Phil Mickelson has enjoyed considerable success in Colorado, so it’s little wonder why the thought of competing in the state for the first time in eight years whets his competitive appetite.
When the BMW Championship begins Thursday at Cherry Hills Country Club, the 44-year-old will be returning to the site of his only USGA championship triumph, the 1990 U.S. Amateur.
But Mickelson’s Centennial State success goes far beyond that. He won a college tournament, the University of Colorado-Fox Acres Invitational in Red Feather Lakes, about a month after his U.S. Amateur victory at Cherry Hills. And he captured two PGA Tour titles at The International at Castle Pines Golf Club, in 1993 and ’97.
And though he didn’t win the Colorado Open, Mickelson finished third and took low-amateur honors in 1989, then placed 10th in 1990.
“I had some success there, and I’ve always loved playing at that altitude and playing the golf course there (Cherry Hills),” Mickelson said before departing for Denver. “I have a picture of every hole painted in my mind from 24 years ago, and I’m so excited to go back there.”
When Mickelson won at Cherry Hills, he completed a 1-2 that no one had since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 — claiming titles in both the NCAA Championships and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.
Besides having had success at Cherry Hills, the history of the site makes Mickelson look forward to his return all the more.
“From (Arnold) Palmer driving the green on 1, to (Ben) Hogan backing up his wedge on 17 (both in the 1960 U.S. Open), there’s been so much history that took place there that you can’t help but feel it,” Mickelson said.
That 1960 U.S. Open remains among the most memorable in history, as Palmer won the tournament for the only time, shooting a 65 in the final round to do it. And he fended off a 47-year-old Ben Hogan and 20-year-old amateur Jack Nicklaus.
Thirty years later, Mickelson claimed the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills by defeating former University of San Diego High School teammate Manny Zerman 5 and 4 in the 36-hole final. Against Zerman, Mickelson made 10 birdies and played 32 holes in 4 under par.
At the time, Mickelson certainly didn’t lack for confidence — and he wasn’t afraid of showing it. For example:
— A quote from him during that U.S. Am: “I’m playing as good as I’ve ever played. Every facet of my game is 100 percent right now. Whoever I play, I’d be intimidated (if I were them). So why shouldn’t they be?”
— In his round-of-32 match, Mickelson had a 2-foot putt for birdie on No. 1, while his opponent, Jeff Thomas, had a 25-footer for par. Mickelson conceded Thomas’ putt.
“He didn’t give me a putt all day,” Mickelson later said of Thomas. “I just didn’t want him to go and (take the time) to line up the putt.”
As Mickelson later told USGA.org in recalling the event, “I’ll never forget the look that he gave me (after Mickelson conceded the long putt). It was just funny.”
Mickelson, now a five-time major championship winner and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, has only been back to Cherry Hills once since his victory, and he didn’t play golf on that lone occasion.
Mickelson returns to Cherry Hills having not won since the 2013 British Open. His only top-10 of the 2013-14 PGA Tour wraparound season has been his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship last month.
“I’m not disappointed with the way I’m hitting the ball or putting or anything,” he said. “I’m just not really focused that well. But (this) week at Cherry Hills is a course that I’ve been looking forward to going back to for years since they announced it. I’m really looking forward to getting back there, and so my motivation is extremely high to go play well there.”
A Matter of Scoring: There’s been much guessing — educated and otherwise — as to what the PGA Tour’s best players will shoot at Cherry Hills this week at the BMW Championship. At 7,352 yards and at a mile-high altitude, the course is short by PGA Tour standards, but it has ways of baring its teeth.
For his part, Graeme McDowell can see anywhere from 10- to 20-under par winning the event this week.
“I think the scoring will purely be based on how firm this golf course becomes,” he said Tuesday. “It it’s soft (conditions) I think you’re talking 20 under par. If it’s firm, you’re probably talking between 10 and 15 under par. And by the look of things, it’s going to be firmer.”
Ryder Cup Picks in BMW Championship Field: Both the U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams were finalized on Tuesday with the captains making their wild-card picks. And 18 of the 24 players who will compete Sept. 25-28 at Gleneagles in Scotland will also play at this week’s BMW Championship at Cherry Hills.
All 12 members of the American team will be at Cherry Hills: Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth (above), Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson.
Half of the European Ryder Cup team is in the BMW Championship field: Sergio Garcia (below), Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
Favorable First Impression: Former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell likes what he saw in his first round or two at Cherry Hills.
“I just think there’s a lot to this golf course,” he said. “It’s got some length in places. It’s got some driveable par-4s. It’s got a real good balance to it. I love what BMW will do with the golf courses that they take us to. They’re real classic American courses, as opposed to some of the bombers’ tracks that we go to nowadays.”
