(MAY 9 UPDATE: On Tuesday, Chris Thayer withdrew from the upcoming U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying stage. First alternate Jon Lindstrom will fill his spot in the Sectionals. For more on that, CLICK HERE.)
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On a day that featured challenging weather conditions on a tough golf course and two lightning delays totaling more than 2 1/2 hours, a pair of Golden residents were the only players to break par on Monday, leading a group of five golfers who advanced to the second stage of U.S. Open qualifying.
Former CoBank Colorado Open champion Zahkai Brown shot a 2-under-par 70 to earn medalist honors in U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, the new name for the Heritage at Westmoor course in Westminster.
Joining Brown (pictured) in advancing to one of the 10 36-hole Sectional Qualifiers that will be held in the U.S. on June 5 will be fellow Golden resident Chris Thayer (1-under 71 Monday), former Valor Christian High School teammates Josh Seiple of Castle Rock and Jake Staiano of Englewood (72 each), and University of Colorado assistant men’s golf coach Pat Grady of Denver (72). Staiano plays college golf at Colorado State and Seiple at the University of Mississippi.
Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield (72), who won the CGA Four-Ball title on Sunday with teammate Richard Bradsby, also shot a 72 at Walnut Creek, but a family matter kept him from participating in what would have been a playoff Monday evening. He’ll be the first alternate. Daniel Pearson of Longmont, who shot 73, will be the second alternate.
Brown, the former CSU golfer who won the 2013 Colorado Open, took advantage of having played hundreds if not thousands of rounds at Walnut Creek over the years. But some of the conditions took even a Walnut Creek regular like him by surprise.
“It was hard out there,” the 26-year-old newlywed said. “You had to play so much break (on the greens). You’d barely hit putts and they’d keep feeding and feeding. All of our group hit it 9 or 10 feet by a lot of the time. It was just wicked.”
Added Thayer (left): “The wind wasn’t that strong, but it definitely was affecting every shot. You had to really think about it. With the greens the way that they were and the course being 7,500 yards, it was a lot (to handle).”
Of the five qualifiers, Brown and Grady are professionals and the other three are amateurs. Grady and Brown are former CGA Players of the Year, with Grady having earned the honor twice.
The top finishers at U.S. Open Sectional sites on June 5 will advance to the Open itself, which this year is set for June 15-18 at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.
Brown is particularly keen on trying to earn a U.S. Open berth this year with Erin Hills being the host site. You see, he competed in the 2011 U.S. Amateur at the course, making it to the match play round of 64.
“It means a lot to me because I’ve played Erin Hills and I really like that golf course a lot,” he said. “I played well in the U.S. Am when they had it there. I feel comfortable on it. I’m really hoping to get to that event.”
Four of the players who advanced on Monday — with the exception being Seiple — have made it to Sectionals previously, though none has gone on to compete in the U.S. Open. The two players in Monday’s field who have previously qualified for the Open fell short of advancing at Walnut Creek, with Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch shooting 78 and Nick Mason of Denver withdrawing during one of Monday’s delays.
With slow play being an issue even before the weather became a problem, a total of 10 pace-of-play penalties were assessed on Monday.
Thayer, who plans to take the marriage plunge himself in a couple of weeks, will be going to Sectionals for the second time, and has competed in three different USGA championships — the Junior Amateur, Amateur and the Mid-Amateur.
“That’s the goal — to play in those national championships,” the 36-year-old said. “And this is kind of a pseudo one to make it through this stage.”
Grady, himself a thirtysomething (being 31), doesn’t get a lot of time to play golf these days, between his coaching duties and doing some accounting work as a CPA. But he has shown some flashes, like when he finished 11th in the National Assistant PGA Professional Championship last fall, and he pieced together a solid round on Monday. (Grady is pictured at left, in black, with Seiple, in blue, and Staiano.)
“I feel really good,” said Grady, who last tried to qualify for the U.S. Open in 2011. “I had low expectations (being a) golf coach and accountant. It was fun. I got to play with one of our incoming (CU) players, Cole Krantz, and it was fun to watch him play. I (jokingly) told him if he beats me, he’s off the team, and if he loses to me, he’s not good enough so he’s off the team. I got him pretty good today. He’ll beat me the rest of the time.”
As for former Valor teammates Staiano and Seiple, they’re in the most important part of their college season, and both will compete next week in an NCAA Regional tournament in Austin, Texas.
With Monday’s weather delays, Seiple had to change his flight back to Mississippi, and he was working on rescheduling the two final exams he had on the agenda for Tuesday. But in the end, at least it all paid off with him advancing to U.S. Open Sectionals for the first time.
“It’s awesome,” said Seiple, a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier and the runner-up in the 2016 CGA Match Play. “The chance to play in the U.S. Open is something you dream of forever. Just the chance to see if you’ve got the stuff to get there. There’s a bunch of good players (in Sectional Qualifying) so it’s cool to compare your game. It’s going to be a fun opportunity. Anything can happen.”
Staiano competed in Sectionals two years ago as an 18-year-old, the same year he went to the match play round of 64 at the U.S. Amateur. But on Monday, he had to battle back from two double bogeys and being 4 over par through 8 holes to make the grade at even-par 72. He played his final 10 holes in 4 under.
“(In 2015), I played with somebody who qualified for the Open, so I saw what it takes,” said Staiano, the 2013 CGA Junior Match Play champion. “I’m going back to the same (Sectional site) and I know the course a little bit. It gives me a good opportunity. My game is in a pretty good spot. It will be a good chance to see if I can do something special.
“Last time at Sectionals I was a little young, a little immature. I played with a couple of Tour pros in the practice rounds. I was sort of wide-eyed. I will be a little different scenario this time around.”
Upcoming next week are two more Colorado-based U.S. Open Local Qualifiers, May 15 at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and May 16 at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins. As with Monday, they each feature 84-man fields, with the top five at each site advancing to Sectionals.
U.S. Open Local QualifyingӬ
At Par-72 Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster
ADVANCE TO SECTIONALS
Zahkai Brown, Golden 34-36–70
Christopher Thayer, Golden 37-34–71
Josh Seiple, Castle Rock 36-36–72
Pat Grady, Denver 34-38–72
Jake Staiano, Englewood 33-39–72
ALTERNATES (in order)
“¨Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield 35-37–72″¨
Daniel Pearson, Longmont 39-34–73
For complete results, CLICK HERE.
