Kyler Dunkle may no longer be a member of the Colorado State University men’s golf team, but he sure hasn’t forgotten how to play Fort Collins Country Club, one of CSU’s home courses.
Dunkle, who recently transferred to the University of Utah from CSU, used his knowledge of Fort Collins CC to qualify for the U.S. Amateur at the site for the second straight year on Monday.
And this time around, the golfer from Parker went so far as to earn medalist honors out of a field of 71.
“I’ve played here a lot, and I think that’s why I’m so comfortable here,” said Dunkle, who finished fourth after an opening-round 63 last fall at CSU’s Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins CC. “This course is awesome. The greens are always in great shape. The staff does an incredible job of keeping it in awesome shape. It makes it fun for us to go play because you know if you’re on the green and you hit a good putt, it’s going to go where you hit it.”
A day after winning the CGA Western Chapter Championship in Eagle, Dunkle parlayed his good play into a four-shot “victory” at Fort Collins CC.
The 2012 5A state high school champion made 13 birdies over two rounds and finished with a 6-under-par 134 total. He carded rounds of 66-68.
“The last three days have been really fun,” Dunkle said. “I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf.”
Joining Dunkle (left), 19, in advancing to the U.S. Am were fellow Parker resident Tanner Jenson and Colton Yates of Scottsdale, Ariz., a CSU teammate of Dunkle’s last season. Jenson, who carded six birdies on the day, went 70-68, while Yates had 10 birdies while going 71-69.
Like his former teammate, Yates used his extensive knowledge of Fort Collins Country Club to his advantage on Monday.
“Obviously I know this course really well,” he said. “It is an advantage because I feel comfortable on every tee shot, I know where everything is. The greens, obviously it’s a huge advantage knowing the breaks.”
Yates, who has been battling sickness the last several days, admitted he didn’t have his best stuff on Monday, but grinded out the rounds, with the key being back-to-back birdies he made on his 32nd and 33rd holes of the day after double-bogeying hole 31. Had he not made both of those birdies, at best he would have been in a playoff for the final national berth.
“If I wouldn’t have made back-to-back birdies, I probably would have been out of it because I was starting to feel the sickness,” he said. “I wasn’t feeling great and 36 holes isn’t particularly easy.”
With Blake Cannon having previously qualified for the U.S. Amateur, three Rams from last season are now headed for arguably the world’s top amateur championship.
It will be the second U.S. Am for Dunkle and the first for Jenson and Yates. Jenson, 23, will be a senior on the Utah State golf team, while, Yates, 20, will be a junior at CSU.
“It’s unbelievable,” Jenson said of qualifying for the U.S. Am. “It’s something you look forward to your whole life. If you get that chance to play in one USGA event as an amateur, it’s something special. It’s something I’ll cherish for a long time.”
Jenson is in the midst of a college golf career which was interrupted after his freshman season by a two-year Mormon mission in Chile. In South America, the Chaparral High School graduate never played a round of golf in those two years, but he hit a few balls occasionally.
“They had one driving range (open to the general public),” he said. “It was like a field. They give you one golf club that’s like from 1990 right? And you hit all your balls with that one club. I went there about five times in my two years there. Surprisingly, it didn’t take me that long (to regain his golf form once he returned to the U.S.). I birdied my first hole coming back. That was pretty cool. It only took me a few weeks or a month to get back to where I was. I felt I actually improved by the time the summer was over compared to before I left.”
As for his fellow Parker resident Dunkle, making it to the U.S. Amateur twice as a teenager is no small feat.
“It’s awesome” to go to the U.S. Am two straight years, Dunkle said. “Obviously last year when I went I didn’t play my best golf (finishing near the bottom of the field at the national championship). So it will be fun to see if I can prove myself and play a little better and represent myself and (the University of) Utah at the U.S. Am.”
On Monday, Dunkle birdied the first three holes and the last two (from tap-in range) in the morning round, and two of his first three in the afternoon. He won the qualifier by four despite bogeying two of his last three holes.
“I was able to get off to quick starts, which really helped me confidence-wise,” he said.
All told, 312 players will compete in the U.S. Amateur, which this year is set for Aug 15-21 at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., a course that’s hosted six U.S. Opens, three PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup.
“I think everybody does their research (about the national site),” Dunkle said. “It’s going to be a really fun experience. Last year Olympia Fields was awesome (for the U.S. Am). It was by far one of the coolest courses I’ve played. I’m really excited to see what Oakland Hills has to offer because of the sheer history that it has. You think about the names that have been there. It will be fun to walk down the fairways that some of the really good players have walked.”
The second and final U.S. Open qualifier in Colorado will be held July 25 at Columbine Country Club, where another three spots into the national championship will be at stake.
