— LONGMONT, CO — The 55th CGA Senior Amateur Championship headed to the Fox Hill Club with a packed field of prominent Colorado Golfers. Six previous champions eyed the trophy when the week began; however, one took the top spot right off the bat and never let go.
3-time champion Steve Ivan of Colorado Springs opened the tournament with two consecutive 70s before closing with another 70 on the final day, producing one of the event's most consistent performances. He finished the tournament without a round over par. However, he wasn't out of the woods as Charlie Luthor of Littleton matched Ivan’s 210 with his own final-round 70 after rounds of 71 & 69.
Ivan and Luthor played two playoff holes, where Ivan came out victorious and claimed the title of CGA Senior Amateur Champion for the 4th time. Ivan's previous victories in this event came in 2017, 2020 and 2024.
Ivan reacts to his putt going in on the second playoff hole to win the title.
The road has not been easy for Ivan, as two years ago he had back surgery that sidelined him from the game. Not knowing if he would even play again, Ivan worked hard to return to the game and win this championship.
In addition to Ivan and Luthor, Fort Collins’ David Johnson finished third at 2-over 212 after carding rounds of 73, 69 and 70. Johnson’s 3-under 69 in the second round helped keep him within striking distance heading into the final round.
Ivan and Luther shake hands on what became the final green
Robert Gonzales made one of the biggest moves of the final round, climbing five spots on the leaderboard with a 3-under 69. Gonzales finished fourth at 4-over 214 after rounds of 73, 72 and 69.
Jon Lindstrom and Ed Kerr shared fifth at 6-over 216. Lindstrom posted three consecutive rounds of 72, while Kerr opened with a 3-under 69 before finishing with rounds of 73 and 74.
Mike Green finished seventh at 7-over 217, followed by David Lindquist at 8-over 218.
Three players — Kent Moore, Bill Fowler and Rob McLelland — finished tied for ninth at 10-over 220. Moore closed with a 2-under 72 to move three spots up the leaderboard, while Fowler finished with a 75 and McLelland carded a 76.
Further down the leaderboard, George Sours made the largest move of the final round, jumping 14 spots after firing a 3-under 69. Sours finished tied for 14th at 12-over 222 alongside Sean Griswold.
With three rounds in the books, Ivan's steady play from start to finish ultimately put him atop a tightly contested leaderboard, with Luthor matching his 210 total and Johnson finishing just two shots back.