Golf Datatech has reported that rounds in the U.S. in 2017 were down 2.7 percent compared to the previous year. But Colorado went against the tide.

The CGA recently completed compiling the 2017 Public Golf Course Rounds and Revenue Survey. A higher-than-normal number of facilities — 82, including Par-3s — have reported exact figures for both 2016 and ’17, which makes the results reliable.

And the outcome was encouraging from the perspective of the golf industry in the Centennial State. Using the numbers provided by those 82 courses, rounds increased 3.3 percent compared to 2016.

And green-fee revenue was up 6.7 percent in 2017, compared to the year prior, according to the 72 facilities that reported figures for both of the most recent two years.

“It would be a concern to me if rounds were up 6 percent and (green-fee) revenue only up 3, but the way it was is a perfect combination because that means the asset (courses) is not taking a beating by having” a significant increase in rounds but a far more modest green-fee revenue gain, said Ed Mate, longtime executive director of the CGA. “Three percent increase in rounds and 6 percent in revenue — double the revenue increase compared to rounds — is kind of a perfect, healthy trend.”

The comparison of Golf Datatech round numbers to those gathered in the Colorado Public Golf Course Survey is not completely apples to apples because the Datatech figures include private facilities as well. But that organization’s overall numbers for Colorado — an increase of 3 percent — are remarkably close to those of the Colorado Public Course Rounds and Revenue Survey.

According to the Golf Datatech figures, only three states or combination of states fared better than Colorado in percentage of rounds increase from 2016 to ’17: New Mexico (5.5 percent), Tennessee (5.1 percent) and Kansas/Nebraska (3.1 percent).

“The weather is a good thing, but the economy has been on the rebound so I think that’s why revenue is up” in the Colorado public rounds survey, said Eddie Ainsworth, executive director for the Colorado PGA. “The economy is doing well, so golf is doing well. And last year, the weather was good. Those are all positives.”

Adding to that, the public rounds figures from the Colorado Rounds and Revenue Survey have increased three of the last four years, with the lone exception being 2016, when the numbers were down nominally (0.8 percent) compared to 2015. Rounds increased 3.6 percent from 2013 to ’14, and 1.2 percent from ’14 to ’15. In the previous four-year period (2010-13), rounds decreased from the prior season in three of the four calendar years.

“As long as the weather cooperates, I think rounds should continue to increase,” Ainsworth said. “All the things that everybody is doing to grow the game — all the efforts to make golf more inclusive, what we’re doing with junior golf and trying to get more families out at the golf course, private clubs becoming more family entertainment centers to get the entire family involved — I think everybody’s efforts are paying some dividends.”

Regionally within Colorado, public courses in the Denver metro area fared better than average regarding rounds, with a 4.7 percent increase from 2016. The Colorado Springs Region was up 8.9 percent, while the North Region was down 1.8 percent.

Each of those regions saw jumps in green-fee revenue — 8.7 percent in Denver metro, 3.7 percent in Colorado Springs and 3.5 percent in the Northern Region.

“First of all, I think (the results of the survey are) positive,” Mate said. “You should never take that for granted. It’s the first time in several years we’ve seen that positive a result with both rounds and revenue. My standard stock answer is weather, weather, weather. It’s about inventory of days for golf — that, I know, was favorable, particularly at the tail end of the season. We just played an awful lot of golf.

“I think you’ve seen some courses do some catch-up with green fees. As a whole, there’s been enough elasticity of pricing that courses have been able to implement increases, and that’s really healthy.”

Mate particularly likes to hear when rounds and revenue numbers have gone up three of the last four years.

“You start to look at it over a three- to five-year period and then you say it’s a trend, which is good,” he said. “Weather tends to even out over that period of time. You have to recognize that we’re an outdoor industry. We are at the whim of Mother Nature. It’s not like restaurants. We’re much more susceptible to that than others — skiing the same way. So yes, I think it’s a very positive trend.”

Though Colorado public course operators share their statistics on the condition that data from individual facilities aren’t divulged publicly, trends and averages from the survey can be reported.
 

Kids say the darnedest things. So do adults — and just about anyone affiliated with golf.

