Hale Irwin is arguably the most well-known golf figure associated with the state of Colorado.

And why not? He attended high school (Boulder HS) and college (University of Colorado) in the state. He won a state high school tournament, an NCAA individual golf title 50 years ago this month, and five CGA state championships in the 1960s. And he was quite a football player to boot, being twice named an All-Big Eight defensive back.

And in a professional golf tour career that’s spanned 49 years, he’s won 20 times on the PGA Tour, including three U.S. Opens. In fact, he remains the oldest person to win a U.S. Open after earning the title at age 45 in 1990. Then after turning 50, he’s won a record 45 times on PGA Tour Champions, 13 more than second-place Bernhard Langer.

On Sunday, Irwin returned to his old stomping grounds to conduct a junior clinic leading up to the AJGA tournament that bears his name. The AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica will be held Tuesday through Thursday at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster. That’s where about 125 junior golfers and their families asked questions of the World Golf Hall of Famer and he imparted some wisdom — both related to golf and in general.

He also met with the current group that makes up the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program that’s based at CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course. (Irwin’s son, Steve, serves on the CGA volunteer board of governors and was the CGA Player of the Year in 2004.)

Before Irwin held his clinic, coloradogolf.org had a chance to chat with Colorado golf’s favorite son. Here’s the Q&A from Sunday, the day Irwin was named one of the honorees of the 2018 Memorial Tournament that Jack Nicklaus hosts (Irwin won the Memorial twice and finished second twice in playoffs there). He turned 72 on Saturday.

Q: Compare your junior golf experience to what these kids have had.

HI: It was wildly different. The junior program back when I was a junior was sort of hit and miss. There weren’t very many tournaments — nothing organized like the AJGA or The First Tees, nothing near like that. So I think these kids are enjoying the fruits of a lot of years of people being concerned about their development and how golf can help influence their lives in a very positive way, whether they become professional (golfers) or not. And frankly I hope many of them don’t. But I do think golf will lead them in a direction that is very, very positive. Some of the best people that I’ve ever met have been involved with golf in some way, shape or form through all these years.

Back to your original question: The excitement is no different (than when Irwin was a teenager); the levels of success are vastly different. These kids are probably far better than what we as juniors used to be. You could count on maybe two hands the number of kids that played effective junior golf in the state of Colorado. Now just in that room (at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve on Sunday afternoon), you had 20 kids that are extremely good. The success of these programs is of particular importance to all kids out there that can look to golf as a life-maker.

Q: Is there anything to be said for the way you did it, which was self-taught almost completely?

HI: There wasn’t anything available when I was a kid. There were some teachers around, but not like we have today. The equipment availability … The golf course availability just wasn’t there. How could I, in Boulder, go down to Cherry Hills, for instance, and ever play? I couldn’t. You bring up a good point. Sometimes it’s best to go out and learn the hard way. The school of hard knocks is really a good school to graduate from. But at the same time, I’m not saying this (the way it’s done now) is wrong, but I think there’s a good blend. These kids are challenged, as they should be. It’s just a different world in which we live. I don’t know if one’s right and one’s wrong, but I have a hard time not encouraging these kids to learn on their own. I think it’s very important that they learn who they are and what they can do at an early age so they’ll know what to do later on in life.

Q: This month 50 years ago you won the NCAA title (while a CU golfer). Twenty-five years ago, you went into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Aside from people like me asking you questions about it, do you ever sit back and take stock of your career?

HI: On occasion, I suppose, simply because I probably use it more to prove a point to somebody else. I’m not trying to prove a point to me. Actually, I’m not trying to prove a point, I’m trying to show a point — to show what you can do coming from let’s say the background from which I came, which was not all golf-oriented. You know the history. Am I proud of that? Absolutely. You mentioned the NCAA. I was just talking to a couple of guys up at Muirfield Village (where the Memorial was concluding on Sunday) a few days ago about that. Yeah, I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud that it kind of put Colorado golf on the map, so to speak. I don’t look at it as boastful. I look at it to learn from it. Use that (so) maybe these kids can learn from an example that you don’t have to live in Florida, you don’t have to live in Arizona, you don’t have to live in California to have golf and be successful at it. It can come from anywhere. While I’m proud of those points, I don’t dwell on them because I’d rather use those as a discussion point to leapfrog others ahead in their successes.

Q: The golfer that won the CoBank Colorado Senior Open the other day was Jeff Gallagher. Unsolicited, he said, ‘Boy, I’ve made it through about 20 years on various tours.’ But he brought up Tom Watson and you, and he marveled at the longevity you’ve had (as tour players). What’s been the key to that, other than maybe good genes?

