John Elway figures to receive much of the attention from fans and the media on Monday at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, whether the Pro Football Hall of Famer qualifies for the U.S. Senior Open or not. More than 2,000 fans are expected to watch him try to qualify Monday at The Broadmoor.

Attention comes with the territory for Elway, who has an official role to play for this particular U.S. Senior Open even if he fails to earn a spot in the 156-man field. The Broncos general manager is the honorary chairman for this year’s Senior Open, which the East Course at The Broadmoor will host June 28-July 1.

On the golf course, Elway does have some game. He’s made the cut in the CoBank Colorado Open once, and has posted two top-30 finishes in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open. And he’ll be helped out on Monday by oilman and philanthropist George Solich, an Elway friend who grew up caddying at The Broadmoor. George Solich and brother Duffy have lent their names and support to the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy. Elway is scheduled to tee off at 10:10 a.m. from No. 1 on the East Course.

But the bar will be set high on Monday for Elway and the other 83 competitors in the 18-hole qualifying tournament at the East Course as just two players from the site will advance to the U.S. Senior Open itself.

The field is full of formidable players. Ron Vlosich of Lakewood has qualified for five U.S. Senior Opens and Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale for three, and Rohrbaugh has also won a Colorado Senior Open and three Colorado PGA Professional Championships in recent years. Dale Smigeksy of Fort Collins and Charlie Post of Castle Rock played in the 2017 Senior Open.

On top of that, there’s several Colorado Golf Hall of Famers, in addition to Vlosich — Bill Loeffler (the 1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion), Kent Moore and John Olive, who’s competing at his home course. There’s 2017 Colorado PGA Professional Champion John Ogden of Cherry Hills Village; Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West, winner of both a Colorado Open and a Colorado Senior Open; Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, who finished fourth in the 2016 national Senior PGA Professional Championship; amateurs David Delich, a two-time U.S. Senior Open qualifier, and Robert Polk, who went to the 2007 Senior Open; 2016 U.S. Senior Open qualifier John Hornbeck of Wyoming; and Chris Johnson, who along with Rohrbaugh is competing in this week’s Senior PGA Championship.

Besides Colorado, states represented in Monday’s field including Arizona (6), Utah (5), Wyoming (3), Oklahoma (2), California (1), Florida (1), Montana (1), Ohio (1), Tennessee (1) and Texas (1).

Monday marks just the fourth time a U.S. Senior Open host course has also held a qualifying tournament leading up to the event. All told, 34 sites will host U.S. Senior Open qualifying events this spring.

Spectators are welcome for Monday’s qualifying tournament at The Broadmoor, and admission is free.
 

It’s the year-ending holiday season, which means different things to different people.

One of the things that comes with this time of year here at coloradogolf.org and coloradowomensgolf.org is a reflection on the past 12 months and compilation of the top stories of the year in Colorado golf. We’ve been doing it annually since 2009, and we’re not about to stop now.

There’s no lack of worthwhile candidates, so in recent years we’ve broken up the list into a two-part series. We go in reverse order, for the sake of preserving some suspense, and add an honorable-mention list that will be included with Part II, which will be published in the coming days.

Today, we’ll cover Nos. 25-13, so without further ado …:

25. Year 2 for Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado: The JGAC, which made quite a splash upon debuting in 2016, continued a significant upward trajectory in 2017. The Alliance — a joint effort of the CGA, Colorado PGA and CWGA — further expanded its reach by creating more tournaments, including several in western Colorado, and adding services. Junior players of all abilities can benefit from JGAC-related programs, including anything from the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy to Colorado PGA Golf in Schools to the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program to Drive Chip & Putt and PGA Junior League competitions.

24. Three Victories by DU Women’s Team: The University of Denver women’s golf team has compiled quite a record from late last season to early this one. In late April, the Pioneers won their 14th straight conference championship, an eye-opening run even if their conference isn’t particularly strong in women’s golf. Then this fall, DU won two tournaments in 11 days — both in Colorado, at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott and the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch. For the record, that made for three wins in the course of five tournaments spanning two seasons. Denver, ranked among the top 25 women’s teams in the nation to complete the fall (along with the University of Colorado), was given a boost in the offseason when 2017 CWGA Player of the Year Mary Weinstein transferred in from the Regis University.

23. Eaton’s March Toward CWGA Record: This year, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton reached 24 CWGA championship victories by sweeping the Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play titles. That leaves her just one shy of Carol Flenniken’s career-record total of 25. After her third sweep of the Senior Match and Senior Stroke in the same year, Eaton earned the CWGA Senior Player of the Year honor for the eighth time. She’s also been the overall CWGA Player of the Year four times since 2004.

22. Variety is Spice of Life for Moore: Another Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, Kent Moore, added to a rather remarkable feat that likely will never be matched. With his victory in the Super-Senior Match Play, Moore (pictured above) now has claimed titles in eight different CGA individual championships. Over the last 44 years, he’s won the 1973 Junior Match Play, the 1986 Amateur, the 1989 Match Play, the 1995 Mid-Amateur, the 2006 Senior Match Play, the 2014 Senior Stroke Play, the 2016 Super-Senior Stroke Play and the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play. READ MORE

21. Longmont’s Nygren Inaugural Putting Champ: Longmont’s Cole Nygren, a pro for just a couple of months, earned a nice paycheck ($15,000) and plenty of publicity with his Halloween victory in the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas. The most eye-catching part of the win was the fact that it came against a field that featured PGA Tour veterans Brad Faxon, John Cook, Tommy Armour III and Colt Knost. Nygren, who placed fourth in the CGA Amateur in August to conclude his amateur career, beat Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, 3 and 2 in the match-play finale. READ MORE

20. Major Changes for Colorado Cup Matches: The Colorado Cup Matches, a Ryder Cup-style competition between CGA/CWGA amateurs and Colorado PGA professionals, have been held annually since 1971. But there were many significant changes implemented in 2017, which will be the last time the matches are conducted until 2019. With no college golfers playing for the amateur team for the first time, the Colorado PGA (left) prevailed 26-14 in the event, which now features open, senior and women players competing for a single Cup. That result came a year after the pros were swept by the ams. READ MORE

19. More National Recognition for Colorado PGA: Mark Pfingston, the PGA head professional at The Golf Club at Bear Dance, this year was named the PGA of America’s national Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities. With Pfingston’s accomplishment, Colorado PGA members continued their roll of the last decade-plus in receiving national recogntion for their work. In the last 11 years (2007 through ’17), CPGA members — or the Section as a whole — have earned nine national awards from the PGA of America. READ MORE

18. Chalk Up Another Honor for Keffer: In the last decade, Geoff Keffer has become one of the most awarded players from the Colorado PGA in the Section’s history. This year, the Lakewood resident received the Section’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Award for the fourth straight season and for the fifth time in six years. To put that into perspective, only one player has been the Colorado PGA’s Finsterwald Player of the Year more times than Keffer, with two others matching his total. And all of the other three members of the five-timers club have all been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Bob Hold owns the record for most CPGA Finsterwald Player of the Year Awards, with seven earned between 1966 and ’74, including six straight starting in ’66. Other five-time Players of the Year, in addition to Keffer, are Vic Kline (1975 to 1981) and Ron Vlosich (1986 to ’91). READ MORE

