Colorado PGA pros win back Colorado Cup in emphatic fashion, snapping CGA amateurs’ 2-match victory streak in the series
By Gary Baines – 10/16/2024
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Cup matches were first held 53 years ago at Lakewood Country Club. And since then, never before — until now — had the CGA amateurs and the Colorado PGA pros gone more than two years between squaring off for bragging rights in the event.
But on Wednesday, the longest period of inactivity in Colorado Cup history — three years — came to an end with the Country Club of Colorado hosting the matches between 20 players each representing the CGA and the Colorado PGA.
The pros played like a team determined to get back into the victory column for the first time since 2017 as they built a huge early lead and swept all three 9-hole sessions en route to a 29-11 victory over the amateurs.
Though the format of the event has changed over time, Wednesday marked by far the largest margin of victory since the matches went to a single competition, with just one winning team. The previous largest final margin in the current format was the CPGA pros’ 12-point victory in 2017. In 2016 and earlier, there were separate competitions for open, seniors and women, with three winners.
Sherry Andonian-Smith (left) celebrates the Colorado PGA’s victory on Wednesday at the Country Club of Colorado.
Getting the Cup back “feels really good,” said Geoff Keffer, winner of two Colorado PGA Professional Championships, who went 2-0-1 in his three matches on Wednesday. “The last two that I’ve been part of, it’s never fun losing, especially two in a row. To get it back is really cool.”
Ashley Tait-Wengert, a former tour player who’s now a PGA lead instructor for Turkey Creek Golf, was in a unique position on Wednesday, competing for the Colorado PGA for the first time this year after helping the CWGA Amateurs handily defeat their CPGA counterparts in 2006, ’08 and ’09. That makes the teams she’s represented in the Colorado Cup matches 4-0 over the years.
“It was my first time playing with the professionals,” she noted. “We have really good camaraderie and there’s a lot of good players in our Section. I think we all went in with the expectations to win, but the last couple of times have not gone their way, so there was definitely a little extra effort put in, I think.
“For me, it’s kind of come full circle. I grew up (in Colorado) as an amateur, playing in all the amateur events. Then I had my career as a touring pro. And now it’s a totally different type of golf. You don’t have the grind day-in and day-out practicing, but we’re all so competitive so we all still want to play great golf. Some days we do, some days we don’t. It’s just not as consistent as it used to be, but it’s equally as fun.”
Ashley Tait-Wengert, who competed while pregnant, was one of the Colorado PGA pros who won all three of their nine-hole matches on Wednesday.
That was the case even though Tait-Wengert competed on Wednesday while pregnant — she and her husband’s second child is due in mid-May. But that didn’t keep her from winning all three of her nine-hole matches — in four-ball and foursomes with Kelli McKandless, then in singles.
“I’m really tired, the nausea I’m having and the cramps … so I was definitely feeling it,” said Tait-Wengert, a three-time girls state high school champion who also won the 2009 CGA Women’s Stroke Play and the last two Colorado PGA Women’s Championships. “It’s for sure different. I played during my first pregnancy until about 35 weeks, and I played pretty good golf. But the physical part of it is just hard. It’s hard to stay focused.”
Tait-Wengert was one of four Colorado PGA players who won all three of their matches on Wednesday as she was joined in that regard by Caine Fitzgerald, Jeramy Curry and McKandless. Another six pros went 2-0-1: Keffer, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Ron Vlosich, Dan O’Shaughnessy, Grant Jackson, Visanu Tongwarin and Jackie Cunningham.
The CGA Amateurs had won the past two Colorado Cup matches, but couldn’t keep pace with the pros this time.
Nick Nosewicz, a two-time CGA Match Play champion, and John Hornbeck led the way for the amateur squad by going 2-1, while three-time CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater, Tyler Bishop and Adam Kugler posted 1-1-1 individual records.
“There’s definitely bragging rights” involved at the Colorado Cup matches, said Nosewicz, who is rounding into form after undergoing right bicep surgery in March. “I don’t think there’s anybody out here who likes to lose, right? We’re all super competitive. Whether there’s gift certificates on the line or trophies or store credit, you want to win. Unfortunately we didn’t. We’ll be grieving for the next two years.”
But there’s also plenty of fun being had at the Colorado Cup — in addition to the sheer competition. Many of the pros and the top amateurs know one another and chat amicably during their matches.
“It’s super fun playing against (the amateurs),” said Keffer, who estimates he’s competed in six or seven Colorado Cup matches. Plus, Keffer’s dad, Don, teed it up for the amateurs in the Cup matches on more than one occasion. “I’ve known a lot of them for a long time. Just like when you’re playing against your friends, it’s always fun to beat them.”
For the record, the pros won the day-opening four-ball session 8.5-1.5 points, the foursomes 6.5-3.5, and the singles 14-6. It was a dominant day, not unlike when the pros won 26-14 overall in 2017. Then the amateurs prevailed 23-17 in 2019 and 21.5-18.5 in 2021.
Nick Nosewicz was one of the CGA amateurs’ top performers on Wednesday, winning two of his three matches.
Like Keffer, Nosewicz has been a regular at the Cup matches over the last decade, and he’s gotten a sense of the history of the event.
“The pros are tough. It’s not a given (to win),” he said. “I did the math and the pros have won a lot more than the amateurs (in the men’s open-age division) over the years.