We’ve certainly found that to be the case in many years of covering the sport. And 2017 definitely was no exception.

Each December we go back through the year to compile some of the more notable quotables in Colorado golf, whether they be funny, insightful, profound, memorable or some combination thereof.

Here are our selections for 2017:

— Wyndham Clark, who grew up in Colorado, after earning a Web.com Tour card through Q-school, via Twitter:

“Officially have a job!”

— CGA executive director Ed Mate, on working alongside former CGA staffers Thomas Pagel and Pete Lis on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee:

“On a personal level, I take great pride in that. For a long time, Colorado has had strong representation with the USGA. And it’s nice because you can be candid with friends.”

— Peter Evans, one of the caddies on a full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship at the University of Colorado:

“It was a dream of Chick Evans. He believed in a bunch of poor caddies — and it turned out so well.”

— Coloradan Jim Knous after Monday qualifying for the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour:

“It’s going to be incredible. My college buddies and I … we all come down here and pile on 16 (the famously raucous par-3 at TPC Scottsdale), and get there super early and go watch and get rowdy. … To be on the other side, actually hitting shots, is going to be wild. I’ve yelled at my fair share of golfers on No. 16, and now I’m going to be the guy getting yelled at.”

— Mark Cramer, owner and operator of the Denver Golf Expo, on the 2017 show drawing 9,136 people, the most since 2014:

“It feels great. I’m very happy the number got over 9,000. When I opened the last cash box and (exceeded 9,000), I let out a huge primal scream.”

— Sarah Hirshland, senior managing director of business affairs for the USGA, speaking at the G4 Summit in Colorado about the changing business of golf:

“I genuinely believe — and I’ll go to my grave saying — that we are part of a moment in time in a sport that has hundreds of years of history and will survive for hundreds of years beyond all of us. I hope everybody feels as privileged to be a part of this as I do because at some point they will look back and say that was a decade-ish where the golf world changed and evolved, and it’s a really fun thing to be a part of. I hope all of you appreciate that. You may not yet, but one day I know we all will.”

— Mate, after the USGA and R&A announced a major set of proposed changes to the Rules of Golf. Mate serves on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee:

“It’s exciting to finally have the duct tape off my mouth because I’ve been sworn to secrecy the last two years.”

— Colorado Open Golf Foundation CEO Kevin Laura on the announcement that the first prize for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open was more than quadrupling and the overall purse doubling:

“We’re very excited that we’re a big girls’ game now.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Alan Abrams, the president of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, after receiving a $10,000 check for the organization from the CWGA:

“Our beginning year we were hoping to shoot, using a golf analogy, 1 or 2 over par. But we had an incredible sub-par round and ended up winning the tournament.”

— CWGA executive director Laura Robinson, on 2016 Volunteer of the Year Vivian Heggie:

“Vivian is the most dedicated, passionate, enthusiastic and nutsy person. She stayed out at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open qualifier for more than 10 hours in the rain and cold. We kept trying to rescue her. She is there when we ask her to be — helping the golfers and making sure everyone has a great experience.”

— CGA president Joe McCleary after a training session for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course:

“The way I look at CommonGround is it’s a lab for a lot of different programs related to golf, and this is one of them. We also have a chapter down at Meridian and we’re now into Grand Junction. And the model has been used for other places around the country. How can anyone argue with what we’re doing? I think it’s awesome, and I love being a part of it.”

— Clark on winning the Pac-12 Conference Championship in his home state at Boulder Country Club:

“It’s probably the best win of my career and it couldn’t have been in a better spot, playing at home in front of friends and family, which to me was the coolest part, and also winning a team championship. It’s pretty awesome. I’ve done a lot of preparation to get to this moment. I’ve thought about it, dreamed about it. Sometimes it’s a little surreal when it happens.”

— University of Oregon coach — and former college teammate of Tiger Woods — Casey Martin, on Clark, one of his players:

“Wyndham has just been a monster all year. He’s only had a couple of over-par rounds all year. He came home (to Colorado for the Pac-12 tournament) with all the pressure here and played beautifully. He’s a grinder and I love him.”
 
