Arnold Palmer won only one U.S. Open, and it was 57 years ago.

But on Sunday at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, the King’s 1960 U.S. Open victory at Cherry Hills Country Club was front and center.

In the first U.S. Open since Palmer’s death last September, the USGA paid tribute to Arnie in a few noteworthy ways:

— Both the flag on the 18th green at Erin Hills and the netting that covered the foundation of the grandstands on No. 18 featured images of Palmer and the famous visor toss with which he punctuated his 1960 win at Cherry Hills.

— And players and spectators on Sunday at Erin Hills received a replica of Palmer’s 1960 contestant pin.

Of course, 57 years ago, Palmer shot a final-round 65 at Cherry Hills to rally from seven strokes back to win the U.S. Open. It’s been called “Golf’s Greatest Championship” as three generations of the game’s top players ever — Ben Hogan, Palmer and Jack Nicklaus — contended for the title down the stretch.

“I think for (the USGA) to do this little celebration on Father’s Day Sunday, the first U.S. Open we haven’t had him here, is a very important thing,” USGA executive director Mike Davis said. “It’s just the USGA’s small way of saying, ‘Arnold, thank you for all you did for golf.'”

The USGA has done similar Palmer tributes at its championships over the last year, starting with the Men’s State Team Championship in Birmingham, Ala., last fall.
 

A week after serving as unofficial host of the Arnold Palmer Invitational after his seven-time-major-winning grandfather pass away in September, Saunders tied for fifth Sunday in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.

He has now posted two top-five finishes in his PGA Tour career, and both of them have come at the Puerto Rico Open. He placed second in a playoff on the island in 2015.

In just three appearances at the Puerto Rico Open, Saunders has earned $318,900, which accounts for more than one-fifth of his career earnings on the PGA Tour.

Saunders went bogey-free for his final 26 holes and shot a 7-under-par 65 on Sunday. That gave him a 17-under-par 271 total, which left him three strokes behind champion D.A. Points.

Sunday marked Saunders’ first top-40 finish on the PGA Tour in the 2016-17 wraparound season.
 

The 1967 PGA Championship, held at Columbine Country Club, proved to be the little engine that could.

A half-century ago this year, this Grand Slam event overcame multiple major hurdles to finally become a reality. To this day, it remains one of just six men’s major championships ever to be held in Colorado — and the only one at a course other than Cherry Hills Country Club, which has hosted three U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships.

Specifically, the ’67 PGA came to fruition despite a flood of the South Platte River that postponed the Championship in Colorado a year, a potential player boycott, an ill-timed major hailstorm, and being held a week after the British Open, which made for a very rough travel schedule over the course of two weeks.

Suffice it to say that the road to the 49th PGA Championship included a lot of hairpin turns.

“Until two weeks before the start of the tournament, it looked as if the 1967 PGA was destined to go down in history as the Snakebit Open,” Sports Illustrated’s Alfred Wright wrote in the July 31, 1967 issue. 

When Don January (pictured with trophy) defeated fellow Texan Don Massengale in a playoff to win the only major championship of his career, it concluded a 25-month odyssey for the tournament.

First, there was the flash flood of June 16, 1965, with the South Platte, which directly borders the course at several junctures, laying waste to much of Columbine Country Club, which was scheduled to host the 1966 PGA. Roughly 25 homes at Columbine were either destroyed or severely damaged, and overall, the town of Columbine Valley suffered an estimated $2 million in financial loss.

“At one point, a third of the golf course was, in effect, the bottom of a lake,” SI noted. “When it emerged two days later, two holes had disappeared. So had some $35,000 worth of face-lifting. In September, Tournament Chairman (Everett) Collier, the gregarious businessman-golfer who had launched Columbine 11 years earlier and had brought the championship to his new club, invited 500 eager citizens for a kickoff dinner. The kickoff turned out to be more like a touchback. Former Colorado Governor Dan Thornton arose to announce that there was no chance to rebuild the course in time for a tournament only 10 months away.”

Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, was set to host the 1967 PGA, but with Columbine’s situation, PGA Championship director J. Edwin Carter convinced officials from the Ohio club to switch years and give Columbine an extra 12 months to recover from the flood.

In that recovery period, $90,000 was spent on getting the Columbine course back up to snuff for a major championship, with some strategically-placed fairway bunkers and trees being added to the Henry Hughes layout.

Then it was player unrest that threatened the championship. In 1967, we were still a year away from the professional golf separation of what is now known as the PGA Tour from the PGA of America. The latter still owns and operates the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, among other championships. But in ’67, there was ongoing unrest between touring professionals and PGA of America leadership. Since the Masters in April, the touring pros had been threatening to boycott the PGA Championship. The situation was dire enough that PGA of America president Max Elbin was calling “aging” former PGA Champions in the hopes that they would compete at Columbine if the boycott came to fruition.

Despite no resolution to the touring pros’ ongoing grievances, they voted in early July to play at Columbine. The ’67 PGA had dodged another bullet.

