LITTLETON — Former University of New Mexico golfer Charlie Beljan called his 5-foot birdie on the first playoff hole of Monday’s U.S. Open sectional qualifying round at Columbine Country Club “the second biggest putt of my life.” It ranked just behind the one that clinched his victory in the 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
That doesn’t mean this was one of Beljan’s best putts. The ball almost slipped past the cup but caught the left edge and rattled in, breaking his tie with Boyd Summerhays of Phoenix.
“Somebody yelled, ‘He pulled it’ even before I looked up,” Beljan said. “I thought: ‘Oh, boy. I did.’ But they all count the same when they reach the bottom of the cup.”
The slick downhiller earned the Mesa, Ariz., resident the second spot allotted from this qualifier for the 109th U.S. Open Championship, next week at Bethpage Black on Long Island, N.Y. Steve Allan, an Aussie and a regular on the PGA Tour, earned medalist honors here with a 36-hole score of 5-under-par 139.
Beljan will make a return trip to the U.S. Open, having missed the cut last year at Torrey Pines. He leads the 2009 money list on the Arizona-based Gateway Tour with four victories, but that doesn’t compare to the opportunity that awaits him at Bethpage. Playing in the fourth of 14 twosomes in the afternoon, Beljan posted his second consecutive 70 relatively early and then had to wait — and hope his 4-under 140 would stand up.
Summerhays, playing in the final group, had a chance to avoid a playoff. But he missed an 18-foot birdie try on his 36th hole, settling for an even-par 72 for his afternoon round to go with an opening 68.
The sudden-death playoff began on the 455-yard, par-4 18th and, as it turned out, only one hole was needed. Taking deep breaths to calm their nerves, Beljan and Summerhays both drove in the fairway. But Beljan knocked a wedge from 147 yards to within 5 feet, while Summerhays, who had driven 30 yards farther, was a bit too strong with his approach and needed 15 feet for birdie, on about the same line. Summerhays’ putt ran 4 feet past, perhaps helping Beljan relax a bit before taking his stance over the ball.
“Boyd is a good player, and I knew that a par wasn’t going to cut it,” Beljan said of his wedge approach. “I couldn’t wait for him to make a mistake. So I decided to flag hunt.”
Allan said he usually enters the Memphis, Tenn., qualifier but decided to give Columbine a try. He played in five Internationals at Castle Pines.
“The heat and humidity takes a lot out of you in Memphis, so I thought I’d come here and see the sights,” he said.
Sometimes it takes just one hole to separate from the field. Allan said his 50-foot chip-in for eagle on the par-5, 547-yard 12th during the afternoon “was what was good enough for me.” Allan’s iron play was superb all day, putting him in position during the 36 holes for nine birdies and the eagle.
Arvada’s Zen Brown, who completed his eligibility this spring at Colorado State, claimed low-amateur honors at 1-under 143.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
U.S. Open sectional qualifiers
AT COLUMBINE COUNTRY CLUB
Par 72
a-indicates amateur
x-won one-hole playoff
QUALIFIERS
Steve Allan, Australia 70-69—139
x-Charlie Beljan, Mesa, Ariz. 70-70—140
ALTERNATES IN ORDER
Boyd Summerhays, Phoenix 68-72—140
Pat Grady, Broomfield 73-69—142
OTHERS
Dustin Mills, Northglenn 67-75—142
Kevin Stadler, Scottsdale, Ariz. 71-71—142
Stephen Schneiter, Sandy, Utah 70-72—142
Benjamin Clark, San Angelo, Texas 72-71—143
Drew Stoltz, Fort Collins 71-72—143
a-Zen Brown, Arvada 69-74—143
a-Benjamin Weatherly, Australia 69-75—144
Mike Kitowski, Aurora 74-70—144
a-Tom Whitney, La Quinta, Calif. 74-71—145
Jason Preeo, Highlands Ranch 72-76—148
Robb Bierbaum, Albuquerque 76-72—148
Micah Rudosky, Cortez 74-75—149
Shawn Wills, Englewood 77-72—149
Joshua Kelley, Upland, Calif. 75-75—150
Tyler Watts, Pine Haven, Wyo. 74-76—150
Caine Fitzgerald, Aurora 74-77—151
Michael Nicolette, Scottsdale, Ariz. 79-74—153
Robert Quaratino, Commerce City 81-72—153
Jacob Lestishen, Lone Tree 77-77—154
Dan McCarthy, Syracuse, N.Y. 79-78—157
a-A. Augustyniak, Tempe, Ariz. 75-83—158
Jay Osmon, Alamosa 79-81—160
a-M. Curtis, New London, N.H. 89-78—167
Jon Levy, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. 89-81—170