HI: I don’t really know. My parents (Hale Sr. and Mame Irwin) were of that great generation. They had great qualities instilled in them through the hard times. They went through two world wars, the Great Depression. They grew up in Oklahoma; they had the Dust Bowl. They didn’t have anything. They taught me the value of having something. What I think I was able to carry forward was that discipline to take on the task and see it through. One of the things my dad taught me long ago was, ‘Don’t start something you can’t finish.’ As I look back on his life, that’s exactly what he did: He finished things off regardless of how monumental the task may be. I think that was one of the things that got me through football (at CU). Was that something I should have done? It was the only thing that was in front of me. Did I want to play? Well, I enjoyed it. I had great friends and I still love those teammates with whom I played. But I looked at it more as, ‘That’s how I worked my way through school to play the ultimate game, which became golf.’ But I learned a lot along the way. The tasks are not easy to be successful. That level of success is not given to everybody. You have to kind of earn it. Sometimes the hard way is the best way to do it.

Q: Given what Bernhard Langer has done in the last few weeks (two wins in senior majors, giving him 32 total Champions victories, which leaves him 13 behind Irwin), do you think he has a shot at your Champions career victory record?

HI: The way he’s going, he’ll do it this year (laugh). Bernhard is playing very well; there’s no doubt about it. If he does, he does. There’s nothing I can do about it except play better myself. The best golf I played in my life was when I was 52 and 53 years old so you can have success later in life, and Bernhard is playing very, very well right now. I have a hard time answering that question. Others say, ‘No, I don’t think it’s possible.’ I don’t think he’s going to win enough tournaments this year, and then next year he’ll be 61 (in August, 2018). All I can say is, there comes a time where your performance level does start deteriorating relatively rapidly. Not that he’s there yet. I think he’s still got a couple more years in front of him, but there are some really good players out there and their games will start kicking in. He seems to be peaking right now at the best possible opportunity. But we need somebody to step up and give him that challenge. But every time that happens, he rises to the challenge. I would applaud (him breaking the record) because I know hard it is to get there. If he were to do it, I’d be the first man to shake his hand.

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Three More Coloradans Qualify for Hale Irwin Colorado Junior: Prior to Irwin’s clinic on Sunday, a qualifying tournament was held for the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica, and 10 juniors were added to the field, including three Coloradans.

Qualifying on Sunday were six boys: Ryan Liao of Littleton (71), Darren Edwards of Loveland (73), Hayes Haydon of Austin, Texas (73), Justin Hopkins of Danville, Calif. (74), Isaak Ramsey of Peoria, Ill. (74), Charlie Hillis of Lincoln, Neb. (74), Bridger Tenney of Evergreen (75) and Matthew Adams of Los Altos, Calif. (75).

Two girls also qualified: Noelle Song of Stevenson Ranch, Calif. (75) and Trussy Li of China and Diamond Bar, Calif. (76).

After a Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament and practice rounds on Monday, the 54-hole tournament will begin Tuesday for boys and girls competitors age 12-19.

Among the top Colorado boys in the field are three NCAA Division I letter-of intent-signees: Griffin Barela of Lakewood (University of Wisconsin), Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction (University of Colorado) and Daniel Pearson of Longmont (University of Nebraska), though Pearson will be competing in 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying on Monday. Also in the boys field are 2016 3A state champion Oliver Jack of Denver, 4A winner Luke Trujillo of Colorado Springs, 5A champ Kyle Pearson (5A) and Davis Bryant of Aurora, a 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier and 2016 Colorado Junior America’s Cup team member.

On the girls side, two recent winners of state high school titles are entered: Hailey Schalk of Erie (3A) and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (4A). Also planning to compete is Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village, winner of the 2016 JGAC Junior Tour Championship.

In all, 96 players will be in the field.

For more information on the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica, CLICK HERE.

Three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, who lent his name to the event, will conduct a by-invitation-only clinic and Q&A for junior golfers and their families on Sunday afternoon (June 4) on the eve of the event, which runs Tuesday through Thursday.

Irwin, a graduate of Boulder High School and the University of Colorado, has won 20 times on the PGA Tour and a record 45 times on PGA Tour Champions. Before going pro, he won a state high school individual title, five CGA championships and the 1967 NCAA title while at CU.

Irwin’s clinic (he’s pictured during the 2015 AJGA event) will take place after Sunday’s qualifying tournament. On Monday, there will be a Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament and practice rounds, and the 54-hole tournament will begin Tuesday for boys and girls competitors age 12-19.

Among the top Colorado boys in the field are three NCAA Division I letter of intent signees: Griffin Barela of Lakewood (University of Wisconsin), Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction (University of Colorado) and Daniel Pearson of Longmont (University of Nebraska), though Pearson recently learned he’ll be competing in 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying on Monday. Also in the boys field are 2016 3A state champion Oliver Jack of Denver, 4A winner Luke Trujillo of Colorado Springs, 5A champ Kyle Pearson (5A) and Davis Bryant of Aurora, a 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier and 2016 Colorado Junior America’s Cup team member.

On the girls side, two recent winners of state high school titles are entered: Hailey Schalk of Erie (3A) and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (4A). Also expected to compete are Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village, winner of the 2016 JGAC Junior Tour Championship.

In all, 96 players — from 18 states and five countries — will be in the field.

For more information on the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica, CLICK HERE.
 

