July 4th was three weeks ago, but there was no lack of fireworks from the threesome that teed off at 12:10 p.m. on Friday for the 50th HealthOne Colorado Open.
On the group’s ninth hole, on his first shot after an 85-minute weather delay, Devin Schreiner of Durango pitched in from 45 feet for eagle on No. 18 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, moving him into a share of the lead at the time.
Then on the threesome’s final hole of the day — the par-5 ninth — amateur Cole Nygren of Longmont, who was paired with Schreiner, pulled off one of golf’s rarest feats. He made an albatross — a double eagle from 296 yards — to instantly assure himself of making the 36-hole cut.
And, mind you, this is the same tournament in which a father and son, paired together, each made a hole-in-one in a practice round on Tuesday. (See below for more on that accomplishment.)
All in all, it’s been quite a last few days at Green Valley Ranch.
Schreiner’s eagle, coming during a 33-hole bogey-free stretch to start the tournament, and a 1-foot birdie on the final hole gave the former Fort Lewis College golfer a two-stroke lead after Friday.
But let’s start with Nygren’s double-eagle, which deservedly earned high-fives from playing partners Schreiner and Nate Stevenson of Steamboat Springs.
“It’s the best shot I’ve ever hit definitely,” said Nygren (pictured above), who plays college golf for Cal Poly. “I’ve had a couple of hole-in-ones, but that tops it. It was pretty unbelievable. I’ve never felt anything like it. Rarely do you make better than a hole-in-one.”
Standing at 4 over par for the tournament and thinking he at least needed a birdie on his final hole to make the cut, Nygren hit his drive on No. 9 as close as possible to the water that runs across the fairway. From there, he pulled out a 3-wood for the 296-yard shot. The ball just carried the front bunker, but Nygren had no idea it was in the hole until he got up to the cup.
“I assumed I would get some applause if it was on the green, so honestly I thought it was in the bunker,” said Nygren, who recently played in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. “Walking up, I didn’t see it on the green and got up a little further and didn’t see it in the bunker. I saw it bounce on the fringe so I knew there was no way it could have been long. I figured I’d walk up and check the cup, and sure enough …”
The stroke Nygren will never forget gave him an even-par 71 Friday, a 1-over 143 total, and vaulted him into 37th place going into the weekend. It’s amazing what playing a hole in 3 under par will do for you.
Meanwhile, playing partner Schreiner continued his stellar play, backing up a first-round 64 with a 5-under-par 66 in the afternoon wind Friday at GVR. That left him at 12-under-par 130, two ahead of second-place Ian Davis of Edmond Okla. (66-66) and six better than the four golfers tied for third place at 6 under par. Among those at that figure are former University of Colorado golfer Luke Symons (67-69) and 2010 champion Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz. (70-66).
“This is the best I’ve played in a long time,” said Schreiner, who qualified for the Open just last week. “Hopefully I can keep it going.”
The highlight of his day came on the par-5 18th, his ninth hole of the day. He was just walking up to his ball, behind the green, when a horn signaled a suspension of play due to lightning in the area. About an hour and a half later, when play resumed, he coaxed his pitch (left) down the hill and into the cup for an eagle.
“That was a good way to come back out of the rain delay for sure,” the 26-year-old said. “That shot was definitely on my mind (during most of the time during the suspension).”
Schreiner went on to add three birdies, offset by just one bogey, on his back nine despite gusty winds.
“Anytime the wind kicks up, it’s definitely harder to score, so I’m really happy with the way I played today,” he said. “I was able to take advantage of some things I probably shouldn’t have been able to take advantage of.
“I feel really good. I know there’s still two days to play — there’s still a lot of work to be done — but I feel pretty confident after what’s happened in the last 48 hours.”
A smattering of players didn’t finish round 2 on Friday because of the weather delay, and they will resume action at 7 a.m. Saturday. But the top players on the leaderboard all completed 36 holes by the end of the day Friday.
