On Tuesday, when Furyk chose Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau as three of his captain’s picks for the Sept. 28-30 matches in suburban Paris, he also named Duval (left) as one of his vice captains.

Duval, once the top-ranked player in the world, now is primarily known for his work as a golf analyst on the Golf Channel.

“He brings a lot to the table,” Furyk said of Duval, with whom he teamed in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April. “One, he comes from a different perspective. Two, he doesn’t sugarcoat things. David’s a good friend but he’s blunt and he’s honest, and I want him to be that way. I don’t want him to be the yes man.

“He has a significantly good relationship with a number of guys on the team, Tiger being one of them, that I felt like he was going to be really good as a vice captain. And it’s gone over really well.”

Other vice captains named on Tuesday were Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar. Woods was once a vice captain, but played his way onto the team, opening an assistant’s spot for Furyk.

When Duval was offered the role last month, “I was shocked,” he said. “I really didn’t expect that. It’s something I would have wanted to do and glad to be doing, but I just felt like it was something that was too far down the road. It was hard to see how (Woods) wasn’t going to be playing, and (Furyk) wanted to bring somebody in that knows Tiger well and everybody’s comfortable with and can alleviate him of some of those extra duties he would have to have been shouldering.”

Duval, a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour, has lived in Colorado almost continuously since late 2003, with the exception being a brief move he made back to his longtime home state of Florida, before returning to the Centennial State within the last year.

Eric Wilkinson had to take a moment to compose himself when the question was posed to him.

How hard is it going to be leaving the CGA?

“I’ll try to do this without choking up,” Wilkinson said this week. “I knew right away when I came here in 2008 that this was a real special place to work. (Executive director Ed Mate) created a great environment and you have great people to work with. I had an unforgettable seven years with the association, growing in my career and personally. Working in golf is great, and working with a group like this makes it real special. But it makes it that much harder when it’s time to leave.”

That time for Wilkinson is now as his final day as the CGA’s director of junior competitions will be Tuesday (Feb. 24). Wilkinson will be headed north — specifically, to Minneapolis — where he’ll become championship assistant with the 2016 Ryder Cup, which will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in suburban Minneapolis. Wilkinson (pictured above with junior player Jake Staiano) will work under Ryder Cup championship director Jeff Hintz.

Wilkinson is making the move primarily for family-related reasons. His wife of less than six months, Ashley, previously worked in Minneapolis and has friends there and family not far away in Wisconsin, where she grew up. And Eric is from Cleveland, so the move will get the couple closer to his family as well.

“There are a lot of personal layers to this,” Wilkinson said. “We want to start a family and be closer to our families. This has always been in the plans for us, but it happened a lot quicker than I thought it would over the last month and a half. All of a sudden we had two job offers. Our heads are still spinning a little bit. It hasn’t really set in that I’m leaving the (CGA).”

The CGA has been Wilkinson’s career home since he earned a USGA P.J. Boatwright Internship with the association in 2008. In January of 2009, he became a full-time staffer as manager of member services, and he worked closely with Gerry Brown, the CGA’s director of handicapping and course rating. Wilkinson provided handicap support, worked on course ratings and helped grow membership.

In the latter part of 2011, when then-director of youth programs Dustin Jensen moved back to North Dakota, Wilkinson took on his current role as director of junior competitions. There, he’s made an impact through ongoing interaction with many CJGA players over the last three-plus years.

“I’ll really miss working with juniors and their families,” Wilkinson said. “You develop so many relationships in junior golf. Outside of leaving the staff, it’ll be the hardest leaving those relationships.

“A lot of the memories I have are from the tournament season. Every day, you’re outside and working with staff, volunteers, junior players and parents. And every day is an exciting new adventure on the golf course. It’s been great.”

Like Jensen before him, Wilkinson made an impression with the junior players and was very well liked.

“Eric has been a great team member,” Mate said. “He’s really added a lot to the junior golf program, he’s learned a lot, and he’s going to be missed. But I’m thrilled for him. I’m glad he’s staying in golf. He’s a great golf administrator.”

Over the past three years, Wilkinson has captained the Colorado boys Junior America’s Cup teams. He’s also been the CGA’s point man in conducting the Used Club Sale at the annual Denver Golf Expo — a role he’s playing again this weekend at the Denver Mart. Over the last two years combined, the Used Club Sale has netted more than $32,000 for junior golf development programs. And he’s added value to the CJGA membership through, by example, entering into a partnership with the Colorado Rockies which can pay dividends for CJGA members.

