With just a few days left in the year, it’s almost time to turn the calendar page to 2016. But before we move on, it’s worthwhile to reflect on the top stories of 2015 in Colorado golf. This marks our seventh consecutive year of compiling the rankings, and for suspense sake, we like to go in reverse order, from 25 to 1, then note the honorable-mention selections.

And away we go …:

25. Delich’s Third CGA Senior Match Play Title: David Delich of Colorado Springs became the sixth golfer to win the CGA Senior Match Play at least three times. Full story: CLICK HERE. But that was hardly the former hockey standout’s only significant golf accomplishment in 2015. Delich also qualified for the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Mid-Amateur, won the senior division of the Charlie Coe Invitational (with Ben Hargis) and earned CGA Senior Player of the Year honors for the second time.

24. Another Honor for Bell: Part-time Colorado Springs resident Judy Bell, the first female president of the USGA, accepted an honorary membership at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews in Scotland, becoming one of the first female members at the historic club. Full story: CLICK HERE.

23. Eaton ‘Unretires’ from CWGA Play, But Falls Short of Another Win: Almost two years after “retiring” from CWGA championship play after accumulating the second-most titles in CWGA history, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton decided to return to action in an association championship in 2015. But after winning the CWGA Senior Stroke Play each of the first four times she competed in the event, Eaton had to settle for runner-up this year, as Jill Gaschler prevailed by two for the title. Full story: CLICK HERE.

22. Bertsch Wins Web.com Event, Regains PGA Tour Card: Shane Bertsch of Parker notched his third career victory on the Web.com Tour — and first in a decade — when the 45-year-old prevailed in the Rust-Oleum Championship in Westlake, Ohio. That helped Bertsch finish high enough on the season-long money list to regain his PGA Tour card for the first time since 2012. Full story: CLICK HERE.

21. Coloradans Shine at Junior America’s Cup: The CGA has been fielding teams in the Junior America’s Cup annually since 1975, and this year the Coloradans matched their best finish ever in the event that features representatives from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. The CGA placed third in the 18-team field in Flagstaff, Ariz. The Coloradans also were third in 2011 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen. Full story: CLICK HERE.

20. Craig Stadler, Finke to be Inducted: Former Masters champion Craig Stadler, a resident of Colorado for more than two decades, and Ann Finke of Colorado Springs, the first female member of the Colorado PGA and a national leader in junior golf, were voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Stadler, an Evergreen resident since 2003 and a Coloradan since 1994, has won 13 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1982 Masters, plus nine times on the Champions Tour, along with the 1973 U.S. Amateur. Finke has been a fixture on the Colorado golf scene for three decades. During that time — all spent at the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs, where she’s now director of instruction — she’s given about 38,000 lessons, more than 40 percent of those to juniors. Full story: CLICK HERE.

19. Moores Go Back-to-Back in USGA Qualifying: Janet Moore earned medalist honors for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur qualifying the day after husband — and fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer — Kent Moore was medalist in U.S. Senior Amateur qualifying. And one day after the back-to-back feat, the Moores hosted a kickoff event leading up to the Century of Golf Gala, for which they served as honorary chairs. Full story: CLICK HERE.

18. Recent Skull Fracture Doesn’t Stop Saunders: Sam Saunders of Fort Collins finished tied for fourth in the Web.com Tour’s Hotel Fitness Championship for the second straight year, but that hardly was the most remarkable thing about his performance. No, it was the fact that Saunders played that well just weeks after suffering a fractured skull and an epidural hematoma in falling while riding an electric scooter in late August. He spent two nights in intensive care. Full story: CLICK HERE. Earlier in the year, Saunders posted his best finish ever on the PGA Tour, placing second after a playoff in the Puerto Rico Open. 

17. Nosewicz, 31, Oldest Winner of CGA Match Play Since ’90s: Most winners of the CGA Match Play in recent years have been college-aged. But 31-year-old Nick Nosewicz prevailed in the 115th Match Play this year, becoming the event’s oldest champion since 1994. Full story:  CLICK HERE.

16. Weinstein Makes History: Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch recorded the best finish ever by a Coloradan in the girls 15-17 age division of the prestigious IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, placing 15th. Full story: CLICK HERE. Also in 2015, Weinstein won the CWGA Junior Stroke Play and the CJGA Junior Series Chamionship. 

15. Broken Tee Earns National Player Development Award: Broken Tee Golf Course in Englewood received a prestigious national honor, earning the 2015 Player Development Award from the National Golf Course Owners Association. The award is given to “a course which has implemented a true and tested player development program, providing effective return-on-investment and an overall welcoming atmosphere for new golfers of all ages.” Full story: CLICK HERE.

14. Record-Tying Round at Inaugural AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior: Reese Ramsey of Austin, Texas not only set a course record at CommonGround but he tied the low round in the 37-year history of the AJGA with a 10-under-par 61 that vaulted the 16-year-old to victory in the inaugural AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. Full story: CLICK HERE. Earlier in the event, competitors made three holes-in-one in a single day. And three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin held a clinic on the eve of the tournament, just days before his 70th birthday.

13. Oraee Makes Round of 16 at U.S. Amateur, Earns CGA Player of Year Award: Former University of Colorado golfer David Oraee put together a memorable U.S. Amateur, finishing second out of 312 players in the stroke-play portion of the event. Then he advanced to the round of 16 in match play before losing to Paul Dunne of Ireland, who made many headlines over the summer for sharing the British Open lead after three rounds. Also in 2015, Oraee became the first CU player since 2008 to compete in the NCAA men’s finals, and he went on to capture the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Award. Full story: CLICK HERE.

12. Fossil Trace’s Hajek Adds to Colorado PGA’s National Award Winners: The Colorado PGA and its members have made it a very pleasant habit in recent years to earn PGA of America national awards, and 2015 was no exception. Jim Hajek, the PGA head professional at Fossil Trace Golf Club in Golden, was named national Public Merchandiser of the Year. Hajek became the eighth Colorado PGA national honoree in the last nine years. Full story: CLICK HERE.

11. Littleton’s Leibold Wins National USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Leadership Award: Nick Leibold of Littleton earned a prestigious national honor for leadership, being named the male recipient of the 2015 USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Leadership Award. The award was created to recognize one male and one female junior golfer who demonstrate leadership, character and community service through their involvement with the Leadership Links program, a joint initiative founded by the USGA and AJGA to further develop junior golfers through volunteerism. Full story: CLICK HERE.

10. Jobe Wins Champions Tour Q-School Finals: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Jobe, who turned 50 on Aug. 1, will go into his rookie season on the Champions Tour in style after winning the Q-school tournament outright. It was a big shot in the arm for Jobe, who has had limited status in recent seasons and has competed in just six PGA Tour events in the last two years. Full story: CLICK HERE.