17. Back to North Dakota for CGA’s Jensen: Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s highly regarded and well-liked managing director of operations, recently accepted a job as associate dean of student engagement at his alma mater, the University of Jamestown in his hometown of Jamestown, North Dakota. Jensen was a key administrator in Colorado golf, particularly playing a pivotal role in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado getting up and running during its initial years. READ MORE

16. Age No Problem for Schalk: Hailey Schalk (left) of Erie was only 15 years old during the 2017 golf season, but that didn’t keep her from becoming the girls Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Player of the Year. In 2017, Schalk was the first Coloradan to win a title at the prestigious AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. And in May, she was the first freshman since 2002 to win a girls state high school individual championship in Colorado. In addition, she captured the titles at both of the JGAC majors in which she competed. She also placed 14th individually while playing for Colorado at the Girls Junior America’s Cup. She and Davis Bryant were recently named “Future Famers” by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

15. Seniors Rule at CPGA Professional Championship: The Colorado PGA Professional Championship is the top tournament of the year for the Section. But this year’s event, held at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, turned into a showcase for the 50-and-over set as 50-year-old John Ogden prevailed in a playoff over 64-year-old Rick Cole, who was ever so close to becoming the oldest winner of this event — by far. As it was, Ogden earned the $8,000 first prize, then promptly donated half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation. READ MORE


14. Timely 59 for Sam Saunders: Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders picked a good time for his career round. Saunders, grandson of the late Arnold Palmer, opened the Web.com Tour Championship with a 12-under-par 59 in Atlantic Beach, Fla., where he moved from Fort Collins last year. It was just the seventh round under 60 in the history of the Web.com circuit. More importantly, it led to a second-place finish in the Web Tour Championship, which secured Saunders’ fully-exempt PGA Tour card for 2017-18 after he had lost that status late in the summer.


13. Bunch, Harvanek Voted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: Two Coloradans whose service in golf has made an indelible impact were voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Jim Bunch of Denver and Danny Harvanek of Littleton will make up the 46th class of the Hall of Fame and will be inducted on May 20 at Sanctuary golf course in Sedalia. Bunch has served in high-powered volunteer roles at the USGA and with the Western Golf Association, including as the chairman of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, of the WGA and of the Evans Scholars Foundation that awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. Harvanek, a longtime PGA Master Professional in Colorado, has long been touted for his highly-effective instruction work with junior golfers, which helped lay the groundwork for the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program. READ MORE
   

The statewide competitive golf season in Colorado largely shuts down after October and doesn’t crank up again until mid-spring, which makes this the perfect time for a little reflection on 2017.

As usual, there’s plenty that makes the season special — and that’s true even in a year when no large-scale spectator golf tournaments pay a visit. The U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs no doubt will be high on this list for 2018, but that’s for next fall.

Below are one observer’s top 10 list of highlights of the 2017 tournament season and for Colorado-based golfers.

It’s an understatement to say it’s not often that two Colorado residents — one man and one woman — are among the national college golfer of the year finalists, but 2017 was such a year. So it’s not surprising that our list starts with those two players.

1. The Kupcho Show: Jennifer Kupcho (pictured above) of Westminster continues to up her game, as this year has demonstrated. The fact that she’s currently the No. 2-ranked women’s amateur in the world says plenty. The Wake Forest golfer came ever so close to becoming the first Coloradan to win the women’s individual NCAA Division I title, leading by two with two holes left before a triple bogey led to a runner-up finish. She quickly rebounded from that disappointment to qualify for her second straight U.S. Women’s Open — and then to finish 21st overall in arguably the most presigious women’s golf tournament in the world. She also won her first national title, the Canadian Women’s Amateur. Other victories included her third straight in the CWGA Stroke Play, and two wins this calendar year in college golf. She also placed second for the second straight time in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open.

2. Year to Remember for Clark: Although he previously came close on many occasions, Highlands Ranch resident Wyndham Clark (left) didn’t score his first individual college victory until early in 2017. And that opened the floodgates for the then-University of Oregon senior, who posted three victories in his final 4 1/2 months as a collegian. One of those wins was a storybook ending as he prevailed at the Pac-12 Conference Championship in his home state, at Boulder Country Club, where he also won the 2010 CGA Amateur. With that strong final half of the season, Clark was named the 2017 Player of the Year in one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the Pac-12. That goes with the 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year honors he earned while at Oklahoma State. Then since turning pro in June, Clark has made two cuts on the PGA Tour, including a 17th-place finish on Oct. 29 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. This fall, he’s also advanced to the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-school.

3. Bryant Slam: A junior golf oddity made this one of the top stories of the competitive season in the state. The Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado schedule features four major championships, and the Bryant siblings won their own version of a grand slam by combining to claim all four titles. Davis Bryant won all three in which he competed — the Colorado Junior PGA, the Colorado Junior Amateur and the JGAC Tour Championship. And when he missed the Colorado Junior Match Play while he was competing in the national Junior PGA Championship — where he placed 14th — 14-year-old sister Emma pulled through for an improbable victory for the girls title. Davis Bryant went on to be named the boys JGAC Player of the Year after also winning the 5A state high school title, placing ninth individually in the Junior America’s Cup and advancing to the match play round of 64 at his second U.S. Junior Amateur.

4. Kaye Wins 2nd Colorado Open, 21 Years After His First: Part-time Boulder resident Jonathan Kaye (left) hadn’t competed in a tournament in three months, but that didn’t stop the former University of Colorado golfer from winning the CoBank Colorado Open shortly before his 47th birthday. Kaye, a two-time PGA Tour winner who plays little tournament golf anymore, sank a 9-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Green Valley Ranch to post a one-stroke victory and earn the $100,000 first prize. Kaye, the runner-up in 2016, finished at 23-under par, which tied the tournament’s scoring record, relative to par. He became just the seventh golfer to win at least two Colorado Open titles.

5. Jobe’s Champions Breakthrough: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe came very close to winning on the PGA Tour during his time on that circuit, four times placing second, including at the 2005 International at Castle Pines. Then on the PGA Tour Champions, he finished third three times leading up to this past summer. But in June in Des Moines, Iowa, Jobe scored a breakthrough victory, prevailing in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic. Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99 before moving to Texas, also had a very strong record in senior majors in 2017, finishing second in the Senior Players, third in the U.S. Senior Open and eighth in the Senior PGA. He also matched the tournament record with a round of 62 at the U.S. Senior Open.

6. Workman’s Stellar Summer: Glenn Workman had a summer to remember in state and regional tournaments in 2017. The Pueblo West resident became the first player in history to win the CGA Amateur and Wyoming State Amateur in the same year. The University of Wyoming golfer also scored low-amateur honors at the Rocky Mountain Open and the Wyoming State Open.

7. Timely 59 for Sam Saunders: Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders picked a good time for his career round. Saunders, grandson of the late Arnold Palmer, opened the Web.com Tour Championship with a 12-under-par 59 in Atlantic Beach, Fla., where he moved from Fort Collins last year. It was just the seventh round under 60 in the history of the Web.com circuit. More importantly, it led to a second-place finish in the Web Tour Championship, which secured Saunders’ fully-exempt PGA Tour card for 2017-18 after he had lost that status late in the summer.

