In the West wing of The Broadmoor, there’s a hall of fame that includes an impressive photographic array of people of note who have visited the resort over the years.

There’s everyone from Arnold Palmer to Babe Zaharias, from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama, from Aerosmith to Liberace, from Bing Crosby to Bob Hope, from Mickey Rooney to John Wayne, from John Elway to Peyton Manning, and even from Ted Cruz to Hillary Clinton.

Such a site seemed an altogether appropriate venue for Saturday night’s Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor, which featured a who’s who of golf in Colorado — and beyond.

About 1,250 people attended the Gala, the culmination of a year of activities and initiatives held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CGA. Both the history and future of golf in the state were celebrated, with all proceeds benefiting the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf.

Jack Nicklaus — who won the first and last of his eight USGA championships in Colorado, the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills Country Club — was the headliner on Saturday. He noted that it was his first trip back to the resort since the 1960 NCAA Championships — and just his second since his career-launching victory over defending champion Charlie Coe in the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final 56 years ago. (Nicklaus is pictured above at the Gala and at left on the 18th green at The Broadmoor’s East Course.)

“I’m really pleased to have had the pleasure to have Colorado be such a large part of my golfing life,” Nicklaus said before a fireside chat with journalist Tim Rosaforte. “… I’ve been blessed to be able to (design or redesign 10) golf courses in Colorado (including Castle Pines Golf Club, site of the PGA Tour’s International for 21 years, with three other Colorado courses done by Nicklaus Design). I’ve had a blast coming here. I’ve had two or three homes in Colorado, skied a lot in Colorado and spent a lot of time with (President) Gerald Ford when he was here; what a man. What I’m trying to say is, we’ve had a great, great time in Colorado, and it’s nice to be back here this evening.”

Also in attendance Saturday were the president and executive director of the USGA — Thomas O’Toole and Mike Davis, respectively — along with John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Associaton, and Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

And, of course, there were the six Colorado golf People of the Century who were recognized on Saturday: Will Nicholson Jr. (Man of the Century), Judy Bell (Woman of the Century), Hale Irwin (Male Player of the Century), Barbara McIntire (Female Player of the Century), Charles “Vic” Kline (Golf Professional of the Century) and Dennis Lyon (Superintendent of the Century). (Five of the six are pictured above: from left, Kline, Bell, Nicholson, Lyon and Irwin. McIntire missed the event after feeling ill.)

To put things into perspective, there are six players in the history of golf to have won three or more U.S. Opens, and two of them were at the Gala, Nicklaus (four-time champ) and Irwin (three-time winner).

“We’ve got a five-time USGA champion in Hale Irwin,” O’Toole noted Saturday. “We’ve got the greatest major winner ever in Jack (Nicklaus). We’ve got two past presidents of the USGA (Nicholson and Bell). We’ve got a past chairman of the Women’s Committee (actually two in Bell and McIntire, in addition to Joan Birkland, who was also in attendance). We’ve got a many-time Curtis Cup captain in both Judy and Barbara. It was important for us to be here tonight.”

(For more about the People of the Century, CLICK HERE.)

And Nicholson, a longtime acquaintance of Nicklaus through the former’s longstanding roles with the USGA and the Masters, was responsible for getting the Golden Bear to headline Saturday’s Gala.

“Will has been an unbeliebable friend,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a great man and you’re lucky to have him in Colorado.”

Nicklaus’ fireside chat — covering his tournament, design and personal experiences in Colorado and beyond — was popular with the big crowd (left) at The Broadmoor.

Nicklaus has said in the past — and reiterated on Saturday — that the U.S. Amateur victory at The Broadmoor in 1959 was one of the most important in his career. He sank an 8-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to secure the first of his 20 major championships, if U.S. Ams are still considered majors.

“That’s probably the most important putt I ever made,” Nicklaus said. “In those days it was a major championship. What it did was it put me in a position where if I had to make a putt if I wanted to win something, I did. And winning breeds winning.

“The U.S. Amateur was the one that gave me the confidence to know that I could play, that I could do things under pressure. That was important to me.”

Nicklaus also noted that he defeated Robert Tyre Jones III, son of Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones, in the first round of match play.

Jones III told Nicklaus that he had called his dad and asked the elder Jones if he was going to come out and watch him. Bobby Jones asked who Jones III was playing. After being told it was Nicklaus, Bobby Jones told his son, “I’ve heard of him. No, I’m not coming out to watch you play 13 holes.”

And, noted Nicklaus, “We played 13 holes” in the Bear’s match play victory.

As for his performance in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, where he finished runner-up — as an amateur — to Arnold Palmer while being paired with Ben Hogan for the final two rounds …

“Probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my career was not to win that tournament,” Nicklaus said. “Had I won that tournament, I probably wouldn’t have put my nose to the grindstone and would not have wanted to get better. It brings you down to earth.”