9. CoBank Takes Over Title Sponsorships of Colo. Open Championships: After a dozen years of being known as the HealthOne Colorado Open, the venerable tournament will undergo a name change as the third title sponsor in the history of the event comes on board. After the conclusion of the 51st Open and with Denver mayor Michael Hancock on hand, tournament officials announced that Greenwood Village-based CoBank has signed a five-year agreement to become title sponsor of the Colorado Open, Colorado Women’s Open and Colorado Senior Open. Full story: CLICK HERE. The final HealthOne Colorado Open saw Jimmy Gunn make two eagles in the final seven holes to overcome 2013 champion Zahkai Brown. Gunn went on to earn his Web.com Tour card for 2016, while Brown landed conditional status.

8. 100th CWGA Match Play is One for the Books: The CWGA Match Play Championship was contested for the 100th time, with current social media phenom Paige Spiranac (left) edging Brittany Fan for the title. In the 35-hole final, the two players combined to make 22 birdies and were 15 under par. Full story: CLICK HERE.

7. Kupcho Blows Away Field in CWGA Stroke Play: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster continues to amaze with her periodic dominance of tournaments in Colorado. Particularly eye-catching in 2015 was her 21-shot victory in the CWGA Stroke Play Championship, making it one of the largest — if not the largest — margin of victory in an event which dates back to 1948. The 18-year-old was 16 under par for three rounds. Also this season en route to repeating as CWGA Player of the Year, Kupcho won her second straight 4A state high school title, placed third in the Big “I” National Championship, made it to the final 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur before falling to eventual champion Hannah O’Sullivan, and posted three top-10 finishes in the fall as a freshman at Wake Forest. Kupcho currently sits 70th in the women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings. Full story: CLICK HERE.

6. Trifecta for Rohrbaugh: Not only did Doug Rohrbaugh match a record by winning his third consecutive Colorado PGA Professional Championship, but he continued to break the standard he’s previously set by claiming the title at unprecedented ages (53 in this case). Full story: CLICK HERE. Besides Rohrbaugh’s accomplishments in Colorado, the Carbondale resident competed in six events on the Champions Tour, placing as high as 15th.

5. Two More National Championships Set for Colorado: Colorado was awarded not one but two USGA championships in the final several months of 2015, marking the 32nd and 33rd USGA national championships to be set for the Centennial State. The association announced that the 2018 U.S. Senior Open will be held at The Broadmoor the same year the Colorado Springs resort turns 100 years old. Full story: CLICK HERE. Then the next year, Colorado Golf Club will host the U.S. Mid-Amateur, with CommonGround Golf Course serving as the second stroke-play course. Full story: CLICK HERE.

4. Colorado Golf Greats Pass Away: There’s no getting away from the passage of time, but far more than the usual number of people who have made an indelible mark in Colorado golf passed away during the course of the year. A partial list includes Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Warren Smith (a national PGA Golf Professional Hall of Famer), Jim Bailey (a life member of the PGA of America) and Jay Morrish (a renowned golf course architect). Also passing were former CGA president Bill Waggener, highly-regarded performance coach and psychologist Denise McGuire, longtime Colorado PGA professional Marv Mazone, and respected and well-liked volunteer rules official Joe Salvo, to whom the CGA dedicated its championship season. Suffice it to say the Colorado golf community is poorer for their passing.

3. CGA, Colorado PGA Join Forces for Junior Golf: When the executive directors and the staffs from the CGA and the Colorado Section PGA met in October 2014 to determine what programs it made the most sense to team up on, junior golf ended up major priority No. 1. A year later — after plenty of brainstorming, meetings and work on all sides — the seeds bore fruit as it was announced that the CGA and Colorado PGA are joining forces in a major effort to bolster junior golf in the state. Included will be a Junior Tour, including four junior major championships, and a developmental Junior Series. Another aspect of the collaboration will be the creation of a website that acts as a clearinghouse for all things junior golf-related in Colorado, including but not limited to registration for Junior Tour and Junior Series events; the PGA Junior League; the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, which exposes school kids to the game through P.E. classes; the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy; and the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship. Full story: CLICK HERE.

For the 2016 junior tour schedule, CLICK HERE.

2. Colorado Golf People of the Century Honored: As part of the Century of Golf festivities that marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CGA, six Colorado golf People of the Century were named and then honored at the Century of Golf Gala held last month at The Broadmoor. The honorees were:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.
Woman of the Century — Judy Bell
Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline
Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon
Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin
Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

“This is one of those moments where you need to take it all in — to be able to say, ‘I was in the room when these people were honored.'” noted CGA executive director Ed Mate. “I mean, they’re legends of golf in Colorado. Of all the things we could have done to celebrate 100 years, I think this may be the most important, honoring these six people.” Full story: CLICK HERE.

1. Century of Golf Gala Draws 1,250 People, Raises $380,000: Choosing the Colorado golf story of the year was pretty much a no-brainer in 2015. After all, how many times do you have an event that attracts 1,250 people including a who’s who of Colorado golf, have Jack Nicklaus as a featured guest, honor six People of the Century, and raise $380,000 for the Colorado Golf Foundation — and its mission of youth development through golf — in the process? The Gala at The Broadmoor was the culmination of a year of initiatives and events built around the 100th anniversary of the CGA’s founding. “We made the most of the centennial,” Mate noted. The Gala was “the biggest golf gathering of our time. We raised a ton of money. We launched an exciting relationship with the PGA. It’s a home run. I look back on this as a special year. It’ll be a tough act to follow.” Full story: CLICK HERE. (Pictured at top are Nicklaus and Mate chatting on the 18th green of the East Course at The Broadmoor, where Nicklaus defeated Charlie Coe to win the 1959 U.S. Amateur)

Honorable Mention:

— Fort Collins HS Golfers Finish 1-2 in 5A State Meet in Their Hometown

— Welch Becomes First Player to Win All Age Divisions of Jr. Series Championship

— Former CU Golfer Talley Earns Ladies European Tour Card

— Keating, Trujillo, Chin Earn Spots in Drive, Chip & Putt Finals at Augusta

— DU’s Korte Fires 65, Overcomes 4-Shot Deficit to Win CGA Stroke Play

— Chitkoksoong, 14, Becomes One of Youngest Winners of CWGA Jr. Match Play

— Bruckner Becomes First Two-Time Winner of Colorado Senior Open

— Strauss, Medalist at U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier, Goes On to Earn LPGA Tour Card

— At Boulder CC, CU Posts Best Pac-12 Finish Ever (5th), Beats Nation’s No. 1 Team

— Keffer Finishes Off Threepeat at Colorado PGA Assistants Championships

— CU’s Edwards Named One of Nation’s Top 20 Men’s College Coaches in Survey

— CSU-Pueblo’s Kim Finishes 12th in NCAA Div. II Women’s Finals

— Former DU Golfers Kempter, Sue Kim Earn Symetra Tour Victories
Kempter: CLICK HERE.
Kim: CLICK HERE.

