DU’s Solem grabs 3-stroke lead in Fort Collins GCAA Amateur; leaderboard full of top college players from Colorado
By Gary Baines – 9/21/2020
The Fort Collins GCAA Amateur isn’t technically a college golf tournament. After all, the field isn’t limited to college players, and there’s no team competition — at least formally.
All that said, the Fort Collins event is being contested on the dates and at the site where Colorado State University’s Ram Masters Invitational had been scheduled before the Rams — and every other Colorado-based NCAA Division I golf team — saw their fall seasons called off due to Covid-19 safety concerns.
And the leaderboard at Fort Collins Country Club sure has the look of a local college tournament. After Monday’s first two rounds of the 54-hole event, the top spot belongs to a University of Denver golfer (Jackson Solem of Longmont), second place to players from CSU (Davis Bryant of Aurora and Gavin Hagstrom of Fort Collins), and fourth place to a DU golfer (Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch) and one from the University of Colorado (Spaniard Victor Bjorlow).
And on it goes down the list, with a few exceptions thrown in here and there, such as CSU assistant coach Parker Edens, who finished runner-up in the CGA Mid-Amateur on Sunday. The 30-year-old shares sixth place after 36 holes.
Solem posted rounds of 66-69 for a 5-under-par 135 total, which gives him a three-stroke lead heading into Tuesday’s final round. Solem made an eagle and eight birdies on day 1.
Bryant, the 2019 CGA Player of the Year, went 69-69 to share second place at 138 with Hagstrom, a CSU freshman. Hagstrom birdied six par-3s in 36 holes on Monday.
McCoy and Bjorlow are tied for fourth place at 139. CSU golfer AJ Ott, a former CGA Player of the Year and a four-time U.S. Amateur qualifier, is among those at 140 as his second-round 66 tied for low score of the day.
Kate Smith of Detroit Lakes, Minn., and Megan Whittaker of Elkhorn, Neb., are the top women in the field after Monday, sitting at 2-over-par 142.
For all the scores from Fort Collins CC, CLICK HERE.