It was go low or go home on Wednesday in a U.S. Open Local Qualifying tournament at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.
A year after no one shot lower than 68 in this event at CommonGround, six golfers posted better totals than that. And 13 players carded 69s or lower.
With five golfers out of the original field of 84 advancing to the second and final stage of U.S. Open qualifying, Jonathan Kuzava of Littleton fired a personal-best 7-under-par 64 to earn medalist honors. Former University of Colorado golfer Tom Gempel, now a teaching pro at The Pinery Country Club in Parker, managed a 65 to land the second spot. (The two are pictured, with Kuzava at left.)
Four players posted 67s, forcing a playoff for the final three berths. Glenn Workman (below, in a white shirt) of Pueblo West, who turned pro on the first tee after wrapping up his college career at the University of Wyoming, got up and down for par on the second playoff hole to advance. The same was true of Jack Castiglia of Lakewood, part of the Hale Irwin Player Program at CommonGround. Workman, the 2017 CGA Amateur champion, will graduate from Wyoming on Saturday, and Castiglia from Lakewood High School this month.
The final Sectional qualifier was Davis Bryant of Aurora, who won the 5A state high school title at CommonGround in October. Bryant, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year in 2017, atoned for a missed 3-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to drain a 5-foot birdie on the third extra hole to advance. Darrin Hall of Golden, who bogeyed the second playoff hole, missed a 5-foot birdie attempt on the third extra hole and had to settle for the first alternate position.
Like Castiglia, Bryant will graduate from high school this month, in his case from Eaglecrest. Bryant will play his college golf at Colorado State University and Castiglia at the University of Northern Colorado.
All five players who advanced on Wednesday will be going to U.S. Open Sectionals for the first time.
“It’s cool because I remember growing up at Columbine (Country Club, which used to host a U.S. Open Sectional) and watching all these guys come through for Sectionals when it was there,” said Kuzava, a son of well-known Denver media personality Steve Kelly. “I got to see Tom Kite and guys like that come through there. It was like, ‘Man, this is cool.’ I never thought I’d go through to that stage ever. I’m glad I didn’t think about it today; otherwise I probably wouldn’t have done it.”
Kuzava, 29, didn’t play high school or college golf — in fact, he was a backup quarterback at CSU-Pueblo. But he’s developed his game on the Florida mini tours, including one called the Florida Fresh Meat Pro Golf Tour, where he once posted a win.
“You won and you got $400 and they gave you all these coupons for this meat company down there,” Kuzava said with a smile.
“It’s crazy to me to think that even a few years ago, I didn’t even know I could do something like this,” he said of advancing to Sectionals. “I give credit to God because there’s no way I could have done it on my own. I don’t have an instructor or anything like that. It was awesome for me.
“It’s a weird route I’ve taken.”
On Wednesday, Kuzava chalked up an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys. From holes 4 through 11, he was 7 under par.
“I was just really relaxed,” he said.
Kuzava and Gempel, 31, were the elder statesmen of those who advanced on Wednesday.
Gempel was a very high-level amateur in the state, finishing runner-up in both the CGA Amateur and the CGA Match Play in 2009, losing in both cases to Steve Ziegler. But the results haven’t been as encouraging recently.
Asked when the last time he had shot 65, as he did Wednesday, Gempel said, “Not in a long time. A 68 last fall was probably my best score in recent memory. Lots of 73s and 74s earlier this year. It feels good to get a good one in there.
“It’s just really encouraging. I’m excited to test my game against good players on some hard tracks. I got married last year so it’s nice to show the wife that I can play a little bit.”
On Wednesday, Gempel played his final 12 holes in 6 under par, making an eagle at 7 and four birdies on the back nine.
“I hit my irons unbelievably well,” he said. “I was inside 20 feet it seemed like every hole. Fortunately, I got enough of them to go down. I’m really excited.”
Workman had an encouraging start to his pro career, going bogey-free in regulation and in the two playoff holes he played. He hit his first 19 greens of the day in regulation until just going over the par-3 17th in the playoff.
“I didn’t do anything too miraculous, just hit it well and putted well and shot a nice little 4 under,” he said. “You do that, you play well.”
Workman originally signed up for the qualifier as an amateur because he was still playing college golf for Wyoming. But with his senior season having come to an end, he declared his pro status on the first tee Wednesday.
“It’s great. I love where my game is at,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s coming into shape. I’m playing confident. I love moving back to Pueblo soon because it’s such a great town to get better at golf. It’s just a golf town and you can get better there. I love everything that Laramie has done for me, but I’m ready to start chasing. I’m excited to see where I’ll go from here.”
Then there were the two qualifiers who are still in high school. Castiglia, the 2017 Colorado Junior Match Play runner-up, is 17 years old and Bryant is 18.
Like Workman, Castiglia (left) went bogey-free on Wednesday. But for the teenager, that was a first in tournament play.
“I felt confident going into” my first tournament of the year, said Castiglia, the 2017 Colorado Junior Match Play runner-up. “I’ve played (at CommonGround) a lot because I’m part of the Hale Irwin program. I’m out here a lot. I know this course so I was able to put it together.”
On Wednesday, that translated into a two-birdie, one-eagle day. His eagle came via a 50-foot putt on No. 11.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s really cool (advancing) in a USGA event. To qualify for Sectionals for a U.S. Open is great.”
As for Bryant, he originally wanted to play in next week’s U.S. Open Local Qualifying tournament in Fort Collins, but he had a test that day. So he competed at CommonGround, where his state high school victory was part of a stellar 2017 season.
“I felt good because I obviously had good memories here and something special happened here (seven) months ago,” said Bryant, a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier. “But everyone is starting at even par and you’ve got to golf your ball and see how the cards fall at the end.
“But this is a great start to the summer. I haven’t played much at all. I’ve had (high school) baseball going since mid-December, when workouts started. I practiced (golf) as much as I could. After today I obviously feel great for what I was able to accomplish in my first tournament round of the year in Colorado.”
On Wednesday, Bryant (left) hit 14 greens in regulation in shooting his 67. Including the playoff, he made seven birdies and three bogeys on the day. On his 18th hole in regulation, he kept his chances alive to advance by making a 12-foot par putt.
The 36-hole Sectional Qualifying in the U.S. will be contested on June 4 at 10 sites in the U.S., plus one in England that day and one in Japan on May 21. From there, the top finishers will land berths in the Open itself, set for June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
Wednesday marked the second of three Colorado-based U.S. Open Local Qualifiers this year. Earlier this week at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster, those who punched their tickets to Sectionals were John Murdock of Laramie, Wyo.; Steven Kupcho of Westminster; Josh Seiple of Castle Rock; Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction; and Zahkai Brown of Golden.
Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins will host the final Local Qualifying in Colorado, on Tuesday.
The U.S. Open is the only USGA championship that utilizes a two-stage qualifying process, with most entrants having to successfully negotiate Local and Sectional Qualifying in order to make it into the field for the second men’s major of the year.
U.S. Open Local Qualifying
At Par-71 CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora
ADVANCE TO SECTIONALS
Jonathan Kuzava, Littleton 64
Tom Gempel, Lone Tree 65
Glenn Workman, Pueblo West 67
Jack Castiglia, Lakewood 67
Davis Bryant, Aurora 67
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Darrin Hall, Golden 67
Kane Webber, Australia 68
For complete results, CLICK HERE.
