In a variation on the theme of a current TV program, the CGA would like to show people that “Colorado’s got talent” when it comes to the golfers it produces.
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.
