Denver residents Jonathan Marsico, Tom Hart and Ben Sherlund are fortunate enough to have played at historic Winged Foot Golf Club, which only whet their appetite all the more to earn a return trip.
Kyle Danford, David Johnson and Zach Fowlds haven’t had the pleasure, but they’ve certainly heard and seen enough to eagerly await what’s in store in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
And if Winged Foot is good enough to have hosted five U.S. Opens, two U.S. Women’s Opens and two U.S. Amateurs, that’s a pretty good indication it isn’t just your run of the mill track.
All six of the Coloradans assured themselves of the treat of competing at Winged Foot thanks to their performances Monday at a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball qualifying tournament held at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen. The 2016 Four-Ball is set for May 21-25 at Winged Foot.
“It’s everything you’ve read about,” Marsico, the 2008 CGA Stroke Play champion, said of Winged Foot. “We had a great experience on the golf course. It’s a great club with great people.”
Indeed, Marsico and Hart were stroke-play medalists at Winged Foot in 2011 at the Anderson Memorial, a prominent amateur four-ball tournament the club hosts yearly. And the fact that the two lost in the first round of match play didn’t diminish the experience any.
Sherlund likewise has played Winged Food, and won’t soon forget it.
“It means a lot” to qualify to play there, he said. “I think Winged Foot is probably my favorite golf club in America. I’ve always wanted to play in a USGA event. I grew up in New Jersey (home of the USGA). I love that place (Winged Foot) with its history. It’s just an incredible golf club.”
Added Danford: “Winged Foot is one of the courses that shaped the game.”
On Monday — a day when no team finished better than 2 under par at formidable Hiwan — three Colorado twosomes qualified for the second U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship: Marsico and Hart; Danford and Johnson, both of Fort Collins; and teammates Fowlds of Lone Tree and Sherlund. (Those who advanced are pictured above, from left: Fowlds, Sherlund, Johnson, Danford, Marsico and Hart.)
The three twosomes shared medalist honors by shooting 2-under-par 68 at Hiwan, the home of the Colorado Open from 1964-91. To put the scores into perspective, the three teams which qualified in Colorado last year for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball posted rounds of either 7 under par or 6 under at Colorado Golf Club, which has hosted the 2010 Senior PGA Championship and the 2013 Solheim Cup.
It will be the third USGA championship for Danford (two U.S. Amateurs) and Marsico (2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur and USGA Men’s State Team), the second for Hart (2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur) and the first for Johnson, Sherlund and Fowlds.
“It means everything” to qualify for a USGA championship, said the 45-year-old Johnson, like Danford a member at Fort Collins Country Club. “I’m getting up there in age. I got to thinking my first USGA event might be a senior thing.”
And while this won’t be the first rodeo for Hart and Marsico, they relish another opportunity to compete on a big stage.
“Going to represent Colorado is a big deal,” said Hart, who won the 2009 Trans-Mississippi Four-Ball with John Elway at Cherry Hills Country Club. “We were talking today about how good the history of Colorado golf is. Traveling with the Colorado guys is a lot of fun.”
Added Marsico (left): “Anytime you can qualify for a USGA event, especially the second annual USGA Four-Ball, it’s special.”
On Monday, when birdies weren’t very easy to come by, Danford and Johnson played their last seven holes in 4 under par after making a double bogey on No. 11.
“It didn’t look like people were going to be making a lot of birdies, and bogeys and doubles were in play pretty easily with where the pin placements were,” Danford reported.
As for Marsico and Hart, they birdied three of their last five holes and Hart got up and down for par from a precarious position over the green on their final hole.
“Tough pins and firms greens; you just couldn’t get the ball close,” Marsico said. “Not only couldn’t you hit it close, you had a lot of long lag putts and you had a whole lot of 4- and 5-footers for par. Even hitting good shots in there you couldn’t get it close. It was just a challenge.”
Meanwhile, Sherlund drained a 30-foot downhill birdie putt on his 17th hole for the third “2” on the team’s scorecard. Earlier in the day, he holed a 50-foot downhill birdie putt.
“We played two practice rounds,” noted Fowlds, a former Regis Jesuit High School golfer. “It helped a lot, but it’s one of those golf courses that you can play it a lot of times and still not know where to hit it.”
Sherlund is just happy to have the opportunity he has after what he went through this summer. Near the end of July, Sherlund was involved in a bad golf-cart accident which resulted in a fractured skull and an epidural hematoma. He was hospitalized for about five days and didn’t touch a club for a month.
“I’m fine now — very, very lucky to be alive and able to still walk and talk and play golf,” the 26-year-old from Colorado Golf Club reported. “I’m happy to be here.”
And going to Winged Foot for his first USGA championship is icing on the cake.
In all, 52 teams teed it up at Hiwan, where there was no shortage of wildlife (left).
And for the second time in a month, Boulder Country Club general manager Michael Larson finished as the first alternate in a USGA championship qualifier. It happened last month in U.S. Mid-Am qualifying at Valley Country Club, where he lost out in a playoff. And Monday, he and fellow Longmont resident Guy Mertz won a playoff to earn the first alternate spot after posting a 69 in regulation.
