Colorado college golfers Hunter Swanson and Max Lange oust 2-time runners-up Drew Stoltz and Drew Kittleson at U.S. Amateur Four-Ball; Colin Prater and Jimmy Makloski fall in 19 holes
By Gary Baines – 5/27/2024
Two teams featuring a total of three Colorado high school graduates — each of whom advanced at least to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball last year — squared off in Monday’s round of 32 of the same national championship.
Hunter Swanson of Denver and Max Lange of Golden, college golfers at the University of Colorado and Colorado School of Mines, respectively, defeated 2022 and ’23 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball runners-up Drew Stoltz and Drew Kittleson 1 up at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Stoltz, a Poudre High School graduate, won the 2001 5A boys state high school individual title and the 2004 CGA Amateur.
So a year after making it to the final eight teams in the U.S. Four-Ball, Swanson and Lange punched their tickets into the sweet 16. They’ll face 28th-seeded Ricky Shilts and Chester Vandenberg in Tuesday’s round of 16. The winners will advance to the quarterfinals that will be played on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, not so fortunate on Monday, locally speaking, were Colin Prater of Colorado Springs and Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo. They held a 2-up lead after 14 holes but lost in 19 holes to New Mexico State golfers Javier Delgadillo of El Paso, Texas and Aidan Thomas of New Laguna, N.M. The Coloradans never trailed until completing the extra hole.
Swanson and Lange were never behind vs. Stoltz and Kittleson but were tied through 14 holes. But the college golfers won the par-3 15th with a par, then tied the final three holes with pars to earn the victory. They finished 2 under better ball for the day, while Stoltz and Kittleson actually did better stroke-play wise, at 3 under.
Swanson graduated from Northfield High School and Max Lange from Lakewood H.S.
The match was interrupted for 1 hour, 48 minutes by the weather, with the competitors finishing the final four holes afterward.
Prater, a two-time CGA men’s Player of the Year, and Makloski, an assistant coach for the Air Force Academy golf team and winner (with Parker Edens) of the 2024 CGA Four-Ball, were 4 under par best ball through 14 holes. But they went 3 over the rest of the way, with a bogey on the 19th hole proving decisive as the New Mexico State golfers won with a par there. The Coloradans recorded a double bogey on No. 15, while their opponents won with a bogey there and with a birdie on No. 16 to even things up.
Prater and Makloski, seeded sixth after stroke play, finished a better-ball 1 under par for the 19 holes.
Results for players with strong Colorado ties in U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in Flourtown, Pa.:
MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 32 (Monday)
Hunter Swanson, Denver & Max Lange, Golden def. former Fort Collins resident Drew Stoltz & Drew Kittleson, Scottsdale, Ariz., 1 up
Javier Delgadillo, El Paso, Texas & Aidan Thomas, New Laguna, N.M. def. Colin Prater, CO Springs & Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo, 19 holes
STROKE PLAY (Saturday and Sunday)
Advance to Match Play
5. Colin Prater, CO Springs & Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo 63-67—130
10. Former Fort Collins resident Drew Stoltz & Drew Kittleson, Scottsdale, Ariz. 66-66–132
15. Hunter Swanson, Denver & Max Lange, Golden 66-67—133
Failed to Advance to Match Play
27. Kevin Carlin & Nick Sharp, Denver 69-66—135 (lost in playoff Monday)
27. Former UCCS golfer Jon Olson & Jon Brown 69-66—135 (lost in playoff Monday)
53. Tom Glissmeyer & Charlie Soule, Denver 71-67—138
53. Steven Burak, Denver & Jared Steger, Chicago 68-70—138
For all the results from the Four Ball, 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