Mark Hubbard and Jim Knous have much in common.
They’re both Colorado natives, both 27 years old (they were born exactly eight months apart), and, of course, they both excel at golf.
A decade ago, they competed against one another in CGA and CJGA tournaments, with Hubbard winning both the CGA Junior Match Play and Junior Amateur in 2007.
And, fast forwarding to Thursday, Hubbard and Knous both had 9 a.m. tee times at TPC Scottsdale for round 1 of the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, with Hubbard going off No. 1 and Knous No. 10.
And, at the end of the day, the two shared one other thing: They finished under par and were in position to make the 36-hole cut in Scottsdale.
Hubbard, in his third season on the PGA Tour, shot a 2-under-par 69 and shares 28th place. Knous (pictured), who Monday qualified and is competing in a PGA Tour event for the first time, posted a 70, good for 38th place.
Another golfer with strong Colorado ties, former Colorado State University golfer and current Scottsdale resident Martin Laird, was even better Thursday as the three-time PGA Tour winner played his final seven holes in 4 under per en route to a 67, which left him tied for ninth place with three rounds left in the tournament. Laird carded seven birdies on the day.
Knous, a former Colorado School of Mines golfer, was 3 under par through 12 holes, after going birdie-eagle-par-par-birdie in the middle of his round. The eagle came on the 442-yard, par-4 18th (his ninth hole), where Knous drained his approach from 160 yards away, in the right rough. He finished the day with an eagle, three birdies and four bogeys — all on par-4s.
Knous, who has status on the Web.com Tour this year, made it into the field for the Phoenix Open by shooting 65 at McCormick Ranch Golf Club on Monday to land the third and final qualifying spot.
Hubbard has struggled in the early part of the 2016-17 PGA Tour wraparound season, making just two cuts in seven events so far. But a four-birdie, two-bogey round on Thursday put him in position to make some noise in Scottsdale.
As for the fourth player with strong Colorado ties competing this week, Michael Schoolcraft of Denver was 9 over par through 17 holes before play was suspended due to darkness. (Friday morning update: he finished with a 9-over-par 80.) Schoolcraft, medalist in the same Monday qualifier in which Knous competed, bogeyed his first five holes Thursday before settling in in his second PGA Tour start ever. He finished the day with one birdie and 10 bogeys.
Here are the scores for all the competitors with strong Colorado connections:
9. Former CSU golfer Martin Laird 67
28. Denver native Mark Hubbard 69
38. Jim Knous of Littleton 70
130. Michael Schoolcraft of Denver 80
For the entire Phoenix Open leaderboard, CLICK HERE.