— CU men’s golf coach Roy Edwards, asked who helped the clear the Boulder Country Club course of snow (left) to make it playable for the final round of the Pac-12 Conference Championship:

“Anybody who was breathing that had a shovel.”

— Robinson, on being part of a Colorado golf contigent participating in the Colorado Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol, where golf administrators met with state representatives and senators:

“(The lawmakers) were getting to know the golf industry on a personal level. They were able to ask us questions and we answered, but they got to meet us — and that was valuable. It’s also valuable that we get to debunk a lot of the myths that some people have about the golf industry. They think that we use water (excessively), we waste resources, we pollute through chemicals, that we are inaccessible. I hope what we shared today through all the literature and the posters was that we are actually a good member of the community. If we even educated two or three people today, it was successful.”

— Doug Moore, who teamed with Raymond Kelley and won the CGA Senior Four-Ball after a day that featured rain, cold, snow and finally sunshine:

“I looked at (the three days) like a triathlon. We got out of the pool and we were doing well. We got off the bike and we were still leading. It’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got to go run a marathon — and it was going to be a marathon in bad weather.'”

— Keoni Johnson, a participant in a Golf in Schools field trip at CommonGround Gol Course:

“It was the best. I went to this mini-golf place and (after that) I always wanted to go golfing.” Asked what he learned from Golf in Schools and the field trip, Johnson responded, “How to hold the golfing stick properly and how to hit the ball properly because if you hit it wrong, it’s going to hit somebody in the head. And watch out for the head part because if it hits somebody’s head, you have to call 9-1-1.”

— Mate, on the redesign of Denver’s City Park Golf Course so that the site can include a stormwater detention area:

“It’s bittersweet. It’s where I grew up playing. With the nostalgia and all that, obviously it’s hard to see (the existing course) go away. But you have to be realistic. There’s a way to transform public property that incorporates very-much-needed (public safety-related changes) and modernizes the course like at (CGA-owned and operated) CommonGround. It’s sad to see the old course go, but I’m glad to see it used for the greater good of the community. If it was becoming a parking lot or a high-rise, it would be a different matter, but it’s staying a golf course.”

— Valor Christian boys golf coach Jason Preeo after he joined three of his former players in advancing to the final stage of U.S. Open Qualifying:

“I’ve got to keep up with those (former Valor) guys. We’ve had three of them get through, so I couldn’t let them show me up today.”

— Westminster’s Jennifer Kupcho, on qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open two days after losing a late lead and finishing second at the NCAA Championship Finals:

“I have to get over it at some point. It’s definitely a little hard to sleep at night, just realizing I was so close. But I’m going to the Open so … Open or win the national championship? Both would have been nice, but the Open is still cool.”

— Jeff Gallagher, after winning the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, on almost missing the registration deadline for the tournament:

“I’m good friends with Tom Krystyn, who lives here, and we were on the phone. I’m like, ‘Dang, that reminds me, I’ve got to register for the tournament.’ I think I did it about two hours before the deadline, and I’m sure glad I did. I nearly air-balled it.”

— World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, who grew up in Boulder, after conducting a clinic for juniors prior to the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, almost 50 years exactly after winning an NCAA title as a University of Colorado golfer:

“I’m very proud that it kind of put Colorado golf on the map, so to speak. I don’t look at it as boastful. I look at it to learn from it: use that (so) maybe these kids can learn from an example that you don’t have to live in Florida, you don’t have to live in Arizona, you don’t have to live in California to have golf and be successful at it. It can come from anywhere.”

— Nick Nosewicz, on winning the CGA Parent/Child with father Lenny a year after the death of Nick’s grandfather Ed, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer:

“If it wasn’t for grandpa, neither of us would have played golf. If if wasn’t for grandpa, I wouldn’t have dad. So the whole tournament was pretty special. Honestly, I think the only reason we came up here was because of what happened last year, losing grandpa, and trying to continue the Nosewicz legacy. At a state level, that’s cool.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, after teaming up with Susie Roh to win her record eighth CWGA Mashie Championship. Moore has now won Mashie titles with three different partners (Christie Austin, daughter Sarah, and Roh):

“The strength of my game in Mashies is picking great partners. And I did that really well this time.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe, on winning his first PGA Tour-sanctioned event ever by claiming the title in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa:

Winning “is huge. I’ve been knocking on that door a long time. … To finally get a win means a lot. It’s hard. You’re out here to win, and I haven’t done as good of a job as I would have liked. This is nice. It’s a little bit of a relief.”