But not the last …

Not long after the player vote, a major storm hit Columbine, with hailstones the size of golf balls pock-marking the greens. Fortunately, a rainy stretch helped the course recover — just in time for the championship, which was contested July 20-24, including the playoff day.

Then there was the problematic schedule, with players competing in major championships in Liverpool, England and Columbine Valley, Colorado, in back-to-back weeks.

“This is the toughest time I’ve ever had adjusting to the time change,” 1967 U.S. Open champion Jack Nicklaus said at Columbine. “Then there is the altitude and the heat. I don’t have any zip, and I’ve never slept worse in my life.”

Oh, yes. Then there was a heat issue. High temperatures were in the 90-degree range, with largely cloudless skies and the altitude taking a toll on several players. Dan Sikes, who would lead after 54 holes, almost collapsed on the 13th hole in round 2 and didn’t feel up to participating in an expected post-round press conference. Playing partner Al Geiberger, the defending champion, almost fell over while teeing up his ball on No. 17 on Friday and hit it out of bounds.

“This should be a fall tournament — something to wind up the tournament year,” Nicklaus said. “Then it would have some meaning. Until they do that, it is just another stop on the summer tour.”

Given the temperatures, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that two Texans were left to battle it out in a playoff after finishing regulation at 7-under-par 281. Coincidentally, the playoff was one of just two of the 18-hole variety in PGA Championship history — the tournament was a match play affair through 1957, then went to sudden-death playoffs in 1977 — and January was involved in both 90-hole competitions. He lost to Jerry Barber in round 5 in 1961 and was 0-4 in playoffs overall when he squared off with Massengale at Columbine. This time, just to get to face Massengale — who had closed with a 6-under-par 66 in the final round of regulation — January had to rally from the four-stroke deficit he encountered after 54 holes.

The Monday playoff attracted just 7,500 fans after 74,500 came out for the four days of regulation play.

January, 37, trailed Massengale by two strokes after six holes, but made five birdies in the eight-hole stretch from No. 8 through 15 to gain control. With both players posting sub-par rounds in the playoff, January prevailed 69-71. He won $25,000 out of the $148,200 purse.

“January is playing fine golf and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Massengale said.

Here’s how the most prominent players — past and future — fared at Columbine, which played at a then-PGA record 7,436 yards, offset largely by the mile-high altitude:

— Nicklaus, who had won the ’67 U.S. Open and placed second the week before at the British Open, finished a stroke out of the playoff, in third place. The Golden Bear posted rounds of 67-75-69-71 for a 6-under-par 282 total, but battled a problematic putter. Nicklaus, of course, would go on to earn five wins in the PGA Championship. In Colorado, he notched the first and last of his USGA championship titles — at the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills. He also finished second as an amateur at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. (Nicklaus is pictured at left with Dave Hill during a Columbine practice round.)

— Arnold Palmer, winner of the 1960 U.S. Open, tied for 14th place in the PGA at 287 (70-71-72-74). In the third round, The King showed his integrity when his second shot on the par-4 fourth hole landed in the crowd near the green before mysteriously coming out of Arnie’s Army and rolling 6 feet from the pin. Palmer demanded to know approximately where it had landed in the crowd. He then dropped it there, pitched to the green and made par. Arnie would never win the PGA Championship, finishing second in 1964, ’68 and ’70.

— Meanwhile, Billy Casper and Ray Floyd finished 19th and 20th, respectively, at Columbine. 

Several players with significant Colorado ties made the cut at the ’67 PGA. Then-Englewood resident Hill, who called Colorado home for much of the 1960s and ’70s and went on to win a record four Colorado Opens, led after round 1 with a then-course-record 66 in which he holed out a 170-yard shot for eagle on the par-4 14th. He ended up finishing 11th at 2-under-par 286. (As it turned out, Hill’s course record lasted only a day as Tommy Aaron fired a 65 in round 2, carding 10 3s and needing just 24 putts.)

Bill Bisdorf, winner of three of the first four Colorado Opens in the mid-1960s, tied Floyd for 20th place at 289. Fred Wampler, the head professional at Denver Country Club at the time, placed 38th. Dale Douglass, now a Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, came in 44th. Davis Love Jr., twice a winner of the CGA Junior Match Play and at the time father to a 3-year-old Davis Love III, finished 55th. Dow Finsterwald, the 1958 PGA Champion who served as director of golf at The Broadmoor at the time, placed 60th.

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tony Novitsky, the longtime head professional at Columbine, missed the cut as the host pro in the ’67 PGA, carding rounds of 79-83. (Novitsky is pictured behind January in the top photo.)

As a postscript, 50 years after the eyes of the golf world were on Columbine — which was named after Colorado’s state flower — the club is taking on a fresh look. A new $20 million clubhouse is currently under construction and is tentatively expected to be completed by late September, according to head professional Bryan Heim.
 

