Then There Were 8

Eight players, including stroke-play medalist Jake Kelley of Columbine Country Club, won twice each on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 117th CGA Match Play Championship at The Club at Ravenna in Littleton.

Among those joining Kelley in the final eight were 2016 CGA Player of the Year Kyler Dunkle (pictured) of the Club at Pradera, 2015 CGA Stroke Play champion Chris Korte of Lone Tree Golf Club, 2016 5A state high school champion Kyle Pearson of Meridian Golf Club and U.S. Open Sectional qualifier Jake Staiano of Glenmoor Country Club.

Also in the quarters will be Brittain Walton of Collindale Golf Course, Jack Cummings of the Omni Interlocken Resort and Roy Carlsen of Walnut Creek Golf Club. Thursday’s matches will be: Kelley vs. Pearson, Dunkle vs. Walton, Korte vs. Cummings, and Staiano vs. Carlsen. The winners will then compete in the semifinals on Thursday afternoon, setting up Friday’s 36-hole final.

Kelley defeated CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year Chris Thayer 3 and 1 in Wednesday’s round of 16. Korte, a University of Denver teammate of Kelley’s, beat 2015 Match Play champion Nick Nosewicz, 6 and 5.

Among the others ousted in the round of 16 were U.S. Open Sectional qualifiers Ross Macdonald and Hunter Paugh, and 2016 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado boys Player of the Year AJ Ott.

For results from the Match Play, CLICK HERE.