Pueblo’s own Jimmy Makloski gets a kick out of winning CGA Mid-Amateur at his home course; he edges 2025 CGA Match Play champ Colin Prater by 1
By Gary Baines – 10/19/2025
PUEBLO — Many of the competitors were blown away — figuratively and to some extent literally — on Sunday by how difficult the greens played at the 39th CGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Pueblo Country Club.
Extremely fast greens — Stimping at almost 13.5 — that are already formidable at far lesser speeds due to the slope of the putting surfaces were made even more challenging by strong winds.
To give but one example, Anthony Syrko of Lakewood had pulled into a share of the lead after 13 holes on Sunday only to suffer a five-putt, four-putt and three-putt on the next three holes to see his hopes for a title blown away. And, mind you, while four-putts for players of this caliber are very unusual overall, they certainly weren’t this weekend.
Under those circumstances, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that one of the golfers with the most experience at Pueblo Country Club emerged with the trophy on Sunday evening. That would be Jimmy Makloski, who has called Pueblo CC his home course for virtually all of his nearly 31 years on this earth.
Makloski claimed his fifth CGA championship title.
Makloski, who estimates — without a hint of exaggeration — that’s he’s played the course “thousands” of times in his life, took the lead with a surge in the middle of the back nine Sunday amid the most difficult conditions. And he went on to claim a one-stroke victory over 2025 CGA Match Play champion Colin Prater of Colorado Springs, a two-time winner of the CGA Mid-Am.
“It’s definitely an advantage. I knew the shots” at Pueblo Country Club, Makloski said. “There were some pins I’ve never seen, but it was nice to know what to do. And it was probably good for me because ever since college I’ve been a good wind player. I think that was to my advantage.
“I think the only other course that is a bigger home advantage is Eisenhower. It was a pretty huge advantage.”
Especially under conditions as they were on the back nine on Sunday.
“I’ve probably played here a hundred times since I was a little kid, and yesterday and today were the hardest I’ve ever seen (the course) play in my entire life,” Prater said. “The greens were going probably 13.5-14 (on the Stamp) and the wind was blowing 20 (mph).”
In another indication of how difficult the scoring was this weekend, Makloski finished at 1 over par for 54 holes, marking the highest winning score relative to par at the CGA Mid-Amateur since Keith Humerickhouse prevailed at 2 over par at Red Sky Golf Club in 2011. And that’s despite Pueblo Country Club playing just 6,504 yards for a par-70 layout.
Makloski strayed off line now and again on Sunday — including on the 11th hole, where his tee shot went through an adjacent fairway.
Makloski, an assistant coach for the Air Force Academy men’s golf team for the last five seasons, made a 15-foot par save after being in a very difficult spot off the tee on the par-3 13th. (“I could put a small bucket down there and not get up and down again, so that was a big turn,” he said.) Then he birdied the next two holes to pull away from Prater, a three-time overall CGA Player of the Year. Even when Prater drained a 25-foot birdie on the final hole and Makloski had to take an unplayable lie after pushing his drive into the right native, an 18-inch bogey putt for the local favorite was enough to secure the victory.
“It’s awesome,” Makloski said of winning a state championship on his home course. “When I found out it was going to be held here, I was kind of shocked. They pretty much never come down here. The course is kind of short. Obviously the greens are something, and they showed their teeth this week. I thought it was a good test. Some people might say it was a little out of control; who knows? The wind made it a little more interesting.”
It’s the fifth CGA championship for Makloski — and second of the individual variety. The former pro also won the 2012 CGA Junior Stroke Play, the 2016 CGA Parent-Child with dad Ray (a longtime Pueblo CC member who served as Jimmy’s caddie this weekend) and the CGA Four-Ball with Parker Edens in 2023 and ’24.
Colin Prater has finish first twice and second twice in the last four CGA Mid-Amateurs.
But it was something special to win one in his hometown and at his home club. On the back nine on Sunday, dozens of local supporters cheered on Makloski.
“Pueblo is a great community,” he said. “If you’re in with the right crowd, you won’t find more loyal people. I gave a speech when I was (Colorado) Junior Player of the Year in 2012. It was something about how I basically have tons of grandpas and dads and whatever because when I play out here, one guy (in the group) is probably 45, my dad is 65 and everyone else is older than that. And they’re all so supportive and they’re basically like an extended family.
“There are tons of people out here supporting me, always asking me how I’m doing, and they’ve never gotten to actually see (him compete in state championships). For them to be able to see it and for me to have some support was a lot of fun.”
And Makloski made the fans happy by shooting the only under-par round on Sunday — a 1-under-par 69. Meanwhile, the average final-round score for the players who made the cut was 77.75 — nearly 8 over par.
Prater made six pars, six birdies and six bogeys in the final round.