— Kupcho, a two-time U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, after winning her third consecutive CWGA Stroke Play title:

“It’s exciting to come out of Colorado and have everyone be super supportive of me. That’s probably a bigger deal than winning — just to know that everyone is behind me when I’m out competing on a national level.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton, in a year in which she won her 24th CWGA championship, leaving her one shy of the record held by Carol Flenniken:

“I’m doing it,” Eaton said of a full-bore pursuit of Flenniken’s mark. “I’m going to keep coming back. That’s my goal now.”

— LPGA Tour standout Lexi Thompson, at a First Tee kids exhibition in Denver, on the growth of golf among girls in her lifetime:

“It’s amazing. That’s what we want. We want to see little girls pick up a club early and get involved in the game because it is an amazing sport. You learn a lot about yourself. We want to grow the game, so it’s great to see. The thing I’ve noticed is the number of little girls wearing the program shirts or hats that are out following us. There’s so many little girls out following us and that’s what we want to see. We want to see smiles on their faces when we sign something for them or are giving them high-fives between holes. Knowing that they play the game as well, and we have an impact on that, it means the world to us.”

— Russ Miller, the PGA director of golf at The Broadmoor, which will host the 2018 U.S. Senior Open, the club’s eighth USGA championship:

“It gets easier (with the past experience), but there’s still so many things to do before the time comes. It’s like taking a test in college. You kind of know how to prepare, but you still have to study and do all the things beforehand. We always try to get better and you can always learn.”

— Liz Breed of Waynesboro, Pa., on winning the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open and the $50,000 first prize:

“I don’t think it’s set in yet. Call me in about two hours and I’ll probably be passed out in the street somewhere. This is probably the most proud I’ve ever been. I mean, 50 grand, that changes my life. That doesn’t just change my year, that changes my career.”

— George Solich, CU Evans Scholar alum and the namesake (with brother Duffy) of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course:

“What I really love about CommonGround in particular is we’re able to take kids from walks of life that have never been on a golf course and change their lives — either through the (Evans) Scholarship or otherwise. Not even 10 percent of the kids in this program are going to get the scholarship, so the goal is to impact the kids that don’t get the scholarship AND the kids that get the scholarship. Impact their work ethic, their character, their understanding of how to communicate and deal with adults — all the stuff we all learn from caddying. It’s really cool to be able to see how much impact (the program) has. … It’s exactly what we hoped.”

— Cherry Hills Country Club head professional John Ogden, 50, after defeating Rick Cole, 64, in a playoff to claim the title in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship:

“The gray-haired guys, that was pretty good. But Rick’s got a few more years than me on the gray hairs.”

— CGA Senior Amateur champion Steve Ivan, who plays his golf with 1993 Ram Laser Fx irons — of which he owns 13 sets. And he favors Royal grips and claims to own more of those than anyone in the U.S.:

“They call that OCD. The first step in recovery is admitting you’ve got a problem.”

— Davis Bryant (pictured at top with fellow JGAC Player of the Year Hailey Schalk), on winning all three Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors in which he competed in 2017:

“It’s been a season to remember. … It was a cool feeling to accomplishment as much as I did.”

— Larry Collins, PGA general manager and director of golf at TPC Colorado in Berthoud, which is expected to open roughly in June 2018:

The course “is phenomenal. It’s really a stunning piece of land. It sits on 800 acres, overlooking three reservoirs (Lonetree, Welch and McNeil) with about 1,500 acres of water — with Longs Peak and a panoramic view (of the mountains) in the background. The community is just going to be loaded with amenities. It’s very, very exciting.”