The anniversaries may draw little fanfare, but they shouldn’t pass unrecognized.

Thirty years ago this week, The International PGA Tour event debuted at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Castle Pines Golf Club. And 10 years ago, on Aug. 13, 2006, the final round of the final International was conducted, ending the longest-running and most successful tour event in Colorado golf history.

The tournament didn’t formally go by the wayside until early February 2007, when PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and International founder Jack Vickers announced the event’s demise at a Denver-based news conference after a 21-year run. The end came due in large part to the lack of a title sponsor, with Tiger Woods’ often bypassing the event being another significant issue. But after some of golf’s all-time greats claimed the title over the years — including Greg Norman, Davis Love III (twice), Phil Mickelson (twice), Vijay Singh and Ernie Els — Dean Wilson will go down as The International’s last champion after hoisting the trophy 10 years and three days ago. When Wilson defeated Tom Lehman in a playoff, it proved to be the only PGA Tour victory of his career. (Wilson is pictured below at the trophy ceremony alongside Vickers.)

And just like that, after two decades of having a big-time PGA Tour event visit Colorado each summer, local sports fans were left with a void.

As Keith Schneider, the general manager at Castle Pines Golf Club, noted when the news was announced in 2007, “I think the community will miss this event. The Colorado PGA and the (CGA) will suffer with the way the tournament supported the local golf community. The Colorado Open winner would get a spot in The International field. Now that’s gone. It’s too bad.”

As Schneider pointed out, the impact The International made went beyond its considerable entertainment value. After all, as of 2007 The International’s non-profit arm, along with Castle Pines Golf Club, had donated about $14 million over the years to charities in Colorado and elsewhere.

“It’s a sad day in Colorado sports,” said 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, now a Colorado Sports Hall of Famer. “I’m sorry to see it go. It’s a favorite of all the players.”

Certainly, life goes on, and there have been many great golf tournaments held in Colorado over the last decade. The list includes a BMW Championship, a U.S. Women’s Open, a Solheim Cup, a U.S. Senior Open, a Senior PGA Championship and a U.S. Amateur, among others. But The International — with its stellar hospitality, great fields and a unique format in which a birdie and a bogey were worth more than two pars — left an indelible mark on the local sports scene. 

Perhaps the PGA Tour will return to Colorado in the not-too-distant future. Certainly another BMW Championship could be a possibility at a site like Castle Pines or Cherry Hills. But with this being the 30th anniversary of the first International and the 10th of the last, it’s worth remembering some of the highlights from Castle Pines. As one of very few media types to have reported from all 21 Internationals — and all seven days of tournament week every year but one — I had the pleasure of covering everyone from Arnold Palmer to Nicklaus to Woods to Tom Watson to Lee Trevino to Johnny Miller to Hale Irwin to Nick Faldo — along with all the aforementioned International champions — when they competed at Castle Pines.

Here are some of my favorite moments (in descending order), as I recalled in a column in the (Boulder) Daily Camera newspaper 11 years ago:

10. Weathering Weather Delays: You’d think that out of the 21 Internationals that once, just once, they’d have gotten through a tournament week without weather interrupting play. But nooooooo. Much to the dismay of the players — and plenty of other folks at Castle Pines — lightning strikes more often in the Castle Rock area than just about anywhere else in the country. And the 2004 tournament was especially a sight to behold, with a couple of inches of hail covering the course at one point, then rain and melting hail forming streams in the fairways at Castle Pines.

9. Big John: As big as Woods has been for golf, John Daly took a back seat to no one in popularity in his prime. And Daly’s first appearance at Castle Pines, in 1991, came directly on the heels of his victory in the PGA Championship. With his “grip it and rip it” mantra, people at Castle Pines couldn’t wait to see how far Big John hit it at a mile-high altitude. And he didn’t disappoint with 400-yard-plus drives.

8. Unlikely Champ Beats Major Winners: Clarence Rose in 1996 became the most improbable winner in the history of The International, edging out Wilson (2006). Rose made eagle twice Sunday on the par-5 17th hole, including once in a playoff against Brad Faxon, to post the only PGA Tour victory of his career. Rose beat a field that included the winners of all four major championships that year — Faldo, Jones, Lehman and Mark Brooks.

7. Doubling Up: Double eagles are a big-time rarity, even on the PGA Tour. But two were recorded on the same day during the 1990 International. Steve Pate holed a 2-iron on the par-5 eighth hole and Jim Gallagher Jr. matched the feat by draining a 5-iron approach on the par-5 17th.

6. Heavy Hitters: In 1986, the first year of The International, the tournament drew a field hard to beat for any event outside a major championship. Playing Castle Pines that year were Nicklaus, Palmer, Watson, Miller, Norman, Irwin, Ray Floyd, Ben Crenshaw, Nick Price, Payne Stewart and Bernhard Langer. Just that group accounts for more than 50 victories in major championships.

