If you don’t think that’s unusual, think again.

Prior to this current “drought”, you have to go back more than a half-century to find a Masters without at least one competitor with major Colorado ties.

With that in mind, we decided to dig into the records and highlight the Colorado “locals” who have shined at Augusta National Golf Club over the history of the Masters, which debuted in 1934.

Almost 25 players with significant connections to the Centennial State — either before, during or after their Masters heydays — have competed in what is now the first major of the season. A couple others have more tenuous ties to Colorado, but are interesting to note.

Here’s the rundown:

— Craig Stadler (current Evergreen resident): The Walrus, of course, didn’t move to Colorado until the 1990s, but he’s the one person to win the Masters who’s long resided in the state. In 1982, Stadler scored the biggest victory of his career. After posting rounds of 75-69-67-73–284, he defeated Dan Pohl in a playoff and slipped on a green jacket (pictured with ’81 champ Tom Watson). Stadler’s 75 remains the highest opening round by a champion.

He led by six with nine holes left in regulation, but lost ground with a 40 on the back nine on Sunday. A par on the first hole of sudden-death yielded the win.

“Walking down the fairway on No. 11, I said to myself, ‘This is easy,'” Stadler said at the time. “It looked like they all were playing for second and the only thing in doubt was by how much was I going to win. The National proved itself on Sunday again. I’ll take ’em any way I can.”

The victory was one of five top-seven finishes by Stadler at the Masters, including a third-place showing in 1988, when he ended up two back of champion Sandy Lyle. Stadler competed in 36 consecutive Masters, ending his run after playing in the 2014 event with son Kevin.

— Hale Irwin (Boulder High School and University of Colorado graduate): The World Golf Hall of Famer is best known for his three U.S. Open victories, but he was on the Sunday leaderboard numerous times at the Masters.

Overall, Irwin notched seven top-eight showings at Augusta National. He had an especially strong run from 1974-78, finishing fourth, fourth, fifth, fifth and eighth.

Of players with at least 50 rounds in the Masters, Irwin owns the seventh-best stroke average in history (72.18).

— Dow Finsterwald (director of golf at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs from 1963-93): Finsterwald didn’t take his job at The Broadmoor until 1963, but he was regularly in the hunt at the Masters from 1957 through ’64.

The 1958 PGA Championship winner recorded five top-10 finishes at Augusta National during that eight-year stretch, including placing second and third.

Two years particular stood out for “Finsty”. In 1960, he finished third, two strokes behind winner — and good friend — Arnold Palmer. Coincidentally, two strokes is what Finsterwald was penalized — retroactively — for taking a practice putt on the fifth green during the first round, “not realizing he had violated rules” according to a newspaper account at the time.

Two years later, Finsterwald watched Palmer beat him again, this time in an 18-hole playoff, with Dow and Gary Player tying for second place. All three players finished at 8-under-par 280. The next day in the playoff, Palmer shot 68, Player 71 and Finsterwald 77.

Finsty would end up with 11 PGA Tour victories.

— David Duval (Cherry Hills Village resident): Duval moved to Colorado after the last of his 13 PGA Tour wins, which includes the 2001 British Open. There was certainly a reason he once was the top-ranked player in the world, and his record in the Masters shows that.

In the four Masters beginning in 1998, Duval finished second, sixth, third and second. In 1998, a closing 67 left him one back of winner Mark O’Meara. And in 2001, Duval made 23 birdies and also closed with a 67, leaving him two back of champion Tiger Woods.

— Ed Dudley (director of golf at The Broadmoor Golf Club from 1941 to ’63): Before the Masters took a three-year hiatus in the final years of World War II, Dudley was one of the top performers at Augusta National, where he served as the first head professional. From 1934 (the first year of what was then known as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament) through ’41, he notched seven top-10 finishes. His best showing was a third place in 1937, when he ended up three strokes behind champion Byron Nelson.

Dudley, winner of 15 PGA Tour events, held jobs at The Broadmoor and Augusta National simultaneously from 1941-57 as the Augusta venue is typically open only from autumn to May.

— Paul Runyan (director of golf at Green Gables CC from 1972 to the early ’80s): The winner of two PGA Championships and 29 PGA Tour events overall, Runyan recorded four top-10 performances in the first decade of the Masters. His best showings were third place in the first Masters (1934) and in 1942, and a fourth-place in 1936.

