four-time winner of the CGA Senior Match Play who closed with a 76 on Tuesday. John McCutchan of Fossil Trace Golf Club (79-153) placed third.
“I love it. It’s great,” Lawson said of the victory. “There are some good players out here. I was just fortunate to have a good couple of rounds.”
John Carroll of the Golf Club at Bear Dance claimed the net division title by two strokes, finishing at 5-under-par 137. (Carroll is pictured at right along with Lawson.)
A total of 36 players participated in the Senior Challenge, a number considerably larger than most tournament officials expected.
“I was hoping we’d get three or four foursomes, and we got 36 players, which is great,” said John Golden, who came up with the idea for the tournament. “I’m really excited with the turnout we had.”
It’s a testament to the pilot tournament’s success that it’s expected to become an official CGA championship next year — though probably not in exactly the same form it took this fall.
“We were shocked at the number of players,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “This proves we have the numbers to support (a separate event).”
Though the CGA will have to finalize plans for future years, Mate said the most likely scenario is that a super-senior stroke play championship will be created that includes players 60 and older, with a 70-and-older competition included in it. Like the Senior Challenge, the super-senior tournament would be held at CommonGround Golf Course — which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA — at roughly this time of year.
Mate believes it’s possible such a tournament could draw a field of as many as 84 players.
This year, almost everyone in the 70-and-older tournament walked, with many carrying their clubs (pictured at left) and many others using push carts.
“The enthusiasm is there,” Golden said of the tournament. “I think everybody enjoyed it, and it’s a great venue. This course, you could walk it all day long.”
Lawson regularly walks when playing golf. And though his Tuesday round wasn’t nearly as good as Monday’s, he was solid enough down the stretch to turn back Welz and McCutchan. All three players were tied for the lead after nine holes on Tuesday, but with five holes left Lawson had gone ahead for good. Not even a double bogey on No. 16 changed that.
CGA Senior Challenge
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
GROSS DIVISION
Dave Lawson, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 72-79–151
Bert Welz, Bookcliff CC, 76-76–152
John McCutchan, Fossil Trace GC, 74-79–153
Richard Langston, Broken Tee Englewood, 78-77–155
Jerry Olsen, Ptarmigan CC, 75-80–155
Carl Ethal, Dos Rios CC, 76-79–155
Larry Voris, Twin Peaks GC, 79-78–157
David Gross, Flatirons GC, 75-82–157
John South, Fox Hill CC, 78-80–158
John Golden, Bear Creek GC, 78-82–160
Allen Phelon, South Suburban GC, 82-79–161
Bill Holmes, Boulder CC, 82-80–162
Dick Schmaltz, Walking Stick GC, 83-80–163
John Carroll, GC at Bear Dance, 82-81–163
Gary Cowan, Broadmoor GC, 77-86–163
Charles E Bolden, Aurora Hills GC, 79-86–165
Whitey Powers, Spring Valley GC, 83-82–165
Matt Quinn, Estes Park GC, 84-82–166
Richard Sage, Ridge at Castle Pines North, 82-85–167
Richard A Johnson, Aurora Hills GC, 81-88–169
Armando A Torres, CommonGround GC, 90-81–171
Dave Shaub, Desert Hawk GC, 84-88–172
David Brougham, Fox Hollow GC, 82-91–173
Jim Rodgers, Indian Tree GC, 86-87–173
John Rinderknecht, Cherry Creek CC, 82-91–173
Jon Burnett, Aspen GC, 92-85–177
Jim C Mcveigh, Patty Jewett GC, 89-88–177
Gail Godbey, Garden of the Gods Club, 92-94–186
John Walters, Plum Creek G & CC, 96-93–189
Joe Biddle, Indian Tree GC, 90-100–190
Charles Wilson, Fox Hollow GC, 99-96–195
Isaiah Knott, Black Canyon GC, 96-103–199
Dean Wolford, Tiara Rado GC, 101-103–204
Walter Epting, Aurora Hills Golf Club, 106-99–205
Bill Bogdanoff, South Suburban GC, 82-NC
NET DIVISION
John Carroll, GC at Bear Dance, 69-68–137
Dave Lawson, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 66-73–139
Jim C Mcveigh, Patty Jewett GC, 70-69–139
Bert Welz, Bookcliff CC, 70-70–140
Charles E Bolden, Aurora Hills GC, 67-74–141
Larry Voris, Twin Peaks GC, 71-70–141
Carl Ethal, Dos Rios CC, 69-72–141
Whitey Powers, Spring Valley GC, 71-70–141
Armando A Torres, CommonGround GC, 76-67–143
Dick Schmaltz, Walking Stick GC, 73-70–143
Richard Langston, Broken Tee Englewood, 73-72–145
John McCutchan, Fossil Trace GC, 70-75–145
John South, Fox Hill CC, 72-74–146
Jerry Olsen, Ptarmigan CC, 71-76–147
David Gross, Flatirons GC, 70-77–147
Isaiah Knott, Black Canyon GC, 71-78–149
Matt Quinn, Estes Park GC, 76-74–150
John Golden, Bear Creek GC, 74-78–152
Allen Phelon, South Suburban GC, 78-75–153
Jim Rodgers, Indian Tree GC, 76-77–153
Bill Holmes, Boulder CC, 78-76–154
Richard A Johnson, Aurora Hills GC, 74-81–155
John Rinderknecht, Cherry Creek CC, 73-82–155
Gail Godbey, Garden of the Gods Club, 77-79–156
Gary Cowan, Broadmoor GC, 74-83–157
John Walters, Plum Creek G & CC, 80-77–157
Dave Shaub, Desert Hawk GC, 77-81–158
Dean Wolford, Tiara Rado GC, 78-80–158
David Brougham, Fox Hollow GC, 75-84–159
Jon Burnett, Aspen GC, 83-76–159
Charles Wilson, Fox Hollow GC, 81-78–159
Joe Biddle, Indian Tree GC, 76-86–162
Walter Epting, Aurora Hills Golf Club, 85-78–163
Richard Sage, Ridge at Castle Pines North, 80-83–163
Bill Bogdanoff, South Suburban GC, 78-NC