Evans Scholars Cup a Boon for Scholarship: Monday’s Evans Scholars Cup at Cherry Hills raised more than $500,000 for the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing scholarships to qualifying caddies who demonstrate financial need. The Evans Scholars Foundation is the sole beneficiary of the BMW Championship.
A total of 108 golfers participated in Monday’s event, and the Evans Scholars from the University of Colorado served as caddies.
Among the money raised for the Evans Scholars was $51,700 from the CGA through a raffle which awarded a $12,000 spot in Wednesday’s Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am at Cherry Hills. (READ MORE HERE)
In addition, the participating CU Evans Scholars donated more than $5,000 to the program through caddie fees and tips they earned on Monday.
CBS golf analyst Gary McCord was among those who attended the post-Cup reception.
“I remember playing the Western Open at Butler National, and that was when they had all of these kids — Evans Scholars — as caddies,” McCord said. “Some years later, I got a letter from the kid that caddied for me. He talked about how much it meant for him to caddie for me. Then he told me he was now a judge. I mean, are you kidding me? That’s incredible.”
As part of the Evans Scholars Cup, CU freshman Evans Scholar Peter Evans, from North Little Rock, Ark., received the 2014 PGA Tour Chip Beck Evans Scholars Award.
Each year, outstanding freshmen from the program are chosen to be Chip Beck Scholars based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, caddie record and interest in golf.
Trying Out the Persimmon: 2013 BMW Championship winner Zach Johnson indicated it’s unlikely he’ll try to drive the 346-yard first hole during this week’s tournament. But before heading out to the course for Tuesday’s practice round, he said he was planning to try out a persimmon driver similar to the kind Arnold Palmer used in driving the green on the par-4 en route to a final-round 65 and a victory in the 1960 U.S. Open.
“I’m going to try persimmon, from where Mr. Palmer hit back in the day,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to have a chance (to hit the green), but I’ll do it for the fun of it.”
Rory McIlroy and other contestants also gave it a go with persimmon woods — and balata golf balls — on No. 1, but failed to hit the green.
Notable: Among those in attendance Tuesday was Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (pictured at left with BMW Championship general chairman George Solich). … McDowell is returning to the FedExCup Playoffs after taking last week’s tournament off to attend to the birth of his first child, daughter Vale Esme, on Aug. 24. “It was a very, very special sort of milestone in my life,” he said. … McDowell already likes what he sees from the crowds at Cherry Hills: “I love coming to these parts of the world where the fans haven’t seen any (Tour) golf for a long time and I feel like they get the buzz. They get up for it. There were good crowds already today. It should a pretty exciting week.”
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BMW Championship: The Essentials
What — BMW Championship PGA Tour FedExCup Playoff Event.
Where — Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village.
Schedule
Sept. 3: Gardner-Heidrick Pro-Am with tee times from 7-9 a.m. and 12:10-2:10 p.m. off the first and 10th tees.
Sept. 4-7: Championship rounds, with Thursday and Friday tee times from 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. off the first and 10th tees, and Saturday and Sunday tee times from 9-11 a.m. off the first and 10th tees.
Gates Open — 6:30 a.m. Sept. 3; 10 a.m. Sept. 4-5; and 8 a.m. Sept. 6-7.
TV Coverage — Sept. 4-5: 2-6 p.m., Golf Channel; Sept. 6: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Golf Channel and 1-4 p.m., KUSA (9); Sept. 7: 10 a.m.-noon, Golf Channel and noon-4 p.m., KUSA (9).
Tickets — Tickets will not be sold on site, only online. CLICK HERE.
PGA Tour Players Short Game Clinic — CommonGround Golf Course, located at 10300 East Golfers Way in Aurora, near the intersection of Havana and 1st Avenue, will host a PGA Tour Players Short Game Clinic on Sept. 3 at approximately 5-6 p.m. The event is free and open to the general public. Two PGA Tour players — to be determined — from the BMW Championship field will be the focus of the event.
Thursday/Friday Tee Times: For Thursday and Friday tee times, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday Pro-Am Tee Times: CLICK HERE.
Free Admission for Juniors — Kids 16 and under will be admitted free to the BMW Championship when accompanied by an adult ticket or credential holder.
Military Admission Policy — All active-duty, retired, reserve and veterans will receive free admission for one day of the tournament. Each military member must verify his or her military status on the website (CLICK HERE) and print off a free ticket voucher in advance of the tournament.
Field — The top 70 players in the FedExCup Playoff standings after the Deutsche Bank Championship concludes on Sept. 1. There will be no cut during the BMW Championship.