Runyan ended up two behind winner Horton Smith in the first Masters — then known as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament.

— Lawson Little: Little wasn’t a resident of Colorado, but it’s worth noting that in the summer of 1933 he made himself at home in the Centennial State. That year, the golfer from Stanford won the CGA Match Play (9 and 7 over Frank English in the final) and The Broadmoor Invitation, and finished runner-up in the Trans-Miss that The Broadmoor also hosted.

At the Masters, Little notched six top-10 showings from 1935 through ’51. His best finish was third place in 1939, when he ended up three back of winner Ralph Guldahl.

— Charlie Coe (a member at Castle Pines Golf Club late in his life): Coe, a two-time U.S. Amateur champion, posted three top-10 finishes in the Masters as an amateur. In 1961, he tied for second with Palmer, one behind winner Gary Player. Coe’s 7-under-par 281 total remains a Masters record for an amateur.

— Dave Hill (a longtime Colorado resident starting in the 1960s): At the same general time period Hill was winning a record four Colorado Opens, he posted a couple of top-10 showings at Augusta National. In 1970, he was a career-best fifth, ending up four shots behind winner Billy Casper, and five years later he placed seventh.

— Gary Hallberg (Colorado resident): Hallberg notched a top-10 in 1985 as his 2-under-par 286 total left him in sixth place, four back of winner Bernhard Langer.

— Mike Reid (attended Cherry Creek High School for one year): Like Hallberg, Reid’s best performance at Augusta National left him in sixth place at 286, in his case three behind champion Nick Faldo in 1989.

— Justin Leonard (Aspen resident): Long before moving to Aspen, Leonard notched back-to-back top-10s at the Masters, placing seventh in 1997 and eighth in ’98.

— Kevin Stadler (part-time Denver resident): Stadler posted a top-10 finish in his Masters debut in 2014, placing eighth as his dad, Craig, played in his final Masters. It’s one of two times Kevin has competed at Augusta National.

— Dale Douglass (former longtime Colorado resident and former CU golfer): The three-time PGA Tour winner had a best Masters finish of 19th in 1969.

— Steve Jones (grew up in Colorado and former CU golfer): The best Masters showing by the 1996 U.S. Open champion was 20th in 1990.

— Brandt Jobe (Colorado resident from 1970 to ’99): Among his appearances at Augusta National, the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer had a best finish of 14th in 1999.

Other players with strong Colorado connections who have made the cut at the Masters are one-time Fitzsimons resident Orville Moody (best: 18th place), former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird (best: 20th), former Boulder resident Bob Byman (best: 34th), Colorado resident Mark Wiebe (best: 35th), and Denver native and former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye (best: 43rd). There was no cut at the Masters in 1947, but Denver’s Babe Lind, who was inducted into the first class of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1973, finished 46th as the first Colorado native to compete in the tournament. Davis Love Jr., winner of the CGA Junior Match Play in 1953 and ’54 (and the father of Davis Love III), earned a 34th-place finish at Augusta National in 1964.

Another Colorado resident who competed in the Masters — but in his case failed to make the cut — was 1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Bill Loeffler in 1988. Denver native Tommy Armour III also missed a cut in the Masters, in 1990.

While no “locals” will compete in this year’s Masters, at least a couple of Coloradans will play a role at Augusta National Golf Club. On Wednesday, Craig Stadler is expected to compete in the Par-3 Contest a year after tying for second in that event. And CGA executive director Ed Mate, who serves on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, will be a rules official at the Masters for the second consecutive year.
 

The tournament runs Friday through Sunday (Sept. 16-18) and will be televised by the Golf Channel from 4-7 p.m. each day.

Rundiks (pictured) is a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course and the Denver East High School golf team. Rundiks, a junior at East, finished 31st last year in the 5A state high school tournament.

Stadler, who was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame earlier this year, counts the 1982 Masters among his 13 PGA Tour victories. Last year at the First Tee Open, Stadler teamed up with another then-Denver East golfer, Brock Dowdy.

Rundiks is one of 81 First Tee members who will compete in the pro-junior portion of the First Tee Open with Champions professionals. The golfers will play one round each at Pebble Beach and Poppy Hills Friday and Saturday before playing at Pebble Beach on Sunday if they make the cut.