For interactive scores from Monday, CLICK HERE.
U.S. Amateur Qualifying
At Par-70 Fort Collins CC
QUALIFIED FOR U.S. AMATEUR
Kyler Dunkle, Parker, Colo. 66-68–134
Tanner Jenson, Parker, Colo. 70-68–138
Colton Yates, Scottsdale, Ariz. 71-69–140
ALTERNATES (in order)
Ben Albin, Santa Fe, N.M. 72-69–141
Isaac Petersilie, Colorado Springs, Colo. 70-71–141
DID NOT QUALIFY
Dominic Kieffer, Fort Collins, Colo. 70-72–142
Cole Nygren, Niwot, Colo. 75-68–143
Jackson Solem, Longmont, Colo. 71-72–143
Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield, Colo. 74-70–144
Ryan Axlund, Denver, Colo. 74-70–144
Brenden Bone, Bluffdale, Utah 70-75–145
Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo, Colo. 71-74–145
Steven Irwin, Arvada, Colo. 68-78–146
Nathaniel Goddard, Fort Collins, Colo. 75-72–147
John Murdock, Laramie, Wyo. 76-72–148
Dylan Wonnacott, Longmont, Colo. 76-72–148
AJ Ott, Fort Collins, Colo. 77-71–148
Pierce Aichinger, Englewood, Colo. 70-78–148
John Souza, Phoenix, Ariz. 75-73–148
Chris Korte, Littleton, Colo. 71-78–149
Connor Klein, Lone Tree, Colo. 73-76–149
Michael Tait, Littleton, Colo. 75-74–149
Josh McLaughlin, Loveland, Colo. 76-74–150
Eric Hill, Fort Collins, Colo. 73-77–150
Joshua Hill, Superior, Colo. 75-75–150
Alex Kephart, Colorado Springs, Colo. 77-73–150
Jack Cummings, Arvada, Colo. 74-76–150
Josh Seiple, Castle Rock, Colo. 77-73–150
Cooper Taylor, Superior, Colo. 80-71–151
Andrew Romano, Lone Tree, Colo. 74-77–151
Quintin Pope, Cheyenne, Wyo. 77-74–151
Alec Bone, Bluffdale, Utah 74-77–151
Cole Krantz, Windsor, Colo. 77-74–151
Andrew Howe, Longmont, Colo. 76-76–152
Josh Caridi, Fort Collins, Colo. 74-78–152
Cameron Connor, Boulder, Colo. 71-82–153
Pierce Trumper, Fort Collins, Colo. 75-78–153
Matthew Goddard, Fort Collins, Colo. 81-73–154
Glenn Workman, Pueblo West, Colo. 80-74–154
Troy Dangler, Grand Junction, Colo. 77-78–155
Frederick Gluck, Boulder, Colo. 80-75–155
Ryan Zetwick, Castle Rock, Colo. 80-75–155
Luke Travins, Colorado Springs, Colo. 77-78–155
Thomas Downing, Holliston, Mass. 83-72–155
Keegan Sheard, Wheat Ridge, Colo. 80-76–156
Neil Tillman, Arvada, Colo. 79-78–157
Damon Dageenakis, Erie, Colo. 81-76–157
Sam Taylor, Nederland, Colo. 85-73–158
PJ Collier, Houston, Texas 77-81–158
Ji Jang, Aurora, Colo. 79-79–158
Curt Ozmina, Ft Collins, Colo. 79-79–158
Tyler Kahn, Castle Rock, Colo. 81-77–158
Doug Manske, Littleton, Colo. 84-75–159
Samuel Scheer, Steamboat Springs, Colo. 82-77–159
Jared Edeen, Cheyenne, Wyo. 79-80–159
Brett Krantz, Windsor, Colo. 83-76–159
William Myer, Denver, Colo. 78-82–160
Ross Macdonald, Castle Rock, Colo. 78-82–160
Kevin Liao, Littleton, Colo. 77-84–161
Tyler Bricker, Fort Collins, Colo. 83-81–164
Matthew Gutowski, Louisville, Colo. 78-86–164
Brett Hawley, Westminster, Colo. 77-88–165
Samuel Toillion, Longmont, Colo. 80-85–165
Nathaniel Wood, Grand Junction, Colo. 84-82–166
Robb Bierbaum, Arvada, Colo. 80-86–166
John Amato, Lakewood, Colo. 88-82–170
Daniel Garbee, Arvada, Colo. 85-85–170
Joel Poorman, Boulder, Colo. 78-WD
Adam Pladson, Aurora, Colo. 79-WD
Wilson Belk, Colorado Springs, Colo. 78-WD
Behrod Keshtavar, Erie, Colo. 87-WD