8. Seniors Rule the Day: The Colorado PGA Professional Championship is the top tournament of the year for the Section. But this year’s event, held at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, turned into a showcase for the 50-and-over set as 50-year-old John Ogden (left) prevailed in a playoff over 64-year-old Rick Cole, who was ever so close to becoming the oldest winner of this event — by far. As it was, Ogden earned the $8,000 first prize, then promptly donated half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation.

9. Age No Problem for Schalk: Hailey Schalk of Erie was only 15 years old during the 2017 golf season, but that didn’t keep her from becoming the girls Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Player of the Year. In 2017, Schalk became the first Coloradan to win a title at the prestigious AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. And in May, she became the first freshman since 2002 to win a girls state high school individual championship in Colorado. In addition, she captured the titles at both of the JGAC majors in which she competed. She also placed 14th individually while competing for Colorado at the Girls Junior America’s Cup. Schalk and Davis Bryant were recently named “Future Famers” by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

10. Longmont’s Nygren Inaugural Putting Champ: Longmont’s Cole Nygren, a pro for just a couple of months, earned a nice paycheck ($15,000) and plenty of publicity with his Halloween victory in the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas. The most eye-catching part of the win was the fact that it came against a field that featured PGA Tour veterans Brad Faxon, John Cook, Tommy Armour III and Colt Knost. Nygren, who place fourth in the CGA Amateur in August to conclude his amateur career, beat Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, 3 and 2 in the match-play finale.

–– Honorable Mention: Colorado Springs resident Kaden Ford became just the fourth Coloradan in five years to qualify for the national finals of the Drive Chip & Putt Championship, hosted by Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia on the eve of the Masters. Ford will be among 80 contestants on April 1. … Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton captured her fifth CWGA Senior Stroke Play title, with this being her third winning margin of at least 10 shots. She completed a sweep of the major CWGA senior titles (Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play) for the third time. … 2016 CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Kyler Dunkle scored his first individual college victory — and did it in his home state — as the University of Utah junior prevailed in the University of Colorado’s Mark Simpson Invitational in Erie in late September. Dunkle closed with a 64 at Colorado National. … Another former CGA Player of the Year, David Oraee, claimed the title in the Wyoming State Open, posting his first professional victory. … Colorado State University’s men’s golf team won its own Ram Masters Invitational team championship for the fourth consecutive year. … Former CU golfer Sebastian Heisele has posted two top-five finishes — a third and a fourth — in his rookie year on the European Tour. … The Colorado PGA defeated the CGA/CWGA amateurs — a team playing without college-age golfers for the first time — in the final Colorado Cup Matches that will be held until 2019. … The University of Denver women’s golf team won two team titles in a span of just 11 days. … The Mile High Showdown World Long Drive event at Park Hill produced drives of 485 yards for the men and 406 yards for the women. … CU teammates Esther Lee and Brittany Fan shared stroke-play medalist honors in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball before falling in the round of 16 of match play.

When John Ogden shook hands with playoff opponent Rick Cole after winning the Colorado PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday, he did so gingerly with his left hand.

That seemed only fitting given that the two professionals who squared off for the title are seniors by PGA tournament standards, with many of the ailments and maladies that come with age.

In Ogden’s case, his right elbow has been giving him fits, so he had to improvise — both with the handshake and with his swing at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott.

But in spite of their age — Ogden is 50 and Cole 64 — the two finished atop the leaderboard at the Colorado PGA’s biggest tournament of the year, ahead of a field that included plenty of guys in their 20s and 30s. In fact, had Cole won, Colorado PGA records indicate he would have been the oldest champion in this event, by far, and the tournament dates back to 1958.

“The gray-haired guys, that was pretty good,” Ogden said with a smile afterward. “But Rick’s got a few more years than me on the gray hairs.”

But the “seniors make good” theme didn’t stop with Ogden and Cole. The top dozen finishers included seven pros who are 50 and older. Besides Ogden and Cole, there was three-time champion Doug Rohrbaugh (55), Barry Milstead (50), former PGA Tour player Larry Rinker (60), Paul Lobato (54) and three-time winner Bill Loeffler (61).

“I think the seniors definitely had the advantage in the tournament,” Cole said. “We’re hitting drivers on some of the holes (where younger players) are hitting 4-irons and 5-irons and 3-woods. I think that was an equalizer on this golf course, to be honest with you.”

Appropriately enough, being the PGA head professional at Cherry Hills Country Club for the last decade, Ogden (above and left) earned a trophy on Wednesday that bears the name of Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Ralph “Rip” Arnold, who himself served as the head pro at Cherry Hills. Also for being the best of the bunch this week at the Fazio Course at Red Sky, Ogden received the $8,000 first prize — and promptly announced that he was donating half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation.

“That’s such a great foundation,” he said. “I’ve sat on that foundation board in years past. I think it’s the right thing to do. Money is money. It’s nice, but I just like to compete. I’ve never been about winning money or anything like that. I’ve been very blessed in my life and my profession, so anything I can do to help out, I’m happy to help out.”

Despite his right elbow issues — which he said might eventually require surgery — Ogden had what it took to claim this title for the first time. But, again, he had to improvise.

“I usually play right-hand (dominant), and I played left-armed this week,” he said.

“When you play left-armed, it’s kind of like old school. When I was a kid I took some lessons from Stan Thirsk, who was Tom Watson’s instructor. I kind of went back to some of those thoughts and had some of those images of those lessons with Stan. All I was doing was letting my arm get up vertical and letting my left arm pass. I kind of had an image of Tom Watson in my head too.”

And that did the job for Ogden. He hit a 400-yard drive on the downhill par-5 final hole in regulation and two-putted from 20 feet for birdie to force a playoff with Cole, then won in sudden death on the same hole with a bogey.

Ogden shot a 2-under-par 70 on Wednesday to post a 4-under 212 total.

Cole, the PGA head pro at Eaton Country Club for the last 32 years, also checked in at that figure after finishing birdie-birdie. He nearly aced the 156-yard 17th hole, then two-putted from 30 feet to close out regulation. His 67 was Wednesday’s best round by two strokes.

Kirk Trowbridge of the MetaGolf Learning Center finished tied for third at 213 after leading early on the back nine on Wednesday. After making an eagle and two birdies on the front side and shooting a 4-under 32, his Waterloo came on the par-4 13th hole. There, he lost two balls — one right off his tee shot and one over the green when the wind shifted as he was hitting his approach — and he had to sink a 6-foot putt for a triple bogey.

Still, Trowbridge would have been part of the playoff had he sunk his 6-foot eagle putt on 18, but he missed and settle for birdie. His 70 put him at 213, one back of Ogden and Cole.

Asked if he was playing “what-if” after what happened on the 13th hole, Trowbridge said no. “I also made an eagle and a couple of birdies early on, so that’s golf, right? I’m happy. I probably managed my game this week better than maybe ever.”

Sharing third place at 213 with Trowbridge was 2016 champion Geoff Keffer from the Greater Golfer Development Center at Park Hill. Keffer had a one-birdie, one-bogey final day and shot 72.

Rohrbaugh, who’s believed to be the oldest winner of the tournament when he claimed the title in 2015 at age 53, placed fifth on Wednesday at 215 after carding a final-round 71.

The playoff on the 18th hole wasn’t pretty — as both participants readily admitted — but Ogden posted a bogey to win, while Cole made a double bogey. It was a far cry from their birdies in regulation, but both players paid the price for their tee shots.

