Former Coloradan Drew Stoltz and partner Drew Kittleson eke out win at U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, advancing to Sweet 16
By Gary Baines
Especially given that they’re competing so close to home for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, Drew Stoltz and Drew Kittleson are certainly hoping their results this week are much more similar to their first two years in this event than the past two years.
In that respect, it was “so far, so good” — albeit with a bit of a scare — on Monday for Stoltz, who grew up in Fort Collins and won the 2004 CGA Amateur and the 2001 5A state high school individual title in Colorado, and Kittleson, a fellow reinstated amateur who was runner-up in the 2008 U.S. Amateur.
Now both residents of Scottsdale, Ariz., the two are competing this week less than an hour from their homes. And on Monday, both the players and their supporters had some reason to smile as the two Drews, seeded second, advanced to the match-play round of 16 at Desert Mountain Club. Though it was certainly a challenge, they defeated 31st-seeded Charles Beeson and Nicholas Canitano, two teenagers from Georgia, 1 up, by winning the 18th hole with a par.
This marks the third time in the last five years that Stoltz and Kittleson have advanced to the Sweet 16 at the U.S. Four-Ball, but the first time in three years. They finished national runners-up in both 2022 and ’23.
Though Stoltz and Kittleson led for the majority of Monday’s match, it was tight throughout. After things were tied through 10 holes, the Drews birdied 11 and parred 14 for wins to go 2 up. But Beeson and Canitano rebounded immediately, winning 15 and 16 with birdies to square the match.After matching pars on the par-3 17th, Stoltz and Kittleson prevailed with a par on the 503-yard, par-4 18th, where Beeson and Canitano posted a bogey.
Team Drew finished 5 under par, best-ball, for the round.
Meanwhile, to start Monday, an 8-team-for-3-spots playoff was held to determine the final qualifiers for match play, and Charlie Tucker of Castle Pines, the 2025 CGA men’s open-age Player of the Year, and Nick Fallin of Highlands Ranch were involved. But they were eliminated on the second playoff hole and didn’t advance.
On Tuesday, two rounds of matches will be played — the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.
Here are the results for players with strong Colorado ties at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball:
MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 32 (Monday)
Former Coloradan Drew Stoltz/Drew Kittleson def. Charles Beeson, Roswell, Ga./Nicholas Canitano, Milton, Ga., 1 up
STROKE PLAY (Saturday and Sunday)
Advance to Match Play
T2. Former Coloradan Drew Stoltz/Drew Kittleson 63-66–129
Failed to Advance to Match Play
T30. Nick Fallin, Highlands Ranch/Charlie Tucker, Castle Pines 71-66–137 (lost in playoff)
38. Former Coloradan Parker Edens/Trey Kidd 65-73–138
47. Chris Thayer, Golden/Bryan Rusin, Denver 69-70–139
105. Jason Browder, Gunnison/Sean Thomas, Castle Rock 76-71–147
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