— Coloradan Hannah Wood Notches Individual Win as College Freshman

— Flatirons GC’s Brown Ties for Senior Title at National Superintendents Tourney

— Denver-Area Resident Duval Becoming Analyst for Golf Channel

— Langston Departing State After 23 Years as Highly-Regarded Rules Official

And in many ways the activities and initiatives that were directly the result of the “Century of Golf” exceeded expectations. The Century of Golf Gala and related activities raised roughly $400,000, according to CGA executive director Ed Mate — significantly more than originally envisioned. The proceeds from the Gala and related undertakings benefit the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf, including junior player development, caddie programs, community partnerships, and college scholarships.

Besides the Gala and other fundraising efforts, and an extensive look back on the last 100 years of Colorado golf, the Century of Golf included a rebranding for the CGA, and “positioning the Colorado Golf Foundation as a mechanism for collaboration to raise money for golf,” Mate said recently.

“We made the most of the centennial,” Mate noted. The Gala was “the biggest golf gathering of our time (with about 1,250 in attendance at The Broadmoor). We raised a ton of money. We launched an exciting relationship with the PGA. It’s a home run. I look back on this as a special year. It’ll be a tough act to follow.”

Indeed, the question now is, where to go from here? And what will the second century of the CGA — the the future of Colorado golf in general — look like?

Of course, it’s much easier to foresee the short term, but that may provide some hints about what’s to come decades from now.

“Going forward, there’s a lot of ways it will manifest itself,” Mate said when asked what he hopes will come out of the Century of Golf. “None is more important than our collaboration with the (Colorado) PGA on junior golf (READ MORE). That’s evidence of us working together. We’re walking the walk. By (joining forces) we can accomplish the greatest good in golf.” (Pictured at top are CGA president Phil Lane and CPGA president Leslie Core-Drevecky signing a memorandum of agreement in October.)

Indeed, many activities and initiatives revolving around the Century of Golf were collaborative efforts of the CGA, Colorado PGA, CWGA and the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association.

Looking ahead, another partner, the USGA, is examining its business model and how it works with state and regional golf associations like the CGA and CWGA, Mate said.

“It’s a great opportunity to create a stronger partnership with the USGA — one robust and with more meat on it,” said Mate, who recently joined the USGA Rules of Golf Committee. “I think our future over the next 100 years will look much different. We’ll have ways to reach more golfers — whether it be through technology, apps or other things to be determined. We’ll work very closely with the USGA and Colorado PGA to reach more golfers — including more casual and less serious golfers. And then there’s things like the World Handicap System (READ MORE). Some game-changing stuff is being worked on.”

And some of those things currently in the pipeline, or in their formative stages, could significantly blossom over the coming decades. That includes programs such as Colorado PGA Golf in Schools; the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, PGA Junior League, etc., etc.

“I foresee our role being more significant,” Mate said. “The CGA won’t exist unless the game of golf is healthy, and I think the game of golf will be. It’s a fundamentally great game. I think we’ll look back on this chapter, when we were so oversupplied with golf courses because of the real-estate bubble. We went through soul-searching, and I think we kind of were grasping at straws — with things like using a bigger hole, less holes … — but the game isn’t broken.

“If we’re smart — with things like Golf in Schools, Drive Chip & Putt and PGA Junior League — we’ll make sure the game is put in the hands of the next generation in a thoughtful way. Sanity has returned. We got back to the basics of blocking and tackling (in growing golf). The game will take care of the rest. I think we’ll see the game thriving.”
 

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.
 

About 1,250 people attended the festivities, which were a culmination of a year of activities and initiatives held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Colorado Golf Association.

The Gala featured a fireside chat with Jack Nicklaus and the honoring of six Colorado golf People of the Century:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.

Woman of the Century — Judy Bell

Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin

Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline

Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon

The Colorado Golf Foundation, which was founded three years ago, benefits youth player development, caddie programs, community partnerships, and college scholarships.

For links to Gala-related information:

— Article on the Gala: CLICK HERE

— YouTube: Nicklaus Reflects on Career in Colorado at The Broadmoor: CLICK HERE

— Photos for Download: CLICK HERE
 

In the West wing of The Broadmoor, there’s a hall of fame that includes an impressive photographic array of people of note who have visited the resort over the years.

There’s everyone from Arnold Palmer to Babe Zaharias, from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama, from Aerosmith to Liberace, from Bing Crosby to Bob Hope, from Mickey Rooney to John Wayne, from John Elway to Peyton Manning, and even from Ted Cruz to Hillary Clinton.

Such a site seemed an altogether appropriate venue for Saturday night’s Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor, which featured a who’s who of golf in Colorado — and beyond.

About 1,250 people attended the Gala, the culmination of a year of activities and initiatives held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CGA. Both the history and future of golf in the state were celebrated, with all proceeds benefiting the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf.

Jack Nicklaus — who won the first and last of his eight USGA championships in Colorado, the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills Country Club — was the headliner on Saturday. He noted that it was his first trip back to the resort since the 1960 NCAA Championships — and just his second since his career-launching victory over defending champion Charlie Coe in the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final 56 years ago. (Nicklaus is pictured above at the Gala and at left on the 18th green at The Broadmoor’s East Course.)

“I’m really pleased to have had the pleasure to have Colorado be such a large part of my golfing life,” Nicklaus said before a fireside chat with journalist Tim Rosaforte. “… I’ve been blessed to be able to (design or redesign 10) golf courses in Colorado (including Castle Pines Golf Club, site of the PGA Tour’s International for 21 years, with three other Colorado courses done by Nicklaus Design). I’ve had a blast coming here. I’ve had two or three homes in Colorado, skied a lot in Colorado and spent a lot of time with (President) Gerald Ford when he was here; what a man. What I’m trying to say is, we’ve had a great, great time in Colorado, and it’s nice to be back here this evening.”

Also in attendance Saturday were the president and executive director of the USGA — Thomas O’Toole and Mike Davis, respectively — along with John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Associaton, and Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

And, of course, there were the six Colorado golf People of the Century who were recognized on Saturday: Will Nicholson Jr. (Man of the Century), Judy Bell (Woman of the Century), Hale Irwin (Male Player of the Century), Barbara McIntire (Female Player of the Century), Charles “Vic” Kline (Golf Professional of the Century) and Dennis Lyon (Superintendent of the Century). (Five of the six are pictured above: from left, Kline, Bell, Nicholson, Lyon and Irwin. McIntire missed the event after feeling ill.)