Ogden thought his drive was as good as the one he hit in regulation on the hole, but it bounced into the environmentally sensitive area right of the rough and he was forced to take a penalty. Cole (left), usually a fixture in the fairway off the tee, double-crossed his drive and his ball shot left and “onto somebody’s back patio, but there’s no out of bounds stakes,” he noted. If Cole’s memory serves, it was just his second missed fairway of the entire tournament, though he hadn’t seen the course before Monday’s first round.

After the awry drive, “I thought I hit a perfect shot out of there,” Cole said. “I see a ball down there in the middle of the fairway — which was my provisional; I forgot I hit a provisional because I’m kind of old — so I’m thinking, ‘What a shot.’ But somebody comes down and says, ‘Rick, your ball went into a hazard’ (on the right side, where Ogden had hit his tee shot). I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Really?’ It hit really, really hard and bounced into the hazard. So I took a drop, and it was (all but done) at that point because John was greenside in three.”

Ogden was indeed laying 3 in a greenside bunker. And after Cole hit a 7-iron to just short of the green and a pitch that ended up 18 feet shy of the cup, Ogden blasted to about 20 feet. He two-putted for bogey and Cole did likewise for double bogey and that was the tournament.

“I didn’t see this one coming,” Ogden said of the victory. “I’ve got a messed-up right elbow. And I haven’t played very good in the last month. I didn’t play good last week at the Smith-Cole (at Cherry Hills). And at 50, I thought my days of (possibly) winning this, those times were past. But you just never know.

“This means the world. It’s probably the biggest victory of my professional career, that’s for sure,” added the former University of Kansas golfer, who once beat John Daly to win the Missouri Open. “I don’t win much, so this might be No. 1 (of his career overall). Who knows? It’ll mean a lot to my family and to my club and my staff.

“Winning is hard to do, especially in our Section where we have great players. At the (Colorado PGA) Senior Championship a few weeks ago, I shot 3 under and just got it handed to me.”

Meanwhile, Cole came ever so close to winning the Section’s top championship as a 64-year-old, which would have set the new age standard in the event by 11 years.

“I don’t even think about it to be honest with you,” he said of the age factor. “I’m just happy with the way I played, happy with the way I putted.

“I’ve got the points lead (among seniors in the Section). I thought if I could just make a good showing in this tournament I might win the points championship on the senior end of it. My goal honestly was to make the cut and get some more points on (his senior challengers). I really accomplished my goal in that regard. And I managed my game probably as well as I have all year.”

Thanks to their performances at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship, eight players qualified for the 2018 national PGA Professional Championship, set for June 17-20 at Bayonet Black Horse in Seaside, Calif.

Advancing to that event were Ogden, Cole, Trowbridge (left), Keffer, Rohrbaugh, Jack Allen of Heritage Eagle Bend, Micah Rudosky of Conquistador and Barry Milstead of Valley. Allen, Rudosky and Milstead tied for sixth place on Wednesday along with Rinker, the director of instruction at Red Sky who isn’t eligible to compete at the national championship.

For Cole, it will be the first national PGA Professional Championship he’s qualified for since 1987.

“I figured there was no chance,” he said. “So to go out there is an awesome privilege.”

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 11-13, 2017 (final) at Par-72 Fazio Course at Red Sky GC in Wolcott
Top Finishers
1. John Ogden (won playoff on first extra hole) 72-70-70–212
2. Rick Cole 70-75-67–212
T3. Kirk Trowbridge 74-69-70–213
T3. Geoff Keffer 70-71-72–213
5. Doug Rohrbaugh 72-72-71–215
T6. Jack Allen 75-72-69–216
T6. Micah Rudosky 77-69-70–216
T6. Barry Milstead 71-72-73–216
T6. Larry Rinker 71-70-75–216
10. Paul Lobato 76-70-72–218

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

If there’s anyone who can truly appreciate the recent $6 million renovation and expansion of the Evans Scholars house for caddies at the University of Colorado, it’s Dr. Homer McClintock.

McClintock was one of three CGA officials on hand back in March 1969 when the E.S. house at 1029 Broadway in Boulder was first dedicated after being purchased from the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity the previous November.

Forty-seven years later, McClintock, now 98 years old, recently returned to the house to see the renovation and expansion that was spearheaded by fellow Cherry Hills Country Club member Rick Polmear.

“I had a tour, and it’s marvelous,” McClintock (pictured) said in a recent phone interview. “It’s a great facility and it’s in a great location.”

McClintock has long had a soft spot in his heart for the Evans Scholars program, which awards full tuition and housing scholarships to high-achieving caddies with significant financial need. The CGA and CWGA have long partnered with the Illinois-based Western Golf Association in supporting the scholarship at CU. Back in the 1960s, McClintock served as scholarship chairman of the CGA, and he and then-CGA president Dick Campbell and chapter house committee chairman Sonny Brinkerhoff played key roles in finding and acquiring the house and getting it ready for the group that was then known as the Eisenhower-Evans Scholars. Currently, McClintock’s grandson, Keane, is an Evans Scholar freshman at CU after caddying at Cherry Hills.

“The Evans Scholars program is really good, and it was run in the best way possible,” McClintock said. “The selection meetings (in which scholarship finalists are interviewed) are always very interesting, understanding what some of these kinds have gone through to get the scholarship. It’s fascinating and unbelievable.

“It’s such a great opportunity (for caddies). They don’t just get tuition, but they become part of a program that’s great.”

Both the Evans Scholars house (left) and program at CU, and McClintock himself are being celebrated this spring. The renovated and expanded house (READ MORE) will be dedicated — again — on April 16, with alumni, supporters, administrators and current Evans Scholars taking part. Then on May 14 at his home club of Cherry Hills, McClintock will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame (READ MORE).

McClintock’s work with the Evans Scholars program is certainly one of the main reasons he’s being honored, but hardly the only one. He served on the CGA board of governors from the 1960s to the early 1980s, a time when the association was greatly expanding its reach and services.

In addition, McClintock was the club president at Cherry Hills in 1963 and ’64, and in 1977 leading up to the 1978 U.S. Open. He also played a key role in the hiring of Warren Smith as head golf professional at the club. In 2005, Smith was inducted into the national PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame. McClintock also received a lifetime membership in the Colorado PGA in 1977. Homer’s son, Rich, served as chairman for the 1983 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the 1990 U.S. Amateur, both at Cherry Hills.

At one of the most historic clubs in Colorado, McClintock has been a member an amazing 64 years and is the oldest living member at Cherry Hills, according to head golf professional John Ogden.

“He’s probably one of the most respected members in the history of that club,” Ogden said. “He’s the most inspirational guy you’ll ever see — 98 years old, plays golf whenever he can, hits balls, works out every day, still goes to medical conferences. He was one of the first neurologists in Denver. He’s a neat guy. I love Homer. He’s just the best.

“If I’m that sharp (as McClintock is) in 10 years I’ll be happy. He’s a treasure at Cherry Hills, a true treasure. There’s not one person in that club who will speak anything but great (things) about Homer McClintock.”

And the doctor feels the same way.

“There’s a lot of interesting people (at the club) and lifetime friends,” he said.

