It’s been a family affair for the Wiebes this week at the CGA Match Play Championship, and Gunner Wiebe is feeling the love.
Dad Mark, winner of two PGA Tour events and two more on the Champions Tour, has been caddying for his son, and Gunner’s mom, two sisters and girlfriend have been steadfast members of his gallery at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.
Gunner (pictured, with Mark) said the support he’s felt — along with some stellar golf — has been a major reason he’s reached Friday’s 36-hole final of the Match Play, where he’ll face friend and fellow college senior-to-be Klinton Krieger.
The presence of his entire family “has put me in a great frame of mind,” said Gunner, who plays out of Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club. “There’s not many times when all five of us get to be at home together. If I can put myself in a good mental situation — where I’m happy if everything around me is good — it’s really cool. It’s hard not to enjoy myself when I can look over and see my whole family and my girlfriend too. It puts a smile on my face. And as a result I’m in a better frame of mind to play golf.”
The result was some stellar golf on Thursday. Wiebe made four eagles and went 15 under par in 31 holes in winning quarterfinal and semifinal matches. The University of San Diego golfer defeated Alex Gutesha of Meridian Golf Club 3 and 1 in the morning, then dispatched Jim Knous of the Golf Club at Ironbridge 5 and 4 in the afternoon.
Krieger, who grew up in Cheyenne, Wyo., and now plays golf for the University of Denver, was also formidable on Thursday. The son of 1977 CGA Match Play champion Ken Krieger, Klinton was 8 under par in advancing with a pair of 3 and 1 victories. He defeated Danny Hahn of CommonGround in the quarterfinals and Taylor Stamp of the Broadmoor Golf Club in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Steve Ziegler of the Ranch Country Club, who swept the CGA Match Play and Stroke Play titles in 2009, saw his bid for another CGA championship fall short as Stamp birdied five of his first eight holes and scored a 3 and 2 victory over the Stanford golfer in the quarterfinals. Ziegler was 1 under par for 16 holes on Thursday.
“I came here with the intention of winning,” said Ziegler, a quarterfinalist in the 2009 U.S. Amateur. “I was playing extremely well. It’s tough. But it would have been a lot tougher if I had not played well. But I ran into an opponent who was playing awesome golf. That’s how it goes sometimes. It’s the beauty and the ugliness of match play. So that’s how it goes. “¦ Being in this position is pretty tough. I’m by no means really happy at the moment.”
Wiebe, also a 2009 U.S. Amateur qualifier, certainly left the course Thursday with a smile on his face. And why not? He recorded two eagles in each of his Thursday victories and was 8 under par through 17 holes of his quarterfinal match, where Gutesha lost despite being 5 under. In the semifinals, Wiebe was 7 under through 14 holes. He holed a wedge from 145 yards for an eagle on the par-4 10th hole, then drained a 25-foot putt on No. 11 to make it back-to-back eagles.
Wiebe said it was just the second time he’s ever made consecutive eagles. Coincidentally, the first instance also involved holes 10 and 11 — at Eisenhower Golf Club — and it likewise involved holing out his second shot on a par-4 on No. 10, followed by making a putt on a par-5 after hitting the green in two. As for the four eagles in one day, Wiebe wasn’t sure he had ever done that before.
All told, he finished the day with four eagles, eight birdies and one bogey. In his semifinal win, he hit every green in regulation and never lost the honors on the tee.
“I’m making it as easy as possible,” Wiebe said. “It applies a lot of pressure to my opponent because I always have a chance to make a birdie. I think that wears on a lot of people. I know that would wear on me if I’m playing someone who always has a birdie putt. So the biggest thing is giving myself lot of chances.”
Wiebe has accomplished plenty in the last year, including setting a course record at Ptarmigan Country Club (63) en route to qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, winning two straight college tournaments, and finishing 25th in the NCAA Finals last month. But he’s never won a CGA championship, and on Friday he’ll have a chance to rectify that situation.
The opportunity “means a lot to me because it’s our state amateur,” Wiebe said. “And without the CGA and the CJGA, I’m probably not where I am today. I’ve had tournaments to play from the time I was 10 or 11 until now when I’m 21. And I love playing in these.”
As for Krieger, he was all square through 14 holes in his semifinal match with Stamp, but won the next three by going birdie-birdie-par to close out the match.
“That was my third (CGA Match Play) semifinal, so it’s nice to finally get to the finals,” Krieger said.
Friday’s title match between Krieger and Wiebe will begin at 7 a.m.
CGA Match Play Championship Results
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
QUARTERFINALS
Taylor Stamp, Broadmoor GC def. Steve Ziegler, Ranch CC 3 and 2
Klinton Krieger, Ptarmigan CC def. Danny Hahn, CommonGround GC 3 and 1
Gunner Wiebe, Cherry Hills CC def. Alex Gutesha, Meridian GC 3 and 1
Jim Knous, GC at Ironbridge def. Martin Prazak, Colorado GC 3 and 1
SEMIFINALS
Klinton Krieger, Ptarmigan CC def. Taylor Stamp, Broadmoor GC 3 and 1
Gunner Wiebe, Cherry Hills CC def. Jim Knous, GC at Ironbridge 5 and 4
FRIDAY’S 36-HOLE FINAL
7 a.m. — Gunner Wiebe, Cherry Hills CC vs. Klinton Krieger, Ptarmigan CC
