There aren’t too many people living today who can say they’ve personally played golf with Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.

Jim English can truthfully make that claim, even though the first four out of that illustrious fivesome were born more than 100 years ago.

The longtime Denver-area resident, who will turn 88 this month, played a couple of holes with Sarazen in Omaha when English was 12 or 13. Then he played three holes with 1930 Grand Slam winner Jones during a practice round for the 1947 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach, where English competed that year but Jones did not.

“When you’re around this number of years, you’re going to have a few stories,” English noted in an interview this week.

Yes, English has lived a memorable life in golf. And with U.S. Open qualifying beginning this month, it’s worth noting that 55 years ago he enjoyed one of his biggest moments in the game, earning low-amateur honors in the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

English, who had moved from Kansas to Colorado two years earlier, remembers seeing Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in “My Fair Lady” — along with a couple of other Broadway shows — that week, making for a “pretty wonderful vacation too.” But it was English’s performance at Winged Foot that’s particularly memorable.

In the U.S. Open, he bettered the likes of then-reigning U.S. Amateur champion Charlie Coe and Jack Nicklaus, who three months later would beat Coe in the final match at the Broadmoor to win the first of his two U.S. Amateurs. Also finishing behind English at Winged Foot were defending U.S. Open champion Tommy Bolt, Bob Goalby and Ken Venturi. Billy Casper won the tournament with a 282 total.

“I played fairly steadily” that week at the U.S. Open, noted English, who shot 74-75-77-73 for a 299 total. “Nicklaus missed the cut and I beat Charlie Coe by two. I chipped in for birdie on 16 in the last round, and I guess that made the difference. That U.S. Open had a pretty good amateur field.”

Though English accomplished plenty in his amateur golf career, that U.S. Open stands out as perhaps the biggest highlight.

“That’s because it was on a national scale,” he said. “Most of the other things I did were on a regional or local basis, though they were good tournaments to win.”

Qualifying for the U.S. Open back then wasn’t quite the task it is now. For instance, there were no “Local” qualifying tournaments, just 36-hole “Sectionals”. But still, 2,385 people entered the 1959 U.S. Open, so making it in the final field of about 150 players was anything but a cakewalk.

Despite that, English said he successfully qualified for nine U.S. Opens over the years. But the odd thing is, he competed in that national championship just five times (1951, ’53, ’58, ’59 and ’60).

There were different reasons different years why he didn’t go to the U.S. Open after qualifying several times in the latter 1940s and in 1950 — he was going to summer school at Creighton a couple of years, his wife was having a difficult pregnancy another, etc. Whatever the case, the USGA apparently took notice and sent English a letter basically asking, why do you bother qualifying if you don’t intend to compete in the U.S. Open?

“After that, they made it a point to ask qualifiers if they would actually go (to the Open),” English recalls. “But one of the reasons I went to the Sectional qualifying was that it was 36 holes at good golf courses and the entry fee was only $10. I liked the competition and I liked to play good golf courses.”

But English finally did compete at the U.S. Open in 1951 at Oakland Hills in Michigan. He missed the cut there, but on a course that allowed only two sub-par scores in four rounds, he was able to follow Ben Hogan during the champion’s final-round 67. That just whet English’s appetite for more.

The 20 years after the end of World War II were a very impressive time for English and his amateur golf career. He won three tournaments with big-time national amateur reputations: the 1950 Trans-Mississippi and the Broadmoor Invitation in 1955 and ’64. In the Trans-Miss, English put together one of the most dominating performances in the history of the championship match, winning 11 and 10.

English also competed in five U.S. Amateurs between 1947 and ’61, with the first and last being at Pebble Beach.

And English really made hay in state and regional tournaments in Colorado and the surrounding states.

He’s won six CGA championships, including three Stroke Plays, two Match Plays and a Senior Stroke Play. (He’s pictured at left with fellow Colorado Match Play champion Joan Birkland in 1960.) He’s claimed two Kansas amateur titles, one in Nebraska, the Iowa Open and Iowa Masters. He even won a championship in a previous incarnation of the Colorado Open.

“For a long time, I just couldn’t get enough golf,” he said.

It’s no surprise, then, that English has been inducted into three state golf halls of fame — for Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa.

In fact, English was so good, he gave some serious consideration to becoming a playing professional. Besides the U.S. Open, he finished low amateur in a PGA Tour event in Kansas City in the 1950s.

“I was sorely tempted to turn pro,” he said. “I competed with the pros successfully. I played four exhibitions with Byron Nelson in the ’40s. He told me I could make money (on the PGA Tour), but I needed to be a better putter to win. But back then, the total purse for tournaments was about $10,000-$12,000. (After learning English had a degree, Nelson) recommended I just stay amateur and enjoy it.

“Later, when Orville Moody was an amateur out at Fitzsimons, he was making a decision whether to re-app (for another Army stint) or turn pro. I told him my experience. I said I’ve got a lot of regrets that I didn’t give it a go. I think I could have made it on the pro tour, but I don’t really regret it now. If I would have (played on the tour), I wouldn’t have the large family I have now.”