McClintock was a Navy physician in the Pacific during World War II — he served with amphibious forces — before going on to become a neurosurgeon. A resident of Colorado since the early 1950s, McClintock has been a very good golfer for most of his long life. He played on the University of Pittsburgh golf team in the late 1930s and was good enough to compete in the British Amateur in 1960. A back operation last June sidelined McClintock for a while, but he was recently planning to start swinging the clubs again. When McClintock is feeling well, he’s a regular on the golf course and at the range at Cherry Hills.

McClintock first shot his age (or lower) when he was 79 years old as he carded a 74 in a member-guest. Since then, he said he’s managed the feat “over 25 times”, though Ogden believes that number is much higher.

“My lowest handicap was about a 3,” McClintock said. “I was never a great golfer, but I enjoyed it.

“Golf is a great game. You play it in great locations and you meet nice people. It’s a great game for everybody.”

And though McClintock has given plenty back to the game over the decades, he was a little taken aback when he first heard he was receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“I was a little surprised,” he said. “If you ask me, a lot of people deserve it more than me.”

Not likely. This good doctor has done plenty for golf during his long lifetime.
 

Warren Smith Jr. fell just short of hitting his 100th birthday, which would have been celebrated on Oct. 20. But that’s one of the few notable milestones that the “Pro’s Pro” didn’t reach.

Smith, one of the most influential figures in the history of Colorado golf, passed away Sunday in La Quinta, Calif., at the age of 99. Services are pending, but Smith’s son, also named Warren Smith, said it’s hoped that there will be a celebration of life held in the Denver area this summer.

To say that the longtime head professional at Cherry Hills Country Club lived a full life would be a massive understatement.

As his son noted on Tuesday, “He wasn’t cheated.”

Indeed, Warren Smith Jr., won’t soon be forgotten by those in the Colorado golf community. Just to tick off several notable items about Smith, who served as the head professional at Cherry Hills from 1963 through 1990:

— He was one of the first national PGA of America award winners from Colorado, earning the Golf Professional of the Year honor in 1973, the same year he claimed a similar Section-wide award from the Colorado PGA.

— In 2005, Smith was inducted into the national PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame.

— In 2009, a well-received book about Smith — “The Pro’s Pro. Lessons on Life and Golf from the Ol’ Pro at Cherry Hills Country Club,” written by Tripp Baltz — was published.

— For almost 30 years, the Colorado PGA has given out the “Warren Smith Award”, a lifetime achievement honor which goes to PGA professionals for outstanding contributions to the game of golf, the Colorado Section, junior golf and their facility. Fittingly, the first Warren Smith Award was given to Smith himself, in 1986.

— Smith, a five-time president of the Colorado PGA, was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1978, just its sixth year of existence.

— At the time Smith was given an honorary membership at Cherry Hills, just two other people had received such an honor: President Dwight Eisenhower and Arnold Palmer, winner of the 1960 U.S. Open at the club.

“He was The Pro, simply,” said current Cherry Hills head professional John Ogden. “He was arguably the most respected pro to ever come from Colorado. He played in several majors himself and he hosted five majors here.

“He had a great life. And everyone who met him said he was the consummate southern gentleman. No one ever had anything bad to say about him.”

During Smith’s time as head professional at Cherry Hills, the club hosted the 1978 U.S. Open, the 1985 PGA Championship, the 1990 U.S. Amateur, the 1976 U.S. Senior Amateur and the 1983 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Among his close friends were Palmer, Byron Nelson, Dow Finsterwald and Harvey Penick, who taught at Cherry Hills during a couple summers in the 1960s.

Smith is one of just six head professionals in the 93-year history of Cherry Hills, and he served the longest of any of the six.

“He was a role model for the assistant (professionals) who worked for him and for the whole (Colorado PGA) Section,” said Clayton Cole, who served as an assistant under Smith from 1970-74 then succeeded him as the head professional at Cherry Hills when he retired at the end of 1990. “The way he handled himself, his morals … he was the best role model you could have.”

Cole remembers that when he was hired as an assistant pro, Smith told him something that Cole subsequently passed along to his own assistants.

“He said, ‘Clayton, there are going to be some members you like better than others, but we’re going to like all of our members,'” Cole recalled. “He knew how to take care of the customer.”

Cole was one of at least 16 assistant professionals under Smith who went on to head professional positions.

Though Smith spent 28 years in his official capacity at Cherry Hills, he lived an eventful life before he arrived in Colorado.

He was born in Escanaba, Michigan, and raised in Gadsden, Alabama. He turned pro in 1943 and achieved his PGA status in 1948. He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine in 1945 and helped deliver supplies to troops in Naples, Italy.

After returning to the U.S., Smith did some double duty of sorts by working for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio in the morning and early afternoon, then giving lessons and serving as a professional at Seiberling Country Club in the afternoon and evening.

A year later, he was hired as the head professional at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas. During his 16 years there, he served as a president of the Central Texas PGA Section and helped lure the PGA Tour’s Texas Open to Oak Hills in the early 1960s.

Smith was also an accomplished player. In fact, he once jointly held the PGA Tour record for consecutive birdies — seven, a feat he accomplished at the 1955 Texas Open. That mark stood until Bob Goalby made eight in a row in the 1961 St. Petersburg Open.

Smith played in two U.S. Opens (1963 and ’66) — he competed alongside a Colorado amateur named Hale Irwin in ’66 — and two PGA Championships, advancing to the quarterfinals of match play in 1957.

Hyland Hills’ Mazone Passes Away at 74: Also passing away this week — on Tuesday — was another prominent longtime Colorado PGA professional, Marv Mazone, who was a fixture at Hyland Hills Golf Course in Westminster. Mazone, born June 26, 1940, was 74 years old.

Mazone headed golf operations at Hyland Hills for 32 years — 20 as head professional and a dozen as director of golf. He retired in 2009, and he received the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Achievement Award that same year. In 2011, Mazone earned the Warren Smith Award from the Colorado PGA. Earlier in his career, he was named the Public Merchandiser of the Year by the CPGA in both 1988 and ’89. Sixteen members of his staff went on to head professional positions.

Under Mazone’s leadership, Hyland Hills hosted the 1990 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. 

It’s been a year since our last distribution of gifts — Colorado golf-style — and we’re back in the holiday mood.

We’ve studied our naughty and nice lists, and taken time to pick out that perfect something for deserving souls. Of course, given who we are, we’ll stick with a golf theme.

Time’s a wastin’, so without further ado …

To: John Ogden, head professional at Cherry Hills Country Club. Gift: Credit where credit is due after you predicted in the weeks leading up to the BMW Championship that the winning score would be 264 to 268. Billy Horschel won with a 266 total.

To: Rory McIlroy. Gift: That no hole ever treats you as badly as the par-3 12th at Cherry Hills did during the BMW Championship. (He four-putted the hole twice in the final two rounds, including from 4 feet on Saturday. The result: triple bogey, double bogey).

To: Phil Mickelson. Gift: The ability to think of a better excuse for withdrawing from a tournament after pulling out of the no-cut BMW Championship before the weekend at Cherry Hills, citing a need “to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup” — which took place three weeks later.

To: The CGA. Gift: In 2015, an unforgettable 100-year anniversary year worthy of an organization with such a rich history.

To: The CWGA. Gift: See above, except in 2016 in your case.

To: Hale Irwin. Gift: Just as your competitive career winds down, an ever-expanding impact on Colorado kids through the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program, the AJGA Hale Irwin Junior, and hopefully other things to come.