(Sept. 17 Update) Rundiks and Stadler missed the 36-hole cut in the pro-junior after posting rounds of 70-74 for a 144 total.

Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo won the Champions title at Pebble Beach last year.

Besides Stadler and Toledo, players with strong Colorado ties competing in the Champions field include Hale Irwin, Gary Hallberg and Brandt Jobe.
 

The 1982 Masters champion, who competed in his final Masters in 2014, tied for second place despite lipping out a 3-foot birdie attempt on the ninth and final hole of the par-3 course. That gave the Walrus a 5-under-par 22 total, the same as Keegan Bradley.

Jimmy Walker not only won the Par-3, but set a record in the tournament that was first played in 1960. Walker shot an 8-under-par 19 that included a hole-in-one, one of nine aces made during the contest.

Stadler, who won an event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit as recently as 2013, made five birdies and no bogeys on Wednesday.

Stadler will be inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame next month.

For all the scores from the Par-3 Contest, CLICK HERE.
 

For the first time in almost a half-century, the Masters field won’t include a single competitor with major Colorado ties.

Each year prior to this since the late 1960s, at least one player with strong Colorado connections was in the field at Augusta National Golf Club. Carrying the torch for the state over that period were the likes of Boulder High School and University of Colorado graduate Hale Irwin (21 appearances, including four consecutive top-five finishes from 1974 to ’77); 1982 champion Craig Stadler, a Colorado resident since 1994, whose run of 36 consecutive Masters ended after the 2014 tournament; Fort Morgan and CU product Dale Douglass; former Evergreen resident Dave Hill; part-time Boulder resident and former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye; Yuma High School and former Buff Steve Jones; Cherry Hills Village resident David Duval; Coloradan Gary Hallberg; former Cherry Creek High School golfer Mike Reid; Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe; Aurora resident Mark Wiebe; former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird; and part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler. Kevin Stadler competed at the Masters last year after finishing eighth in his debut in 2014.

It’s been a great run, but it will end with this week’s Masters. Past champion Craig Stadler wrapped up his competitive run at Augusta National after competing with his son Kevin in 2014, and no other “local” earned an invitation for 2016.

But just because no one with strong Colorado ties will be playing beginning Thursday in Augusta, Ga., that certainly doesn’t mean that Colorado won’t be represented in other official roles at this year’s Masters.

Here are a few examples:

— Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo — who won his fourth PGA Tour Champions event in February — will caddie for former Masters champion Sandy Lyle (CLICK HERE). (Toledo and Lyle are pictured together Monday in an Augusta National photo.) Also on the caddie front, Coloradan Steve “Pepsi” Hale will loop for Keegan Bradley.

— CGA executive director Ed Mate will be a rules official at the Masters, thanks to joining the USGA Rules of Golf Committee within the last year.

— Craig Stadler, while not competing, returned for Tuesday evening’s Champions Dinner and for Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest.

— Steamboat Springs resident Verne Lundquist — he of “Yes, Sir!” broadcasting fame — will be back at Augusta National as part of the CBS television crew. Also on that team will be Dottie Pepper, one of the speakers at the G4 Summit held in February at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Pepper will be the first on-course female broadcaster for CBS at Augusta National.

— Duval, who’s lived in Colorado for about a dozen years, is also at Augusta National on TV assignment, serving as an analyst for the Golf Channel. Also working for the Golf Channel at the Masters is Colorado State University product Steve Sands.

— Veteran award-winning golf journalist Kaye Kessler of Littleton will cover the Masters for the 53rd time, a run that started in 1963.

— And, of course, Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Will Nicholson Jr., has been a fixture at the Masters in recent decades, serving as chairman of the Masters Competition Committee from 1992 through 2006, when he was responsible for setting up Augusta National for the Masters. Nicholson also chaired the Masters Rules Committee for 17 years.
 

The seed was planted a few years ago when Gary Potter received a request from former CGA executive director Warren Simmons, asking for a pledge for a fundraising event in which Simmons was participating.

“I was kind of curious, and that’s where it started,” Potter recalls.

Now that seed that was inadvertently planted by Simmons is set to bear fruit in Colorado in the form of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Classic 100.