— Gerry Brown, the CGA’s director of handicapping and course rating, after helping rate TPC Colorado for the first time:

“From a bogey golfer standpoint, it’s a very scary-looking course with monstrous bunkers (left) ready to gobble up errant shots. … But there are very few trees and most of the OB is away from play. The fairways are generous. And the native is thin and wispy so you can play out.”

— Mark Passey, who retired this year as a Colorado-based regional affairs director for the USGA, noting that he caddied periodically for Frank Beard on the PGA Tour in the 1960s:

“Being inside the ropes is special. I thought, ‘I’d love to work at the USGA sometime.’ The fact that it happened is a miracle.”

— Dustin Jensen, the departing CGA managing director of operations, who will be relocating back to Jamestown, North Dakota:

“It’s hard to leave the CGA. I’ve grown up here (professionally). I grew up in Jamestown, but the other half of my life has been with the CGA. Leaving is tough. It’s really, really hard to go. I’m excited to get back and be around family. But I’ve got my Jamestown family and my CGA family.”

— Jensen, who played a key role in the early development of the highly successful Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado:

“I’m really excited to see where the Junior Golf Alliance goes. Multiple entities (the CGA, Colorado PGA and CWGA) came together and put kids first. That was the biggest thing I’ve been part of (professionally). The Alliance was good in year 1 (2016). It was really good in year 2 (2017). It’s going to grow exponentially from here on. Like Ed (Mate) has said, junior golf in Colorado is a North Star for other associations. We get emails from other associations asking how we’ve done it.”

— Mate, on the CGA and CWGA joining forces as one organization:

“I’ve been working for the CGA for a long time — over 25 years in stops and starts — and to me it’s the most significant thing we’ve ever done because I think it’s going to position golf and all the things we represent for the next 100 years.” 
 

It’s the year-ending holiday season, which means different things to different people.

One of the things that comes with this time of year here at coloradogolf.org and coloradowomensgolf.org is a reflection on the past 12 months and compilation of the top stories of the year in Colorado golf. We’ve been doing it annually since 2009, and we’re not about to stop now.

There’s no lack of worthwhile candidates, so in recent years we’ve broken up the list into a two-part series. We go in reverse order, for the sake of preserving some suspense, and add an honorable-mention list that will be included with Part II, which will be published in the coming days.

Today, we’ll cover Nos. 25-13, so without further ado …:

25. Year 2 for Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado: The JGAC, which made quite a splash upon debuting in 2016, continued a significant upward trajectory in 2017. The Alliance — a joint effort of the CGA, Colorado PGA and CWGA — further expanded its reach by creating more tournaments, including several in western Colorado, and adding services. Junior players of all abilities can benefit from JGAC-related programs, including anything from the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy to Colorado PGA Golf in Schools to the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program to Drive Chip & Putt and PGA Junior League competitions.

24. Three Victories by DU Women’s Team: The University of Denver women’s golf team has compiled quite a record from late last season to early this one. In late April, the Pioneers won their 14th straight conference championship, an eye-opening run even if their conference isn’t particularly strong in women’s golf. Then this fall, DU won two tournaments in 11 days — both in Colorado, at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott and the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch. For the record, that made for three wins in the course of five tournaments spanning two seasons. Denver, ranked among the top 25 women’s teams in the nation to complete the fall (along with the University of Colorado), was given a boost in the offseason when 2017 CWGA Player of the Year Mary Weinstein transferred in from the Regis University.

23. Eaton’s March Toward CWGA Record: This year, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton reached 24 CWGA championship victories by sweeping the Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play titles. That leaves her just one shy of Carol Flenniken’s career-record total of 25. After her third sweep of the Senior Match and Senior Stroke in the same year, Eaton earned the CWGA Senior Player of the Year honor for the eighth time. She’s also been the overall CWGA Player of the Year four times since 2004.