To put things into perspective, there are six players in the history of golf to have won three or more U.S. Opens, and two of them were at the Gala, Nicklaus (four-time champ) and Irwin (three-time winner).

“We’ve got a five-time USGA champion in Hale Irwin,” O’Toole noted Saturday. “We’ve got the greatest major winner ever in Jack (Nicklaus). We’ve got two past presidents of the USGA (Nicholson and Bell). We’ve got a past chairman of the Women’s Committee (actually two in Bell and McIntire, in addition to Joan Birkland, who was also in attendance). We’ve got a many-time Curtis Cup captain in both Judy and Barbara. It was important for us to be here tonight.”

(For more about the People of the Century, CLICK HERE.)

And Nicholson, a longtime acquaintance of Nicklaus through the former’s longstanding roles with the USGA and the Masters, was responsible for getting the Golden Bear to headline Saturday’s Gala.

“Will has been an unbeliebable friend,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a great man and you’re lucky to have him in Colorado.”

Nicklaus’ fireside chat — covering his tournament, design and personal experiences in Colorado and beyond — was popular with the big crowd (left) at The Broadmoor.

Nicklaus has said in the past — and reiterated on Saturday — that the U.S. Amateur victory at The Broadmoor in 1959 was one of the most important in his career. He sank an 8-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to secure the first of his 20 major championships, if U.S. Ams are still considered majors.

“That’s probably the most important putt I ever made,” Nicklaus said. “In those days it was a major championship. What it did was it put me in a position where if I had to make a putt if I wanted to win something, I did. And winning breeds winning.

“The U.S. Amateur was the one that gave me the confidence to know that I could play, that I could do things under pressure. That was important to me.”

Nicklaus also noted that he defeated Robert Tyre Jones III, son of Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones, in the first round of match play.

Jones III told Nicklaus that he had called his dad and asked the elder Jones if he was going to come out and watch him. Bobby Jones asked who Jones III was playing. After being told it was Nicklaus, Bobby Jones told his son, “I’ve heard of him. No, I’m not coming out to watch you play 13 holes.”

And, noted Nicklaus, “We played 13 holes” in the Bear’s match play victory.

As for his performance in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, where he finished runner-up — as an amateur — to Arnold Palmer while being paired with Ben Hogan for the final two rounds …

“Probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my career was not to win that tournament,” Nicklaus said. “Had I won that tournament, I probably wouldn’t have put my nose to the grindstone and would not have wanted to get better. It brings you down to earth.”

But Nicklaus would win again in Colorado, both at the 1977 Jerry Ford Invitational, then prevailing by one shot at Cherry Hills over fellow former Ohio State golfer Tom Weiskopf in the 1993 U.S. Senior Open.

And though Nicklaus’ competitive golf days are now over — aside from periodic participation in the PNC Father-Son Challenge — he still isn’t done making his mark in Colorado. Just in recent months, he made alterations to numerous holes at the Castle Pines Golf Club course which opened in 1981.

“It’s a better course now,” Nicklaus said.

(For more about Nicklaus’ many accomplishements in Colorado, CLICK HERE.)

Odds and Ends from The Broadmoor: In tribute to Nicklaus for playing such a prominent role in the Century of Golf Gala, CGA president Phil Lane said that $25,000 will be donated to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. …

George Solich, a former Broadmoor caddie who provided the lead gift for the Colorado Golf Foundation three years ago, spoke at the Gala along with current University of Colorado Evans Scholar Josh Aguilar (left, next to Solich). Aguilar was a product of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, one of the beneficiaries of the Colorado Golf Foundation. Solich, a CU Evans Scholar alum, encouraged support of the Foundation and the programs it supports. …

About 20 Evans Scholar caddies from CU assisted with Saturday’s Century of Golf golf outing, held at The Broadmoor’s East and West courses, along with the Gala. …

Roughly 170 players participated in the golf on a mid-November day in which the temperature reached the mid-60s. Each threesome/foursome/fivesome competed Saturday by seeing if its net best-ball score bettered that of Jack Nicklaus during the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final in 1959 at the East Course. Also, each competitor had the chance to try an 8-foot birdie putt similar to the one Nicklaus sunk to win the Amateur on the 18th green at the East Course, with those making it being awarded a Century of Golf in Colorado poster created by artist Lee Wybranski.
 

The Century of Golf Gala set for Saturday night (Nov. 14) at The Broadmoor will feature more golf luminaries than you can shake a stick — or a golf club — at.

Of course, heading the list will be arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus, the featured guest at the Gala. (To read about his many accomplishments in Colorado, CLICK HERE). The Golden Bear will participate in a fireside chat with another notable, columnist and Golf Channel insider Tim Rosaforte.

Other headliners at the Gala will be the six Colorado golf People of the Century who will be recognized at The Broadmoor:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.

Woman of the Century — Judy Bell

Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin

Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline

Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon

(Pictured above are five of the six, from left: McIntire, Bell, Nicholson, Kline and Lyon.)

And many other big names will be among the roughly 1,250 people expected to attend the Gala or the 160 planning to play golf as part of the festivities earlier in the day, weather-permitting.

The Gala and related events are being held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the CGA. The Nov. 14 events are being conducted by the Colorado Golf Foundation, with all proceeds benefiting the Foundation’s mission of youth development through golf.

As a primer to the Gala, here’s a look at the People of the Century, by the numbers:

1 — Women who have served as USGA president since the position was created in 1894, with that one being Judy Bell of Colorado Springs (1996-97).

1st — U.S. captain for the President’s Cup, Hale Irwin in 1994.

2 — World Golf Hall of Famers among the People of the Century, Judy Bell and Hale Irwin (left).

2 — People of the Century who lost to the great Mickey Wright at the 1952 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Judy Bell fell to Wright in the semifinals and Barbara McIntire in the final. McIntire was also the runner-up in 1951.

2 — Major national awards earned by Dennis Lyon in the years shortly following his retirement as manager of golf for the city of Aurora: USGA’s Green Section Award, given to individuals who contribute significantly to the game of golf through their work with turfgrass (2011) and the Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award, presented by the GCSAA to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent’s profession (2013).

2 — Sports in which Vic Kline lettered at the University of New Mexico (golf and basketball) and in which Hale Irwin lettered at the University of Colorado (golf and football). Irwin was a two-time All-Big Eight defensive back in football (1965 and ’66) and won the 1967 NCAA individual title in golf.

3 — Coloradans who have been presidents of the USGA, with People of the Century Will Nicholson and Judy Bell joining Frank Woodward.