5. Cover Your Ears: This is one few other people witnessed, but it’s a personal favorite. One year I ventured down to the CBS compound to try to interview Gary McCord. And while I was waiting — and waiting and waiting — a scene played out that I’ll never forget. Someone drove off in the personal golf cart of CBS analyst Ken Venturi, and to say Venturi was livid about it would be the understatement of the century. When Venturi located the culprit, he spewed more four-letter words than I’ve heard strung together in my life, and my late dad once had a very rich vocabulary. Suffice it to say that the person who took the cart got the message loud and clear.

4. One for the Senses: A not-so-sterling performance by Tom Pernice Jr. in the final round in 2001 was punctuated by one of the most poignant moments in the tournament’s history. After winning, Pernice was embraced by his two daughters. One of the girls, Brooke, who has a disease that causes blindness, put her hand on her father’s face, trying to feel the emotion of the moment. The scene was caught by CBS cameras and became an indelible image for many onlookers.

3. Big Easy Wins … Finally: Els had long been one of the most popular players for folks at The International, which in 1991 marked just the second PGA Tour event ever in the U.S. for the South African. He had been a regular competitor ever since at Castle Pines. But in 2000, after four top-seven finishes at The International without a win, Els broke through for a victory. In a year in which Mickelson finished second and Norman fourth, Els tied the tournament record for points with 48.

2. Tiger Soars With Eagles: Woods played only twice at The International, but the first time was quite memorable. In 1998, he made a hole-in-one at No. 7 at Castle Pines, resulting in one of the biggest crowd roars in tournament history. For the week, Woods made four eagles (two each in rounds 1 and 3), which tied for the tournament record. Tiger finished fourth, behind Singh, Willie Wood and Mickelson.

1. Beem Me Up: Sunday’s back nine of the 2002 tournament will go down as one of the most exciting stretches in PGA Tour history. Facing a 10-point deficit with five holes remaining, Steve Lowery threw the scare of a lifetime into Rich Beem, who seemingly had the tournament wrapped up. Starting on the 14th hole, Lowery posted the best four-hole stretch in tournament history, going birdie-eagle-bogey-double eagle. Lowery holed out twice from the fairway during the run, which was worth 14 points. Only an eagle by Beem on No. 17 and a missed birdie putt by Lowery at No. 18 kept Beem from having a full-scale nervous breakdown. Beem ended up winning the tournament by one point.
 

Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, has posted three top-10 PGA Tour finishes in his career, and two of them have come this month. He was ninth two weeks ago at the Barracuda Championship and placed eighth Sunday in the Barbasol Championship. Both events were held opposite more significant tournaments on the PGA Tour — Barbasol the British Open and Barracuda the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

In Auburn, Ala., at the Barbasol, Saunders shot rounds of 68-69-65-68 for a 14-under-par 270 total that left him four shots out of the playoff between Aaron Baddeley and Si Woo Kim that Baddeley won.

The last two tournaments have helped Saunders make up considerable ground in his attempt to retain his PGA Tour card for the 2016-17 wraparound season. He currently stands 138th on the FedExCup points list. The top 125 on that list will be fully exempt for next season.
 

During this month, when March Madness in college basketball is all the rage among sports fans, USGA.org has been running a U.S. Open Bracket Challenge that recently concluded.

The USGA asked readers to rank the most memorable moments in U.S. Open history. Sixteen videos of the top candidates were set up, bracket style, and over the course of eight days, the field was narrowed down to one.

And the winner was none other than the ’60 Open at Cherry Hills, where three generations of golf greats battled it out down the stretch. Forty-seven-year-old Ben Hogan, a four-time U.S. Open champ, was tied for the lead on the 71st tee, But he found water on both 17 and 18, going bogey-triple bogey to finish ninth. Twenty-year-old Jack Nicklaus, winner of the U.S. Amateur the previous year in Colorado, placed second, two back of the champ.

And of course, Arnold Palmer rallied from seven shots back going into the final round, driving the green on the par-4 first hole and chipping in for birdie at No. 2 en route to a 65. It would turn out to be his only victory in the U.S. Open — one he punctuated with his famous visor toss on the 18th green (pictured).

Also making the USGA’s final 16 was another U.S. Open with strong local connections. That was the 1990 version, where University of Colorado grad Hale Irwin made a 60-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole and won in a playoff to become the oldest U.S. Open champion at age 45, a distinction he still holds. Irwin, who claimed his third U.S. Open title, made it into the field via a special exemption.

For the entire USGA U.S. Open bracket, CLICK HERE.
 

This year, those reflections have particularly come into focus.

With the CGA celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, there’s been a concerted look back on the past century of golf in Colorado. That includes a 10-part series of stories on notable people and events from the last hundred years.

Writing that series was illuminating, which brings us back to Thanksgiving. A better understanding of the past can lead to increased appreciation for all we have to be thankful for in Colorado golf.