On April 7 (or March 31 in the case of some determined participants, pictured below) at the South par-3 layout at the Greg Mastriona Golf Courses at Hyland Hills in Westminster, Potter and about 15 of his cohorts on the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board of directors plan to play 100 holes for a couple of good causes. Through a ProFund campaign in which participants garner pledges for the 100-hole event, the Classic 100 will raise money for the History of Golf in Colorado Foundation — a 501c3 which benefits the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and its museum — and for youth programs that will be determined in coordination with the Colorado Golf Foundation.

(Updated March 31) More than $95,000 has been pledged to the causes. Some individual sponsors have committed to pitch in $1,000 each.

“It’s a hell of a success,” said Potter, himself a Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee, and the campaign captain for the Classic 100. “Our goal Jan. 31 was to get to $40,000 overall, so doubling that is a great success.”

The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame was established in 1973 and this year — May 14 at Cherry Hills Country Club to be exact — it will induct its 44th class, Craig Stadler and Ann Finke (READ MORE). The Hall of Fame will hold its CGHOF Team Championship June 13 at Riverdale Dunes in Brighton, where the CGHOF museum is located. The public is welcome to participate in the tournament. The $125 entry fee includes golf, carts, tee gifts and lunch. Contact Potter for more information at garytpotter59@gmail.com.(Among the Hall of Fame’s inductees — and board members — are Dan Hogan and John Gardner, pictured together at top during last month’s Denver Golf Expo.)

As for the Classic 100, Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board member Dave Richardson, a longtime regular at Hyland Hills, persuaded course officials to donate the South par-3 facility for the event, which figures to last about five hours. Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board members are invited to participate in a celebration after the golf has wrapped up on April 7.

Greg Mastriona, after whom the Hyland Hills golf facility is named, was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2014.

The Classic 100 participants have garnered pledges from more than 480 donors, with that total likely to increase. Steve Bell has 80 sponsors, with Potter (75), former USGA staffer and CWGA executive director Maggie Giesenhagen (51) and Castle Pines Golf Club general manager Keith Schneider (49) also garnering more than 45.

All of which tells Colorado Golf Hall of Fame president Scott Radcliffe — another Classic 100 particpant — one thing. “We have some really nice friends, and they believe in us,” he said.

Just Schneider and Potter, who like Giesenhagen have been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, have received combined pledges totaling more than $35,000. And Bell checks in at more than $13,000.

“The best part is we have over (480) sponsors,” Potter said. “That’s a broad base. Some don’t even play golf, but they support the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. It’s amazing.”

Anyone interesting in being a Classic 100 sponsor — or for more information — can contact Potter at garytpotter59@gmail.com.
 

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.
 

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 on Wednesday.

The two will be inducted as the Hall of Fame’s 44th class next year, likely in mid-May.

“I can hardly put into words (my reaction),” Finke said Wednesday. “It’s amazing. I can’t help but think about that kid playing golf a hundred years ago and wonder, ‘How did I get here?’ I can’t tell you how neat it is. I’m taken aback, to be honest.”

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.

Between the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, 11 of Stadler’s victories have come since he moved to Colorado, including two Champions Tour majors: the 2003 Ford Senior Players Championship and the 2004 JELD-WEN Tradition.

Propelled by his victory in a playoff against Dan Pohl at the Masters, Stadler led the PGA Tour money list in 1982, when he posted four wins overall. Twenty-one years later, he became the first Champions Tour player to win on the PGA Tour as he claimed the title at age 50 in the B.C. Open.

Later in 2003, Stadler was named the Champions Tour Rookie of the Year, and in 2004 he earned Champions Tour Player of the Year honors after a five-win season. In his first 15 months as a senior player, the Walrus notched eight victories. Among those was the 2004 First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, where Stadler teamed with Aaron Woodard — son of now-Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tom Woodard — to also win the junior-pro best-ball competition.

In 2013 at age 60, Stadler claimed another distinction by winning the Encompass Championship — that of having the longest time between victories on the Champions Tour (8 years, 8 months, 28 days).

During his PGA Tour career, Stadler played in each of the first 17 Internationals contested at Castle Pines Golf Club, placing in the top 15 five times.