Mate said that, given the timing of the departure, the CGA won’t hire a new director of junior competitions until after the tournament season concludes. In the meantime, Jensen, who recently rejoined the CGA staff as managing director of operations, will help handle the responsibilities, along with other staffers and interns, including new CJGA summer intern Ashley Barnhart. As director of operations, Jensen already has been overseeing the CGA/CJGA junior competitions, along with rules and competitions, and course rating and handicapping.

Before his recent 3 1/2 years at the University of Jamestown, where his multi-faceted job included coaching the men’s and women’s golf teams, Jensen spent seven years as a popular director of youth programs for the CGA.
 

Phil Mickelson has enjoyed considerable success in Colorado, so it’s little wonder why the thought of competing in the state for the first time in eight years whets his competitive appetite.

When the BMW Championship begins Thursday at Cherry Hills Country Club, the 44-year-old will be returning to the site of his only USGA championship triumph, the 1990 U.S. Amateur.

But Mickelson’s Centennial State success goes far beyond that. He won a college tournament, the University of Colorado-Fox Acres Invitational in Red Feather Lakes, about a month after his U.S. Amateur victory at Cherry Hills. And he captured two PGA Tour titles at The International at Castle Pines Golf Club, in 1993 and ’97.

And though he didn’t win the Colorado Open, Mickelson finished third and took low-amateur honors in 1989, then placed 10th in 1990.

“I had some success there, and I’ve always loved playing at that altitude and playing the golf course there (Cherry Hills),” Mickelson said before departing for Denver. “I have a picture of every hole painted in my mind from 24 years ago, and I’m so excited to go back there.”

When Mickelson won at Cherry Hills, he completed a 1-2 that no one had since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 — claiming titles in both the NCAA Championships and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.

Besides having had success at Cherry Hills, the history of the site makes Mickelson look forward to his return all the more.

“From (Arnold) Palmer driving the green on 1, to (Ben) Hogan backing up his wedge on 17 (both in the 1960 U.S. Open), there’s been so much history that took place there that you can’t help but feel it,” Mickelson said.

That 1960 U.S. Open remains among the most memorable in history, as Palmer won the tournament for the only time, shooting a 65 in the final round to do it. And he fended off a 47-year-old Ben Hogan and 20-year-old amateur Jack Nicklaus.

Thirty years later, Mickelson claimed the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills by defeating former University of San Diego High School teammate Manny Zerman 5 and 4 in the 36-hole final. Against Zerman, Mickelson made 10 birdies and played 32 holes in 4 under par.

At the time, Mickelson certainly didn’t lack for confidence — and he wasn’t afraid of showing it. For example:

— A quote from him during that U.S. Am: “I’m playing as good as I’ve ever played. Every facet of my game is 100 percent right now. Whoever I play, I’d be intimidated (if I were them). So why shouldn’t they be?”



— In his round-of-32 match, Mickelson had a 2-foot putt for birdie on No. 1, while his opponent, Jeff Thomas, had a 25-footer for par. Mickelson conceded Thomas’ putt.

“He didn’t give me a putt all day,” Mickelson later said of Thomas. “I just didn’t want him to go and (take the time) to line up the putt.”

As Mickelson later told USGA.org in recalling the event, “I’ll never forget the look that he gave me (after Mickelson conceded the long putt). It was just funny.”

Mickelson, now a five-time major championship winner and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, has only been back to Cherry Hills once since his victory, and he didn’t play golf on that lone occasion.

Mickelson returns to Cherry Hills having not won since the 2013 British Open. His only top-10 of the 2013-14 PGA Tour wraparound season has been his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship last month.

“I’m not disappointed with the way I’m hitting the ball or putting or anything,” he said. “I’m just not really focused that well. But (this) week at Cherry Hills is a course that I’ve been looking forward to going back to for years since they announced it. I’m really looking forward to getting back there, and so my motivation is extremely high to go play well there.”

A Matter of Scoring: There’s been much guessing — educated and otherwise — as to what the PGA Tour’s best players will shoot at Cherry Hills this week at the BMW Championship. At 7,352 yards and at a mile-high altitude, the course is short by PGA Tour standards, but it has ways of baring its teeth.

For his part, Graeme McDowell can see anywhere from 10- to 20-under par winning the event this week.

“I think the scoring will purely be based on how firm this golf course becomes,” he said Tuesday. “It it’s soft (conditions) I think you’re talking 20 under par. If it’s firm, you’re probably talking between 10 and 15 under par. And by the look of things, it’s going to be firmer.”