To wit, here are 10 things that come to mind:

— Rich History of Golf. The Century of Golf Gala held recently at The Broadmoor particulary brought this home, with Jack Nicklaus reminiscing about his strong links to Colorado over the last 60 years. Nicklaus is one of golf’s all-time pantheon to have won significant tournaments in the state, with others being Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Kathy Whitworth, Babe Zaharias, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player, Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson. For much more about Colorado golf history, CLICK HERE.

— Teamwork. Another thing that the Century of Golf Gala — 1,250 attendees strong — and related activities reinforced is that big things can happen when the Colorado golf community joins forces. Teaming up with the CGA in making it all a major success were the CWGA, Colorado PGA and the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association.

— Great Venues. The day of the Century of Golf Gala, a golf outing held at The Broadmoor (pictured) demonstrated yet again what stellar golf courses Colorado has produced. On a mid-November day, temperatures reached the mid-60s, and the setting was enough to make any golfer take pause. The same can be said for countless other courses in the state — Sanctuary, Arrowhead, Castle Pines, Ballyneal, Red Sky, Eisenhower, etc., etc. Golfers in Colorado are indeed fortunate.

— Good of the Game Partnerships. The recent creation of a partnership between the CGA and the Colorado PGA will result in a new Colorado Junior Tour and many other advantages for all levels of junior golfers in Colorado (READ MORE). It’s yet another example of how the game can be well served by constructive cooperation.

— Local Players Who Excel. Colorado has a long history of homegrown players hitting it big — with Hale Irwin, Steve Jones, Dale Douglass, Jill McGill, Brandt Jobe, Bob Byman, Kevin Stadler, Shane Bertsch, Bill Loeffler and to some extent Mike Reid, to name some. It’s always fun for Coloradans to have one of their own to root for on the national or international level. And we also have some very promising young players potentially in a similar pipleline with the likes of Mark Hubbard, Jennifer Kupcho, Wyndham Clark and Hannah Wood.

— Highly Regarded PGA Professionals. There are oustanding PGA professionals throughout the country, but members of the Colorado PGA have proven to be high achievers as the Section or its members have won national PGA of America awards eight times in the last nine years. And highly respected instructor Ann Finke was recently voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, along with Colorado-based Champions Tour player Craig Stadler. And Vic Kline was honored as Colorado Golf Professional of the Century during the Century of Golf Gala.

— Foundations to Support Good Causes. Numerous golf foundations in Colorado do considerable and commendable work in bolstering good causes through the game of golf. Among them are the Colorado Golf Foundation, Colorado PGA Reach, the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Environmental Golf Institute.

— Volunteers. While the staffs of the major golf organizations in Colorado do yeoman’s work, those organizations would be a shell of what they are were it not for volunteers. Such volunteerism came to the forefront this past year with the passing of Joe Salvo, and the departure from the Colorado tournament golf scene of Rich Langston and Joan Scholes. Each of them made major contributions — in terms of both time and dediction — to the likes of the CGA, CWGA and Colorado PGA over the years. And many, many others do likewise each year.

— Another Senior Major on the Horizon.This year it was announced that the 2018 U.S. Senior Open will be contested at The Broadmoor the year the resort celebrates its 100th birthday. It will mark the third U.S. Senior Open held in Colorado, meaning only Ohio (with six) will have hosted more. The Centennial State also was home to another senior major, the Senior PGA Championship contested at Colorado Golf Club in 2010.

— Good People. I’ve always marveled at the number of good people you meet through the game of golf. Perhaps it’s part of the significant “self-policing” aspect of the sport that tends to attract people of high character. But whatever the case, it’s refreshing.

And yet another reason to give thanks.
 

After winning 18 major championships — plus two U.S. Amateurs — and 73 PGA Tour events in all, Jack Nicklaus is considered by many to be the GOAT — greatest of all time — in golf.

Still, when he stood over his tee shot on the 72nd hole of the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills Country Club, a case of nerves set in — and the Golden Bear couldn’t have been happier.

In an all-too-familiar situation, Nicklaus held a one-stroke lead coming down the stretch in a major championship — in this case a senior major.

“On that tee shot on 18, I was half shaking,” Nicklaus recalled later. “And I said to myself, ‘Damn, this is fun.'”

Not surpisingly, Nicklaus turned that fun into a victory. He hit a perfect 1-iron off the tee over the water on the 450-yard, par-4 18th at Cherry Hills, a 5-iron approach to 35 feet, then two-putted for a par and a one-shot win over Tom Weiskopf, who also finished second to Nicklaus at the 1972 and ’75 Masters.

“I knew it was over when he hit it on the green,” said Weiskopf, like Nicklaus a former Ohio State golfer. “Jack is the greatest putter under pressure of all time.”

(Afterward, Nicklaus was congratulated by his son/caddie, Jackie, in a moment pictured above.)

It was yet another stellar performance in a long series of stellar performances by Nicklaus in Colorado. And it was another reason why the Bear will be the featured guest and participate in a fireside chat with noted golf journalist Tim Rosaforte at the Century of Golf Gala that will be held Nov. 14 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. (For more information about the Gala, CLICK HERE.)