Purse — $8 million, with $1.44 million going to the winner.
Course Set-up — 7,352 yards. Par-70 (34-36). 3-in-deep bluegrass rough. Greens 11-11.5 on Stimpmeter.
Tournament Beneficiary — All the net proceeds from the BMW Championship go to the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to worthy and qualified caddies with limited financial means. The average value of an Evans Scholarship nationwide is estimated to be $80,000. One of the 14 Evans Scholarship houses is located at the University of Colorado in Boulder. About 870 caddies are currently on scholarship nationwide, and the program has produced almost 10,000 alums since 1930, with about 430 from CU. Among the CU Evans Scholar alums is George Solich, the general chairman of the 2014 BMW Championship.
Parking — Free parking is available at 1 Highfield Parkway in Englewood, with free shuttle service provided to the main entrance at Cherry Hills CC. Free parking for BMW owners will be provided at 6145 Happy Canyon Road in Denver, with shuttle service to the course. (At Cherry Hills, the BMW owners’ pavilion is located between the seventh and 14th holes; owners need only show their BMW key for access).
Autographs and Cameras — Only permitted on Sept. 2 and 3 during the practice/pro-am rounds.
Tournament History — The BMW Championship’s predecessor, the Western Open, began in 1899, making it the third-oldest PGA Tour event, behind the British Open and U.S. Open. The tournament was renamed the BMW Championship in 2007 when it became part of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Course History — Cherry Hills Country Club, a William Flynn-designed course, opened in 1922. It has hosted a myriad of significant tournaments over the years: U.S. Opens in 1938, ’60 and ’78; PGA Championships in 1941 and ’85; a U.S. Women’s Open in 2005; U.S. Amateurs in 1990 and 2012; a U.S. Senior Open in 1993; a U.S. Senior Amateur in 1976; and a U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1983. Winners of those events include Arnold Palmer (’60 U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (’93 U.S. Senior Open) and Phil Mickelson (’90 U.S. Amateur).
For More Information — Visit the BMW Championship website (CLICK HERE.)
]]>Cherry Hills Country Club will host arguably the top event in amateur golf Aug. 13-19, with CommonGround Golf Course serving as the second site for the stroke-play portion of the event Aug. 13-14.
Anyone who attended the 1990 Amateur at Cherry Hills — or covered it, in the case of yours truly — can tell you the tournament proved to be quite a memorable start to a five-year run of historic USGA championships held in Colorado.
In the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills, Jack Nicklaus would win the last of his eight USGA titles. Nicklaus’ first USGA championship also came in Colorado, at the Broadmoor in the 1959 U.S. Amateur.
Then in the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor, Annika Sorenstam would post the first of her 72 LPGA Tour victories.
As for the 1990 Amateur, the event remains the answer to a trivia question: At what tournament did World Golf Hall of Famer — and five-time U.S. Open runner-up — Phil Mickelson win his only USGA championship?
The U.S. Am 22 years ago produced many an unforgettable moment. Here were some of the highlights and notable tidbits from that week:
— A severe hail storm six weeks before the championship made it a challenge to get Cherry Hills ready for the tournament. The golf-ball-size hail left an estimated 750,000 to 1 million scars on Cherry Hills’ greens, some as large as 3 1/2 inches, and the course was closed for five days. A concerted effort by members and staff had the greens in good shape by the time the Amateur started on Aug. 21.
— While Mickelson (pictured in a USGA photo at Cherry Hills) comes across as a confident player to this day, he was borderline cocky as a 20-year-old competing at the U.S. Amateur. To be sure, he was a standout, having won NCAA titles as both a freshman and sophomore at Arizona State. He was also low amateur in the 1990 U.S. Open.
Two-time U.S. Amateur champion Jay Sigel went so far as to call Mickelson “the best (amateur) I’ve seen.”
But, at the time, modesty wasn’t the strong suit of Mickelson, who consistently sported a preppy look back then.
After being medalist in the stroke-play portion of the Amateur, Mickelson said, “If I play the way I’ve been playing, I don’t think I’ll get beat.”
Also: “I’m playing as good as I’ve ever played. Every facet of my game is 100 percent right now. Whoever I play, I’d be intimidated (if I were them). So why shouldn’t they be?”
— In an example of his self-confidence, in his round-of-32 match, Mickelson had a 2-foot putt for birdie on No. 1, while his opponent, Jeff Thomas, had a 25-footer for par. Mickelson conceded Thomas’ putt.
“He didn’t give me a putt all day,” Mickelson later said of Thomas. “I just didn’t want him to go and (take the time) to line up the putt.”
