Titles on the line as 2020 champ Colin Prater heats up and will face Jordan Jennings for CGA Match Play crown; state high school champ Landry Frost, 15, will take on New Mexico standout Rylee Salome in CGA Women’s Match Play finale
By Gary Baines – 6/19/2025
DENVER — The last time the CGA Match Play had been contested at Denver Country Club, Dwight Eisenhower was president of the U.S. As for the CGA Women’s Match Play, DCC last hosted the championship when Richard Nixon was in the White House.
But on Thursday, both events made long-awaited returns to the club that traces its roots back to the late 1800s.
In the CGA Match Play’s first visit to DCC since 1960, 2020 champion and three-time CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Colin Prater of Colorado Springs earned a return trip to the 36-hole final, where he’ll face former 4A boys state high school winner Jordan Jennings of Durango/Montrose for the title on Friday.
And in the first contesting of the CGA Women’s Match Play at DCC since 1971, 15-year-old Landry Frost of Colorado Springs, who won the 4A girls state high school championship as a freshman last month, will square off in Friday’s 18-hole title match with Rylee Salome, a four-time 4A girls state high school champ in New Mexico.
The fact that they’ll all do so at Denver CC is a bonus as only Jennings out of the four finalists had ever played the course before Thursday.
Colin Prater went 14 under par in 28 holes on Thursday at Denver Country Club.
“Today was the first day I’d ever seen this place,” said Prater, winner of three CGA Amateurs and one CGA Match Play — and a 2024 U.S. Open qualifier. “It’s amazing, absolutely beautiful. Obviously it helps to play really good golf. It was an amazing day.”
Indeed, making it particularly so was that not only did Prater win two matches on Thursday — prevailing 7 and 6 over Anthony Syrko of Lakewood and 3 and 2 over two-time 5A boys state high school champ Will Kates of Centennial — but he finished 7 under par in each victory.
“It was a good day,” the 30-year-old high school science teacher said. “Fourteen under in 28 holes is pretty solid out here. Today was definitely the best I’ve played all year. I came out this morning and shot 30 on the front nine. I joked with my caddie that’s probably the best nine holes I’ve ever played in my entire life. I didn’t miss a shot for nine holes. I hit it in the right rough on 1 and didn’t miss a shot (after that on the front nine). It was cool. The feelings were good. It was easy. It’s always easy to play golf when you’re feeling that way.”
Indeed, things were going so well that Prater holed an 85-yard shot for an eagle on 15 to go 2 up on Kates in the semis, then birdied 16 from 8 feet to close out the match.
Prater actually did lose a match this week — 3 and 2 to Ash Edwards of Boulder, son of University of Colorado men’s coach Roy Edwards, in pod play on Tuesday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. But he survived that loss to advance to the quarterfinals thanks to a pod-play playoff victory on Wednesday. Prater said in an effort to “change the mojo a little bit” after the loss, he switched to a different putter and from a white to a yellow ball. And, for whatever reason, Prater’s game has since taken a big step in the right direction, particularly on Thursday.
Now, he’ll be seeking his fifth CGA major title on Friday.
“I love it,” he said. “I want to add as many as I possibly can.”
Jordan Jennings pitches to the 18th green at DCC during his semifinal match.
Potentially standing in his way is Jennings, who in 2021 was a finalist in the Colorado Junior Match Play. On a day when three Fort Lewis teammates advanced to the quarterfinals in the top half of the bracket, Jennings has made it to the finals. He won his quarterfinal against Grant Samuelson of Fort Collins, an Air Force Academy golfer, with an improbable par on the 21st hole, No. 18 at Denver CC. After being in the fairway bunker, Jennings saw his approach plug in the side hill of a greenside bunker.
“My caddie (and Fort Lewis teammate Jake Chesler) was like, ‘I’ve seen you hit some great shots before. Why don’t you do it again?’” Jennings relayed. “I choked up on it and hacked at it and hit it up there to 4 feet. (Samuelson) ended up three-putting (for bogey) and I made that putt for the par” and the win.
Then Jennings fended off Fort Lewis teammate Tyler Tyson of Arvada — a finalist in last year’s CGA Match Play — 1 up in the semifinals. Tyson was 3 down after 15, but birdied 16 and saw Jennings bogey 17 and 18, leaving an opening to go to extra holes. But Tyson missed a 6-foot par attempt and ended up three-putting for a bogey, which gave Jennings the victory on the 18th green.
“I know Tyler is a great player,” Jennings said. “I spent the year with him at Fort Lewis, and he’s a grinder. He’s never out of a hole. I knew he was going to keep fighting and keep grinding. I had to hold on a little down the end.”
So what does it mean for Jennings to make the title match?
“It feels amazing,” the 22-year-old said. “I haven’t had a lot of success in a while, so this is pretty cool.
“Honestly I haven’t had much success (since winning his state high school title in 2020). I was third in (the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship in the spring). That gave me a little confidence going into the summer. But I’ve had a very rough few years since I’ve won state.”
