I’ve been fortunate enough to have covered golf in Colorado for 35 years, and you get to the point that not much that happens on the golf course surprises you a great deal. But what I saw earlier this month at the CGA Amateur was eye-opening, to the point that I recounted it several times — to CGA executive director Ed Mate, CGA co-president Joe McCleary and Pinehurst Country Club head golf professional Kevin Vena, among others.

Let me explain …

During my college years, I had the chance to caddie for Jack Nicklaus in an exhibition he played with Tom Watson and Dow Finsterwald on Aug. 24, 1981 at Pinehurst.

And on Aug. 4, I covered the third round of the 2018 CGA Amateur, played at the same course.

Everyone old enough knows that golf has changed an incredible amount in those 37 years — and that certainly includes someone like me who has covered a ton of tournaments over that time. But a comparison of what happened on those two days was a little jarring.

This centers around the16th hole at Pinehurst, a par-5 in which there’s a gradual hill that crests a little more than halfway between the back tee and the green. I still have a Pinehurst scorecard from 1981 — only because it was autographed by Nicklaus and Watson — and the 16th hole measured 553 yards from the back tees. For this month’s CGA Amateur, it was a 563-yard hole.

I remember — thanks in parts to reviewing columns I wrote not long after — how the hole played out for Nicklaus (pictured). Then a 41-year old, the Golden Bear was still among the longest hitters on the PGA Tour in the early 1980s, typically ranking in the top 25 in driving distance. On 16 at Pinehurst, he used his persimmon MacGregor Eye-O-Matic 945W driver and hit a good tee tee shot down the left side of the fairway, but still had more than 250 yards left to the flag. In fact, his ball didn’t make it to the top of the hill because he asked me where he should aim his second shot as the green wasn’t yet in view. I pointed out Loretto Heights College in the distance and he hit a perfect 250-yard 3-wood where directed.

“I hope you’re right,” he said as he handed the club back to me.

“I hope so too,” I replied.

Unfortunately, as we approached the green, it became apparent the ball ended up in a greenside bunker front right of the putting surface. But Nicklaus still got up and down for birdie.

That came to mind again this month when I was following the lead group in round 3 of the CGA Amateur. On the same 16th hole, playing from a tee 10 yards further back, Kyler Dunkle (left), who would go on to win the title the next day, ripped a drive that made Nicklaus’ 37 years earlier look laughably short.

Dunkle’s ball ended up on the left edge of the fairway — and even with the 150-yard marker. I went out to check a sprinkler head in the fairway, making sure it wasn’t really a 200-yard marker. But sure enough, his ball was right at 150 to the middle of the green.

It didn’t take much figuring to see that Dunkle had just hit his tee shot 413 yards — and without the ball landing on a cart path, a sprinkler head or anything of the sort. Just as notably, his ball had traveled roughly 115 yards further than Nicklaus’ had on the same hole in 1981. That’s 115 yards past arguably the greatest golfer of all time and one of the best drivers of the ball ever.

Now I realize that Dunkle’s ball no doubt had more roll than did Nicklaus’ because it was on a downslope. But I was in the landing area for Dunkle’s shot and the amount of roll wasn’t at all unusual.

Dunkle is certainly a long hitter by the standards of top Colorado players. He was leaving drives greenside or within 40 or 50 yards of the flag on plenty of par-4s at Pinehurst that week. But Coby Welch, who was paired with Dunkle that Saturday, wasn’t that far behind his fellow player that day on No. 16. As for Nicklaus, this was no mis-hit on his part. He’d smacked a drive almost 300 yards, which may be pedestrian by today’s PGA Tour standards, but was pretty darn good back then with persimmon-headed clubs, even with some altitude adjustment.

So what is there to draw from this non-planned comparison?