3 — Courses Hale Irwin has designed in Colorado: Highlands Ranch GC, Indian Peaks GC and the Cordillera Mountain Course.

3 — National amateur titles won in the U.S. and Great Britain by Barbara McIntire from 1959-64. She claimed the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1959 and ’64 and also captured the 1960 British Ladies Amateur, becoming just the fourth American to win that event.

3 — Coloradans who have chaired the USGA Women’s Golf Committee, with People of the Century Judy Bell and Barbara McIntire joining Joan Birkland.

4 — People of the Century who are in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame: Hale Irwin, Judy Bell, Will Nicholson and Barbara McIntire.

4 — Times Hale Irwin, 70, shot his age or better during the 2015 Champions Tour season, including his final two official rounds of the year (both 68s).

5 — USGA championships won by Hale Irwin, including three U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens. Also the number of CGA championship titles he captured, including three straight Stroke Plays (1963-65). In addition, Irwin claimed the 1963 state high school title at Boulder High, where he was a teammate of Dick Anderson, who would go on to be a three-time NFL Pro Bowler with the Miami Dolphins.

5 — Times Vic Kline was named the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year. Also, years he served as president of the Colorado PGA from 1975 to ’92.

6 — People of the Century who’ve been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

6 — People who have won the U.S. Open at least three times: Jack Nicklaus (4), Ben Hogan (4), Bobby Jones (4), Willie Anderson (4), Hale Irwin (3) and Tiger Woods (3).

7 — Recipients of the Will Nicholson Jr., Award who are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Judy Bell, Hale Irwin and Ernie Els. The award goes to people who have demonstrated a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Nicholson himself was the first recipient.

8 — Curtis Cup teams on which Barbara McIntire competed (6) or captained (2). Judy Bell played in two and captained two.

11 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., spent on the powerful USGA Executive Committee.

11 — Times the Vic Kline Award has been given to a member of the Colorado PGA Board of Directors for outstanding service and leadership for the Section.

13 — Match wins by Hale Irwin in the Ryder Cup (against five losses and two draws).

15 — Age at which Judy Bell won the first of her three Kansas state women’s amateur titles, in 1952.

17 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., chaired the Rules Committee for the Masters. Nicholson was responsible for setting up Augusta National for the Masters from 1992-2006.

20 — PGA Tour victories recorded by Hale Irwin from 1971-94.

25 — Years of volunteer service on USGA committees for which Dennis Lyon received the Ike Grainger Award.

38 — USGA championships in which Judy Bell competed.

45 — Record total of career Champions Tour victories posted by Hale Irwin, 16 more than runner-up Lee Trevino. The total includes seven senior major championships.

45 — Age at which Hale Irwin won the 1990 U.S. Open, making him the oldest champion of that event.

67 — Score Judy Bell shot at the 1964 U.S. Women’s Open, which remained the record for the championship for 14 years.

302 — Four-round total shot by Barbara McIntire in the 1956 U.S. Women’s Open in forcing a playoff with Kathy Cornelius. If McIntire had won the playoff, she would have become the first amateur to capture the U.S. Women’s Open title, but Cornelius prevailed 75-82.

1250 — Prize money earned by Vic Kline for winning the Colorado Open in 1968.

1973 (to present) — Time Will Nicholson has served on the CGA Board of Governors.

1980-81 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., served as president of the USGA.

1987 — Year Judy Bell became the first female to serve on the USGA Executive Committee.

1988 — Year the junior golf program at Indian Tree Golf Club in Arvada was named the best in the nation at a municipal facility by Golf Digest. Vic Kline was the longtime director of golf at Indian Tree.

1989 — Year Dennis Lyon became national president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

2000 — Year Barbara McIntire received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the USGA, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

2000 — Year Vic Kline was presented the PGA of America’s top award, as national Golf Professional of the Year. Only one other member of the Colorado PGA has earned the honor, Warren Smith in 1973. Five years later, in 2005, Kline was inducted into the PGA of America Golf Professional Hall of Fame.

2002-03 — Years Dennis Lyon served as president of the CGA. In 2008, he would become general chairman of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora.
 

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 10th 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 2005-present. For the previous installments, CLICK HERE

When it comes to big-time golf tournaments being held in Colorado, the last decade has certainly had its ups and downs.

And many of the “ups” may have largely been the result of the biggest “down”.

The dominoes began to fall early in 2007. That was when Jack Vickers, founder of The International and of Castle Pines Golf Club, and PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced at a Denver-based press conference that The International’s run in Colorado was ending after 21 consecutive years on the PGA Tour.

Though there were many contributing reasons, the lack of a title sponsor in the final years of the event played a major role. The tournament hadn’t had a title or presenting sponsor after 2002. Tiger Woods seldom playing in the event — he competed in 1998 and ’99 only — was another factor, as were problems with the tournament’s dates.

But whatever the case, there was a sense of mourning on the Colorado sports scene. The International had produced champions such as Phil Mickelson (twice), Davis Love III (twice), Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh. Among the many other giants of the game to have played at Castle Pines were Jack Nicklaus (designer of Castle Pines GC), Woods and Arnold Palmer.

And the event produced some incredible golf, including in 2002, when one of the most amazing finishes in Colorado golf history occurred. Ten points out of the lead with five holes left, Steve Lowery went birdie-eagle-bogey-double eagle in a four-hole stretch, twice holing out from the fairway during that run. Only an eagle at the 17th hole by Rich Beem and Lowery’s missed birdie putt on 18 kept Lowery from carting off the trophy.

With the International’s exit, for the first calendar year since 1971, Colorado was left without a PGA, LPGA or Champions Tour event in 2007.

But as it turned out, the void was largely filled, and the last decade has been full of top-level spectator events.

— Before 2005, the U.S. Women’s Open had been held in Colorado just once — at 1995 at The Broadmoor, with Annika Sorenstam winning. But twice in the seven-year period from 2005 through 2001, the Centennial State would host the top tournament in women’s golf.

Birdie Kim won the 2005 championship in spectatcular fashion at Cherry Hills Country Club, holing out for — what else, given her name — birdie from a deep greenside bunker on the 72nd hole.

Six years later, at The Broadmoor’s East Course, another South Korean, So Yeon Ryu (left, in orange), prevailed, winning in the first three-hole aggregate playoff in the tournament’s history. Like Sorenstam at The Broadmoor and Kim at Cherry Hills, Ryu made the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA Tour victory.

Both the 2005 and ’11 Women’s Opens in Colorado drew more than 130,000 spectators for the week.

