CGA photo
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (July 11, 2008)--Colorado University golf team member Luke Symons of Valley CC defeated CU teammate Derek Tolan of 2 & 1 in the 36-hole final match to win the 108th CGA Match Play Championship at Plum Creek Golf and Country Club. For Symons, who won the 2007 CGA Western Chapter Championship, this was his second overall CGA individual victory.
Tolan took early control of the match taking a 2-up lead through six holes beforeSymons turned it on and incredibly made six consecutive birdies.
Tolan weathered the storm however, and with the help of an eagle on 11 was able to keep a 1-up lead. Symons’ birdie on 12 squared the match, but Tolan answered with a birdie on 13 to regain a 1-up lead.
Tolan ran the lead up to 3 up through 17, but Symons made birdie on 18 to cut it back to 2 up.
On the second 18, Symons made birdies on 2 and 3 to pull the match back to all square through 21. Tolan proceeded to make birdies on 5 and 6 to regain a 2 up lead through 24. Symons once again responded to Tolan by making a birdie on 7 and an eagle on 8 to square the match through 26.
Symons took his first lead of the match on the 31st hole when Tolan made bogey on 13. Perhaps the most crucial moment came on 16 (34th hole of the match), when both players hit their approach shots within five feet of hole. Tolan’s birdie attempt slid past the hole, and Symons was able to rattle his in to take a 2-up lead with two holes to play.
The match ended on the 35th hole (the par-3 17th) when both players made par giving Symons the 2 & 1 victory.
This marks the 22nd time a CU Buffalo has won this event, and the 13th time it was won by an active team member as Symons will be a junior this fall.
Symons’ name will be engraved on the Richard C. Campbell trophy joining past champions such as Brandt Jobe, Hale Irwin and Steve Jones. The trophy will reside at Valley Country Club (Symons’ home club) for the next 12 months.
Tolan’s runner-up finish was his second, as he lost in 2005 to another CU teammate Patrick Grady. Tolan is the current CGA Public Links Champion, and will be a senior this fall at CU. He and Symons, who were classmates at ThunderRidge HS as well, will be sharing a house this fall with three other CU teammates.
--Courtesy Colorado Golf Association
View results for Colorado Match Play
ABOUT THE Colorado Match Play
The CGA 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 at
CommonGround Golf Course. After each player is
ranked (see below), 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 (see schedule below). The
winner of each pod will advance to the Round of 16
and a single elimination knockout
round will be played at CommonGround Golf Course.
The top 8 players will advance to
complete the championship at Colorado Golf Club in
a single elimination bracket.
Player Seeding: All 64 players will be ranked 1 – 64.
The defending champion will be
ranked #1. Exempt players will be ranked next based
on their 2020 CGA Player of the Year
points standings. The rest of the field of 64 will be
made from qualifying players that came
from an off-site qualifier. Qualifying players will be
ranked in order of their qualifying score
at their given site.
Pod Assignments/Seeding: The pods will follow the
PGA TOUR style of randomized drawing.
Once players have been seeded 1 - 64, players will
be drawn at random so that each pod
will consist of a player ranked 1 - 16 (Player 1), 17 -
32 (Player 2), 33 - 48 (Player 3) and
49 - 64 (Player 4).
Pod Play Scoring: There will be no extra holes during
the pod play portion of matches.
Scoring during pod play will be as follows: Match
Won – 1 point | Match Tied – ½ point |
Match Lost – 0 Points.
Note: If there is a tie for the pod winner, a sudden
death playoff will determine the person
advancing from that pod.
View Complete Tournament Information