Zach Gomez wins CGA Mid-Amateur Match Play in style, at Cherry Hills CC; it’s Westminster resident’s first CGA championship
By Gary Baines – 10/8/2025
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE — It took a l-o-n-g time — both in a general sense and in the case of this specific tournament — but Zach Gomez of Westminster is finally the proud owner of a CGA championship title.
The 26-year-old Colorado native from Indian Tree Golf Club claimed the trophy for the CGA Mid-Amateur Match Play on Wednesday — approximately five months after his quest began for this particular title.
Gomez received the benefit of a forfeit victory in the semifinals when 2021 CGA Match Play champion Cole Nygren withdrew because he’s out of the country. Then Gomez never trailed in defeating 2021 CGA Mid-Amateur (Stroke Play) champion Matt Zions of Lakewood 3 and 2 in Wednesday afternoon’s final at Cherry Hills Country Club, culminating a season-long competition which started in the spring.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Gomez said, noting it’s the biggest victory of his golf career. “I’m excited to win here. It’s awesome. I’ve been playing in the CGA since I was 8 years old with Davis (Bryant) and all those kids. We were growing up together. But I’ve never really won any of (the CGA events).
“It’s nice to have had a great year. I qualified for the U.S. Am, made it to U.S. Open (qualifying) finals, and now I’ve won the Mid-Am Match Play, which is super fricking cool. It doesn’t feel real.”
Gomez collected his trophy on a colorful fall day at Cherry Hills.
All in all, it couldn’t have been a more ideal setting for breaking the ice in the CGA championship victory department. After all, the title was decided on arguably the most storied course in Colorado — one that’s hosted 10 USGA championships, five men’s Grand Slam events and two women’s majors. Plus, the weather couldn’t have been more glorious for an October day in Colorado. And adding to the atmosphere were popping fall colors just about every way you looked.
Gomez, wearing a Cherry Hills Country Club shirt on Wednesday, was certainly drinking it all in.
“It’s pretty cool to do it at Cherry,” said Gomez, a Ralston Valley High School graduate who played a season of college golf at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota. “I worked out here (at Cherry Hills) on golf course construction about four years ago (leading up to the 2023 U.S. Amateur). To be back out here playing is pretty cool.”
Not counting the par-3 course, this week marked just Gomez’s second, third and fourth times playing at Cherry Hills. No. 2 came in a practice round. And though Gomez won his Wednesday morning semifinal match by forfeit, he decided to play another practice round then to get a feel for the pin positions. And then round No. 4 was his title-winning victory over Zions.
“That (Wednesday morning round) really did pay off for me,” Gomez said. “I was debating playing this morning because of being tired in the afternoon (for the finals), but I made the right call.”
Gomez’s chip from behind the 12th green resulted in a crucial par during the title match.
Even with the semifinal walkover, Gomez won five Mid-Am matches over the spring, summer and fall to capture the title. In all of them, he closed out his opponent no later than the 16th green. And over all five of his matches in this event, Gomez said he never trailed.
“To win five matches — to win it all — is hard,” said Gomez, who works on the grounds/maintenance crew at Indian Tree. “You’ve got to be on your game the whole year to get here. Then to win it here, this golf course is not easy. Around the greens is very quick and dangerous if you’re in the wrong spot. I did really good the first 13 holes (of the title match) just plotting my way around and leaving myself very gettable putts. I was pretty proud of myself about that.”
Indeed, Gomez didn’t make a score worse than par for the first 13 holes on Wednesday afternoon, and he was 4 up at that point as Zions had three-putted No. 6 and made loose swings on the tee shots on 8 and 9, leading to two more bogeys. Gomez cozied a tricky downhill chip shot on 12 to gimme range (“That was a really tough chip. I don’t know how I did that. It was pretty cool,” he said). Then he sank a 10-foot birdie on No. 13.
Former CU golfer Matt Zions finished runner-up in a CGA championship for the second time in 2025.
Zions, a 46-year-old Australian-born former University of Colorado golfer, managed to take advantage of Gomez’s first notable mistakes — on 14 and 15 — to narrow his deficit to 2 down. Gomez hit his approach shot into the creek left of the 14th green and made double bogey, then just missed the 15th green and failed to get up and down, leading to a bogey.