But Nicklaus would win again in Colorado, both at the 1977 Jerry Ford Invitational, then prevailing by one shot at Cherry Hills over fellow former Ohio State golfer Tom Weiskopf in the 1993 U.S. Senior Open.

And though Nicklaus’ competitive golf days are now over — aside from periodic participation in the PNC Father-Son Challenge — he still isn’t done making his mark in Colorado. Just in recent months, he made alterations to numerous holes at the Castle Pines Golf Club course which opened in 1981.

“It’s a better course now,” Nicklaus said.

(For more about Nicklaus’ many accomplishements in Colorado, CLICK HERE.)

Odds and Ends from The Broadmoor: In tribute to Nicklaus for playing such a prominent role in the Century of Golf Gala, CGA president Phil Lane said that $25,000 will be donated to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. …

George Solich, a former Broadmoor caddie who provided the lead gift for the Colorado Golf Foundation three years ago, spoke at the Gala along with current University of Colorado Evans Scholar Josh Aguilar (left, next to Solich). Aguilar was a product of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, one of the beneficiaries of the Colorado Golf Foundation. Solich, a CU Evans Scholar alum, encouraged support of the Foundation and the programs it supports. …

About 20 Evans Scholar caddies from CU assisted with Saturday’s Century of Golf golf outing, held at The Broadmoor’s East and West courses, along with the Gala. …

Roughly 170 players participated in the golf on a mid-November day in which the temperature reached the mid-60s. Each threesome/foursome/fivesome competed Saturday by seeing if its net best-ball score bettered that of Jack Nicklaus during the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final in 1959 at the East Course. Also, each competitor had the chance to try an 8-foot birdie putt similar to the one Nicklaus sunk to win the Amateur on the 18th green at the East Course, with those making it being awarded a Century of Golf in Colorado poster created by artist Lee Wybranski.
 

But if 2014 tournament officials have any say in the matter, it may not be the last visit the championship pays to Colorado.

Earlier this month, it was announced that in 2013 the BMW Championship — a tournament whose sole beneficiary is the Evans Caddie Scholarship — will be played at Conway Farms Golf Club in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Ill. No major surprise there, as the BMW — and its predecessor, the Western Open — has been held in Illinois all but one year since 1962, though this September it will be contested at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind., so as not to crowd the Ryder Cup at Medinah near Chicago late that same month.

While the contract with Cherry Hills is a one-year deal, 2014 BMW Championship general chairman — and Cherry Hills member — George Solich (pictured) would like Colorado to be in the mix for future years as well.

“We’d love to have it back in Colorado, but nothing formal has ever been discussed,” Solich said regarding the BMW, the third event of the four-tournament PGA Tour playoffs. “If it goes well, Colorado is a tremendous market. It’s a great fit. It’s an exceptional time of year here (in early September), and you have 70 great players. What could be better?”

But if the BMW Championship, which dates back to 1899 as the Western Open, does return to Colorado, it would probably be at least several years down the road. Several Chicago media outlets report that the 2015 BMW may return to Conway Farms as both the club and the PGA Tour hold a contactual option.

The Illinois-based Western Golf Association, which administers the BMW Championship and the Evans Scholars Foundation, reportedly has an agreement that calls for the BMW to be played in the Chicago area at least every other year. Some Chicago media have speculated that the upcoming lineup for the BMW could be Conway Farms in 2015, Harding Park in San Francisco in 2016 and a Chicago site again in 2017.

But nothing beyond 2014 is set as WGA vice president of tournaments Vince Pellegrino noted that BMW’s contract only runs through 2014.

As for the 2014 BMW Championship, which is set for Sept. 4-7, Solich said it’s been decided that ticket sales will be limited to 27,000 per day to make the event more enjoyable for spectators.

“We want to provide the fans of Denver an exceptional golf experience,” Solich said. “For some perspective, the (2005) U.S. Women’s Open at Cherry Hills on the weekend was drawing over 30,000.”

The 2014 BMW will mark the sixth time an event on the PGA Tour schedule has been played at Cherry Hills, following three U.S. Opens (1938, ’60 and ’78) and two PGA Championships (1941 and ’85). But given the club’s strong commitment to caddies and to the Evans Scholarship, the 2014 event holds a special place for many at the 90-year-old course.

And Solich is a natural fit for general chairman given that he graduated from the Evans Scholars program at the University of Colorado, and he’s now a WGA director. With the Evans Scholars being one of the largest privately funded scholarships in the country — typically providing more than 800 full tuition and housing scholarships in any given year — proceeds from the BMW Championship make up 15 to 20 percent of the E.S. funding.

“It’s a great honor” to be general chairman, said Solich, a prominent figure in the oil and gas business. “To have one of the first Western Open/BMW Championships west of the Mississippi in the long history of the event is pretty neat.”

Even though the tournament is still 2 1/2 years away — and Cherry Hills is hosting another major event this summer, the U.S. Amateur — Solich and other 2014 BMW Championship organizers are busy laying the foundation for the Tour event stop. They’re building the organizations and setting the parameters on many fronts — spectators, hospitality, parking, security, government relations, player relations, etc.