Stadler’s son Kevin is also a player of some prominence, and Craig caddied for Kevin in his son’s professional debut at the 2002 Colorado Open at Sonnenalp Golf Club just west of Vail, where the younger Stadler won in a playoff over PGA Tour player Gary Hallberg and Brian Kortan. That same year, Craig and Kevin teamed up to win the nationally televised Office Depot Father/Son Challenge. In 2014, the two became the first father and son to compete in the same Masters (pictured above).

In addition to his outstanding playing record, Craig Stadler has co-designed a course in Colorado (with Tripp Davis), Grand Elk Ranch & Club in Granby.

“I’ve had some great memories in Colorado,” Stadler told Golf Digest in 2012. “Denver is a perfect place to be. The city and surrounding area has a great sports scene, a wide variety of golf courses, a ton of things to do and fantastic restaurants. It’s home, and we love being here.”

Stadler, now 62, has previously been inducted into several other Halls of Fame: San Diego Breithard Hall of Fame (1996), the University of Southern California Athletic Hall of Fame (1999), the Argentine Golf Association Hall of Fame (2012) and the Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame (2014).

Finke (left, teaching kids), meanwhile, 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.

“When you think 40 or 50 swings for each of those, that’s a lot of swings,” Finke said with a laugh on Wednesday.

Finke was the first female to become a member of the Colorado PGA, joining in 1985, six years after she turned pro. She was also the first woman member in the Nebraska Section PGA, gaining that status in 1983.

Finke has drawn particular acclaim for her work with junior golfers, and in 2010 she was named the PGA of America’s national Junior Golf Leader, making her the first female member of the Colorado PGA to earn a major national PGA award.

Finke has had an impact on thousands of junior golfers over the years — not just from her club, but from all around southern Colorado and even Denver and Wyoming — so much so that an area at the Country Club of Colorado has long been dubbed “Finke Hill” by her students. Finke gives roughly 1,000 junior lessons each year and does almost 50 hours of golf clinics, according to the PGA of America.

Perhaps the most recognizable junior player to have been taught by Finke was Tom Glissmeyer, who grew up playing the Country Club of Colorado and went on to qualify for the U.S. Open as a 16-year-old in 2003.

Finke (left) also has taken a very active role in the Pikes Peak Junior Golf organization, including serving as president from 1991 through 2002.

Finke was just the ninth female nationally to become a quarter-century PGA member. This fall, she and Hale Irwin received a legacy award from The First Tee of Pikes Peak, and next month she’ll be honored with the Noble Chalfant Award for distinguished service to the Colorado PGA.

“I’ve had so many neat things happen this year,” Finke said. “I keep thinking, ‘Wow!’ We go out and do our thing, and it’s very gratifying to do something you love. To be recognized for that is really neat.”

On the same night that Stadler and Finke are inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Hall will hand out three awards.

Jim Hajek, the PGA head professional at Fossil Trace Golf Club in Golden, will receive the Golf Person of the Year Award. Hajek recently earned the PGA of America’s national Public Merchandiser of the Year honor, becoming the eighth Colorado PGA national honoree in the last nine years.

Mike and Terri Knode will be given the Distinguished Service Award. They founded the Western Colorado Golf Foundation, a longtime beneficiary of the Rocky Mountain Open which has awarded many educational scholarships to junior golfers from the Western Slope over the years. The Western Colorado Golf Foundation owned the Rocky Mountain Open before being sold last year. Mike Knode serves on the CGA Board of Governors and has also been president for the CGA’s Western Chapter.

Coloradan Homer McClintock will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. McClintock played a key role in the acquisition of the Evans Scholars house for caddies at the University of Colorado in the late 1960s and in the CGA’s Eisenhower Scholarship linking up with the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholarship. McClintock also served on the CGA Board of Governors when the CGA started to greatly expand its reach and services. 

Last year, Evergreen resident Craig Stadler played in his final Masters after 38 appearances, including his victory in 1982.

This week, Stadler’s son Kevin, a part-time Denver resident, will carry on the tradition of Coloradans competing at Augusta National Golf Club. That is, assuming the stress fracture in his left hand allows it. Kevin Stadler has played a grand total of just two PGA Tour rounds — plus two holes — since mid-October because of the hand injury. He’s in the 2015 Masters field thanks to a top-12 finish in last year’s tournament — eighth place, to be exact — his best showing ever in a major championship.