U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying
At Par-70 Hiwan GC in Evergreen
QUALIFIED FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Benjamin Sherlund, Denver, CO /Zach Fowlds, Lone Tree, CO 33-35–68
Tom Hart, Denver, CO /Jonathan Marsico, Denver, CO 34-34–68
Kyle Danford, Fort Collins, CO /David Johnson, Fort Collins, CO 35-33–68
ALTERNATES (in order)
Michael Larson, Longmont, CO /Guy Mertz, Longmont, CO 33-36–69
Chase Chaldekas, Lakewood, CO /Will Logsdon, Denver, CO 35-34–69
FAILED TO QUALIFY
Richard Bradsby, Denver, CO /Brian Dorfman, Denver, CO 35-34–69
Ken Cosper, Fort Collins, CO /Dean Siskowski, Johnstown, CO 36-34–70
Christopher Thayer, Denver, CO /Jadon Wiens, Denver, CO 34-36–70
Jeff Chapman, Centennial, CO /Andrew Tapia, Castle Rock, NM 37-33–70
Rocky Ariano, Denver, CO /Jason Coffin, Denver, CO 36-35–71
Seth Berliner, Kalamazoo, MI /Tom Krystyn, Denver, CO 33-38–71
Alex Kephart, Colo. Springs, CO /Nicholas Tarasiewicz, Colo. Springs, CO 36-35–71
Brad Dinkel, Lone Tree, CO /Arnold Hoy, Castle Rock, CO 34-37–71
Chris Holway, Portland, OR /Greg Kirkpatrick, Aurora, CO 35-36–71
Brandon Davison, Casper, WY /Jeff Tyrrell, Casper, WY 36-36–72
Steven Irwin, Arvada, CO /Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield, CO 35-37–72
Matt Call, Castle Rock, CO /Norton Rainey, Parker, CO 34-38–72
James Richardson, Centennial, CO /Matt Livingston, Littleton, CO 35-37–72
Brian McCloy, Castle Rock, CO /Nick Vanetten, Colorado Springs, CO 35-37–72
Mark Zbrzeznj, Edwards, CO /David Harris, Avon, CO 36-36–72
Ryan Barauskas, Olathe, KS /Michael Greene, Overland Park, KS 37-36–73
Trent Isgrig, Denver, CO /Christopher Ellis, Denver, CO 36-37–73
Chris Carlson, Highlands Ranch, CO /Michael Love, Castle Rock, AR 37-36–73
Ryan Burke, Longmont, CO /Dylan Wonnacott, Longmont, CO 37-36–73
Brad Delman, Eagle, CO /Kevin Denton, Vail, CO 35-38–73
Zack Neiditz, Snowmass Village, CO /Josh Whitney, Aspen, CO 37-36–73
Brad Rowe, Berthoud, CO /Kyle Moore, Lavista, NE 35-38–73
Brad Moody, Lewisville, TX /Chuck Moore, Overland Park, MO 36-37–73
Lamar Carlile, Denver, CO /Randy Ray, Littleton, CO 38-36–74
Ryan Aweida, Scottsdale, AZ /Erik Helton, Brighton, CO 37-37–74
Jarrod Deloach, Denver, CO /Brent Modak, Denver, CO 40-35–75
Tom Abell, Oregon, WI /Keith Humerickhouse, Eagle, CO 36-39–75
Pete Mangold, Denver, CO /Danny Riskam, Broomfield, CO 34-41–75
Kyle Koelbel, Centennial, CO /Kevin Koelbel, Centennial, CO 37-38–75
Tim Long, Fountain, CO /Frank Vigil, Colorado Springs, CO 38-37–75
Brodie Hullinger, Denver, SD /Tristan Sanders, Denver, CO 37-38–75
James Sisneros, Colorado Springs, CO /Greg Turner, Colorado Springs, CO 39-37–76
John Ingram, Evergreen, CO /Donnie Elliott, San Jose, CA 36-40–76
Jake Saliba, Colorado Springs, CO /Joe Saliba, Colorado Springs, CO 37-40–77
Andy Brooks, Denver, CO /Sam Solomon, Brighton, CO 38-39–77
Jeff Oneth, Greenwood Village, CO /Charlie Post, Castle Rock, CO 38-39–77
Jay Orris, Boulder, CO /Bryan Pieper, Louisville, CO 35-42–77
Trey Kidd, Honolulu, HI /Pierce Trumper, Fort Collins, CO 38-39–77
Tim Kratz, Denver, CO /Wesley Martin, Denver, CO 40-37–77
Mark Flisek, Denver, CO /Adam Nelson, Denver 40-38–78
Nick Burns, Denver, CO /Chris Strouse, Greenwood Village, CO 39-40–79
Robert Korosec, Golden, CO /John McLain, Golden, CO 38-41–79
Robert Beiersdorf, Castle Pines, CO /Richard Kelly, Golden, CO 37-43–80
Joel Michor, Aurora, CO /Jeremy Michor, Western Springs, IL 39-42–81
Colin Fatti, Denver, CO /Dan Costello, Denver, CO 40-44–84
Sean Keefe, Denver, CO /Ryan Keefe, Denver, CO WD
David Delich, Colorado Springs, CO /Bruce Hogg, Colorado Springs, CO WD
