The two Coloradans who qualified on Monday at Colorado Springs Country Club for the U.S. Senior Amateur will certainly take interesting stories to the national championship.
Guy Mertz (left) of Longmont lived in Minnesota for the first 26 years of his life, within 100 miles of where the U.S. Senior Am will be contested late next month. And Colorado Golf Hall of Famer John Olive of Colorado Springs drew extra satisfaction from qualifying just shy of his 72nd birthday as he’ll surely be one of the oldest competitors in the field Aug. 26-31 at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.
Those two were joined in qualifying for the national championship on Monday by David Nelson of Reno, Nev., who has played in an amazing 30 previous USGA championships, including the 1982 U.S. Open that Tom Watson won at Pebble Beach.
Mertz, a 58-year-old dentist, was born and raised in Rochester, Minn., and he graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1985, when he moved to Colorado.
“My parents live there and so do many of my friends,” Mertz noted after qualifying on Monday. “I wanted to play in this so bad at Minikahda. That’s why it was so much harder for me. I was choking my guts out because of that.
“Mike Larson (a fellow competitor who narrowly missed joining Mertz in qualifying on Monday) is a buddy of mine who’s from Minnesota too. Since they announced Minikahda, we’ve been saying, ‘God, wouldn’t it be great if you and I go back?’ We’ve been talking about it for literally two years. So to get back there, with everything it means to me …
“Today was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been on a golf course,” added Mertz, winner of a CGA Publinks and a CGA Senior Match Play. “I’m just so happy to make this.”
It will be the first U.S. Senior Amateur for Mertz (who has competed in a U.S. Amateur and three U.S. Publinks), the sixth for Nelson and roughly the fifth for Olive. The Senior Am is limited to players 55 and older.
Nelson, a 61-year-old who runs some USGA qualifying tournaments in northern Nevada but was visiting his daughter and grandkids in Denver, was the only player out of the 60-man field to break par on Monday. Despite starting his round with a double bogey, he shot a 1-under-par 70 to earn medalist honors.
Mertz and Olive (left), along with three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk of Parker, tied at 71 after each posting rounds that included three birdies and three bogeys. With that, there was a three-way playoff for the final two national berths.
Mertz, who made an 8-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation to land a spot in the playoff, earned the first national berth when he two-putted from 25 feet for par on the first extra hole. Olive went over the green on No. 10 with his approach shot and missed a 10-foot par putt, settling for bogey. Polk, who had bogeyed his final hole in regulation, was left in the trees off the tee and also made bogey.
After Polk’s drive on the second playoff hole — No. 6 — finished stymied behind a tree in the right rough, he took an unplayable-lie penalty and didn’t get on the green until his fifth stroke on the par-4. Olive, after a perfect drive, two-putted from 18 feet for par and the final national berth.
Olive is certainly no stranger to USGA championships, having competed in a U.S. Senior Open and a U.S. Amateur in addition to many U.S. Mid-Ams and Senior Ams. He’s also won a CGA Amateur — exactly 40 years ago — over the likes of fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Steve Jones, Gary Longellow, Bill Loeffler, Tom Woodard, Mark Crabtree, Rick DeWitt and Ron Moore; as well as the first CoBank Colorado Senior Open and nine individual CGA senior titles. But adding to his USGA total in his 70s is especially sweet.
“It feels good,” the former Air Force Academy basketball player said. “The older you get, the more you appreciate the little things that sometimes you took for granted (earlier). When I was younger, I put a lot of pressure on myself and had expectations that I should qualify and should do this and that. Now, you just don’t. I think it’s a blessing. It helps you play better.”
Not many amateurs can say they’ve competed in more than 30 USGA championships, but Nelson (below) keeps adding to his total. He said he’s played in every one he’s eligible for except the U.S. Senior Open. The run started with the 1973 U.S. Junior Amateur and was highlighted by the ’82 U.S. Open. He’s advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Publinks and to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
“I just love going to them,” he said. “The USGA does such an amazing job. Any USGA (championship) you make is incredibly special.”
On Monday, Nelson was in the first group to tee off on No. 10. After his first-hole double bogey, he carded four birdies and a three-putt bogey.
“The good news was (after starting with the double), I had 17 more holes left,” he said. “I pulled my cap down a little tighter and start grinding a little bit harder.”
Polk will be the first alternate from the Colorado Springs site, while Sean Forey of Morrison is alternate No. 2 after winning another three-man playoff.
U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying
At Par-71 Colorado Springs CC
ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
David Nelson, Reno, Nev. 34-36–70
Guy Mertz, Longmont 35-36–71
John Olive, Colorado Springs 36-35–71
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Robert Polk, Parker 35-36–71
Sean Forey, Morrison 36-36–72
For complete scores, CLICK HERE.
