The last U.S. Amateur held in Colorado featured some of the greatest golfers of the last two decades.
Among those who competed in the 1990 Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club were champion Phil Mickelson, who’s gone on to win 40 PGA Tour events, including four majors, Jim Furyk (16 Tour wins, one major), David Duval (13 Tour wins, one major) and Justin Leonard (12 Tour wins, one major).
As the U.S. Amateur returns to Cherry Hills next week (Aug. 13-19) — with the Tom Doak-designed CommonGround Golf Course being the second site for stroke play Aug. 13-14 — it’s a good bet that several future stars of the game will be competing.
The 312-man field features 13 of the top 14 players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, including No. 1 Chris Williams, winner of the recent Western Amateur; No. 2 Hideki Matsuyama, low amateur in the 2011 Masters; and No. 3 Jordan Spieth, the top amateur in this year’s U.S. Open and a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion.
Among the other prominent players entered are Beau Hossler, the 17-year-old who led the U.S. Open during round 2; college player of the year Justin Thomas; and NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters. There’s even a son of arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus’ second-youngest, Gary.
“This is my favorite event of the year actually,” Hossler said after playing a practice round Saturday at CommonGround with Thomas, Derek Ernst and Parker Edens of Greeley. “I’m looking forward to this week, that’s for sure.”
(Hossler, the youngest player to make the cut at a U.S. Open since World World II, is pictured above at left with Spieth at CommonGround on Saturday.)
Thomas, who will be a sophomore at the University of Alabama, thinks the Amateur is the ideal way to end the summer season before returning to college golf.
“This is the coolest event of the year; I love it,” he said. “It just has a lot different feel than any of the other events. Not that we don’t try really hard at each event, but I think this one gets our attention just a little bit more. Especially this time of year, we’re trying to cap off a summer.”
Also competing next week will be nine players with strong Colorado ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Edens, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, and University of Denver golfer Andy Yang.
This will mark the ninth USGA championship held at Cherry Hills, and the second U.S. Amateur, which is the oldest USGA championship.
“I loved the golf course; I thought it was spectacular,” Mickelson recently told USGA.org. “I think that there is so much history there from (Arnold) Palmer driving the green on 1, to (Ben) Hogan backing up his wedge (into the water) on 17 (both in the 1960 U.S. Open that Palmer won). There’s been so much history that took place there that you can’t help but feel it. I’m glad that they’re having a big tournament there again. I think it’s great for the Amateur to return there.”
Cherry Hills will play at 7,409 yards and to a par-71 for the Amateur. That’s almost 300 yards longer than in 1990. CommonGround will be set at 7,378 yards, playing to a par-70.
Asked what he thought of CommonGround, which is only three years old, Hossler said, “It was good. I really like it actually. The greens are really good and firm and pretty fast, so it will be nice. You have to definitely drive it well because of the fescue and everything off the fairway. It’s a good track. This is definitely a challenge, especially if it gets windy like it did today.”
Nicklaus knows that CommonGround’s main defense is its green complexes.
“It’s interesting,” he said. “There’s a lot of room off the tee, and then there’s a lot of funkiness to the greens. Golf begins when you get to these greens.”
As for Cherry Hills, thick rough — from 3 inches to 4-5 inches — will keep many free-swinging players in check. And green speeds in the 11-11.5 range on the Stimpmeter also will put players to the test.
The Palmer tee at the par-4 first hole — where Arnold Palmer drove the first green in the final round en route to rallying to win the 1960 U.S. Open — will be utilized for the majority of match play, according to the USGA.
Tickets for the U.S. Amateur are available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket runs $17.50, with a weekly package costing $85. Kids 17 and under will be admitted free with a ticketed adult.
Unlike in many professional tour events, few gallery ropes are used at the U.S. Amateur.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 13 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
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Other U.S. Amateur-Related Stories on COgolf.org:
Yang Joins Sister as USGA Qualifier. DU golfer advances to U.S. Amateur along with Axlund, Chapman.
Kids and Pros Alike Have a Blast. U.S. Amateur Alumni Day at CommonGround draws a few hundred fans.
CGA, CWGA Gear Up for U.S. Amateur. With CommonGround as Companion Course, associations expand role.
CommonGround Impresses USGA Executive Director. Five tees were added for U.S. Amateur.