Stadler said he’s about 70 percent of normal.

“Basically, I figured if my hand wasn’t detached I’d give it a go here,” he said. “I had the time of my life last year and I couldn’t miss it.”

(April 10 Update: Stadler posted rounds of 77-74 and missed the cut by five strokes.)

As has been well-chronicled, Craig Stadler was continuing to play the Masters with the hope that Kevin would earn an invitation and that they could be in the same field at Augusta. With that happening in 2014, the elder Stadler will end his streak of 36 consecutive Masters when the field tees it up on Thursday.

“For five years or so, I’d been saying under my breath to friends that the first year Kevin got in was going to be my last,” Craig Stadler recently told Golf Magazine. “And it worked out perfectly because he played really well. A couple of bogeys down the stretch on Sunday, but otherwise it was awesome to watch.

“I love the place (Augusta National). I always have, other than Thursday or Friday the past five or six years (he missed the cut his last seven times competing in the Masters). Last year, I had a blast watching Kevin over the weekend. He played well, and I loved every minute of it.”

(The Stadlers are pictured together at last year’s Masters.)

With this passing of the torch, it seems a good opportunity to look back on how players with strong Colorado ties who have played multiple times at the Masters have fared over the years:

Evergreen resident Craig Stadler — Masters appearances: 38. First Masters: 1974. Best finish: Won in 1982, beating Dan Pohl in a playoff. Top 10s: 5.

Boulder High School and CU graduate Hale Irwin — Masters appearances: 21. First Masters: 1971. Best finishes: Fourth in 1974 and ’75. Top 10s: 7. Notable: Irwin, now a three-time U.S. Open champion, finished in the top five at Augusta every year from 1974 through ’77.

Former Broadmoor director of golf Dow Finsterwald — Masters appearances: 14. First Masters: 1951. Best finishes: Third in 1960 and ’62. Top-10s: 5. Notable: Just months after being hired by the Broadmoor, Finsterwald posted his final top-10 at Augusta National, a ninth in 1964.

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Dave Hill — Masters appearances: 12. First Masters: 1968. Best finish: fifth in 1970. Top-10s: 2.

Cherry Hills Village resident David Duval — Masters appearances: 11. First Masters: 1996. Best finish: second in 1998 and 2001. Top-10s: 4. Notable: Enjoyed his Masters success before moving to Colorado 11 years ago.

Former Yuma High School and CU golfer Steve Jones — Masters appearances: 9. First Masters: 1988. Best finish by 1996 U.S. Open champ: 20th in 1990.

Castle Rock resident Gary Hallberg — Masters appearances: 6. First Masters: 1978. Best finish: sixth in 1985.

Former Cherry Creek High School golfer Mike Reid — Masters appearances: 4. First Masters: 1981. Best finish: His only made cut was a sixth-place showing in 1989.

Former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye — Masters appearances: 3. First Masters: 2001. Best finishes: 43rd in 2001 and 2005.

Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Dale Douglass — Masters appearances: 3. First Masters: 1969. Best finish: 19th in 1969.

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe — Masters appearances: 3. First Masters: 1999. Best finish: 14th in 1999.

Former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird — Masters appearances: 3. First Masters: 2011. Best finish: 20th in 2011.

Aurora resident Mark Wiebe — Masters appearances: 2. First Masters: 1986. Best finish: 35th in 1987.

Part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler — Masters appearances: 2nd will be this week. First Masters: 2014. Best finish: Eighth in 2014. Notable: Stadler’s showing last year was his best performance in any major championship.
 

The Champions Tour season begins on Friday, and never before have there been so many players with strong Colorado connections competing on the circuit as there will be in 2015.

Up first on the schedule is the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii, where the 40-player field will include Centennial State locals Hale Irwin, Craig Stadler, Mark Wiebe and Esteban Toledo.

All told, there’s a good chance that 10 competitors with major ties to Colorado will play at some point during the Champions Tour season, which ends in November. That number has been — or will be — bolstered by Doug Rohrbaugh (pictured above) of Carbondale earning conditional status through Q-school and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe becoming eligible for the tour on Aug. 1 when he turns 50.