But Gomez closed things out on No. 16 as Zions missed the green short, then failed to convert on a 5-foot par attempt with Gomez safely in for his par.
“Today I didn’t make any mistakes until 14,” the champ said. “Even in that moment I tried to remind myself I was playing good. One bad swing doesn’t mean I’m playing bad.”
For Zions, it was another close call in a CGA championship as he also finished second — in a playoff — at the CGA Western Championship in August. He also placed second in the amateur competition at the Inspirato Colorado Open.
“I’ve had some good weeks,” said Zions, who works in the oil and gas business for a Dallas-based company. “For as little time as I’m able to put into my game, this is pretty good. I don’t really get to practice much. I play for work; that’s kind of about it. I can’t really be too hard on myself.
“If I keep playing like I am and get the putter going, hopefully I can give the boys a run down (at the CGA Mid-Amateur at Pueblo Country Club Oct. 17-19).
Zions’ putter wasn’t particularly cooperative on Wednesday.
Zions had the rougher end of the deal on Wednesday as he had to play two matches while Gomez had one. All the competitors walked and used caddies on Wednesday.
“I think that was a little bit of an advantage because I didn’t have to stress as much this morning,” Gomez fully admitted. “I could kind of go through the course stress-free (in a morning practice round) instead of wearing myself out mentally. I could kind of tell after a while that Matthew was kind of getting a little tired — and I was too — but I was trying to stay within myself and trying not to focus on Matt. That was kind of my game plan — to keep hitting fairways and greens and making him earn it, in a sense. He’s got to beat me with birdies.”
Said Zions: “I think I was getting a bit tired. It’s been a long day walking out in the sun. I don’t walk 36 holes very often and the body is getting older. I probably could have scored a little better. But all in all I was happy. I played great against (Ryan Axlund) this morning (in the semifinals).
“I had my chances (against Gomez), but he played great. He’s very steady. He doesn’t look like he should hit many shots off line. He makes it look pretty simple. And I made it look a little harder than it needed to be. And I think my putter more than anything just kind of fell asleep.”
As usual, the scenery was exceptional at Cherry Hills.
Like Gomez, Zions was thrilled to have a chance to tee it up at Cherry Hills in competition.
“I love this place. It is so pure,” Zions said. “The greens are so fast. You’ve got to hit it good. You’ve got to hit crisp, solid shots or you will be penalized. It’s one of my favorite places, and it’s always in great shape. We were very fortunate to play Cherry (in a CGA championship).”
As noted, Wednesday morning two semifinals were planned, but with Gomez advancing via Nygren’s forfeiture, a battle of two former CGA Mid-Am (Stroke Play) champs was the lone match on the course. And Zions beat Axlund, an Englewood resident, 3 and 1 to advance. Axlund, who finished runner-up in this event last year, won the first hole with a par but never led again. Zions closed things out when Axlund’s pitch from the rough to the island 17th green fell into the water and he conceded Zions’ birdie putt.
Ryan Axlund (right), a finalist in this event last year, congratulates Zions on the latter’s semifinal victory on Wednesday morning.
Zions and Axlund were two of a group of accomplished players in the original Mid-Am Match Play field. Also teeing it were fellow CGA champions Chris Thayer, Nick Nosewicz, Charlie Soule, Nygren and Bryan Rusin. In fact, en route to the finals, Zions beat Rusin, Nosewicz and Axlund.
Another former CGA champ in the field was Mark Henderson, the 2024 Mid-Am Match Play champion, who was ousted 1 up by Nygren in the regional semifinals.
This year marked the second CGA Mid-Amateur Match Play held since 2015. During the championship’s original run (2012-15), such local mid-am luminaries as Jon Lindstrom (once) and Michael Harrington (twice) were among the winners. But this time around, the event had slightly a different look for the 25-and-older field. Prior to Wednesday, the rounds of 64, 32, 16 and 8 were played at venues of the choosing of the participating players.
CGA Mid-Amateur Match Play
Wednesday’s Semifinals at Cherry Hills CC
Matt Zions, Lakewood, def. Ryan Axlund, Englewood, 3 and 1
Zach Gomez, Westminster, def. Cole Nygren, Denver, by forfeit
Wednesday’s Title Match at Cherry Hills CC
Zach Gomez, Westminster, def. Matt Zions, Lakewood, 3 and 2
For all the results from the Mid-Am 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