–The Broadmoor attracted a similar number for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open, won by Eduardo Romero of Argentina. That tournament is remembered for the black bear that ran across a fairway in which Bernhard Langer was playing. And then there was the presence of then-celebrity couple Greg Norman and Chris Evert …

— Colorado would go on to host two Champions Tour majors in three years as the 2010 Senior PGA Championship came to Colorado Golf Club, with Tom Lehman claiming the title.

— In 2012, the U.S. Amateur came to Cherry Hills for the second time — Phil Mickelson’s win in 1990 being the first — with CommonGround Golf Course serving as the second stroke-play venue. Steven Fox won the championship this time in one of Jordan Spieth’s final amateur events.

— In 2013, the Solheim Cup — the female version of the Ryder Cup — came to the western U.S. for the first time, with Colorado Golf Club being the host. The Europeans (left) won the Cup on U.S. soil for the first time. The 18-10 score marked the largest final margin in the history of the event.

— And then in 2014, the PGA Tour returned to Colorado for the first time since 2006, with Cherry Hills hosting the BMW Championship, the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Billy Horschel won the tournament en route to claiming the 2014 FedEx Cup title.

The 2014 BMW Championship (pictured at top, with Rory McIlroy competing at Cherry Hills) was later named the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year for the third straight season. With University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum George Solich serving as general chairman, the event raised a record $3.5 million for the Evans Scholars.

— And, looking ahead, another major spectator event is on tap for the state as the 2018 U.S. Senior Open will be contested at The Broadmoor the same year as the resort turns 100 years old.

Here are some of the other Colorado golf highlights of the period from 2005 to present:

— Two distinguished Colorado PGA golf professionals, Warren Smith and Charles “Vic” Kline, were both inducted into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame in 2005.

— In 2005, the CGA and CWGA officially purchased the former Lowry golf course, the site of the present-day CommonGround Golf Course.

— Rick DeWitt became the oldest (at age 50) winner of the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Award, in 2006.

— In 2006, the Walking Stick course in Pueblo hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, with Tiffany Joh defeating Kimberly Kim in the final.

— In 2007, former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin won his record 45th Champions Tour event — 16 more than the No. 2 player on the list, Lee Trevino.

— In 2008, Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora was the site of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, with Jack Newman earning the title. Among the other competitors were Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel.

— The Tom Doak-designed CommonGround Golf Course, originally owned and operated by both the CGA and CWGA, opened in 2009, marking the last new 18-hole course to come on the scene in Colorado. A nine-hole Kids Course also opened, thanks in significant part to a $175,000 grant from the USGA. The Kids Course is largely used for junior golf development and community outreach. 

— In 2009 Steve Ziegler became the first player since Brandt Jobe in 1985 to sweep the CGA Match Play and Stroke Play titles in the same year.

— Coloradans John Elway and Tom Hart won the 2009 Trans-Miss Four-Ball title at Cherry Hills Country Club.

— Denver Country Club hosted the 2010 Trans-Miss Championship, won by Scott Pinckney, and the senior Trans Miss, won by Chip Lutz.

— After decades as a U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying site, Columbine Country Club lost that status after 2010.

— Wyndham Clark won the 2010 CGA Stroke Play at age 16, becoming the youngest winner of the event since Bob Byman in 1971. In the final round of the championship, Jim Knous shot a course-record 10-under-par 60 at Boulder Country Club to force a playoff, but Clark prevailed for the title.

— From 2010-13, Keith Humerickhouse claimed four consecutive CGA Mid-Amateur titles, becoming just the third person to win four straight CGA championships.

— In 2011, the Allied Golf Associations of Colorado became partners in the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools initiative, designed to introduce kids to golf through P.E. classes at school. The program has now reached more than 40,000 students.

— Green Gables Country Club, a storied course that dated back to the 1920s, closed in 2011. The course hosted six LPGA Tour events and one from the Senior PGA Tour.

— The CGA hosted the Junior America’s Cup at Hiwan Golf Club in 2011, when the Colorado team finished third, its best showing ever at the event (since matched in 2015).

— The CGA launched the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course in 2012. The Academy, named for University of Colorado Evans Scholar alums George and Geoff Solich, provides incentives to take caddies as it pays the base fee for the caddies, with the players having the option to tip. The caddies attend weekly leadership classes and do volunteer community-service work each summer. In Colorado, the Academy concept has spread to Fort Collins Country Club and Meridian Golf Club.

— Part-time Lakewood resident Hollis Stacy, winner of three U.S. Women’s Opens and six USGA championships in all, was inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.

— The philanthropic Colorado Golf Foundation was launched in 2012, with CU Evans Scholar alum George Solich providing a $2 million lead gift. The foundation provides funding for Colorado-based organizations and programs that use golf to build important life skills and character, with an emphasis on instilling hard work and self-reliance in young people.

— In 2012, Coloradan Christie Austin, while serving on the USGA Executive Committee, became the first woman to chair the USGA Rules of Golf Committee.

— Coloradan Derek Tolan, who competed in the U.S. Open as a 16-year-old in 2002, won the HealthOne Colorado Open twice in a four-year period starting in 2009.

— In September 2013, about 14 inches of rain in less than a week caused devastating flooding (left), leading to major damage at many Colorado golf courses, including CommonGround GC and Coal Creek GC.

— Colorado resident Mark Wiebe won the Senior British Open in 2013, marking the first major championship of his career.

— Melissa Martin of Grand Junction became the seventh player to win the CWGA Stroke Play at least three times, doing so in the course of five years (2009-13).

— In 2014, the Colorado Open was played for the 50th time.

— Also in 2014, Kent Moore completed a sweep of major CGA championships — and has won at least one in five different decades. His resume includes victories in the Junior Match Play (1973), Stroke Play (1986), Match Play (1989), Mid-Amateur (1995), Senior Match (2006) and Senior Stroke (2014).

— In December 2014, the Evans Scholarship for caddies surpassed the 10,000 mark in graduates, including 434 from CU.

— Paige Spiranac won the 100th CWGA Match Play Championship in 2015 in a stellar final in which she was 9 under par for 35 holes against University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan. And Jennifer Kupcho put on an exhibition at the CWGA Stroke Play, winning by an amazing 21 shots in posting a 16-under-par total.

— For the eighth time in a nine-year period (2007-15), members of the Colorado PGA, or the Section itself, won a national PGA of America Award. The honorees during that stretch were Danny Harvanek and Ann Finke (Junior Golf Leaders); George Kahrhoff, Dale Smigelsky and Jim Hajek (Merchandisers of the Year); Clayton Cole (Bill Strausbaugh Award), Kyle Heyen (President’s Plaque Award), and the Colorado PGA Section as a whole (Herb Graffis Award).

— Doug Rohrbaugh won three straight Colorado PGA Professional Championships from 2013-15, tying a record previously established, then matched, by Ron Vlosich and Ken Krieger, respectively. Rohrbaugh also captured the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open title.

