Coloradans Miles Kuhl (16 years old) and Cole Nygren (30), plus Mines golfer Lukas Taggart qualify at Columbine for U.S. Amateur; Westminster’s Connor Jones also punched his ticket this week
By Gary Baines – 7/18/2024
COLUMBINE VALLEY — A year after Colorado hosted the U.S. Amateur, the number of Coloradans who are headed to the 2024 edition of arguably the world’s most prestigious amateur golf championship is growing markedly.
With two-time CGA Player of the Year Colin Prater of Colorado Springs exempt into the field after competing in the U.S. Open, Connor Jones of Westminster qualified for the championship on Monday with a 67 in St. Louis, and Miles Kuhl of Boulder and Cole Nygren of Denver made the grade on Thursday at Columbine Country Club.
And others who have strong connections to the Centennial State likewise have locked up spots.
University of Colorado golfer Dylan McDermott is headed to the U.S. Am for the second straight time, and former Colorado State player Gunnar Broin has also punched his ticket. Advancing on Thursday at Columbine was Colorado School of Mines golfer Lukas Taggart. And Brandon Knight from CU made it through qualifying on Tuesday in Pleasanton, Calif.
And there may be others joining them as final qualifying for the U.S. Am continues through July 31. This is the first year the USGA has used two stages of qualifying for the championship.
The 2024 U.S. Am is set for Aug. 12-18 at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minn., a club that has hosted U.S. Opens, PGA Championships, a Ryder Cup and a U.S. Amateur in the past, among other big-time competitions.
Cole Nygren of Denver celebrates a playoff birdie that gave him his third straight berth in the U.S. Amateur.
At Columbine on Thursday, the six qualifiers who advanced — out of a field of 27 — were sandwiched, age-wise, by the 16-year-old Kuhl and the 30-year-old Nygren, a former pro who qualified for his third consecutive U.S. Am.
“It’s very special,” said Kuhl, who won the AJGA Colorado Junior in Westminster last month and two Colorado PGA junior majors in 2023. “I was not expecting to go. I haven’t even be to the U.S. Junior (Amateur) yet. So U.S. Am before U.S. Junior. It’s a lot of fun.”
As for Nygren, a mortgage loan originator who works in Boulder, has to chuckle at the success he’s enjoyed since giving up playing golf professionally full time and getting his amateur status back.
“It’s amazing what happens when you stop practicing,” he said with a smile. “Less practice, more beer.”
Kuhl shot a 2-under-par 70 to tie for third at Columbine, while Nygren shared fifth place at 71 and advanced in a 5-for-2 playoff by making a birdie from 10 feet on the second extra hole, No. 18.
Colorado School of Mines golfer Lukas Taggart (left) and Rayan Ahmed of Dubai shared medalist honors on Thursday at Columbine CC.
Joining the Coloradans in advancing on Thursday were Taggart and 17-year-old Dubai golfer Rayan Ahmed, who shared medalist honors at 3-under-par 69; Bowen Mauss of Draper, Utah (70); and Ryan Downes of Longmeadow, Mass. (71), who secured his spot on the first playoff hole by draining an 18-foot birdie putt.
While it will be the third U.S. Am for Nygren, it’ll be No. 2 for Mauss, and the first time around for the other four qualifiers.
Mauss, like Jones and Nygren, competed in last year’s U.S. Am at Cherry Hills Country Club. The Utahn not only made match play as a then-16-year-old, but won his first two matches before falling in the round of 16 to eventual champion Nick Dunlap.
“I’ve been waiting for this week for a while and practicing for this event,” said Mauss, who won the 6A boys state high school title in Utah last fall. “I played in (the U.S. Am) last year and it was really fun. It’s good to get back.”
2023 Massachusetts Amateur champion Ryan Downes drained a birdie in Thursday’s playoff to advance.
Nygren, the 2021 CGA Match Play champion, will second that thought.
“I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to qualify for this tournament growing up (in Longmont),” he said. “Every year this is what I looked forward to. And I never played well in (qualifying). Now, having the opportunity to still play in stuff — I have a fiancée and I’m getting married in September and I have a full-time job — it’s really fun to still be able to come out and compete.
“I’m having more fun playing golf now than I ever have. It’s awesome.”
On Thursday, Nygren birdied his first three holes at Columbine before falling back to even par. But a 25-foot birdie on 17 was pivotal in getting him in a playoff for one of the final spots, and the birdie on the second extra hole put him over the hump.
“I started off hot, let some go and it still worked out,” said Nygren, a pro from 2017-19.
With all of the other five qualifiers at Columbine being between 16 and 20 years old, suffice it to say that Nygren was in a league by himself, age-wise, in advancing to the national championship.
“I think the younger guys don’t see us coming,” said Nygren, who turns 31 next month. “It’s fun to be one of the guys no one sees coming.”
Overall, this will be Nygren’s sixth trip to a USGA championship, with his three U.S. Ams along with a U.S. Mid-Am, a U.S. Public Links and a U.S. Four-Ball.
Nygren (left), Kuhl (center) and Utahn Bowen Mauss show off their passes to the U.S. Amateur.