To: Former Coloradan Brandt Jobe, who has finished second four times — but has never won — on the PGA Tour. Gift: That 2015 brings a victory — either on the PGA Tour or the Champions circuit, for which you become eligible in August.

To: Colorado-based Champions Tour player Mark Wiebe, who battled injuries this year. Gift: That 2015 more resemble 2013 (two wins) than 2014 (0 top-25s).

To: New CGA managing director of operations Dustin Jensen, who is moving back to Colorado from North Dakota. Gift: A touch of winter warmth, Colorado style.

To: Officials from Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville. Gift: A banner season in the summer of 2015 after then being closed for more than 18 months by the September 2013 flooding.

To: George Solich. Gift: A stress-free summer in 2015 after anything but in 2014 as general chairman of the BMW Championship.

To: Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale. Gift: After having so much success in Colorado in recent years — including winning titles in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open (one) and the Colorado PGA Professional Championship (two) — a top-10 finish as a member of the Champions Tour.

To: The University of Colorado women’s golf program. Gift: A top-three finish at the Pac-12 Conference Championship that you’re hosting in April at Boulder Country Club.

To: Wyndham Clark of Lone Tree, the 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma State. Gift: After a lot of close calls, an individual college victory.

To: Jack Vickers. Gift: In receiving the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award, satisfaction in the impact you made in graciously hosting a PGA Tour event in Colorado for 21 years, The International.

To: Ross Macdonald (left). Gift: A third consecutive CGA Junior Stroke Play title to match Scott Petersen’s remarkable feat from the late 1980s.

To: CSU-Pueblo golfer Leina Kim. Gift: An NCAA women’s Division II title in 2015 after leading the nation in stroke average so far this season.

To: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster. Gift: A win in a national event leading into your freshman season at Wake Forest beginning in the fall.

To: Former CU golfer Emily Talley. Gift: After knocking on the door so many times as a professional, an answer in the form of an individual title.

To: Connie Gallagher of Denver, who in October aced a par-4 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Gift: A return trip to Pebble to relive the moment.

To: Kent and Janet Moore, both Colorado Golf Hall of Famers. Gift: That you both win state senior titles in the same year.

To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton. Gift: That you don’t miss a beat in competitive golf next year despite those two recent knee replacements.

To: John Elway. Gift: A shot at winning both a Super Bowl (as Broncos general manager) and a HealthOne Colorado Senior Open (as a competitor) in the same year.

To: The late Jim Moore, former Western Golf Association educational director. Gift: That your ever-present upbeat spirit will live on in the Evans Scholarship program for caddies, including those at the University of Colorado.

To: Sherry Andonian-Smith (left), who almost made the cut in the 2014 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, and who went 3-0 for the Colorado PGA in the Taylor Cup matches. Gift: Colorado PGA Senior Player of the Year honors in 2015.

To: The guy who eagerly volunteered to caddie for a competitor in the 2014 HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, only to quit mid-round, saying he had phone calls to make. Gift: That your services are required elsewhere during the 2015 tournament.

To: Leslie Core-Drevecky, the first female president of the Colorado PGA. Gift: A marked increase in play by women and girls golfers in Colorado.

To: Eric Hoos, who got struck in the head by a competitor’s golf ball while picking his ball out of the cup at the 2014 CGA Senior Stroke Play. Gift: A military-style helmet for the 2015 tournament.

To: Part-time Colorado resident Jonathan Kaye, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. Gift: After competing very little since 2010, some success on the Web.com Tour in 2015.

To: Priscilla Lind, who recently passed away. Lind was the wife of Babe Lind, who was in the first class of inductees for the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Gift: Many thanks for sharing some of Babe’s historic golf trophies and memorabilia with the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and the University of Denver.

To: Golf courses such as Broadlands, Saddleback, Park Hill, Springs Ranch and Eagle Vail which have opened part of their facilities to “footgolf”, an activity in which participants essentially play golf with their feet, using a soccer ball, much shorter holes and large cups. Gift: An “A” for effort in thinking outside the box to generate additional revenue for their golf courses.

To: The golden oldies who play golf at Heather Gardens. Gift: Good health, good friends and great fun hitting the links well into your 90s.

To: All Colorado golfers. Gift: Happy holidays.
 

The BMW Championship earned the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year honor in both 2012 and ’13, and it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if Cherry Hills Country Club made it a trifecta this year.

Total attendance figures for the week weren’t finalized as of Sunday afternoon, but tournament general chairman George Solich expects numbers to be in the 125,000 neighborhood for the six days the site was open to fans.

“I know (Saturday) we had 30,000 people here and today was more,” he said. “My sense is we’ll be close to 125,000 for the week. It was a great, great attendance. All around the golf course, there was a sea of people wherever you went — which is why this is an incredibly great golf course to host this. There are so many great places to watch golf on the course.”

If the attendance exceeds 125,000, the BMW Championship will be at least the fourth big golf tournament Colorado has hosted in the last decade to draw more than that figure for a week. The 2005 U.S. Women’s Open at Cherry Hills lured more than 131,000 people, the 2011 Women’s Open at the Broadmoor more than 130,000, and the 2008 U.S. Senior Open at the Broadmoor had attendance of almost 129,000. And though the total at the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club was announced at 110,000, club officials say that because ticket scanners were down for an extended period, the actual number of people on hand was far greater.

In the first PGA Tour event held in Colorado since 2006 — and at Cherry Hills since 1985 — the players were impressed by the turnout all week.

“It’s been a pleasure to play in front of so many people,” said Rory McIlroy, the world’s top-ranked golfer.

“There were thousands and thousands of people out here this weekend,” added champion Billy Horschel (left, with Solich). “I hope the PGA Tour realizes what kind of fan base and what support they have in Colorado.”

Among those in attendance on Sunday was Gov. John Hickenlooper.

“I know he was absolutely thrilled,” Solich said.

Ever since Cherry Hills was awarded the 2014 BMW Championship, Solich has had a goal of making the most of the opportunity. Besides organizing a tournament that the fans and players appreciate, he wanted to raise as much money as possible for the Evans Scholars Foundation, the sole beneficiary of the BMW Championship. Since 1930, full tuition and housing Evans Scholarships have been awarded to qualified caddies who demonstrate significant financial need.

As Solich himself was an Evans Scholar at the University of Colorado (class of 1983), he appreciates what a difference the money raised at the BMW Championship can make. From 2007 through ’13, the tournament has raised more than $16 million for the Evans Scholars Foundation.

The figure for this year’s tournament isn’t yet finalized, but Solich hopes it will be the best ever for the BMW Championship.

“We haven’t added up all the marbles, but we broke every record in hospitality sales, and we broke every record for revenue from ticket sales,” he said. “We have every chance to be — knock on wood — the No. 1 BMW Championship in history in terms of revenue generated to the Evans Scholars Foundation — which was one of our goals.”

After taking part in the trophy ceremony on the 18th green Sunday, Solich reflected on the tournament to which he’s devoted so much of his time over the last three years.

“Throughout the entire week, all we heard was how good the golf course was, how great the service was, how well organized we were, and how great it was to be back in Colorado,” Solich said. “Whether it was fans or players or caddies or media, we really heard all the same echoes. Clearly, all the hard work paid off and there were lots and lots of people who came together to pull this great team effort together.