22. Variety is Spice of Life for Moore: Another Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, Kent Moore, added to a rather remarkable feat that likely will never be matched. With his victory in the Super-Senior Match Play, Moore (pictured above) now has claimed titles in eight different CGA individual championships. Over the last 44 years, he’s won the 1973 Junior Match Play, the 1986 Amateur, the 1989 Match Play, the 1995 Mid-Amateur, the 2006 Senior Match Play, the 2014 Senior Stroke Play, the 2016 Super-Senior Stroke Play and the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play. READ MORE

21. Longmont’s Nygren Inaugural Putting Champ: Longmont’s Cole Nygren, a pro for just a couple of months, earned a nice paycheck ($15,000) and plenty of publicity with his Halloween victory in the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas. The most eye-catching part of the win was the fact that it came against a field that featured PGA Tour veterans Brad Faxon, John Cook, Tommy Armour III and Colt Knost. Nygren, who placed fourth in the CGA Amateur in August to conclude his amateur career, beat Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, 3 and 2 in the match-play finale. READ MORE

20. Major Changes for Colorado Cup Matches: The Colorado Cup Matches, a Ryder Cup-style competition between CGA/CWGA amateurs and Colorado PGA professionals, have been held annually since 1971. But there were many significant changes implemented in 2017, which will be the last time the matches are conducted until 2019. With no college golfers playing for the amateur team for the first time, the Colorado PGA (left) prevailed 26-14 in the event, which now features open, senior and women players competing for a single Cup. That result came a year after the pros were swept by the ams. READ MORE

19. More National Recognition for Colorado PGA: Mark Pfingston, the PGA head professional at The Golf Club at Bear Dance, this year was named the PGA of America’s national Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities. With Pfingston’s accomplishment, Colorado PGA members continued their roll of the last decade-plus in receiving national recogntion for their work. In the last 11 years (2007 through ’17), CPGA members — or the Section as a whole — have earned nine national awards from the PGA of America. READ MORE

18. Chalk Up Another Honor for Keffer: In the last decade, Geoff Keffer has become one of the most awarded players from the Colorado PGA in the Section’s history. This year, the Lakewood resident received the Section’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Award for the fourth straight season and for the fifth time in six years. To put that into perspective, only one player has been the Colorado PGA’s Finsterwald Player of the Year more times than Keffer, with two others matching his total. And all of the other three members of the five-timers club have all been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Bob Hold owns the record for most CPGA Finsterwald Player of the Year Awards, with seven earned between 1966 and ’74, including six straight starting in ’66. Other five-time Players of the Year, in addition to Keffer, are Vic Kline (1975 to 1981) and Ron Vlosich (1986 to ’91). READ MORE

17. Back to North Dakota for CGA’s Jensen: Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s highly regarded and well-liked managing director of operations, recently accepted a job as associate dean of student engagement at his alma mater, the University of Jamestown in his hometown of Jamestown, North Dakota. Jensen was a key administrator in Colorado golf, particularly playing a pivotal role in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado getting up and running during its initial years. READ MORE

16. Age No Problem for Schalk: Hailey Schalk (left) of Erie was only 15 years old during the 2017 golf season, but that didn’t keep her from becoming the girls Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Player of the Year. In 2017, Schalk was the first Coloradan to win a title at the prestigious AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. And in May, she was the first freshman since 2002 to win a girls state high school individual championship in Colorado. In addition, she captured the titles at both of the JGAC majors in which she competed. She also placed 14th individually while playing for Colorado at the Girls Junior America’s Cup. She and Davis Bryant were recently named “Future Famers” by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

15. Seniors Rule at CPGA Professional Championship: The Colorado PGA Professional Championship is the top tournament of the year for the Section. But this year’s event, held at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, turned into a showcase for the 50-and-over set as 50-year-old John Ogden prevailed in a playoff over 64-year-old Rick Cole, who was ever so close to becoming the oldest winner of this event — by far. As it was, Ogden earned the $8,000 first prize, then promptly donated half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation. READ MORE


14. Timely 59 for Sam Saunders: Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders picked a good time for his career round. Saunders, grandson of the late Arnold Palmer, opened the Web.com Tour Championship with a 12-under-par 59 in Atlantic Beach, Fla., where he moved from Fort Collins last year. It was just the seventh round under 60 in the history of the Web.com circuit. More importantly, it led to a second-place finish in the Web Tour Championship, which secured Saunders’ fully-exempt PGA Tour card for 2017-18 after he had lost that status late in the summer.