After spending a couple of seasons at Colorado State, Jennings has played for Fort Lewis the last two seasons, and he has one year of eligibility remaining.
Things have certainly gone well this week as Jennings has gone 5-0-1 in his six matches at the championship.
“The is the first time I’ve gotten out of my pod (in this event), let alone make it to the championship match,” he noted.
After pod play — and Wednesday’s CGA Match Play round of 16 — were completed at CommonGround Golf Course earlier in the week, the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of both the Match Play and the Women’s Match Play are being held at DCC. It will all culminate with the two finals on Friday.
Landry Frost of Colorado Springs is trying to win the Women’s Match Play title at age 15.
— In the Women’s Match Play, you have the relative oddity of two finalists who have won girls state high school individual titles as freshmen. Frost did it a month ago in Colorado, while Salome won the first of her four in New Mexico in 2022. Only two others in New Mexico history have accomplished that four-peat.
Meanwhile, Frost has been making her share of headlines as a young teenager in Colorado. A year ago, she earned the girls 14-15 chipping title at the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National. Then a month ago, the Air Academy golfer and Sophia Lee of Colorado Academy (2A) became just the fourth and fifth freshmen since 2002 to claim a girls state high school championship in Colorado, joining Holy Family’s Hailey Schalk (2017), Eaglecrest’s Emma Bryant (2018) and Erie’s Hadley Ashton (2022).
And now Frost has gone 5-0 so far in the CGA Women’s Match Play to advance to the finals as a 15-year-old.
“It feels really good,” the red-head said. “It shows me what I can do. I’ve been working really hard. And I’m really excited for tomorrow.”
Competing in the Women’s Match Play for just the second time, Frost notched victories on Thursday against former state high school champ Aubri Braecklein of Northglenn (in 20 holes in the quarterfinals) and Ava Schroeder of Colorado Springs (3 and 2 in the semis). She overcame early deficits of 3 down against Braecklein and 2 down against Schroeder.
Did such deficits have her worried?
“I knew there was a lot of golf to play,” Frost said. “I took it hole by hole and got it back slowly.”
Women’s Match Play finalist Rylee Salome won four New Mexico girls state high school titles.
Salome, who will begin her college career at New Mexico State in the fall, likewise owns a 5-0 record this week. But she’s been in enough control that she hasn’t yet had to play the 18th hole in a match. Thursday afternoon’s 2-and-1 semifinal victory over University of Denver golfer Kaitlin Zingler of Lakewood was Salome’s closest this week. Zingler took her lone lead of the match with a birdie on the 11th hole. But Salome would win three of the next five to close things out.
“It means a lot” to make it to the finals, the 18-year-old Salome said. “I hadn’t played this course ever, so this morning was a little difficult trying to get lines off the tee. Some of the holes I was like, ‘I don’t even know where the pin is.’ So it means a lot (to advance), and I’m grateful to my dad for caddying for me this week. He helps keep me grounded.”
Salome made it to the quarterfinals of this championship last year.
“Match play is a fun format,” she said. “It’s fun the way they set it up in pods. And it’s good for us to learn match play because there are some college tournaments that are match play.”
This year marks a change regarding the Women’s Match Play final. In past years, it’s been a 36-hole affair, but this year’s title match is scheduled for 18 holes.
CGA MATCH PLAY
Thursday’s Quarterfinals
Jordan Jennings, Montrose, def. Grant Samuelson, Fort Collins, 21 holes
Tyler Tyson, Arvada, def. Traejan Andrews, Greeley, 2 up
Colin Prater, Colorado Springs, def. Anthony Syrko, Lakewood, 7 and 6
Will Kates, Centennial, def. Pat Grady, Westminster, 5 and 4
Thursday’s Semifinals
Jordan Jennings, Montrose, def. Tyler Tyson, Arvada, 1 up
Colin Prater, Colorado Springs, def. Will Kates, Centennial, 3 and 2
Friday’s Scheduled 36-Hole Final
Jordan Jennings, Montrose, vs. Colin Prater, Colorado Springs, 7 a.m.
For all the results from the CGA Match Play, CLICK HERE.
CGA WOMEN’S MATCH PLAY
Thursday’s Quarterfinals
Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M., def. Maddie Makino, Parker, 4 and 2
Kaitlin Zingler, Lakewood, def. Samantha Paradise, Tampa, Fla., 4 and 2
Landry Frost, Colorado Springs, def. Aubri Braecklein, Northglenn, 20 holes
Ava Schroeder, Colorado Springs, def. Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch, 3 and 2
Thursday’s Semifinals
Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M., def. Kaitlin Zingler, Lakewood, 2 and 1
Landry Frost, Colorado Springs, def. Ava Schroeder, Colorado Springs, 3 and 2
Friday’s Scheduled 18-Hole Final
Landry Frost, Colorado Springs, vs. Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M., 7:10 a.m.
For all the results from the CGA Women’s Match Play, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com