You’ve probably heard of Christmas in July, so why not Colorado golf in December?
It may be the off-season, but it’s the perfect time to dole out golf-related good cheer for the holidays. So without further ado, here is my second annual list of Colorado golf gift wishes for the holiday season (in alphabetical order to make it easy for Santa):
To: Shane Bertsch of Parker. Gift: In the 2011 PGA Tour season, no ailments or maladies — including, but not limited to, more broken feet or hands, or recurrence of vertigo.
To: Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village, who won the CGA Stroke Play and qualified for the U.S. Amateur as a 16-year-old. Gift: More amazing feats now that you’re 17.
To: Colorado golf course operators. Gift: After a very rough couple of years, enough customers to have a healthy bottom line.
To: David Duval of Cherry Hills Village. Gift: Now that you’ve gotten your full PGA Tour exemption back, a spot on the 2011 U.S. Presidents Cup team.
To: Kim Eaton of Greeley, the CWGA Player of the Year twice since turning 50. Gift: More sips from the fountain of youth.
To: Roy Edwards, the University of Colorado men’s golf coach who recently signed four Colorado-based recruits, including the 5A and 4A state champions. Gift: A tournament win in the Centennial State.
To: John Elway. Gift: Even if you do land a job as a Broncos executive, a willingness to continue to compete in the HealthOne Colorado Open Championships and a CGA tournament or two.
To: The Evans Caddie Scholarship, which is facing an operating deficit for the first time in three decades: Gift: A break in the unrelenting, skyrocketing tuition costs, including at CU.
To: Ann Finke of Colorado Springs, winner of the PGA of America’s national Junior Golf Leader award. Gift: More smiles on the faces of kids after a lesson with you.
To: USGA director Maggie Giesenhagen of Highlands Ranch. Gift: That you can make up those missed rounds over the years with plenty of golf now that retirement is at hand.
To: Castle Rock’s Gary Hallberg. Gift: More rounds like that Champions Tour tournament-winning 61 you posted in early October.
To: The three HealthOne Colorado Open Championships. Gift: A Coloradan winning at least one of the tournaments in 2011 after being blanked this year.
To: Former CU golfer Hale Irwin. Gift: Now that you’re officially a senior citizen (65 years old), one last win to cap the most successful Champions Tour career ever.
To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe. Gift: That the PGA Tour card you just regained will never escape your grasp again.
To: Chris Johnson of Castle Rock. Gift: Other back-to-back weeks like the ones you had late last summer when you won both the Colorado PGA Professional Championship and the Section’s Western Chapter Championship.
To: Denver native and former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye. Gift: A return to your form of 2003-04, when you won twice on the PGA Tour.
To: Former University of Denver golfer Kimberly Kim. Gift: Peace of mind as an LPGA Tour player after leaving college after just one year.
To: Colorado School of Mines golfer Jim Knous, who lost in a playoff at the CGA Stroke Play after shooting a course-record 60 in the final round at Boulder Country Club. Gift: The next time you shoot 60 in a golf tournament, a win comes with it.
To: Former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird. Gift: A top-20 showing in your first trip to the Masters.
To: Retiring city of Aurora manager of golf Dennis Lyon. Gift: A lifetime free pass to the Aurora public golf courses.
To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Jill McGill. Gift: A spot for the former Coloradan in the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
To: Jason Preeo of Highlands Ranch, who was in the top 20 at the 2010 U.S. Open before faltering on the weekend. Gift: Another working vacation at the national championship, this time complete with a top-25 finish.
To: Stephanie Sherlock. Gift: A “Who Needs Warm Weather?” bumper sticker. After all, a golfer who qualified for the LPGA Tour after growing up in Canada and playing golf at the University of Denver proves that just about anything is possible.
To: Craig Stadler of Evergreen. Gift: A pain-free Champions Tour season after your September hip replacement.
To: Kent Denver High School graduate Kevin Stadler. Gift: A top-50 finish on the 2011 PGA Tour money list.
To: The 2011 U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor. Gift: A champion of similar caliber to the one you crowned the last time the Women’s Open was held at the Broadmoor — a young lady named Annika Sorenstam.
To: CWGA Match Play champion Alison Whitaker. Gift: For the effervescent part-time Denver resident to actually be able to make the kind of impact on the LPGA Tour that she believes she can.
To: Gunner Wiebe of Aurora. Gift: May 2011 bring the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year a PGA Tour card.
To: Mark Wiebe of Aurora: Gift: A fourth straight top-30 finish on the Champions Tour money list in 2011.