“The morning matches kind of kicked our butts today, and it was like trying to play catch-up afterward. It’s different (now). The formula has changed (for the Colorado Cup). In the old days, it used to be amateurs (of all ages), and now it kind of feels like a mid-masters where we’re all over the age of 25. But the pros are good and the course was awesome.
“They get the Cup, which stinks. I always like picking it up and taking a picture with it. But hopefully this is not my last (Colorado Cup matches). I try not to miss it.”
From left, Matt Schalk, John Hornbeck, Victor Minovich and Caine Fitzgerald shake hands after their Wednesday afternoon matches.
For the record, when there were separate competitions at the Colorado Cup, the Colorado PGA professionals led the all-time series in the open division 30-14 with two draws. The CGA’s amateurs led the senior division series 16-15 with three draws. And the CWGA’s amateurs won all 11 Colorado Cup matches in which they competed against the pros.
Over the years, among those who have competed in the Colorado Cup are Steve Jones, Kevin Stadler, Brandt Jobe, Jim Knous, Bill Loeffler, Matt Zions, Becca Huffer and Kim Eaton.
Masek Rocky Mountain Golf Cars Colorado Cup Matches
At the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs
OVERALL FINAL SCORE: COLORADO PGA PROS 29, CGA AMATEURS 11
NINE-HOLE FOUR-BALL (Colorado PGA Pros 8.5, CGA Amateurs 1.5)
Sean Thomas/Bryan Rusin (A) tied Jeff Carter/Dan Sniffin (P)
Geoff Keffer/Rob Grall (P) def. Tyler Bishop/Colin Prater (A), 1 up
Micah Rudosky/Jason Witczak (P) def. Cole Nygren/Nick Nosewicz (A), 2 and 1
Visanu Tongwarin/Jeramy Curry (P) def. Pat Grady/Robert Polk (A), 3 and 2
John Hornbeck/Victor Minovich (A) def. Chris Johnson/Doug Rohrbaugh (P), 1 up
Matt Schalk/Caine Fitzgerald (P) def. Chris Carlson/Steve Ivan (A), 3 and 2
Dan O’Shaughnessy/Ron Vlosich (P) def. Adam Kugler/Mike Glaesel (A), 2 and 1
Bill Hancock/Grant Jackson (P) def. Guy Mertz/Owen Ellis (A), 2 and 1
Kelli McKandless/Ashley Tait-Wengert (P) def. Sydney Gillespie/Maddie Kern (A), 3 and 2
Sherry Andonian-Smith/Jackie Cunningham (P) def. Kelly Green/Tiffany Maurycy (A), 2 and 1
NINE-HOLE FOURSOMES (Colorado PGA Pros 6.5, CGA Amateurs 3.5)
Sean Thomas/Bryan Rusin (A) tied Jeff Carter/Dan Sniffin (P)
Tyler Bishop/Colin Prater (A) tied Geoff Keffer/Rob Grall (P)
Cole Nygren/Nick Nosewicz (A) def. Micah Rudosky/Jason Witczak (P), 4 and 2
Visanu Tongwarin/Jeramy Curry (P) def. Pat Grady/Robert Polk (A), 3 and 1
Chris Johnson/Doug Rohrbaugh (P) def. John Hornbeck/Victor Minovich (A), 1 up
Matt Schalk/Caine Fitzgerald (P) def. Chris Carlson/Steve Ivan (A), 3 and 1
Adam Kugler/Mike Glaesel (A) tied Dan O’Shaughnessy/Ron Vlosich (P)
Guy Mertz/Owen Ellis (A) tied Bill Hancock/Grant Jackson (P)
Kelli McKandless/Ashley Tait-Wengert (P) def. Sydney Gillespie/Maddie Kern (A), 4 and 3
Kelly Green/Tiffany Maurycy (A) tied Sherry Andonian-Smith/Jackie Cunningham (P)
NINE-HOLE SINGLES (Colorado PGA Pros 14, CGA Amateurs 6)
Micah Rudosky (P) def. Sean Thomas (A), 2 up
Jason Witczak (P) def. Bryan Rusin (A), 3 and 2
Geoff Keffer (P) def. Cole Nygren (A), 4 and 2
Nick Nosewicz (A) def. Robert Krall (P), 2 and 1
Tyler Bishop (A) def. Jeff Carter (P), 4 and 3
Colin Prater (A) def. Dan Sniffin (P), 4 and 3
Pat Grady (A) tied Visanu Tongwarin (P)
Jeramy Curry (P) def. Robert Polk (A), 2 and 1
John Hornbeck (A) def. Matt Schalk (P), 1 up
Caine Fitzgerald (P) def. Victor Minovich (A), 1 up
Chris Johnson (P) def. Chris Carlson (A), 2 and 1
Doug Rohrbaugh (P) def. Steve Ivan (A), 1 up
Dan O’Shaughnessy (P) def. Guy Mertz (A), 2 and 1
Ron Vlosich (P) def. Owen Ellis (A), 5 and 3
Adam Kugler (A) def. Bill Hancock (P), 2 and 1
Grant Jackson (P) def. Mike Glaesel (A), 2 and 1
Kelli McKandless (P) def. Kelly Green (A), 4 and 3
Ashley Tait-Wengert (P) def. Tiffany Maurycy (A), 3 and 2
Sydney Gillespie (A) tied Sherry Andonian-Smith (P)
Jackie Cunningham (P) def. Maddie Kern (A), 3 and 2
For more information on the 2024 Colorado Cup matches, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com