— The CGA and Colorado PGA announced they’re joining forces to bolster junior golf in the state. A Junior Tour, which will include four junior major championships, is scheduled to debut in 2016. 

— The CGA is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2015, culminating with a Century of Golf Gala in mid-November at The Broadmoor. Jack Nicklaus, who won his first and last USGA championships in Colorado (the 1959 U.S. Amateur and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open), is a guest of honor. Also among those who will be recognized are six People of the Century: Judy Bell (Woman of the Century), Hale Irwin (Male Player of the Century), Charles “Vic” Kline (Golf Professional of the Century), Dennis Lyon (Superintendent of the Century, Barbara McIntire (Female Player of the Century) and Will Nicholson Jr. (Man of the Century).

In the same week that the CGA marked its official 100th “birthday”, the association celebrated by recognizing six “People of the Century” and by unveiling a keepsake poster (click to view large image) commemorating the last 100 years of Colorado golf.

The CGA was founded on Aug. 20, 1915, when a meeting was held to set up an association that would run the state championships and to appoint the officers for the new organization.

One hundred years later, on Saturday, a centennial kickoff celebration was held at the home of Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Kent and Janet Moore, the honorary chairs for the Nov. 14 Century of Golf Gala that’s set for The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, where Jack Nicklaus will be the featured guest and participate in a fireside chat.

At Saturday’s event, the half-dozen “People of the Century” in Colorado golf that were announced earlier this summer were honored. Those luminaries will also be feted at the Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor on Nov. 14. The six honorees are:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.

Woman of the Century — Judy Bell

Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline

Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon

Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin

Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

For background on the People of the Century, who are pictured at bottom, CLICK HERE.

Five of the six — Nicholson, Bell, Kline, Lyon and McIntire — were on hand for Saturday’s event. Bell and Nicholson are two of the three Coloradans who have served as president of the USGA.

CGA executive director Ed Mate said the six represent “the Mount Rushmore of Golf in Colorado.”

“This is one of those moments where you need to take it all in — to be able to say, ‘I was in the room when these people were honored.'” Mate noted. “I mean, they’re legends of golf in Colorado. Of all the things we could have done to celebrate 100 years, I think this may be the most important, honoring these six people.”

Also on Saturday, the CGA made public a piece of centennial artwork it commissioned — thanks to a generous donation from the Solich Fund — from artist Lee Wybranski.

The poster (pictured at top), entitled “A Century of Golf in Colorado”, features highlights of the last 100 years of golf in the Centennial State. With a mountain backdrop, included are images of Babe Zaharias, Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Annika Sorenstam, all World Golf Hall of Famers who made their mark in the state.

Zaharias, a onetime Denver-area resident, won the 1950 Women’s Western Open, an LPGA Tour event held at Cherry Hills Country Club. Nicklaus captured his first USGA championship in Colorado, the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor. Palmer won his only U.S. Open at Cherry Hills by firing a final-round 65 in 1960, and is depicted tossing his visor in an iconic moment in golf history. And Sorenstam earned her first LPGA title at the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor.

A timeline noting another 19 pinnacles of Colorado golf history frame the artwork.

“Art is very personal, but for me it’s a home run,” Mate said of the poster. “Trying to marry history and art in a way that comes out tasteful, I think it’s hard to do. But this is the kind of piece that people who love golf will want to put on the wall. I’m very pleased.”

The poster will be an exclusive gift for Century of Golf Gala major donors and will serve as the cover art for the Gala program. All the net proceeds from the Gala — and related activities — will benefit the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf.

The Century of Golf art was the creation of Wybranski, a longtime professional artist who has created the official poster for the last eight U.S. Open golf championships, including this year’s at Chambers Bay in Washington. Wybranski, who is based in Flagstaff, Ariz., also painted artwork for the 2015 British Open, PGA Championship and U.S. Amateur, as well as for many earlier major championships.

“One of the hallmarks of my work, I hope, is bold simplicity,” Wybranski said in an interview on his website, leewybranski.com. “I feel like a poster is not a painting. The point of a poster is to grab someone from across the street. These were advertisements in the old days. The point of it is to create an image that grabs someone, makes them want to stop and come closer and see what it is.”

Several major champions have purchased Wybranski’s original posters for their own collections.

“I view this work as a modest contribution to golf history,” Wybranski said.

Also unveiled Saturday was a limited-edition autographed print (left, next to Mate) provided to the CGA by officials at Castle Pines Golf Club, showing Nicklaus shaking hands with runner-up Charlie Coe after their U.S. Amateur final that Nicklaus won at The Broadmoor in 1959. A limited number of the prints, autographed by both Nicklaus and Coe — respectively, the Castle Pines course designer and a former member at Castle Pines — will be sold as part of the Century of Golf celebration, again with the proceeds benefiting the Colorado Golf Foundation.

Overall, Saturday’s kickoff fit the bill as a key initial step in the buildup toward the Century of Golf Gala.

“I think it was mission accomplished,” Mate said. “We’re inside 90 days (until the Gala) so these people (in attendance) who are so well respected in their circles are going to go back and talk about this event and share their excitement.”

The weekend of the Century of Golf Gala will also include a golf outing on Nov. 14 at 10 a.m., at the historic East Course at The Broadmoor, where Nicklaus and Coe squared off 56 years ago. In addition, The Broadmoor is offering a room rate of $100 (plus service charge and taxes) for Century of Golf participants for the night of Nov. 14.

“This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Tom Gysin, a CGA governor and chairman of the Century of Golf Leadership Committee.

The Century of Golf Gala itself will begin on Nov. 14 at The Broadmoor with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and formal program starting at 7 p.m.

To reserve spots at the Century of Golf Gala or for sponsorship opportunities or general information, CLICK HERE. Or you can contact CGA director of development Ryan Smith at rsmith@coloradogolf.org, or at 303-974-2108.

(Below are the “People of the Century” who attended Saturday’s kickoff event: From left, McIntire, Bell, Nicholson, Kline and Lyon. Not pictured: Irwin.)

While Jack Nicklaus will be the featured guest at the Century of Golf Gala, the Golden Bear certainly won’t be the only golf luminary who will be honored Nov. 14 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Nicklaus accomplished plenty in Colorado during his illustrious career, but he’s never been a full-time resident of the Centennial State. However, six people who have called Colorado home — all among the most notable names in the state’s golf history — will be honored in a major way at the Gala.

Indeed, the six Colorado golf luminaries will be recognized as People of the Century at the event, which is being held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the CGA, which was founded in 1915. The Gala and related activities are being conducted by the Colorado Golf Foundation, with all proceeds supporting the Foundation’s mission of youth development through golf.