As Mickelson recently told USGA.org in recalling the event, “I’ll never forget the look that he gave me (after Mickelson conceded the long putt). It was just funny.”
— In stroke play, Mickelson broke the course record at Meridian Golf Club — and the existing U.S. Amateur record — by carding an 8-under-par 64, despite missing two 5-foot putts in the process. That gave him a 135 total for two rounds, good for medalist honors by two strokes. He gained that honor despite making a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 15th hole at Cherry Hills, where he four-putted.
— Ten Coloradans competed in the 1990 U.S. Amateur: current PGA Tour player Shane Bertsch, Brett Dean, Rick DeWitt, Shawn McGechie, Tom McGraw, Guy Mertz, Robert Odom, Scott Petersen, Bill Werley and Charlie Whalen. None made match play, though DeWitt was in a playoff for the final match-play spots. Also failing to advance in that playoff was David Duval, who now lives in Colorado and is a member at Cherry Hills.
— In the first day of stroke play, Meridian yielded three holes-in-one.
— One player definitely stood out among the 312 competitors, though not necessarily for his golf. David Nissenbaum, a former state high school champion in Massachusetts, competed at Cherry Hills and Meridian with hair down to his shoulder blades and a foot-long beard. Nissenbaum also played in the 1967 U.S. Amateur — at the Broadmoor — but in the interim he served three years in federal prison for his role in allegedly smuggling 21 tons of marijuana. And, for good measure, he was a priest of the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church, which uses marijuana in a sacramental role.
— Defending champ Chris Patton, all 310 pounds of him, lost 8 and 6 in the first round of match play when opponent Chris Zambri made hole-in-one with a 5-iron at the 204-yard 12th hole. After the ace, despite having already been eliminated, Patton couldn’t resist intentionally hitting his tee shot into the water. He turned pro immediately after the match.
— In three of his first four matches, Mickelson was taken the distance — to the 18th hole — including in the quarterfinals by Bob May, who went on to lose a playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship. Mickelson’s most remarkable comeback came in the round of 16. He was 1 down on the 16th hole, and for his second shot he had a huge cottonwood a few feet in front of him and directly between his ball and the hole.
Mickelson aimed at a creek 40 yards left of flagstick, hit a huge hook and put his ball 12 feet from the hole. He made his birdie putt and opponent Mike Swingle missed his 15 footer, evening the match.
“I had to snipe it 60 yards; I can’t believe I pulled it off,” Mickelson said. “… It was by far one of the better shot under pressure I’ve hit. If I don’t make it, it’s in the creek, then it’s over.”
Mickelson went on to win the 17th hole with a birdie and won the match 1 up despite being 4 over par for the round.
“About an hour ago, I had lost, I was done, heading home,” he said shortly after prevailing.
— From the “world is a small place” department, in the 36-hole final Mickelson faced Manny Zerman, a fellow member of the graduating class of 1988 from University of San Diego High School. They were golf teammates at the school as seniors.
In the final, Mickelson made 10 birdies and played 32 holes in 4 under par in defeating Zerman 5 and 4. Mickelson had won the biggest tournament of his life to that point.
“This is the one that matters most,” he said earlier in the week. “I could finish last in every other tournament and win this one and be happy. This is the ultimate amateur tournament.”
— Mickelson became the first left-hander to win the U.S. Amateur. And the victory made him the first player since Nicklaus in 1961 to win NCAA title and U.S. Amateur in the same year.
Capturing the U.S. Amateur title earned Mickelson a 1991 Masters pairing with Nick Faldo, who would finish his career with six major championships.
Noting at the time that he had never met Faldo, Mickelson deadpanned, “Good player, I hear.”
— Mickelson wasn’t a big fan of playing it safe when a challenge presented itself, so it’s not surprising that he regularly tried to drive the green on the par-4 first hole at Cherry Hills, as Arnold Palmer did successfully in the final round of the 1960 U.S. Open en route to rallying to victory.
But the strategy didn’t work out so well for Mickelson, who was 1 over par in seven times playing the hole during match play.
However, as Mickelson noted regarding another decision he made earlier in the week, “I’m just not one to lay it up — flat out.”
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Other U.S. Amateur-Related Stories on COgolf.org:
— Yang Joins Sister as USGA Qualifier. DU golfer advances to U.S. Amateur along with Axlund, Chapman
— Kids and Pros Alike Have a Blast. U.S. Amateur Alumni Day at CommonGround draws a few hundred fans
— CGA, CWGA Gear Up for U.S. Amateur. With CommonGround as Companion Course, associations expand role
— CommonGround Impresses USGA Executive Director. Five tees were added for U.S. Amateur
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 13-14 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills at CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.