13. Bunch, Harvanek Voted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: Two Coloradans whose service in golf has made an indelible impact were voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Jim Bunch of Denver and Danny Harvanek of Littleton will make up the 46th class of the Hall of Fame and will be inducted on May 20 at Sanctuary golf course in Sedalia. Bunch has served in high-powered volunteer roles at the USGA and with the Western Golf Association, including as the chairman of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, of the WGA and of the Evans Scholars Foundation that awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. Harvanek, a longtime PGA Master Professional in Colorado, has long been touted for his highly-effective instruction work with junior golfers, which helped lay the groundwork for the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program. READ MORE
   

Golfers are always in need of something, and we’re here to provide. So in the spirit of the season, it’s time to make public our annual holiday gift list for Colorado golfers.

To: Westminster resident Jennifer Kupcho.
Gift: Spots on the U.S. Curtis Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup teams in 2018, along with another run at the women’s NCAA individual title.

To: TPC Colorado.
Gift: Success to match the anticipation leading up to your opening in Berthoud in 2018.

To: The Broadmoor.
Gift: A 2018 U.S. Senior Open to rival the historical impact of the 1959 U.S. Amateur (winner: Jack Nicklaus), 1982 U.S. Women’s Amateur (winner: Juli Inkster) and 1995 U.S. Women’s Open (Annika Sorenstam) you hosted.

To: The CGA and CWGA.
Gift: A successful — and seamless — unification that pays dividends for male and female members across the state.

To: Part-time Colorado resident Kevin Stadler.
Gift: A return to the PGA Tour after battling hand problems for the last three years.

To: Dustin Jensen, the soon-departing managing director of operations for the CGA.
Gift: Happiness and peace of mind in relocating back to North Dakota, knowing you have positively impacted many in the Colorado golf community.

To: Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.
Gift: Knowledge that imitation around the country is the sincerest form of flattery.

To: Regulars at Denver’s City Park Golf Course.
Gift: That the end product when the course re-opens in 2019 after a redesign is worth the wait.

To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe.
Gift: A U.S. Senior Open victory in your old home state, at The Broadmoor, in 2018.

To: Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy.
Gift: That similar programs will continue to take root around the state, nation and beyond.

To: Davis Bryant, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 2017 male Player of the Year.
Gift: Advancing to the final four after qualifying for your third U.S. Junior Amateur in 2018.

To: Hiwan Golf Club.
Gift: That the Colorado squad will notch its second team title ever at the Girls Junior America’s Cup, when the club hosts the festivities in July.

To: Former Colorado resident Wyndham Clark.
Gift: Earning a PGA Tour card through your performance on the Web.com circuit in 2018.

To: CU Evans Scholars.
Gift: True appreciation for the opportunity you’ve been given, and that the words “life-changing” when describing the full tuition and housing scholarship for caddies aren’t just trite modifiers.

To: Colorado-based college golf programs.
Gift: Multiple berths in the national championship finals in 2018.

To: Part-time Boulder resident and two-time CoBank Colorado Open champion Jonathan Kaye.
Gift: A Web.com Tour win to go along with your two PGA Tour victories.

To: Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs.
Gift: Making a serious run at the age-group title on TV at the Drive Chip & Putt finals at Augusta National on the eve of the Masters.

To: Colorado PGA Golf in Schools Program.
Gift: That the program’s efforts will eventually pay big-time dividends in growing the game in the state.

To: World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin.
Gift: Continuing to build an enduring legacy in Colorado — and beyond — through things like the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program and the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior.

To: Colorado golf volunteers.
Gift: The satisfaction of knowing the countless hours of work you devote keep the game vibrant in our state.

To: Denver native Mark Hubbard.
Gift: A return to the PGA Tour in 2018-19 after a three-year run on that circuit ended in August.

To: Colorado PGA professionals and local golf course superintendents.
Gift: Appreciation from golfers for the enjoyment you add to the game through your work.

To: Colorado-based First Tee programs.
Gift: Another stellar lineup of tour players for Colorado-based exhibitions in 2018 to provide inspiration for young golfers in the state.

To: Hailey Schalk, the Junior Golf Alliance’s female Player of the Year in 2017.
Gift: A run at the title in the 2018 Girls Junior America’s Cup at Hiwan Golf Club.