English has 11 kids, 25 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

English probably could have added to his list of golf accomplishments, but an injury in the mid-1960s slowed him down. He badly hurt his right hand while hitting a shot on the sixth hole at Denver Country Club. “After that, I was never quite the same,” he said.

While English had a successful career in the insurance business, he still relishes his days as a competitive golfer. Just two years ago (pictured at top), he was among the local U.S. Amateur veterans who participated in a U.S. Amateur Alumni Day leading up to the 2012 championship coming to Colorado.
 

The HealthOne Colorado Open will be contested for the 50th time this year, so a recent e-mail I received particularly piqued my interest.

Dennis Lyon, the retired manager of golf for the city of Aurora, pointed out that he remembered Jimmy Walker — winner of three PGA Tour events this wraparound season, and the leader in the FedEx Cup playoff standings — playing in the Colorado Open back when it was held at Saddle Rock Golf Course in Aurora.

I’ve been fortunate enough to cover every Colorado Open since 1983, and I still have much of the year-to-year material that’s handed out. And, after poking around a little, I confirmed that Lyon’s recollections were accurate.

Walker, in the summer before his junior season at Baylor, competed in the 1999 Colorado Open, the second of the three Opens Saddle Rock hosted. Former University of Colorado golfer Bill Riddle won that year, but I had to go far down the list of results — into the “missed cut” category — to find Jimmy Walker’s name.

For the record, the four-time All-Big 12 golfer, then 20 years old, shot 77-74 and missed the 36-hole cut by two.

But it brought to mind — especially given the milestone the Colorado Open will reach this summer (July 24-27 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver) — the amazing number of golf greats who have played in the tournament since it debuted in 1964.

The great majority of the most recognizable names made their appearances at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen in the 1970s, ’80s and early ’90s, but there have been a smattering since then at Inverness Golf Club, Saddle Rock, Sonnenalp Golf Club and Green Valley Ranch.

Perhaps the most notable participant, from a historical perspective, played in 1978 at Hiwan. Look at the Open’s all-time money list — starting from the bottom — and you’ll quickly come across the name of a certain Sam Snead (despite a small typo), who won a grand total of $62.50 at the Colorado Open. And, by the way, he rode a cart in the final round.

Snead (pictured at top) is one of a handful of current World Golf Hall of Famers who have been contestants in the Colorado Open. Among the others are Phil Mickelson (pictured at left), Billy Casper, Hale Irwin and Fred Couples.

Mickelson posted two top-10 finishes at Hiwan shortly after winning NCAA titles in 1989 and ’90. In ’89, he placed third and was low amateur in the Colorado Open, and in ’90 he tied for 10th shortly before winning the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club.

Irwin likewise was low amateur (fourth place overall) in the Colorado Open the same year he won the NCAA title (1967).

Casper finished second in the 1978 Colorado Open. That year, the Open field featured players who now account for more than 150 PGA Tour victories, including Snead (82), Casper (51), Dave Hill (13), Steve Jones (8), Fred Wampler (1) and Larry Mowry (1). Hill still holds the record for most Colorado Open wins, with four.

Couples only competed in the Open as an amateur as he finished fifth in 1980. The low amateur that year was another future major championship winner, Bob Tway, who placed second at Hiwan.

All told, participants in the Colorado Open have accounted for more than 35 major championship victories. The most successful in that regard are Snead (seven major wins), Mickelson (five) and Irwin (pictured at left) and Casper (three each).

Looking at it another way, there are 10 Colorado Open champions who have now won at least one PGA Tour event: Hill (Open victories in 1971, ’76, ’77 and ’81), Al Geiberger (1985), Jones (1988), Kevin Stadler (2002), Mark Wiebe (1986), Jonathan Kaye (1996), Willie Wood (1984), Bill Johnston (1973), Mowry (1979) and Dan Halldorson (1982). Stadler, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour a month ago and currently is ninth on the FedEx Cup standings, had his dad, 1982 Masters champion Craig Stadler, caddying for him when he won the Colorado Open 12 years ago. Craig Stadler has also competed in the Open.

For the record, here are some of the other notable golfers who have played in the Colorado Open at some time or other: Mark O’Meara, Dave Stockton, Don January, George Archer, Dow Finsterwald, Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington, Bob Goalby, Charles Coody, Bob Murphy, former Denver-based serviceman Orville Moody, Peter Jacobsen, Bruce Devlin, Tommy Aaron, Martin Laird, Dale Douglass, Gary Hallberg, Bob Byman and 1992 Open winner Brandt Jobe. Jacobsen earned low-amateur honors in 1975, Byman in ’76, Pavin in ’82 and Elkington in ’84.

And, it should be noted, two very prominent former NFL quarterbacks — both named John — have competed in the Colorado Open as well, Brodie and Elway. And a big-time pitcher, Rick Rhoden, also gave it a go.

So Jimmy Walker is in some very good company.