As it turned out, the only player who finished anywhere close to Makloski was Prater, with whom Makloski teamed to advance to the round of 32 at last year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Prater, the 2022 and ’23 CGA Mid-Am champ, shot an even-par 70 on Sunday to check in at 2 over, one back of Makloski. It’s Prater’s second straight runner-up finish at the CGA Mid-Am.
Prater hit it close on 10 (2 feet) and 11 (3 feet) for birdies to take a two-stroke lead. “It was looking a little bit bleak there,” Makloski admitted later. But Prater three-putted the next two holes for bogeys. He bounced back to birdie 14, but added bogeys on 16 and 17 before closing with a birdie.
“It was bad,” Prater said. “Two (strokes) up with seven to go, then to be three down coming down 18 … To lose five shots in a six-hole stretch, it’s just really bad. But I didn’t play well enough to win.
“There’s a little bit of frustration, but Jimmy played really well. Conditions weren’t easy. Pars were really good scores. For him to throw in a couple of birdies there (14 and 15), he made putts when it mattered. You can say ‘what if’ here or there. I had putts horseshoe on 3 and 8. But he played better than me so he deserves to win.”
Chris Thayer, a three-time CGA Mid-Am winner, finished third this time around. Here he chats with playing partner Sean Crowley.
Three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion Chris Thayer of Golden (71-72-76) finished a distant solo third, at 9 over par. Former two-time CGA Player of the Year Pat Grady tied for fourth place at 10 over par with Syrko, who played his first 49 holes of the tournament in 2 over par and his last five in 8 over.
“Even from 10 feet you had to ease it up there, and that’s not my game,” Prater noted of the difficult conditions. “I’m kind of firing at sticks and ramming putts in. My scorecard showed that. I had six birdies, six pars and six bogeys today. That shows you I probably didn’t play the golf course the correct way to win — and Jimmy did.”
Indeed, despite all the issues the greens and the wind presented down the stretch, Makloski played his final 10 holes in 1 under par.
Anthony Syrko was tied for the lead through 13 holes on Sunday, but five-putted No. 14 for a double bogey.
Makloski prevailed despite the Mid-Amateur being held in the midst of Air Force’s fall golf schedule. But because of the government shutdown, in the last couple of weeks he’s gotten far more golf in than usual this time of year.
“Before the season started, I was probably playing some of the best golf I’ve ever played,” he noted. “But for basically a month (during the beginning of the Air Force season) I didn’t touch a club at all. The shutdown happened, so I basically got to play the last two weeks, but I was struggling so bad. I had basically swing yips that carried into the first day (of the Mid-Amateur). I was in more adjacent fairways than mine. It was disgusting. But something clicked yesterday where I was able to start hitting the ball again. And I just kind of got it rolling. But there was definitely some cobwebs on the game.”
But apparently not enough to keep Maklowski from hoisting the trophy on Sunday.
Makloski might not have gotten that opportunity had the government shutdown not been in effect. Air Force men’s golf team is scheduled to tee it up in the Xavier Invitational starting Monday in Cincinnati, but with things the way they are now, he’s not with the team.
“Coach (Tyler Goulding) kind of gave me the OK to play this,” Makloski said. “Since the government is shut down, I can’t really work right now anyway. But I was lucky to sneak this one in.”
Pat Grady, who tied for fourth on Sunday, runs to mark his ball on the ever-so-slick ninth green.
But given that Makloski hadn’t competed in a tournament since the CGA Amateur in early August, he didn’t know exactly what to expect out of his game in Pueblo.
“I kind of had (the event) circled,” Makloski said. “Colin has played a lot of rounds here too. Obviously he’s always tough. But I kind of had it circled. If I had my game, I knew I had a good chance. About three days ago, I’d have said I didn’t have any chance (given how he was hitting the ball then). There was definitely some nerves on Thursday; it’s been a long time since I’ve played a tournament. You never know. Sometime it’s like riding a bike. Sometimes it feels like you’ve never done it before.”
Steve Ivan was back playing tournament golf after undergoing back surgery.
Notable: Steve Ivan, who grew up in Pueblo, returned to tournament action — for the first time since undergoing back surgery — at the CGA Mid-Amateur, tying for 17th place on Sunday (79-70-78). Ivan, 63, is a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year. … Bill Fowler, who last month won the CGA Senior Amateur for the second time, caddied for son Will at the Mid-Am. The two have won the CGA Parent-Child Championship twice together (2019 and ’23). Will Fowler (72-78-75) tied for 12th on Sunday. … The CGA Mid-Amateur is limited to players 25 and older.
For all the scores from the CGA Mid-Amateur, CLICK HERE.
CGA Senior Am champ Bill Fowler was caddying for his son, Will, over the weekend.
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