Schreiner’s closest pursuer, Davis, is looking for the first paycheck of his young professional career. Davis, who played for NCAA runner-up Oklahoma State, turned pro in late May. Though the former All-American has missed the cut in all three of his tournaments since then, he hasn’t missed a beat this week.
Competing in the Colorado Open for the first time and having played GVR just once before Thursday, Davis has posted consecutive rounds of 66 for a 10-under 132 total.
“I’ve been playing pretty well,” he said. “I’ve been close to playing some really good golf for a while. My goal is to put it in some spots where I can make birdies and see how low I can go. I’ve done pretty well the last two days, and hopefully I can keep it going.”
Indeed, Davis has gone bogey-free for his last 33 holes after starting the tournament bogey-par-double bogey.
Davis is playing this week after getting the thumbs-up on the Colorado Open from Oklahoma State assistant coach Brian Guetz, a two-time Colorado Open champion.
“It’s a great event. They run it awesome,” Davis said.
Aces by Father and Son, Same Group, Same Day: Micah Rudosky, the head professional at Conquistador Golf Club in Cortez, and his son Jakob both missed the cut Friday in the Colorado Open, but they left Green Valley Ranch Golf Club with an indelible memory.
On Tuesday in a practice round at GVR, the Rudoskys defied the odds in a big way by each making a hole-in-one during the same round while playing in the same group.
Jakob Rudosky, who finished fifth in the 4A state high school tournament last fall, struck first, acing the fifth hole with an 8-iron.
Three holes later, it was dad’s turn, as Micah holed out a — you guessed it — 8-iron shot to match his son’s feat.
“When (Jakob’s) went in, it was unbelievable,” Micah said Friday. “Then when I made it — that just doesn’t happen. In your group you might have one, but for both of us to have one — and they were both 8-irons … That’s kind of funny. We’ll never forget it.”
Tolan Makes a 180-Degree Turn: As the winner of two HealthOne Colorado Opens in the last five years, Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch was far from enamored by the 4-over-par 75 he shot in Thursday’s opening round at Green Valley Ranch.
But it wasn’t simply the score that bothered the former University of Colorado golfer.
“My dad (John Tolan, the head professional at South Suburban Family Sports) couldn’t make it out the first two days and said he was going to come on Sunday,” Derek Tolan noted on Friday. “I shot 75 yesterday and I was a little sad knowing that I’d have to have a pretty exceptional round to (make the cut and play on the weekend). But I did it.”
Indeed, and in spectacular fashion. Tolan birdied the first five holes Friday, six of the first seven, and carded nine birdies on the day as he shot a 5-under-par 66 and moved from 96th place to 20th.
Tolan said five consecutive birdies matches his best in competition. Appropriately, he capped his round with a 15-foot birdie on No. 18. His 66 came despite a double bogey (on No. 10) and two bogeys.
“I didn’t have anything close to a birdie (Thursday) besides a two-putt on No. 2 for birdie,” Tolan said. “Having that, then turning around 10 hours later and making nine (birdies) was shocking. It caught me off guard. I was pleased with it. I was also pleased with hanging in there grinding after hitting some poor shots.”
Despite being 11 strokes out of the lead with two days left, Tolan wouldn’t rule out his chances at another title.
“Especially out here, with how quickly things can change,” he said. “I’m going to have to play pretty exceptional, but there’s a lot of room to be made up out here. I’m definitely going to have to play extremely well, but it’s there.”
Notables: Former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and the 1996 Colorado Open champion, struggled again Friday and missed the cut. He shot 78-77 for a 13-over-par 155 total. He managed just one birdie on Friday. … Also missing the 36-hole cut to the low 60 players and ties was defending champion Zahkai Brown of Arvada (75-74–149). … Colorado State University golfer Cameron Harrell leads the amateur competition at the halfway point of the Open. He’s carded rounds of 68-70 for a 4-under-par 138 total, which leaves him one ahead of Jacob Holt of Tooele, Utah. … For Saturday’s third round, the plan is to send players off both the first and 10th tees, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Scores: For all the scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.