Well, after realizing that I wasn’t just seeing things … it’s a mixture of awe and concern. Awe because the evolution of equipment, the golf ball and to some extent better strength and conditioning regimens, has allowed a player to hit a 400-yard-plus drive that doesn’t involve any fluke-ishness or luck. And concern because it renders a lot of great golf courses near-obsolete for many elite/tour-level players, barring making fairways 15 yards wide, growing 6-inch-deep rough, making greens extra firm and having pin placements resemble those in miniature golf. And it’s even more of an issue at the altitude we are here in Colorado.

That certainly is no revelation. Observers have been debating the issue of “distance-creep” in golf for decades. And if I had a buck for every time I’ve heard Nicklaus say the golf ball has to be rolled back, I’d be one rich golf writer. But he’s right that that would be the most manageable solution to many classic and shorter courses becoming de-facto obsolete for PGA Tour-level players — and building ever-longer golf courses, with the increased maintenance and water they require. The problem regarding Nicklaus’ solution is, there’s plenty of pushback to rolling back the ball or to variable-distance balls — from ball manufacturers, many players with lucrative ball contracts and many others in the business.

While it’s an awesome sight to watch great golfers hit the ball jaw-dropping distances, at some point you have to wonder if the transformation in equipment and the ball renders it essentially a different game now for the world’s best than it was for comparable players decades ago. And equally as important, what does that progression bode for some great classic courses that once were a major challenge for the best golfers but are no longer — again, barring tricked-up setups?

For the record, in 1980 Dan Pohl led the PGA Tour in average driving distance at 274.3 yards. This year, Rory McIlroy leads at the way at 320.5 yards. If that trend continues, you’re talking a 400-yard average leading the PGA Tour by the year 2085 — if there’s still a PGA Tour then, that is.

Why does this matter to your average golf fan, particularly one in Colorado?

If you’re that golf fan, have you ever wondered why Colorado hosted six men’s major championships — meaning the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship because they’re the two held in the U.S. that change sites each year — in the 47 years from 1938 to 1985, but hasn’t held a single one in the 33 years since? (And you can tack on at least another seven years to that total as the next vacancy for a PGA Championship site is 2025 and for a U.S. Open site is 2028.)

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to surmise that the main reason a U.S. Open or PGA hasn’t returned to Colorado is significant changes in the ball and equipment technology over the last several decades, and the exacerbated effect that brings at altitude. Things like going to solid-core golf balls and from small wood-headed drivers with steel shafts to large titanium ones with graphite shafts have affected golf everywhere, but even more so at a mile-high altitude, where the ball flies 10 or 15 percent further than at sea level. That means if the longest hitters on the PGA Tour catch one particularly solid these days in the Denver area, a 400-yard drive is not only very possible, but not that big of deal — which is how Dunkle treated his 16th-hole tee shot at the CGA Amateur.

If you don’t believe that speculation, McIlroy hit a 370-yard 3-wood at Cherry Hills the week of the 2014 BMW Championship — and he’s upped his average driving distance by 10 yards since then. He said at Cherry Hills that week that with his high ball flight, a typical shot was “going a good 15 percent further than it usually does (at sea level).” Based on his 320-yard norm this season on Tour, that means that an average drive for McIlRoy in the Denver metro area would currently travel about 368 yards. And, like every PGA Tour player, he can certainly take it up a gear or two.

Also at that BMW Championship, Bubba Watson hit the green on the 555-yard 17th hole with driver-9 iron.

With driving distance having increased since then, it wouldn’t be at all surprising for players like McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka or Watson to hit driver-wedge on a similar-length par-5 in Denver now. My guess is that the USGA and the PGA of America, who run the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, respectively, would prefer not to see two of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world come to that on anything approaching a regular basis.

Even back at the 1985 PGA Championship at Cherry Hills, some observers were aghast when several contestants were hitting driver-wedge at the 491-yard 18th hole. With what’s happened since then with distance increases, returning to Colorado for another U.S. Open or PGA Championship may simply be a bridge too far for the powers that be — particularly with plenty of sea-level alternatives.

If that’s the case, it’s a sad situation for a state with such a rich history of major golf championships.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But not the last …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There’s a reason Arnold Palmer is front and center on the “Century of Golf in Colorado” poster that the CGA commissioned for last year as part of its 100th anniversary celebration.