Ryder Cup Picks in BMW Championship Field: Both the U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams were finalized on Tuesday with the captains making their wild-card picks. And 18 of the 24 players who will compete Sept. 25-28 at Gleneagles in Scotland will also play at this week’s BMW Championship at Cherry Hills.

All 12 members of the American team will be at Cherry Hills: Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth (above), Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson.

Half of the European Ryder Cup team is in the BMW Championship field: Sergio Garcia (below), Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.

Favorable First Impression: Former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell likes what he saw in his first round or two at Cherry Hills.

“I just think there’s a lot to this golf course,” he said. “It’s got some length in places. It’s got some driveable par-4s. It’s got a real good balance to it. I love what BMW will do with the golf courses that they take us to. They’re real classic American courses, as opposed to some of the bombers’ tracks that we go to nowadays.”

Evans Scholars Cup a Boon for Scholarship: Monday’s Evans Scholars Cup at Cherry Hills raised more than $500,000 for the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing scholarships to qualifying caddies who demonstrate financial need. The Evans Scholars Foundation is the sole beneficiary of the BMW Championship.

A total of 108 golfers participated in Monday’s event, and the Evans Scholars from the University of Colorado served as caddies.

Among the money raised for the Evans Scholars was $51,700 from the CGA through a raffle which awarded a $12,000 spot in Wednesday’s Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am at Cherry Hills. (READ MORE HERE)

In addition, the participating CU Evans Scholars donated more than $5,000 to the program through caddie fees and tips they earned on Monday.

CBS golf analyst Gary McCord was among those who attended the post-Cup reception.

“I remember playing the Western Open at Butler National, and that was when they had all of these kids — Evans Scholars — as caddies,” McCord said. “Some years later, I got a letter from the kid that caddied for me. He talked about how much it meant for him to caddie for me. Then he told me he was now a judge. I mean, are you kidding me? That’s incredible.”

As part of the Evans Scholars Cup, CU freshman Evans Scholar Peter Evans, from North Little Rock, Ark., received the 2014 PGA Tour Chip Beck Evans Scholars Award.

Each year, outstanding freshmen from the program are chosen to be Chip Beck Scholars based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, caddie record and interest in golf.

Trying Out the Persimmon: 2013 BMW Championship winner Zach Johnson indicated it’s unlikely he’ll try to drive the 346-yard first hole during this week’s tournament. But before heading out to the course for Tuesday’s practice round, he said he was planning to try out a persimmon driver similar to the kind Arnold Palmer used in driving the green on the par-4 en route to a final-round 65 and a victory in the 1960 U.S. Open.

“I’m going to try persimmon, from where Mr. Palmer hit back in the day,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to have a chance (to hit the green), but I’ll do it for the fun of it.”

Rory McIlroy and other contestants also gave it a go with persimmon woods — and balata golf balls — on No. 1, but failed to hit the green.

Notable: Among those in attendance Tuesday was Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (pictured at left with BMW Championship general chairman George Solich). … McDowell is returning to the FedExCup Playoffs after taking last week’s tournament off to attend to the birth of his first child, daughter Vale Esme, on Aug. 24. “It was a very, very special sort of milestone in my life,” he said. … McDowell already likes what he sees from the crowds at Cherry Hills: “I love coming to these parts of the world where the fans haven’t seen any (Tour) golf for a long time and I feel like they get the buzz. They get up for it. There were good crowds already today. It should a pretty exciting week.”
 

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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. 3: Gardner-Heidrick Pro-Am with tee times from 7-9 a.m. and 12:10-2:10 p.m. off the first and 10th tees.
Sept. 4-7: Championship rounds, with Thursday and Friday tee times from 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. off the first and 10th tees, and Saturday and Sunday tee times from 9-11 a.m. off the first and 10th tees.

Gates Open — 6:30 a.m. Sept. 3; 10 a.m. Sept. 4-5; and 8 a.m. Sept. 6-7.

TV Coverage — Sept. 4-5: 2-6 p.m., Golf Channel; Sept. 6: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Golf Channel and 1-4 p.m., KUSA (9); Sept. 7: 10 a.m.-noon, Golf Channel and noon-4 p.m., KUSA (9).

Tickets — Tickets will not be sold on site, only online. CLICK HERE. 

PGA Tour Players Short Game Clinic — CommonGround Golf Course, located at 10300 East Golfers Way in Aurora, near the intersection of Havana and 1st Avenue, will host a PGA Tour Players Short Game Clinic on Sept. 3 at approximately 5-6 p.m. The event is free and open to the general public. Two PGA Tour players — to be determined — from the BMW Championship field will be the focus of the event.