To: All in the Colorado golf community.
Gift: Happy holidays and a great year of golf ahead.
 

However, that will change next week when the three-time Tour winner competes at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.

Laird (pictured), a former winner of the Denver Open, earned his U.S. Open trip on Monday by tying for fourth out of 122 players in the toughest Sectional Qualifying field, the place where most of the non-exempt PGA Tour players compete.

Laird shot rounds of 67-67 for a 10-under-par 134 total in Columbus, Ohio, where the top 14 finishers qualified for the Open. He made 13 birdie and three bogeys on a day that was marred by rain. J.T. Poston of St. Simons Island, Ga., was the medalist at the site with a 36-hole total of 132.

This will be the sixth U.S. Open for Laird, who missed the cut in his first four before placing 21st in 2013, his last appearance.

This season on the PGA Tour, Laird has recorded four top-10 finishes. He’s ranked No. 68 on the 2016-17 wraparound season money list with $1,115,886.

Laird was the only player with strong Colorado connections who qualified for the U.S. Open on Monday, when 10 36-hole Sectional tournaments were held in the U.S. A total of 21 local players were vying for U.S. Open berths at Sectionals, which mark the second and final stage of Open qualifying.

Of the Coloradans who fell short on Monday, making the most serious run at advancing was David Oraee of Greeley, the 2015 CGA Player of the Year. A year after missing a playoff at a U.S. Open Sectional site by just two strokes, the former University of Colorado golfer fell five shy of the final qualifying spot this year in Dallas, where just the top three finishers advanced.

Oraee was in good shape after a first-round 64 that featured two eagles in his final three holes, including a hole-in-one on No. 7. He played his last six holes of round 1 at Lakewood Country Club in Texas by going birdie, birdie, birdie, hole-in-one, par, eagle. For those of you keeping track, that’s 7 under par in six holes.

But Oraee played his first five holes of round 2 in 3 over par and couldn’t get anything going the rest of the way to get back into the top three. He made a dozen straight pars before finishing with a birdie, leaving him with 73 for the round and 5-under 137 overall, good for ninth place.

The U.S. Open will be held June 15-18 at Erin Hills.
 

U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying (36 Holes)
(a-indicates amateur)

For scoring, CLICK HERE.

Newport Beach, Calif. (103 players for 6 U.S. Open spots)
Failed to Qualify
39. a-Daniel Pearson, Longmont 75-70–145
50. Pat Grady, Denver 70-76–146
50. a-Former CSU golfer Blake Cannon 70-76–146
70. a-Ross Macdonald, Castle Pines 78-72–150
82. Rich Lash, Denver 76-78–154
89. a-Greg Condon, Monte Vista 75-80–155

Summit, N.J. (80 players for 5 U.S. Open spots)
Failed to Qualify
17. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda 69-70–139
53. Former CU golfer Justin Bardgett 71-75–146

Columbus, Ohio (120 players for 14 U.S. Open spots)
Qualified for U.S. Open
4. Former CSU golfer Martin Laird 67-67–134
Failed to Qualify
74. Andy Connell, Denver 70-77–147
Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders WD

Springfield, Ohio (77 players for 4 U.S. Open spots)
Failed to Qualify
52. Parker Edens, Greeley 77-72–149
59. a-Hunter Paugh, Fort Collins 71-82–153

Memphis, Tenn. (108 players for 9 U.S. Open spots)
Failed to Qualify
38. Mark Hubbard, Denver 71-69–140
50. Zahkai Brown, Golden 69-73–142
55. a-Jake Staiano, Englewood 72-71–143
77. a-Josh Seiple, Castle Rock 75-78–153

Dallas (58 players for 3 U.S. Open spots)
Failed to Qualify
9. David Oraee, Greeley 64-73–137
30. Jacob Lestishen, Lone Tree 71-70–141
46. a-Jackson Solem, Longmont 76-72–148

Lakewood, Wash. (70 players for 4 U.S. Open spots)
Failed to Qualify
54. Jason Preeo, Highlands Ranch 79-76–155