The CoBank Colorado Open made a big splash earlier this year when officials announced a doubling of the tournament purse, with first prize more than quadrupling, to $100,000.

But that certainly isn’t the only thing the Colorado Open Championships have done this year to make even more of a mark in the Colorado golf community.

On Friday, tournament organizers held the second of three junior clinics conducted by big-name professionals. In May before the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin did the honors at The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch in northeast Denver.

On Friday, leading up to this month’s Colorado Open, three-time PGA Tour winner Ryan Palmer did likewise at GVR.

And on Aug. 29, the same week as the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, 2010 U.S. Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer, a major promoter of The First Tee, will host kids clinic No. 3 at GVR. Hers most likely will be a girls-only affair.

“I think it’s a unique thing to do, and CoBank said they liked the first one (with Irwin) so much they’ll do this every year unless we come up with an even better idea,” said Kevin Laura, CEO of the CoBank Colorado Opens and of The First Tee of GVR.

The junior clinics were the result of CoBank becoming title sponsor of the Colorado Open Championships starting this year, and the company’s desire to make an impact on the local golf scene through the tournaments.

“They said, ‘We need to promote our involvement’ — what we call ‘activate their sponsorship,'” Laura said. “They said, ‘Why don’t you guys come up with some ideas?’ The first thing we thought of was bringing in some other name pros that have some ties to the Colorado Open or First Tee and use those for each of the three championships to try to get a kick-start. They loved that idea.”

So there was Palmer (pictured), ranked No. 70 in the world and winner of more than $20 million in his PGA Tour career, demonstrating his golf skills Friday at GVR in front of about six-dozen spectators, many of them kids, and answering questions about golf and relating to The First Tee’s nine core values. Before the clinic, he played about 10 holes at GVR, chipping in for eagle on the short par-4 seventh and driving it over the middle of the cross-fairway hazard from the blue tees on the ninth hole.

“There are so many things you can do from a charity standpoint for the younger generation of kids,” said Palmer, who will depart for the British Open on Sunday. “The smile you can put on these kids’ faces is unbelievable. And giving the kids a chance to play golf and a great place like (The First Tee facility and par-3 course) to practice and learn the game is neat. It’s a place where they can learn not only how to play the game, but the values of it. It’s pretty remarkable what (The First Tee and other similar organizations) are doing to teach these kids the game of golf, how to be a good person on the golf course and overall becoming a better person.

“The work they’ve done here is unbelievable. I saw the facility and it’s pretty cool what Pat (Hamill, the Colorado Open Golf Foundation founder) has done with The First Tee and here at Green Valley Ranch.”

Palmer learned some of the lessons The First Tee teaches through his dad back in Texas, a state he still calls come.

“What I learned from my dad growing up was to be the kind of person that treats people the right way and how to act on the golf course,” Palmer said. “That’s what he told me more than anything. When I’d get mad and frustrated, he was quick to bring me down. He’d get into me pretty good. ‘If you do that again, we’re done.’ You want kids to learn that. When you’re not playing well, at least they can act the right way and respect the game — and respect the people around you. The worst thing you can do is show your frustration and kind of make a fool of yourself.”

Palmer hasn’t spent a lot of time in Colorado, but he has good memories from the smattering of times he’s come to the Centennial State. He loved competing at The International at Castle Pines Golf Club and he finished fourth at the BMW Championship two years ago at Cherry Hills Country Club.

“To me The International was one of the greatest tournaments we played,” he said of the PGA Tour event that had a 21-year run, ending in 2006. “It was so much fun — the format — and Castle Pines in general is a cool spot for sure.

“I love Cherry Hills. It reminds me a lot of Colonial (Country Club in Fort Worth) where I’m a member. (Cherry Hills) was so much fun to play, the fans were unbelievable, and I had some success there, which was nice. It’s a great city, Denver. Hopefully we get to come back.”

Though Palmer has been a regular on the PGA Tour for about a dozen years, he played the mini tours for 2 1/2 years shortly after turning pro. That makes him appreciate what the Colorado Open is doing with its purse, going from $125,000 to $250,000 overall, and from $23,000 to $100,000 for the winner.

“That’s unheard of really,” he said. “The mini tours I played, your first-place check was $20,000, and that’s how it is today. It’s unheard of to have a professional event (in the U.S. other than the PGA Tour or the Web.com) have that kind of purse. That’s awesome. Once the word gets out, more and more guys will want to play.”

This year, Laura said among the players expected to compete in the Colorado Open are PGA Tour winners Jonathan Kaye (a former University of Colorado golfer), Parker McLachlin and Keith Clearwater, who finished third last month in the Colorado Senior Open.

Just as notably, the major purse increases have caught the attention of top players aspiring for Web.com and PGA Tour status.

“We’ve never sold out the (Colorado Open qualifying tournaments before) and we sold them out a month before the first one this year,” Laura noted. “The (demand) for wanting to get into this tournament has doubled, tripled, quadrupled.

“I think there’s going to be 30-40 guys who could win this year, as opposed to 20.”