“It’s terrific to see it come to fruition after three years of work. It’s a little surreal. It goes by very fast once you’re in it. Obviously I think we proved this is a great venue for golf. That’s why we’ve been out here for so many years with so many great championships.”

Golf Channel analyst Steve Sands noted Sunday the behind-the-scenes efforts of Solich and the organizational team in making the championship come off relatively seamlessly.

“You have no idea the tireless work done by George and his staff,” Sands told fans and officials assembled for the post-championship ceremony.

The weather for the week was largely cooperative, with just a brief lightning-related delay Thursday evening that kept nine players from completing round 1 that day.

The rain did lead to some major on-the-fly changes of parking lots, but the backup plans seemed to work well, given the circumstances.

Some players nitpicked about specific holes on the course — the 526-yard par-4 fifth, which through three rounds was playing as the toughest hole on the PGA Tour this season, was mentioned more than once — but that happens at every venue.

A new competitive course record was established — an 8-under-par 62 by Morgan Hoffmann on Saturday — but Cherry Hills held up well to the best players in the world.

Meanwhile, NBC essayist Jimmy Roberts did a nice feature that ran nationally on the weekend. The story gave viewers a local angle on the Evans Scholarship. Included were segments on Solich, on current CU Evans Scholar Melyzjah Smith, and on the caddie program in which Smith worked, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course. CommonGround is owned and operated the CGA and CWGA. The Academy is named for Solich and his older brother, Geoff, who’s also a CU Evans Scholar alum.

Looking to the future, Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway, a member at Cherry Hills, noted earlier this summer that the club would be interested in hosting the BMW Championship again down the road.

“It’s in (Cherry Hills’) charter; we’re always trying to bring tremendous tournaments here,” Elway said in July. “We’d love to get into the rotation — I’ll throw that out here — for the BMW at some point. That’s part of the heritage and tradition of this club — to be able to bring top-notch (events) — whether they be majors or the BMW/FedExCup-type tournaments.”

Solich reiterated that thought late Sunday afternoon.

“We really want to be in the conversation (to host such tournaments), and I think it’s absolutely clear we’re now in the conversation,” he said. “That’s all you can hope for. We don’t have a contract. There’s no guarantee to come back, but certainly we’re in the conversation.”

Ogden Right on the Mark: From the department of “give credit where credit is due”, it’s worth noting that Cherry Hills head professional John Ogden predicted in the weeks leading up to the BMW Championship that the winning score would be 264 to 268.

Billy Horschel won with a 266 total.

Stadler’s Season Comes to End: Kevin Stadler wore a big Denver Broncos logo on his shirt Sunday, but that mojo wasn’t enough to extend his best PGA Tour season. The part-time Denver resident failed to conclude the BMW Championship in the top 30 in the FedExCup standings, meaning he won’t advance to next week’s Tour Championship.

Stadler finished 50th at Cherry Hills Country Club, shooting 74-69-70-71 for a 4-over-par 284 total. That left him 38th in FedExCup points.

“It was obviously a goal (to advance),” said Stadler, winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February. “It was a frustrating week overall. I felt like I played really well and my scoring was just horrendous. I feel like I struck the ball well enough to contend and to win and I finished almost dead last. It was frustrating around the greens and my scoring was really non-existent this week.”

For the record, Gary Woodland earned the last spot in the Tour Championship (29th since No. 30 Dustin Johnson is taking a leave of absence from the Tour.)

Dreaded 12th Strikes Again for McIlroy: Suffice it to say the green at the par-3 12th hole won’t go down as one of Rory McIlroy’s favorites.

He’s four-putted a total of seven times in his PGA Tour career, and two of them have come at No. 12 at Cherry Hills. After four-putting from 4 feet for a triple bogey there Saturday, he inexplicably four-jiggled again Sunday, this time from 19 feet for double bogey.

On the weekend, he played the 204-yard hole in 5 over par, needing eight putts in two days.

“Two four-putts on the same green? It’s not my worst,” McIlroy noted. “I have five-putted before. But it’s one of those things that at least I can laugh about it and move on.”

McIlroy admits he thought about what happened at 12 on Saturday while over his second putt Sunday.

“I said to myself, ‘Let’s not give any more shots away to this hole,'” he said. “So I maybe put a little bit too much pressure on myself to hole that second putt. On the third putt, I’m thinking, ‘OK, you don’t want to four-putt again’, and I actually held a decent length putt for a four-putt.

“It sort of shows everyone out there that we do the same things as they do every weekend.”

Lucky No. 7 for Sergio: Sergio Garcia took quite a liking to the dogleg-left 395-yard seventh hole at Cherry Hills this week. On Sunday, for the second time this week, the Spaniard holed out for eagle, this time from 35 yards. On Friday, his eagle on that hole came from 126 yards. In case you’re wondering, Garcia played the hole in birdie and bogey on the other two days, making him 4 under on No. 7 for the week.

Rory McIlroy also made a deuce on the par-4 seventh Sunday, holing out from 56 yards.

Garcia shot a 5-under-par 29 and McIlroy a 30 on the front nine.

Notable: Henrik Stenson won’t be around to defend his FedExCup Playoffs title next week at the Tour Championship in Atlanta. Stenson finished 23rd at the BMW Championship and ended up 52nd in the FedExCup standings (CLICK HERE). … Billy Horschel, 27, became the 16th different player under 30 to win on the PGA Tour in the 2013-14 wraparound season. Those 16 players have accounted for 21 victories. … Horschel’s wife, Brittany, is scheduled to give birth to their first child on Sept. 27. … In case you were wondering: Horschel sprinted up the 18th fairway after hitting his second shot Sunday because nature called.

John Ogden couldn’t resist.

Cherry Hills Country Club’s head professional, the starter on the first tee for Saturday’s third round of the BMW Championship, saw Morgan Hoffmann come to No. 1 having already played the back nine in 6-under-par 30.

And with low scores possible on the front nine with its two driveable par-4s, Ogden knew Hoffmann (left) had a chance at something really low.

So the head pro decided to follow Hoffmann, and he caught up to him at the par-3 sixth hole. Sure enough, after Hoffmann had been 8 under par through 12 holes, the former Oklahoma State golfer made his first bogey of the day after pulling his tee shot into the bunker.

“I jinx him and he makes bogey on 6,” Ogden said. “So I went back up the hill, then he birdied 7.”

And with that and two pars to finish up, Hoffmann shot the lowest competitive round in the 92-year history of Cherry Hills, an 8-under-par 62.

About 18 years ago, PGA Tour player Mike Reid fired a 60 from the back tees in a casual round at Cherry Hills. And Gunner Wiebe posted a 61 a few years ago. But Hoffmann’s score, having come in competition, will go down as the official course record.

“It was a great round,” Ogden said. “After the rain on Thursday (evening), I thought we would see that (kind of score). Today, it’s perfect and I thought we’d see something. The greens are so soft right now. The players are not having to think as much as they were (on Thursday).”

Hoffmann, who played in the Palmer Cup college matches between the U.S. and Europe that Cherry Hills hosted in 2009, finished Saturday with nine birdies and the lone bogey on No. 6. The 62 pushed him past 43 players on the scoreboard, up into 10th place with a 4-under 206 total.

But setting the course record is a more lasting accomplishment.

“It’s really cool,” the 25-year-old said. “It’s such an honor, especially with all the history here and the great championships that have been played here.”