When it comes to the unforgettable fashion in which Palmer won the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club — overcoming greats of the past (Ben Hogan) and the future (Jack Nicklaus) — it doesn’t get much bigger in the history of Colorado golf — or golf in general.

It pretty much says it all that a book about that tournament was titled, “Golf’s Greatest Championship”. Golf World magazine later called 1960 “The Greatest Year in Golf”.

There are plenty of places around the world that can draw a major connection with Palmer (pictured in 2009 at Cherry Hills), who passed away on Sunday at age 87. But suffice it to say Colorado would be near the top of the list.

Here are some of the memories which Palmer specifically left us in the Centennial State: 

— My most indelible personal recollection came during a one-on-one interview with Palmer in the player lockerroom at Cherry Hills. In essence, this was The King in his castle, the place where he was coronated.

As we were chatting, Palmer was fiddling with the biggest wad of cash I’d ever see a person carry. It was several inches thick, tightly bound by rubber bands that were stretched considerably. That was Arnie — bigger than life in so many ways.

— Though Palmer won six major championships as a professional besides the 1960 U.S. Open, that event — and the final round on June 18, specifically — seemed to define his career. 

Trailing by seven strokes going into the second 18 of a 36-hole Saturday, Arnie hitched up his pants and let ‘er rip with a drive on the 346-yard first hole at Cherry Hills. 

Despite the green that year being totally surrounded by rough, Palmer’s tee shot found the putting surface and he two-putted for birdie from about 20 feet. He chipped in for birdie on No. 2 and ended up making six birdies on his first seven holes en route to a final-round 65. That was good enough to leave the closest of his late-tournament challengers — Nicklaus and Hogan — in his wake, along with the rest of the field. The 47-year-old Hogan, who had hit his first 34 greens in regulation that day, finished bogey-triple bogey to finish ninth. Nicklaus, a 20-year-old amateur paired with Hogan that day, placed second. In that remarkable final round, the lead changed hands a dozen times.

Palmer punctuated the victory with his famous visor toss on the 18th green. Skip Manning, an 11-year-old at the time, grabbed the visor and held onto it for 48 years until presenting it to Palmer in person in 2008. The headwear then went to the USGA Museum.

Palmer later said of driving the first green that day in 1960, “It took me four days to find that green — but when I did, the whole thrust of my life was altered.”

And it put Cherry Hills, already one of the country’s most notable courses, on another level.

When Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Ron Moore was the general chairman of the 1985 PGA Championship hosted by the club, he called Arnie driving the first green in 1960 “one of the three or four most famous (shots) in golf history. It put Cherry Hills on the map and was one of the most significant features of Arnold’s career. That was the only U.S. Open he won.”

And, of course, Palmer driving the first green has since been commemorated with a plague beside the first tee at Cherry Hills.

Palmer talked about his go-for-broke style on the eve of the 1985 PGA Championship at Cherry Hills.

“My father always told me to ‘go get ’em. It’s not going to come to you,'” Arnie said then. “I would much rather suffer the consequences than to not go at all.

“I always took a shot at whatever I saw. I never thought of it as that big a gamble. I just felt that you did what you had to to win. And that’s the only thing that’s ever mattered to me in golf — winning.”

In the wake of claiming the title at the 1960 U.S. Open, Palmer later in the ’60s became a member at Cherry Hills and he paid periodic visits over the years to the historic club. That included one in 2010, when Cherry Hills celebrated the 50th anniversary of his victory. 

As he said in his 1985 apperance, “I came here for the first time in 1960 and have been a member for about 20 years. There is definitely some sentimentalism to it. I’ve certainly gotten a lot of support here.”

He also was on hand when the Palmer Cup — a Ryder Cup-style competition between college players from the U.S. and Europe — was held at Cherry Hills in 2009. The matches are named for him.

“(1960) was my only (U.S.) Open win; it was the highlight of my career,” Palmer said during that visit seven years ago. “I’d won the Masters in 1958 and 1960 in squeakers, then I won the Open by two shots, and it was a good shot (in the arm) for me.”