Thursday/Friday Tee Times: For Thursday and Friday tee times, CLICK HERE.

Wednesday Pro-Am Tee Times: CLICK HERE.

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 concludes on Sept. 1. There will be 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-in-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.

Parking — Free parking is available at 1 Highfield Parkway in Englewood, with free shuttle service provided to the main entrance at Cherry Hills CC. Free parking for BMW owners will be provided at 6145 Happy Canyon Road in Denver, with shuttle service to the course. (At Cherry Hills, the BMW owners’ pavilion is located between the seventh and 14th holes; owners need only show their BMW key for access).

Autographs and Cameras — Only permitted on Sept. 2 and 3 during the practice/pro-am rounds.

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.) 

In the world of professional golf, the former University of Colorado defensive back is focused exclusively on success more than most of his cohorts. And by success, we mean winning tournaments.

While PGA Tour players can make a very nice living without winning, getting close isn’t good enough for Irwin, a three-time U.S. Open champion. It isn’t now and it never has been.

“I still have the desire to succeed, and I’ve always felt success is measured by what you’ve done in the win column, not top-10s,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle recently. “We’ve romanticized the top 10. (David) Letterman put the top 10 out there, and now that’s all we talk about. On the PGA Tour, guys finish in the top 10, make a ton of money and think they’re great players. In my era, you had to win. We didn’t settle for anything else.”

With that in mind, the 2012 PGA Tour season tees off this week with a tournament that features no one but 2011 Tour champions. The Hyundai Tournament of Champions runs Friday through Monday (Jan. 6-9) on the island of Maui in Hawaii.

Among the 28 players in the field is former Colorado State University standout Martin Laird (pictured), who in recent years has been by far the most successful PGA Tour player with major Colorado connections.

Laird, who recently turned 29, has had a very impressive run the last 2 1/2 years. He’s won twice during that stretch, including at the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational, which qualified the Scot for the Tournament of Champions. In addition, he’s finished second three times (twice in playoffs), and in the top five eight times during that stretch. And that’s just on the PGA Tour.

That run has pushed Laird up to 47th in the World Golf Rankings, and he placed a career-best 23rd on the Tour’s 2011 money list.

But while Laird’s climb up the golf ladder landed him spots in all four major championships last year, one thing he hasn’t yet accomplished is his focus going into 2012. The native of Scotland wants to compete for the European side in the Ryder Cup matches for the first time. This year’s Ryder Cup is set for Sept. 28-30 at Medinah Country Club near Chicago.

In fact, to help his chances, the Scottsdale, Ariz., resident has become an affiliate member of the European Tour this year. But he won’t play his first European event until May, so he’s counting on a fast start on the PGA Tour to aid his cause.

In the first three months of last year on Tour, Laird recorded a win and three top-five finishes.

“The goal is to get off to that kind of start again and be on the Ryder Cup radar before coming back over to Europe to show that I want to make the team,” Laird said Wednesday in Hawaii. “If I go out and start the new season like I did last season then there’s no reason why I can’t keep that form up through the summer.

“I know I have to earn it, and I want to show that I want to be on that team and that I’m good enough — if not to earn it on points, then to warrant a (captain’s) pick.”

Laird is attempting to become the first Scot to play in the Ryder Cup since Colin Montgomerie competed in the 2006 matches.

“You look at the potential team, (and there are) 20 guys who have a legitimate shot at making the team,” Laird noted. “It is a stacked team and you can’t say there’s a guy who doesn’t deserve to be on that team. It’s as hard to make that team as it’s ever been. But I look forward to the challenge. It’s a big one.”

This week will mark the second Tournament of Champions for Laird, who placed fourth in 2010.

Laird is the only player with significant Colorado ties to qualify for the PGA Tour’s season opener.

Only one other “local” golfer finished among the top 100 on the 2011 Tour money list as Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe placed 51st. Kevin Stadler, like Jobe a Kent Denver High School graduate, also retained his Tour card by placing in the top 125 on the money list.

The rest of the local contingent has more tenuous status on Tour in 2012. Thirteen-time Tour champion David Duval of Cherry Hills Village will rely on sponsor exemptions after finishing 152nd on last year’s money list. Two-time Tour winner Jonathan Kaye, a former CU golfer, made only two Tour starts in 2011. And Parker resident Shane Bertsch needs to earn at least $241,285 in his season opener to meet the terms of his medical extension and keep his fully-exempt status on Tour.