Some people may think it’s neat that Nicklaus agreed to headline the event during the year the CGA turns 100 years old, but that the same thing could take place in any number of other states given all that Nicklaus accomplished during his unmatched career. But Colorado truly is the site of more than its fair share of Nicklaus highlights:

— He won eight USGA championships in his lifetime, and the first and last of those came in the Centennial State.

He outdueled defending champion and two-time winner Charlie Coe to win the 36-hole U.S. Amateur title at — appropriately — The Broadmoor’s East Course in 1959, 1 up.

Coe never trailed through the first 31 holes and things were all square going into the 36th hole. Though Coe missed the green there, he almost pitched in for birdie, with the ball ending up on the lip of the cup. The 19-year-old Nicklaus (left in a USGA photo) then drained an 8-foot birdie putt to become the youngest U.S. Am champion in 50 years. He would go on to capture a second U.S. Amateur title in 1961.

“My career basically started right there,” Nicklaus said of The Broadmoor. “That 8-foot putt gave me the opportunity to believe that I could win a championship, that I was good enough to play and I was good enough to win.”

In his 1969 book, “The Greatest Game of All”, Nicklaus said the match against Coe “certainly was both the most exhilarating and exhausting duel I have ever been engaged in.”

(With the Gala taking place at The Broadmoor, the Nov. 14 golf outing appropriately will have a Nicklaus tie-in. Participants will compete, with each group’s net best-ball scores being matched up against the best-ball scores from the Bear’s two rounds — totaling 65 — in the ’59 U.S. Am final. The winning team will be the one which “defeats” the 19-year-old Nicklaus by the largest margin. And players will also have a chance to attempt the 8-foot winning birdie putt Nicklaus stroked on No. 18.)

Then, as noted above, Nicklaus edged Weiskopf for the ’93 U.S. Senior Open championship at Cherry Hills, earning his final USGA title. In the case of both the U.S Amateur and the U.S. Senior Open, it marked the first time each USGA championship had been held in Colorado.

— Thirty-three years before his U.S. Senior Open victory at Cherry Hills, Nicklaus came very close at that same venue to becoming the only amateur since John Goodman in 1933 to win the U.S. Open. But on a leaderboard that featured a confluence of three generations of all-time golf greats — Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Nicklaus — Arnie prevailed by two strokes over Nicklaus in the ’60 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. The 20-year-old Nicklaus led by two with six holes to play, but two three-putts on the final nine proved very costly. Still, the runner-up showing was the best by an amateur at the U.S. Open in the last 82 years — and his 2-under-par 282 total remains the best ever by an amateur at the U.S. Open. Hogan, paired with Nicklaus for the final two rounds, noted he had just played 36 holes with a kid who should have won by 10 shots.

“I remember not getting a whole lot of respect at the ’60 U.S. Open, and I shouldn’t have,” Nicklaus said in a 21st-century visit to the state. “I was 35 to 1 (to win). My dad came up and said, ‘Do you want a piece of that?’

“It’s the only bet on golf that I’ve made in my entire life. I think I was more excited down the stretch about the $20 bet and maybe winning $700 than about winning the U.S. Open.”

— Besides the 1959 U.S. Amateur and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open, Nicklaus won the inaugural Jerry Ford Invitational in Vail, in 1977.

Another year at the JFI, a major thunderstorm moved through the Vail Valley and Ford, Nicklaus and about 20 other golfers were so far away from the clubhouse that they headed for shelter under an I-70 overpass. The group ended up spending about a half-hour there as perplexed drivers sped by.

— In addition to the 1959 U.S. Amateur, 1960 U.S. Open and ’93 U.S. Senior Open, Nicklaus contended in other major championships held in Colorado. The Bear finished third — one shot out of a playoff — at the 1967 PGA Championship at Columbine Country Club, and sixth at the 1978 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. For the record, Nicklaus was 32nd in his only other major in Colorado, the 1985 PGA Championship at Cherry Hills, where he was tied for second after a first-round 66.

“There’s no more fun in golf than going up 18 with a chance to win,” he said after his ’93 U.S. Senior Open triumph at Cherry Hills. “I love to be competitive.”

— Nicklaus also advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1960 NCAA Championships at The Broadmoor, though that undoubtedly was a bit of a letdown after winning the U.S. Amateur at the course the previous September.

— Nicklaus and his company have designed — or redesigned — 13 courses in Colorado, making him and Nicklaus Design one of the most prolific course designers in the state, along with the likes of Dick and Rick Phelps, Henry Hughes, Frank Hummel and Press Maxwell. Of course, the most prominent course Nicklaus designed in Colorado is Castle Pines Golf Club, which hosted The International on the PGA Tour from 1986 through 2006. The Bear’s best finish at The International was a ninth in 1989.

