At least that’s our feeling during this festive season. After all, part of the fun of the game is the anticipation. With that in mind, it’s time for our annual holiday wish list, Colorado golf-style. And given that there’s so much to do this time of year, let’s not dawdle. …
To: Coloradans Jennifer Kupcho and Hannah Wood.
Gift: A 1-2 individual finish — in whichever order — in the women’s NCAA Championships.
To: Golfers and course owners in Colorado.
Gift: In 2017, a year of splendid weather mixed with the perfect amount of moisture to keep course conditions ideal.
To: The Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.
Gift: A “sophomore” year befitting the alliance’s strong start in 2016.
To: Part-time Colorado resident Kevin Stadler.
Gift: A fully-healed left hand and successful resumption of your PGA Tour career.
To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton.
Gift: After four trips to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, a title-winning breakthrough in the championship.
To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe.
Gift: After so many close calls on both the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, your first major tour victory in the U.S.
To: The CGA, Colorado PGA, CWGA and other leaders in the Colorado golf industry.
Gift: Still more tangible evidence that your efforts to grow the game in the Centennial State are paying dividends.
To: John Elway.
Gift: This is a little early, but you have to work up to these things … Success in qualifying for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, where you’re the honorary chairman.
To: The CWGA.
Gift: Success in building off the momentum from your centennial year in 2016.
To: The CoBank Colorado Open Championships.
Gift: In 2017, three Colorado residents as winners.
To: Mike Northern of Colorado Springs.
Gift: After earning a spot in the 2017 Senior PGA by finishing fourth in the national Senior PGA Professional Championship, a top-10 showing in the Champions major.
To: Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Hale Irwin.
Gift: At 71 or 72, being in contention for a title one more time at a Champions major.
To: The caddies living at the University of Colorado Evans Scholars house.
Gift: An appreciation for the wonderful opportunity you’ve been given.
To: Denver native Mark Hubbard.
Gift: A PGA Tour season featuring multiple top-10 finishes.
To: The CU men’s golf team.
Gift: A victory in the 2017 Pac-12 Conference Championships at Boulder Country Club.
To: The AJGA Transamerica / Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, which is moving to Heritage at Westmoor for the next three years.
Gift: In 2017, a couple of Colorado champions for the first time.
To: Coloradan Wyndham Clark.
Gift: After five runner-up finishes in your college career, an individual championship before you put a wrap on college this coming spring.
To: Jim Knous of Englewood.
Gift: A rookie year on the Web.com Tour so successful that a PGA Tour card awaits for the 2017-18 season.
To: Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman.
Gift: Enough success on the LPGA Tour in 2017 to extend your stay on the world’s top tour for women.
To: Denver-area resident David Duval.
Gift: This month’s win — with stepson Nick Karavites — changing your golf fortunes after a 15-year victory drought.
To: Regulars at Denver’s City Park Golf Course.
Gift: That the historic course not fall victim — for the short- or long-term — to a stormwater drainage project.
To: Social media sensation Paige Spiranac, who grew up in Colorado and won the 2015 CWGA Match Play.
Gift: Taking the next step as a professional — gaining a spot on a major pro tour for the first time.
To: Colorado PGA professional Sherry Andonian-Smith.
Gift: A year after winning the Colorado PGA West Chapter Championship, to be in contention in the Section’s top tournament, the Colorado PGA Professional Championship.
To: CU golfer Jeremy Paul.
Gift: After coming ever so close to earning some exempt status on the Web.com Tour, the consolation of a stellar final semester as a college player.
To: Coloradans AJ Ott and Mary Weinstein.
Gift: A seamless transition from being Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Players of the Year to the open-division amateur ranks in our fair state.
To: CU golfer Esther Lee.
Gift: That the record 11-under-par 61 you shot in September be a sign of things to come.
To: Recent European Tour qualifiers Espen Kofstad and Sebastian Heisele, who both played their college golf in Colorado.
Gift: Enough success in 2017 to be on the radar for Ryder Cup consideration in 2018.
To: Colorado golfers.
Gift: A holiday season as joyous as shooting a 59.
It’s the time of year for figuring out the perfect gift for that certain someone, and for spreading good cheer to kith and kin.
Here at COgolf.org, where we have an obvious affinity for a certain game, the gifts we divvy out not surprisingly follow a given theme.
So without further ado, after perusing our naughty and nice lists, here are our holiday gifts, golf-style:
To: BMW Championship. Gift: Extending that run of being named PGA Tour Tournament of the Year to three straight years with a memorable 2014 edition at Cherry Hills Country Club. (For information about BMW Championship holiday ticket packs, CLICK HERE.)
To: Cherry Hills Country Club. Gift: For the first PGA Tour event in Colorado in eight years, a champion along the lines of Arnold Palmer (1960 U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (1993 U.S. Senior Open) or Phil Mickelson (1990 U.S. Amateur).
To: Colorado Courses Still Recovering from September Flooding. Gift: Great spring weather and golfers eager to see facilities such as CommonGround and Mariana Butte back at full strength.
To: Winners of BMW Championship Pro-Am contest. (Info: CLICK HERE) Gift: A great time for you next September at Cherry Hills, and plenty of support for the Evans Caddie Scholarship and the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy in the meantime.
To: U.S. Solheim Cup Players and Coaches. Gift: Selective amnesia after what happened in mid-August at Colorado Golf Club.
To: Kim Eaton. Gift: After retiring from CWGA championship play after 21 wins, different-looking trophies to put on your mantle.
To: Kaye Kessler, who this year celebrated his 90th birthday and his 50th year of covering the Masters. Gift: That your ever-present smile will keep you spry as ever well into your 100s.
To: Keith Humerickhouse (left). Gift: For the winner of four straight CGA Mid-Amateur Championships, an even handful of Mid-Am titles.
To: Denver resident Jim Bunch. Gift: A “bunch” of thanks from the golf community for your years on the USGA Executive Committee and for your just-ending two years as chairman of the Western Golf Association.
To: Longtime Coloradans Mark Hubbard and Derek Tolan. Gift: A one-year stint on the Web.com Tour en route to The Big Show.
To: David Duval of Cherry Hills Village. Gift: That 2014 be the year when you regain your golf mojo.
To: CGA, CWGA and Colorado PGA. Gift: To see the fruits of all your grow-the-game labors in recent years.
To: Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson. Gift: To feel right at home in your new home state of Colorado.
To: The Broadmoor. Gift: That your hopes of luring a major men’s championship get some bona fide attention from the powers that be in the game.
To: Former University of Colorado golfer Emily Talley. Gift: That you can parlay your two “Big Break” appearances on the Golf Channel into a spot on the LPGA Tour.
To: Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround. Gift: That other programs like yourself spring forth around the country.
To: The Colorado Open Championships. Gift: Another year featuring a clean sweep of titles by Colorado golfers.
To: Craig Stadler of Evergreen. Gift: That you don’t have to wait almost nine years to get your next Champions Tour victory, unlike the last time around.
To: Mark Wiebe of Aurora, winner of the 2013 Senior British Open. Gift: That that Christmas drink taste all the sweeter coming out of a certain claret jug.
To: The new Colorado Golf Foundation. Gift: That what was started this year pays dividends for decades to come in Colorado golf.
To: Harry Johnson, winner of both the CGA Senior Stroke Play and Senior Match Play in 2013. Gift: That age 64 treats you as well as age 63 did.
To: Doug Rohrbaugh, winner of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship and Colorado PGA Professional Championship in 2013. Gift: Nothing we could give you could top what you’ve already received this year.