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No laying up for Gavin Lyons

Local golfer qualifies for the U.S. Mid-Amateur

Gavin Lyons already has made a name for himself as an amateur golfer in Durango. Now he hopes to prove himself on a national stage.

Lyons, a 2011 graduate of Fort Lewis College, qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, which will be played Sept. 6-11 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship will earn a spot at the 2015 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

“The goal is to win it, but I don’t know how likely that is,” Lyons said. “It is winner take all, and I’m trying to get the glory and the Masters spot.”

Lyons, 25, finished second at a U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier July 30 at Sandia Golf Club in Albuquerque. Lyons shot a 4-under-par 68 to finish in second place at the qualifier. Albuquerque’s Nick Geyer took first place with an 8-under 64.

“I never had played in a USGA qualifier, and it was super official. I brought a caddie, and the whole thing was an experience in itself,” Lyons said. “To play that well and make it was that much more special.”

Lyons, who stands at 6-foot, 285 pounds, had Jesse Larson, owner of Bayfield’s Pine River Pawn, as his caddie for the qualifier.

It was the first time Lyons had ever tried to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Two weeks earlier, he won a Colorado Golf Association Western Chapter qualifier in Montrose, and he felt good enough about his game to make the trip to Albuquerque.

“I thought there was a good chance I could make it if I brought it that day, and fortunately I did,” Lyons said.

Lyons has plenty of experience in big tournaments. He tied for first place at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship tournament his senior season and reached the NCAA Division II championships in Florence, Alabama in addition to being named to FLC’s All-Century team, which consists of student-athletes, coaches, administrators and others who served FLC Athletics during its first century. He also has finished as the low amateur at the Navajo Trail Open in Durango the last four years in a row.

Lyons will leave for Pennsylvania on Wednesday and get practice rounds in Thursday and Friday. The tournament begins with stroke play with 264 players in the field. After two days of stroke play, the top-64 players will be placed into a match-play bracket.

Golfers will play the Saucon Valley’s Weyhill Course, a par-71 measuring 7,054 yards in stroke play. Those that advance to match play will play the Saucon Valley Old Course, a par-71 measuring 7,091 yards.

“The courses look great. I’ve had a few friends play in USGA events on the east coast, and they say it is an experience of a lifetime the way the courses are set up and the way the players are treated,” Lyons said.

Qualifying for the tournament may have been the easiest part for Lyons. Getting time off work was a little bit more difficult. Lyons works at McAlvany Wealth Management in Durango.

“I had to do some convincing and really make sure everyone knew this is kind of a big deal,” Lyons joked. “I was going no matter what.”

Lyons has played as much as he can after work leading up to the big tournament. He has enjoyed the reception from friends at Dalton Ranch Golf Club and Hillcrest Golf Club, where he is a constant figure.

“I’ve been playing six times a week getting ready, and I just love golf so I don’t mind getting out there as much as I can, anyway,” said Lyons, who hasn’t had a coach since his playing days at Fort Lewis. “Honestly, if I can make it to match play and get in the top 64 out there, that would be sweet. If I can win it and get a spot in the Masters, well, that wouldn’t be too bad, either.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com



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