PARKER, Colo. (June 13, 2014) -- A year after being forced to settle for second place at the CGA Senior Match Play, Tom Musselman of Telluride Ski & Golf Club made a very satisfying move up to the champion's spot on Friday.
The 54-year-old former Kentucky state amateur champion won two matches Friday at the Pinery Country Club in Parker, claiming the CGA Senior Match Play title with a 2-and-1 victory over Steve Bell of Denver Country Club.
Another Tom, Tom Warren of Fossil Trace Golf Club, earned the CGA Senior-Senior Match Play championship for players 60 and older by defeating Roger Gunderson of Aurora Hills Golf Course, 2 and 1 in Friday's final.
Musselman, who lost a 2-up final match to Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course last year, avenged that loss in Thursday's quarterfinals. Then after ousting Larry Netherton of Highlands Ranch Golf Club 4 and 3 in Friday morning's semifinals, Musselman never trailed in the title match.
Bell looked likely to square the match on the par-4 seventh after Musselman's tee shot ended up against the trunk of a tree and he was in the front greenside bunker in three. But with Bell having a 5-foot par putt, Musselman holed out a 30-foot sand shot for par, leading to a halve of the hole.
Then Musselman won the eighth with a 6-foot birdie and the ninth with a par to go 3 up.
Bell cut the deficit to 1 down when Musselman made bogeys on 10 and 12. But Musselman birdied No. 13 with an up-and-down from the sand, made a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 16, and two-putted from 50 feet for par on No. 17 to claim the victory. Bell lost despite birdies at Nos. 15 and 16, and a lipped-out birdie putt on 17.
In the Senior-Seniors, Warren held the lead for most of the day against Gunderson, the 1998 CGA Senior Match Play champ who had knocked off Colorado Golf Hall of Famer John Olive in the semis. The 61-year-old Warren never trailed after making three consecutive birdies on Nos. 4-6. Still, things were all square after 14, but Warren won Nos. 15 and 17 with pars, the latter after Gunderson hit a shot out of bounds.
View results for Colorado Senior Match Play
ABOUT THE Colorado Senior Match Play
The CGA Senior Match Play Championship will be
played using the PGA
TOUR style match play Pod Play system at gross
scoring. This means that
any player who qualifies for the championship will be
guaranteed at least
three (3) matches in the championship. After each
player is ranked, all
players will be distributed into their pod with three
(3) other players. This
will yield 16 pods of four (4) players. Each player will
play all three other
players in their pod at least once. The winner of each
pod will advance to
the Round of 16 and a single elimination knockout
round will be played for
the duration of the championship. If there is a tie for
the pod winner or
knockout stage, a sudden death playoff will
determine the winner.
View Complete Tournament Information