After 63 at 4A regionals, Bradley Weinmaster takes aim at rare back-to-back boys state high school individual titles
By Gary Baines – 9/30/2023
Wyndham Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, didn’t do it. Neither did three-time U.S. Open winner Hale Irwin. Nor did U.S. Junior Amateur champ Bob Byman or Kevin Stadler, who both also went to win on the PGA Tour. Same with Derek Tolan, who played in the U.S. Open as a 16-year-old before winning two Colorado Opens.
Let’s face it: It isn’t easy to win consecutive boys state high school individual titles in Colorado. It’s difficult enough to earn one championship, or two in a period of a high school career. But two straight is a mighty formidable hurdle indeed.
That’s certainly not to say it hasn’t been done. Just in the 21st century, for instance, those who have won two in a row include Tom Glissmeyer of Cheyenne Mountain (2003 and ’04 in Class 4A); Steve Ziegler of Legacy (2005 and ’06 in 5A); Ethan Freeman of Kent Denver (2010 and ’11 in 3A); and Micah Stangebye of Montrose (2018 and ’19 in 4A).
We bring this up at this point because one golfer has a chance to go back-to-back this year. And based on how he performed at the regional state-qualifying tournament recently, he appears to be in very good form.
Defending 4A state champion Bradley Weinmaster, a senior at Riverdale Ridge in east Thornton, fired a 9-under-par 63 on Sept. 21 at Boomerang Golf Links in Greeley and won the Class 4A Region 3 tournament by a whopping six strokes.
Of course, this being golf, a lot can happen over the course of the 36-hole state tournament — in Weinmaster’s case Monday and Tuesday at The Bridges Golf & Country Club in Montrose. But if he plays anything close to what he did at Boomerang, where he carded an eagle, eight birdies and a bogey, there’s a good chance he’ll have his name on the list of state high school champions not once, but twice — and in a row. And it wouldn’t be bad if he led Riverdale Ridge to its second state team title in the last three seasons, for that matter.
Meanwhile, two other boys state tournaments will be held simultaneously on Monday and Tuesday — both in northern Colorado. Class 5A will take place at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins, while 3A is set for Windsor-based RainDance National, which opened roughly 15 months ago.
The 5A meet will feature two winners of state junior majors in 2023: Charlie Tucker of Rock Canyon (CGA State Junior) and Miles Kuhl of Fairview (Colorado Junior PGA and Colorado PGA Junior Match Play).
For the Monday pairings for all classifications, CLICK HERE.
REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
Here are the team and individual regional champions leading up to the state tournaments:
5A Northern at Todd Creek GC — Fossil Ridge 7 over par (team) and Jesse Hand, Chatfield 4 under par (individual)
5A Southern at Indian Tree GC — Cherry Creek 1 under (team) and Gregory White, Eaglecrest 4 under (individual)
5A Western at Flatirons GC — Regis Jesuit even-par (team) and Anthony Lore, Regis Jesuit 2 under (individual)
5A Central at University of Denver GC at Highlands Ranch — Cherokee Trail 5 under (team) and Brayden Forte, Cherokee Trail, 3 under (individual)
4A Region 3 at Boomerang GL — Riverdale Ridge 1 under (team) and Bradley Weinmaster, Riverdale Ridge 9 under (individual)
4A Region 1 at Walking Stick GC — Erie 7 over (team) and Bryar Moss, Ponderosa and Sean Cary, Erie 2 under (individual)
4A Region 2 at CC of Colorado — Cheyenne Mountain 6 over (team) and Charlie Doyle, Cheyenne Mountain 3 under (individual)
4A Region 4 at Bookcliff CC — Grand Junction 19 over (team) and Michael Dinapoli, Steamboat Springs 2 over (individual)
3A Region 1 at Cattails GC — Kent Denver and Monte Vista 21 over (team) and Johnathon Smith, Pagosa Springs 2 under (individual)
3A Region 2 at CommonGround GC — Peak to Peak 1 over (team) and Om Mathur, Peak to Peak 1 under (individual)
3A Region 3 at Boomerang GL — Holy Family 16 over (team) and Ryan Woodley, Liberty Common 1 over (individual)
3A Region 4 at Devil’s Thumb GC — Resurrection Christian 9 over (team) and Clint Summers, Resurrection Christian 1 over (individual)
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. He was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com