When he was 8 under through 12, Hoffmann admits he was entertaining thoughts of PGA Tour grandeur — a 59. But though it was a possibility — he needed to go 3 under his final six holes — he never seriously threatened the mark and the bogey on 6 realistically ended the hopes.

“My goal is to go as low as possible; I don’t think you should be out here if you’re scared to go low,” said Hoffmann, who matched his low competitive round ever, a 10-under 62 he shot in college at Southern Highlands in Las Vegas. “After I was 8 under through 12 or 13, that 59 number was a big goal for me. … Hopefully I can pull it off tomorrow.”

Hoffmann said he still distinctly remembers competing in the 2009 Palmer Cup at Cherry Hills. Coincidentally, in one of his matches, he was paired with Cameron Tringale, who is also in the BMW Championship field this week (he’s in 34th place at 1-over-par 211).

“Cameron Tringale and I played alternate shot (at the Palmer Cup), and ever since then my dad calls him ‘even man’ because he played the even holes,” Hoffmann said. “We got to play aggressive golf then, so it kind of set us up for this week.”

Hoffman’s 62 on Saturday came on the heels of consecutive 72s at Cherry Hills.

“I was just going out there kind of carefree,” he said. “I don’t have anything to lose, so I was just trying to have some fun.”

Hoffmann’s threesome on Saturday put on quite a show, with Hoffmann’s 62, and the 66s by both Jerry Kelly and Freddie Jacobson. “We were feeding off each other a bunch,” Hoffmann said.

Mickelson, Bradley Pull Out After Two Rounds: Two fan favorites who have won major championships withdrew before Saturday’s third round of the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills.

Phil Mickelson (left), who won his U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills in 1990, ended his 2013-14 PGA Tour season when he pulled out of the BMW following a second-round 76.

“My primary goal is to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup” later this month in Scotland, Mickelson said in a statement. “Without a chance to contend at the Tour Championship, the most important thing for me now is to prepare for the Ryder Cup.”

The upshot is that two streaks come to an end for Mickelson. After 10 consecutive PGA Tour seasons with at least one victory — which was the longest active streak on Tour — he went winless in the 2013-14 wraparound season. And for the first time since the FedExCup Playoffs were launched in 2007, he failed to qualify for the Tour Championship.

After his 76 on Friday at Cherry Hills, Mickelson stood in 63rd place at the BMW Championship at 6-over 146. He needed a very high finish — fourth or better — at Cherry Hills to have a chance to advance to the season finale.

Hunter Mahan is now the only player to have qualified for the Tour Championship in each year of the FedExCup Playoffs.

Also withdrawing from the BMW Championship Saturday morning was Keegan Bradley, winner of the 2011 PGA Championship. Bradley, who had never before withdrawn from a PGA Tour event, stood at 3-over-par 143, 11 out of the lead, after Friday’s round.

 Bradley pulled out after having lingering doubts about an embedded-ball ruling he received on the 18th hole of his opening round on Thursday.

“I just feel withdrawing is the right thing to do to protect the field in the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship next week,” Bradley said in a press release. “It’s eating me alive. I didn’t call my fellow competitors for help in the first place and that bothers me. I know the official approved the drop but I just can’t be absolutely sure it was the right spot.”

On the ruling in question, Bradley’s third shot on No. 18 embedded in the grass face just above the left greenside bunker. He took relief for a ball embedded in its own pitch mark, then chipped on and two-putted for a double bogey.

After the round, a fan told Bradley he had seen the ball bounce before coming to rest. As he was unsettled about his handling of the situation, Bradley conferred with PGA Tour vice president of rules and competitions Slugger White, who absolved Bradley of any potential violation after the two talked and examined the pitch mark at No. 18. Nevertheless, Bradley opted to withdraw on Saturday.

Bradley’s withdrawal could cost him a spot in next week’s Tour Championship as only the top 30 in the FedExCup standings qualifying, and going into Sunday he’s 33rd.

 On Friday, another top player, Jason Day, pulled out of the BMW Championship in the middle of his second round with back problems.

Parking Back for Normal for Sunday: After two days of many BMW Championship fans parking at Sports Authority Field at Mile High because Thursday evening rains caused problems at various grass parking lots, the parking plan will revert to original locations for Sunday.

For more information, check the web site at BMWChampionshipUSA.com (CLICK HERE) or follow updates on Twitter: @bmwchamps.

Notable: Kent Denver High School graduate Kevin Stadler has some work to do if he is to qualify for next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta. The 2002 Colorado Open champion is in 47th place at Cherry Hills, which projects to him being 36th in the FedExCup point standings. Only the top 30 finishers advance to the Tour Championship. … Chesson Hadley made five straight birdies in Saturday’s round (holes 9-13).

For BMW Championship scores, CLICK HERE.
 

For Sunday’s final-round pairings, CLICK HERE.

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BMW Championship: The Essentials

What — BMW Championship PGA Tour FedExCup Playoff Event.

Where — Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village.

Schedule
Sept. 7: Sunday tee times from 9:35-11:15 a.m. off the first and 10th tees.

Gates Open — 8 a.m. 

TV Coverage — Sept. 7: 10 a.m.-noon, Golf Channel and noon-4 p.m., KUSA (9).

Free Admission for Juniors — Kids 16 and under will be admitted free to the BMW Championship when accompanied by an adult ticket or credential holder.

Military Admission Policy — All active-duty, retired, reserve and veterans will receive free admission for one day of the tournament. Each military member must verify his or her military status on the website (CLICK HERE) and print off a free ticket voucher in advance of the tournament.

Field — The top 70 players in the FedExCup Playoff standings after the Deutsche Bank Championship concluded on Sept. 1. There was no cut during the BMW Championship.

Purse — $8 million, with $1.44 million going to the winner.

Course Set-up — 7,352 yards. Par-70 (34-36). 3-inch-deep bluegrass rough. Greens 11-11.5 on Stimpmeter.

Tournament Beneficiary — All the net proceeds from the BMW Championship go to the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to worthy and qualified caddies with limited financial means. The average value of an Evans Scholarship nationwide is estimated to be $80,000. One of the 14 Evans Scholarship houses is located at the University of Colorado in Boulder. About 870 caddies are currently on scholarship nationwide, and the program has produced almost 10,000 alums since 1930, with about 430 from CU. Among the CU Evans Scholar alums is George Solich, the general chairman of the 2014 BMW Championship.

Autographs and Cameras — Not permitted during championship rounds Thursday through Sunday.

Tournament History — The BMW Championship’s predecessor, the Western Open, began in 1899, making it the third-oldest PGA Tour event, behind the British Open and U.S. Open. The tournament was renamed the BMW Championship in 2007 when it became part of the FedExCup Playoffs.

Course History — Cherry Hills Country Club, a William Flynn-designed course, opened in 1922. It has hosted a myriad of significant tournaments over the years: U.S. Opens in 1938, ’60 and ’78; PGA Championships in 1941 and ’85; a U.S. Women’s Open in 2005; U.S. Amateurs in 1990 and 2012; a U.S. Senior Open in 1993; a U.S. Senior Amateur in 1976; and a U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1983. Winners of those events include Arnold Palmer (’60 U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (’93 U.S. Senior Open) and Phil Mickelson (’90 U.S. Amateur).

For More Information — Visit the BMW Championship website (CLICK HERE.)