Meanwhile, while Kuhl missed out on qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur by a couple of strokes last month, he’ll be part of the 312-player field for the U.S. Am in August. The Fairview High School junior-to-be punched his ticket with a four-birdie, two-bogey day at Columbine.
“I’m a little shocked,” he said after a 1-under round at Thorncreek in local qualifying and a 2-under 70 in final qualifying on Thursday at Columbine. “I was not expecting this at all. But I know I’ve worked hard enough. I’ve put in a lot of prep. It’s kind of all paying off now, and I’m excited — really excited.”
Kuhl, a regular at Boulder Country Club, almost aced the 187-yard 10th hole on Thursday, with his ball finishing about an inch from the cup for a tap-in birdie.
“I had a lot of putts I blew past the hole and made 10-foot comebackers for par,” said Kuhl, who will be part of a team representing Colorado at the upcoming Junior America’s Cup. “I had an up-and-down from 50 yards on 17 (for par), which kind of solidified me getting in.”
All of which further adds to Kuhl being one of the top male junior golfers in the state at this point.
“I’m playing well, starting to put it all together,” he said. “I’ve worked a lot on my iron play. I don’t hit the ball the farthest, so I’m really good at striking my irons. I can hit greens when other guys are hitting wedges into greens. That helps a lot. That’s been the biggest improvement in my game. And my mental game too. I’m going out there to have fun. And I’m staying patient — if it goes in, it goes in.”
Taggart, a 20-year-old from Reno who’s a junior-to-be at Mines, rallied on Thursday after being even par through 10 holes, playing his final seven in 3 under and sharing the top spot at Columbine. Going 3 under on the four par-5s certainly helped the cause.
“It means everything,” Taggart said of landing a U.S. Am berth. “I’m really excited. It’s going to be my first USGA (national) event. I started golf a little late, comparatively. But I kept grinding, kept getting better at golf.
“I knew I had what it takes.”
Taggart had little experience playing at Columbine — 27 holes total before Thursday — but he was helped by his caddie, Mines teammate Max Lange from Golden.
“He’s played out here about 10 times,” Taggart said of Lange. “He knew a lot of sight-lines off the tee, which helped.”
And when Taggart did veer off course, he often recovered nicely. On the par-4 15th, for instance, he hit his tee shot way left into the trees, but he managed a nifty 5-iron punch shot that rolled onto the green, where he two-putted for par. “It was more than what I could hope for,” he said.
Ahmed, who was born in Pakistan and now plays on the UAE national team, is just two weeks into his second trip to the U.S., where he’s playing in the U.S. Junior Am, the U.S. Am and the national Junior PGA Championship, among other events. Ahmed stands No. 554 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
On Thursday, Ahmed birdied his first three holes — including a 40-footer on No. 3 — and finished with four birdies and one bogey on the day.
“Everything was kind of clicking. I really loved the course,” he said.
“It means everything,” the 17-year-old said of qualifying for the U.S. Am. “This is really amazing. On the last hole, I was so happy, but I tried to contain myself. It means a lot. It’s great for university (opportunities) and to represent myself on this big of a stage and show what I can do.”
Mauss, who has committed to play his college golf at Arizona State beginning in 2025, made the grade on Thursday despite playing his final five holes in 2 over. He was 4 under for his first 13 holes.
Between what he did in last year’s U.S. Amateur and Thursday’s qualifying, the Utahn has accomplished quite a bit in Colorado over the last year.
“It’s pretty similar in elevation to Utah and a very similar climate,” the recent Salt Lake City Amateur champ noted. “The ball goes maybe a few yards further (here), but other than that it’s really similar to back home.”
Downes, who like Ahmed was visiting Colorado for the first time, overcome a double bogey on No. 6 on Thursday and otherwise went blemish-free at Columbine, making three birdies. Plus, of course, the birdie he made in the playoff.
“Man, I was so relieved” when that fell, the 18-year-old incoming Vanderbilt golfer said. “I had a lot of putts today that I was just a little off on the reads, but I had a good one there. I’m super happy to see it drop.
“I wanted it so bad. The U.S. Am at Hazeltine is going to be awesome. It’s such a great event.”
Downes, the 2023 Massachusetts Amateur champion, comes for a course where his dad Billy — a former Korn Ferry Tour regular — has been the head professional.
“He got me started in the game and I’ve just loved it ever since,” said Downes, who also will compete in the U.S. Junior Amateur this summer.
Meanwhile, after qualifying Monday in St. Louis — where he tied for third place — Jones will be aiming to make another substantial run at the U.S. Amateur. Last year at Cherry Hills, the now-former Colorado State golfer advanced to the round of 32.
U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying
At Par-72 Columbine CC in Columbine Valley
ADVANCE TO U.S. AMATEUR
Rayan Ahmed, Dubai, UAE 69
Lukas Taggart, Reno, Nev., a Colorado School of Mines golfer 69
Miles Kuhl, Boulder 70
Bowen Mauss, Draper, Utah 70
Cole Nygren, Denver 71
Ryan Downes, Longmeadow, Mass. 71
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Gage Messingham, Arvada, a former UNC golfer who has transferred to Iowa 71
Parker Paxton, Riverton, Wyo. 71
For all the scores, 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