Other Nicklaus Design courses in Colorado include Aspen Glen Club; Breckenridge Golf Club; The Bridges; The Broadmoor’s Mountain Course (redesign); the Country Club at Castle Pines; Cherry Creek Country Club; the Club at Cordillera’s Summit Course; Cougar Canyon Golf Links (now closed); the Country Club of the Rockies; Meridian Golf Club; Ptarmigan Country Club; and the Roaring Fork Club.

— And Nicklaus was the third recipient of the Will Nicholson Jr. Award, given for a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Only Nicholson, the Denver resident who served as USGA president in 1980-81, and Palmer previously received the honor. Nicholson, by the way, is the person who deserves credit for receiving Nicklaus’ commitment to attend the Century of Golf Gala. (Nicklaus and Nicholson are pictured together at left at CommonGround Golf Course during the 2012 U.S. Amateur.)

Also in Colorado, Nicklaus learned to ski at Snowmass in the 1970s and owned property for several decades.

In short, while he doesn’t live in the state, Nicklaus may deserve honorary resident status for all he’s done and accomplished here.

Nicklaus won’t be the only luminary honored on Nov. 14 during the Century of Golf Gala. Also in the spotlight that night will be six “People of the Century” in Colorado golf: Judy Bell, Hale Irwin, Charles “Vic” Kline, Dennis Lyon, Barbara McIntire and Nicholson. For more on them, CLICK HERE.

Editor’s Note: With the CGA celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1915, this is the fifth monthly installment of a series of stories looking back on the last century of golf in Colorado. All the articles are being published on coloradogolf.org. This chapter focuses on the period from 1955-64. For the previous installments, CLICK HERE 

Between what happened, golf-wise, in Colorado and what Coloradans accomplished in golf, it’s hard to top the decade from 1955 to ’64.

After all, these are just a handful of the biggest highlights of that 10-year period:

— Arnold Palmer won his only U.S. Open in Colorado.

— Jack Nicklaus claimed his first USGA title in the state.

— Also at a Colorado site, Bill Wright became the first African-American to win a USGA championship.

— A Colorado Springs resident, Barbara McIntire, earned two U.S. Women’s Amateur titles, along with a British Ladies’ Amateur, and finished second in a playoff at the U.S. Women’s Open.

— And the Colorado Open made its debut, taking a first step toward becoming one of the top state opens in the country.

Yes, it was a heady time for the game in the Centennial State.

Let’s provide a few more details.

— The 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club has been called “Golf’s Greatest Championship” in the title of one book. And why not, with three generations of golf greats battling it out down the stretch? Forty-seven-year-old Ben Hogan, a four-time U.S. Open champ, was tied for the lead on the 71st tee, But he found water on both 17 and 18, going bogey-triple bogey to finish ninth. Twenty-year-old Nicklaus, winner of the U.S. Amateur the previous year in Colorado, placed second, two back of The King.

Of course, Palmer rallied from seven shots back going into the final round, driving the green on the par-4 first hole and chipping in for birdie at No. 2 en route to a 65. It would turn out to be his only victory in the U.S. Open — one he punctuated with his famous visor toss on the 18th green (pictured at top).

— Less than a year before the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, Nicklaus had taken down defending champion and two-time winner Charlie Coe, 1 up in the 36-hole final of the U.S. Amateur at the Broadmoor Golf Club’s East Course in Colorado Springs. (The two are pictured together at left.)

The final was all square going into the 36th hole, and though Coe missed the green, he almost chipped in for birdie, with the ball ending up on the lip of the cup. The 19-year-old Nicklaus then drained an 8-foot birdie putt to become the youngest U.S. Am champion in 50 years. He would go on to capture a second U.S. Amateur title in 1961.

— Also that same summer of 1959, some history was made in another USGA championship in Colorado. Wellshire Golf Course hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links, and in front of a crowd estimated at 2,000, the 23-year-old Wright (left) of Seattle broke new ground as the first black golfer to capture a USGA title.

— McIntire set the all-time standard for success for Colorado women amateurs with her play during the 1950s and ’60s. In 1956, McIntire very nearly became the first amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open as she was tied with Kathy Cornelius after four rounds, but lost an 18-hole playoff the next day (75-82) to finish runner-up.

But that wouldn’t be her only run at a USGA title. Both in 1959 and ’64, McIntire captured national championships in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. And in 1960, she became just the fourth American to win the British Ladies Amateur. (Coincidentally, the first, Babe Zaharias, was also a Coloradan when she prevailed in 1947.) McIntire (below) played on the U.S. Curtis Cup teams in 1958, ’60, ’62, ’64, ’66 and ’72, and as a youngster she was runner-up in the U.S. Girls’ Junior in both 1951 and ’52, losing in the ’52 final 1 up to one Mickey Wright. And for good measure, McIntire also won the 1962 CWGA Stroke Play.