Palmer told the story countless times, but he never failed to entertain audiences with his recollections of the final day of the ’60 Open at Cherry Hills.

Trailing leader Mike Souchak by seven shots after the third round, Arnie encountered Pittsburgh Press sports writer Bob Drum, a good friend of Palmer’s, in the locker room before the final 18.

“I said, ‘Bob, if I shoot 65, do you think that will win?'” Palmer recounted. After at first ignoring Palmer, Drum said, ‘”‘Nothing’s going to help you.'”

Palmer noted that at the 1960 Masters, Hogan gave Palmer the Hogan driver that The King used for his famous shot at Cherry Hills. But given his endorsement deal at the time, Palmer admitted “making it look like a Wilson driver.” Then he added, “I’m not sure how I did hit it that far.”

After winning the U.S. Open, Palmer took the step — unusual back then for many American players — of going to the British Open. On his way over to St. Andrews in Scotland, Palmer traveled with Drum, and Arnie noted in a conversation that no amateur was going to duplicate Bobby Jones’ feat of winning the Grand Slam — claiming the U.S. Amateur, British Amateur, U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. So Palmer brought up the idea of a new Grand Slam — the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship. Drum wrote about the notion shortly before the 1960 British Open and “it caught on right away,” said Palmer, noting that that was the genesis of the modern Grand Slam.

Palmer gave that Grand Slam a run in 1960, winning the Masters and the U.S. Open before finishing a shot behind winner Kel Nagle in the British Open. Palmer would win the British Open each of the following two years.

Add in Arnie’s huge charisma quotient in those early days of TV, and he was a figure that may very well never be matched in golf.

“Some guys have got it,” two-time major champion and NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller said once during a TV special on Palmer. “He’s certainly the John Wayne of golf, with a little Clint Eastwood thrown in. … He was the perfect guy at the perfect time to bring in televised golf. We needed a superstar. Arnie was the man.”

— Arnie in Other Colorado PGA Tour Events: Palmer played in The International at Castle Pines exactly once — in the inaugural year of 1986. In fact, the then-56-year-old was done after one official round — and on Wednesday, no less. He scored minus-4 Modified Stableford points that day and failed to advance in the daily-cuts format that was then in place. … Palmer also competed in another PGA Tour event in Colorado during his 50s — the 1985 PGA Championship at Cherry Hills. The previous year, the PGA of America had given The King a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship. Palmer made the cut in ’85 at Cherry Hills, but finished in 65th place. … At the 1967 PGA Championship at Columbine Country Club, Palmer was more of a factor, placing 14th. … Palmer missed the cut in the 1978 U.S. Open.

— A Colorado King as a Senior Too: Although — for obvious reasons — when people think of Palmer and Colorado, they mostly associate him with the 1960 U.S. Open, that wasn’t his only tour-sanctioned victory in the state. The King also won the first Denver Post Champions of Golf, in 1982 at Pinehurst Country Club, and finished fourth in the same Senior Tour event each of the next three years.

In the last tour-sanctioned tournament he played in the state, Palmer placed 52nd at Cherry Hills in the 1993 U.S. Senior Open that Nicklaus won.

In 2007, Palmer would return to Colorado to be the first recipient — outside Will Nicholson Jr., himself — of the Nicholson Award, given in the Centennial State for a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. (At left, Arnie signed a program for the event.)

— Grandson Lived in Colorado: Sam Saunders, grandson of Palmer and a PGA Tour player himself, lived in Fort Collins from late 2012 until earlier this year, when he and his family moved back to Florida — St. Augustine, to be exact.

— Courses Designed in Centennial State: Palmer designed — or co-designed with Ed Seay — several courses in Colorado. Included are Bear Creek Golf Club in west Denver, Lone Tree Golf Club, Eagle Ranch Golf Club in Eagle, and the old South Course at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This year, those reflections have particularly come into focus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And yet another reason to give thanks.
 

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.