The six honorees will be:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr. (pictured above with current USGA president Tom O’Toole Jr.)

Woman of the Century — Judy Bell

Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline

Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon

Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin

Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

How good is that group?

Two — Bell (left) and Irwin — are in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Four — Irwin, Bell, Nicholson and McIntire — are in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

And all six have been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“The Century of Golf celebration is both a celebration of 100 years of golf, and an ushering in of the next 100,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “And, in the reflection on the last 100, it’s giving credit to those individuals who have made it special — to all the people that drive everything. To me, it’s exciting and fitting and gratifying that we’re able to recognize these six people. It’s a chance to truly pay tribute to them.”

The criteria used for selecting the People of the Century were they had to be living individuals whose contributions to the game have transcended the state of Colorado and the sport, and who have been recognized nationally or beyond for what they’ve accomplished.

Here’s a brief rundown on the accomplishments of the People of the Century:

— Will Nicholson Jr. (Man of the Century): Denver resident served as president of the USGA in 1980-81, making him the second Coloradan to hold that prestigious volunteer post (following Frank Woodward). … Overall, spent 11 years on the powerful USGA Executive Committee. … As chairman of the Masters Competition Committee at Augusta National Golf Club from 1992 through 2006, was responsible for setting up the course for the Masters. … Also chaired the Masters Rules Committee for 17 years. … Chairs the Colorado Golf Foundation. … Has served on the CGA board of governors since 1973 and was on the board that helped make the CGA/CWGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course a reality. … Captained the U.S. squad at the 1984 World Amateur Team Championship. … Nicholson Award has been given to honorees who have demonstrated a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Among the recipients — besides Nicholson himself — are Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Judy Bell, Hale Irwin and Ernie Els. … Inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

— Judy Bell (Woman of the Century): Of all the volunteer presidents the USGA has had since its founding in 1894, the Colorado Springs resident is the only woman who has held the position, having served in that capacity in 1996-97. … One of just three Coloradans who have been USGA president, following Frank Woodward (1915-16) and Will Nicholson Jr. (1980-81). … In 1987, became the first female to serve on the USGA Executive Committee. … Lost to Mickey Wright in the semifinals of the 1952 U.S. Girls’ Junior. That’s one of 38 USGA championships in which Bell has competed. … In 1964, she shot a then-record 67 at the U.S. Women’s Open, a score that remained the tournament’s standard for 14 years. … Won the Kansas state women’s amateur title at age 15 in 1952, and again in ’53 and ’54. … Competed on the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 1960 and ’62 and captained it in 1986 and ’88. … Captured The Broadmoor Ladies Invitation title three times. … Was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1976, the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame in 1991, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

— Charles “Vic” Kline (Golf Professional of the Century): Was presented the PGA of America’s top award, as national Golf Professional of the Year, in 2000. Only one other member of the Colorado PGA has earned the honor, Warren Smith in 1973. … Five years later, in 2005, Kline was inducted into the PGA of America Golf Professional Hall of Fame. … Served as president of the Colorado PGA five different years from 1975 through ’92 and was also involved with adminstration at the PGA of America. … Has received numerous awards from the Colorado PGA, including being named Golf Professional of the Year in 1975 and ’93. … The junior golf program at Indian Tree Golf Club in Arvada, where Kline was the longtime director of golf, was named the best in the nation at a municipal facility by Golf Digest in 1988. … Lettered in both golf and basketball at the University of New Mexico, and won two state amateurs and a state publinks in New Mexico. … Won the Colorado Open in 1968 and the Rocky Mountain Open in 1977. … Five times was named the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year. … The Colorado PGA’s Vic Kline Award is presented for outstanding service and leadership in the Section. … Was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.

— Dennis Lyon (Superintendent of the Century): Served as national president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America in 1989-90. … Was the president of the CGA in 2002-03. … Oversaw the 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship held at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora as general chairman. … In 2011, received the USGA’s national Green Section Award, given to individuals who contribute significantly to the game of golf through their work with turfgrass. … In 2013, was presented the national Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award, presented by the GCSAA to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent’s profession. … Also has been given the Ike Grainger award for 25 years of volunteer work on USGA committees. … Retired at the end of 2010 after more than three decades as manager of golf for the city of Aurora. … Was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2005.

— Hale Irwin (Male Player of the Century): Won the U.S. Open three times (1974, ’79 and ’90), and is one of just six players who have claimed the championship at least thrice, joining Jack Nicklaus (4), Ben Hogan (4), Bobby Jones (4), Willie Anderson (4) and Tiger Woods (3). … Remains the oldest winner of the U.S. Open, at age 45 in 1990. … Also holds the record for most Champions Tour victories, with 45, 16 more than second-place Lee Trevino. Of those 45, seven victories are senior majors. … Owns 20 wins overall on the PGA Tour. … All told, has competed in more than 1,100 events when adding PGA Tour and Champions Tour tournaments. … Compiled a 13-5-2 record in five Ryder Cup appearances. … Served as captain of the U.S. team in the inaugural President’s Cup, in 1994. … Won the 1967 NCAA individual title while at the University of Colorado. … Also was an All-Big Eight defensive back in football for CU. … Won five CGA state amateur championships in the 1960s, including three consecutive Stroke Plays. … Also claimed a Colorado state high school title in 1963. … Has designed several courses in Colorado, including Highlands Ranch Golf Club, Indian Peaks Golf Course and the Cordillera Mountain Course. … The Colorado-based Hale Irwin Elite Player Program and the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior are named in his honor. … Was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992, and the CU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

— Barbara McIntire (Female Player of the Century): Won the U.S. Women’s Amateur twice, in 1959 and ’64. Sandwiched between the two was another national title as she claimed victory at the 1960 British Ladies Amateur, becoming just the fourth American to win that event. … Earlier, in 1956, 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. … Also was twice runner-up in the U.S. Girls’ Junior, in 1951 and ’52. She lost in the ’52 final 1 up to Mickey Wright. … Played on U.S. Curtis Cup teams six times and captained two others. … Won numerous prestigious titles in the U.S., including sixth North and Souths and two Western Amateurs. … In Colorado, she won the 1962 CWGA Stroke Play Championship. … Served as chairperson of the USGA Women’s Committee. … In 2000, was presented the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the USGA, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. … Longtime Colorado Springs resident was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame in 1995, and was part of the second class of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, in 1974.

The Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor will begin on Nov. 14 with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., and the dinner and formal program will start at 6:30 p.m.

To reserve spots at the Century of Golf Gala or for sponsorship opportunities or general information, CLICK HERE. Or you can contact CGA director of development Ryan Smith at rsmith@coloradogolf.org, or at 303-974-2108.