— In 1964, one of the mainstays of the Colorado golf schedule came on the scene. The first Colorado Open was played at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, where it would remain through 1991. Bill Bisdorf, then the head professional at Green Gables Country Club, won three of the first four Opens, the first of which featured no prize money. And by the 1970s, the tournament drew quite a field of players. Among those who have competed in the event are Sam Snead, Phil Mickelson, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Fred Couples, Steve Jones, Dave Hill and Jimmy Walker.

But all that just scratched the surface of what occurred in the decade in Colorado golf beginning in 1955. Here are some of the other notable happenings:

— After fewer than 10 courses opened in the 25 years beginning in 1930, a dozen came online in the last half of the 1950s, including country clubs such as Columbine, Valley, Colorado Springs, Pinehurst, Bookcliff and Fort Collins.

— Colorado amateur Jim English had a tremendous run during the decade, winning two Broadmoor Invitations (1955 and ’64), three CGA Stroke Plays (1958, ’59 and ’61) and two CGA Match Plays (1957 and ’60). He was also low amateur in the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

— President Dwight Eisenhower was hospitalized for a heart attack at Fitzsimons Hospital for six weeks in 1955 the day after experiencing pain while playing 27 holes at Cherry Hills Country Club.

— LPGA Tour events were held at Lakewood Country Club during the mid-1950s, with Marilynn Smith winning in 1955 and Marlene Hagge in 1956.

— The Colorado PGA, a Section of the PGA of America, was founded in 1957. Noble Chalfant, who was serving as president of the Colorado chapter of the Rocky Mountain PGA, played a key role in the separation from the Rocky Mountain Section.
The Colorado PGA became the 31st Section of the PGA of America, originally having 30 members in Colorado and eastern Wyoming.

— Lakewood Country Club hosted the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 1957, when Judy Eller earned the title.

— Dow Finsterwald, who would become the longtime director of golf at the Broadmoor, won the PGA Championship in 1958, the first year it was contested in stroke play. He was the runner-up in the final match-play version of the PGA, in 1957, the year he won the Vardon Trophy for best season-long scoring average on the PGA Tour.

— Joan Birkland had a stellar run in golf in the 1960s while also being one of the state’s top tennis players. She won four out of five CWGA Match Plays starting in 1960 and three straight CWGA Stroke Plays beginning in 1964. With racket in hand, she captured two women’s open singles titles at the Colorado State Open from 1962-66.

— Two other current members of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame likewise had outstanding decades from 1955-64, with Sally Hardwick winning five state amateurs out of a possible six from 1957 through ’59. And from ’53 to ’56, she earned three CWGA Junior Match Play titles. And Marcia Bailey won the first of four CWGA Match Plays in 1963. She also prevailed in two CWGA Stroke Plays beginning in ’63.

— In 1961, the CGA merged with the Denver District Golf Association, bringing the state’s major amateur tournaments under the CGA’s umbrella.

— A founding member of the City Park Golf Course-based East Denver Golf Club, which was made up of African-American golfers, helped knock down racial barriers in state golf tournaments. After Judge James Flanigan was refused the right to play in the CGA Match Play Championship in 1961 — on the grounds he wasn’t a member of a CGA-sanctioned club — the association the next year changed its policies and admitted minority clubs, including the East Denver Golf Club.

— In 1961, the CGA established the Eisenhower Scholarship, awarded to selected college-bound junior golfers. The CGA merged the Eisenhower Scholarship with the Western Golf Association’s Evans Caddie Scholarship in 1963, and a house for the Eisenhower-Evans Scholars at the University of Colorado was purchased in the late 1960s.

— The Broadmoor hosted the Curtis Cup matches, between the best female amateurs from the U.S. and Great Britain & Ireland — in 1962. Colorado’s Judy Bell and Barbara McIntire, along with the future JoAnne Carner, led the U.S. to an 8-1 victory.

— Beginning in 1962, the CGA started measuring and rating all of the state’s golf courses in accordance with USGA procedures, creating a uniform rating system which laid the groundwork for the association to oversee a state-wide standardized handicap system starting in the late 1960s. 

— Chi Chi Rodriguez won his first PGA Tour event at the 1963 Denver Open at Denver Country Club. It would prove to be the last Denver Open the PGA Tour would hold.

— Larry McAtee won three consecutive CGA Match Plays beginning in 1963 and finished second to University of Colorado teammate Hale Irwin as he went for a four-peat in 1966. McAtee is now a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

— Irwin (left) became the first player to win three consecutive CGA Stroke Plays, beginning in 1963 at age 18. The future World Golf Hall of Famer also won a CGA Junior Match in 1962 and a state high school title in 1963.

— In 1963, future USGA president Judy Bell of Colorado Springs won the Women’s Trans National title at Pinehurst Country Club in south Denver.

— In other prestigious tournaments held in Colorado, Jim Wiechers won the 1964 Western Junior at the Air Force Academy and Wright Garrett prevailed at the 1964 Trans Miss at the Broadmoor.