The 10 locals account for a remarkable 68 Champions wins — with former University of Colorado athlete Irwin holding the tour’s all-time record with 45 — and 48 victories on the PGA Tour.

Here’s an alphabetical rundown on the “locals” on the Champions Tour.

R.W. Eaks (Colorado Springs native and attended UNC, 4 Champions Tour wins and 3 Web.com victories) — Eaks, now 62, only played in one Champions Tour event in 2014, finishing 64th in the Quebec Championship. But the 2011 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion has made a nice living on the Champions circuit, having won nearly $4.7 million.

Gary Hallberg (Castle Rock resident, 1 Champions Tour victory, 3 PGA Tour wins and 1 Web.com victory) — Hallberg hasn’t always been exempt on the Champions Tour — and he won’t be in 2015 either — but he’s managed to play in more than 20 events each of the last four years after winning his one and only Champions tournament in 2010. However, the $262,310 he earned in 2014 was his lowest total since 2009.

Hale Irwin (Grew up in Boulder and CU graduate and Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, 20 PGA Tour wins and record 45 Champions Tour victories) — The World Golf Hall of Famer will turn 70 years old in June, but he continues to have his moments on the Champions Tour. While Irwin hasn’t won since he captured the title in the 2007 MasterCard Championship in Hawaii, he’s recorded 15 top-10s in the last six seasons. The last of those came in August, when placed ninth in 3M Championship for his 210th Champions Tour top-10. He bettered his age in all three rounds at that event, marking the first time that’s happened for a Champions Tour player since 2009. (Irwin is pictured above with granddaughter Tatum.)

Brandt Jobe (Kent Denver High School graduate and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 0 PGA Tour wins) — Jobe hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since 2013 — having undergone shoulder surgery in November of that year — but that will probably change soon as he has 10 events remaining on a medical extension. And the four-time PGA Tour runner-up could get a new career start when he turns 50 on Aug. 1 and becomes eligible for the Champions circuit. Jobe did show he still has some talent by finishing second in a Web.com Tour event in August.

Steve Jones (Grew up in Yuma and former CU golfer and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 8 PGA Tour wins, 0 Champions Tour victories) — The 56-year-old Jones, who got a late start as a Champions Tour players because of major elbow problems, has yet to score a top-10 on the circuit in 48 starts. Without exempt status, he’s been limited to between 10-15 starts a year as a Champions player. A 40th-place showing was the 1996 U.S. Open champ’s best in 2014.

Mike Reid (former Cherry Creek High School golfer, 2 PGA Tour wins and 2 Champions Tour victories) — The 60-year-old played in 21 events last season, but managed just two top-30 showings in non-team events. Reid hasn’t surpassed $200,000 in season-long earnings since 2010.

Doug Rohrbaugh (Carbondale resident) — Rohrbaugh, the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion, will be a Champions Tour rookie in 2015. He earned the final conditional spot at the Q-school finals, meaning he probably won’t get a lot of starts. But it’s nevertheless a step up into the big time for Rohrbaugh, winner of the 2013 and ’14 Colorado PGA Professional Championships.

Craig Stadler (Evergreen resident, 13 PGA Tour wins and 9 Champions Tour victories) — Stadler had a rough season in 2014 after in 2013 winning on the Champions circuit for the first time in almost nine years — a record gap for the tour. His best showing last year in a non-team event as a 25th-place performance. The $156,137 Stadler won in 2014 was the second-lowest total of his 12-year Champions career.

Esteban Toledo (onetime Castle Rock resident, 2 Champions Tour victories and 1 Nationwide Tour win) — Toledo, who once lived in Castle Pines, had a very good 2014 after a stellar 2013, when he won twice as a Champions Tour rookie. He finished 27th on the season-long money list last year after placing 12th — with $1.27 million — in 2013. Toledo notched two top-four finishes in 2014.

Mark Wiebe (Aurora resident and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 2 PGA Tour wins and 5 Champions Tour victories) — Wiebe’s performance level fell off in a major way in 2014 primarily due to injury/ailments. Wiebe won twice in 2013 — including the Senior British Open — compared to nothing better than 40th place in a non-team event in 2014. He went from $803,025 in earnings in 2013 to $62,189 last year. After having finished in the top 30 on the money list for six straight seasons, he dropped to 98th in 2014.