45-year-old Jimmy Gunn had just birdied the 35th hole of the Colorado Open by making a slippery 30-footer that fell over the front edge with its last roll. The former Korn Ferry Tour player was 1 under for the tournament and headed to the 645 yard par-5 closing hole at Green Valley Ranch Golf Course.
“Have you looked at what the cut is?” Gunn asked me. I had also just made a birdie and at 5 under for the day, the cut was not on my mind. I hadn’t looked. “Do you want to know what it is?” he asked. I did not want to know. Gunn opened the leaderboard on his phone and realized he needed a birdie, perhaps an eagle, for a shot at the weekend.
He hit a perfect drive into the fairway and was left with about 300 yards into a gentle breeze. To reach the green he’d have to play over an intimidating marsh with overgrown cattails, making the landing area invisible. In any other situation Gunn would have laid up, but not today. Gunn pulled his driver and took an adrenaline-fueled lash. The ball launched high, easily covering the penalty area and landing safely on the green, some 50 feet away. It was a soaring, sensational shot; the kind that’s fun to watch for the other players in the group.
Gunn two-putted for birdie but would have to wait until all the scores were in to see if 2 under was enough to make the cut. "I don't know if its enough," he repeated on his way to the scoring area. Five hours later, Gunn was rewarded for the bold finish with a weekend tee time.
As mentioned, I was playing alongside Gunn and scoring quite well. The front nine had been steady and I turned at 1 under. Having started the day at 1 over par for the tournament, steady wasn’t going to cut it if I was going to play the weekend. I put on my rally cap (a wide-brimmed bucket hat that exclaims "I'm a dad!"), birdied the par-5 11th and drove the green on the 340-yard 14th, setting up a legitimate eagle possibility. The birdie was more challenging than it should have been but making the uncomfortable comeback putt was a confidence builder. I stuck a wedge at 16, nearly aced the 204-yard 17th to add another birdie, and closed with a par at the last for a 5-under 66. The rally cap worked! I think I'll use it again this weekend.
University of Denver alumnus Chris Korte leads the tournament at 11-under. The 28-year-old played in three PGA Tour events this season and finished T-16 at the Puerto Rico Open in March. My good friend Jhared Hack is two shots back in second place at 9-under.
Jhared and I have traveled together often. Jhared, now 35, has played in PGA Tour events, won dozens of mini-tour events running away, once shot 57, gained and lost Korn Ferry Tour status a handful of times, and a few years ago, lost his game completely. But he’s come back and found his game in Denver.
Jhared and I had dinner tonight at a Mediterranean joint. While he might summarize our conversation differently, we discussed how we’ve been using a rope-a-dope strategy in pro golf. We’re just about to start hitting back.
Some notable players in contention: Davis Bryant (8 under), Sam Saunders (8 under), Wil Collins (8 under), Zahkai Brown (8 under), Jim “Hard K” Knous (6 under), Sean O’Hair (5 under).
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