One of the first items in the hopper is hospitality sales, which Solich said will begin this summer. Ticket sales, the other primary source of revenue for the tournament — and therefore, the Evans Scholars Foundation — will come later. Solich said the championship will be seeking 1,500 volunteers, but that solicitation probably won’t begin until early next year.

“Economically, this is going to be a very solid draw,” Solich said. “And obviously the better we do, the better the Evans Scholars Foundation does, so clearly we’re motivated.”

But Cherry Hills is making sure it has its ducks in a row. The primary priority at this point is the U.S. Amateur, which will be played Aug. 13-19 at the club, with CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora serving as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event Aug. 13-14.

“We have a great venue for a great championship,” Solich said. “And I’m equally proud to share the event with CommonGround.”
 

He caddied in the Chicago area beginning at age 12, and worked in various capacities at Windy City golf clubs for the next decade. He attended Marquette (undergraduate) and Northwestern (law school) — two universities with Evans Scholarship houses. And Bunch “hashed” (working food-service jobs for meals) alongside Evans Scholars during his university days.

And for almost the last 20 years, Bunch has held a variety of volunteer leadership positions for the Western Golf Association, which administers the Evans Scholarship for caddies.

“Caddying is in my DNA,” Bunch said. “I’ve had a close relationship with caddying  and the Evans Scholarship since I was 12 years old.”

And now, Bunch (pictured in USGA photo) is taking his love of the program to another level. The Denver resident and former USGA Executive Committee officer will become chairman of the WGA as of Jan. 1. Bunch, who likely will serve two one-year terms in the volunteer post, believes he’ll be the first WGA chairman from Colorado. He’s lived in the Centennial State since 1970.

“I’m passionate about this (Evans Scholar program) and am glad to help in any way I can,” Bunch said recently while on his way to Chicago for a year-end WGA meeting. “The (Evans Scholar) kids are so amazing. Their stories (about overcoming adversity) break your heart. It feels great to give back to the program. This is an extraordinary honor personally and in all other ways.”

The Evans Scholarship, which has sent deserving caddies to college since 1930,  is a cause near and dear to the heart of many golfers across the nation, including Colorado. The Eisenhower-Evans Scholarship at the University of Colorado is one of the flagship programs of the CGA and CWGA, who partner with the WGA in sponsoring the Scholars at CU. Through CGA and CWGA bag-tag sales, and Par Club contributions, Colorado donors fully fund the year-to-year scholarship cost at the CU Eisenhower-Evans house.

There is more to the WGA than the Evans Scholarship. The association also hosts three prestigious golf championships — the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, along with the Western Amateur and the Western Junior. But the scholarship is certainly at the heart of the organization.

To show how much the Evans Scholarship and the WGA mean to Bunch, one of the reasons he gave up one of the most powerful positions in golf was to devote more time to the WGA. Bunch, a former practicing lawyer who now works for a private-equity firm, served on the 15-member USGA Executive Committee from 2003 to 2010. At one time or another, he was chairman of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, Finance Committee, Grants Committee and Bob Jones Award Committee, as well as secretary of the Executive Committee.

“I wasn’t particularly active (with the WGA during the USGA years), and the WGA asked if once I was off the Executive Committee if I’d like to play a larger role,” said the 69-year-old Bunch, who has been vice chairman of the WGA the last two years. “One of the reasons I left the USGA was to support the WGA. The USGA was a great time and a wonderful experience, but this is good for the soul.”

Over the last 81 years, more than 10,000 caddies have been awarded Evans Scholarships, and at any given time more than 800 young men and women are on scholarship. Most attend one of the 14 universities where scholarship houses are located, and a 15th in the Pacific Northwest is planned. The program’s annual operating budget is approximately $12 million.

Scholarships are awarded based on four criteria: excellent caddie record for a minimum of two years, strong academic achievement, financial need, and outstanding character and integrity. Nationwide, 90 percent of incoming Evans Scholars go on to graduate.

The Evans Scholarship is one of the largest privately-funded scholarships in the nation. It was established by Charles “Chick” Evans, a former caddie who won a U.S. Open and two U.S. Amateurs. At CU, the scholarship has its roots in the early 1960s and it’s formally called the Eisenhower-Evans Scholarship because the CGA-founded Eisenhower Scholarship for junior golfers merged with the Evans Scholarship in the late 1960s.

Bunch, WGA president and CEO John Kaczkowski, and the association’s volunteer leadership and staff certainly face some major challenges going forward. Among the most significant ones are raising ever-increasing amounts of charitable contributions as college tuition costs skyrocket, and fostering caddie programs at a time when courses and clubs often rely heavily on revenue from cart rentals.

As for promoting caddying, Bunch simply asks golfers unfamiliar with taking a caddie to give it a try.

“Golfers who have never used a caddie, then do it, they find it’s the best way to play the game,” Bunch said. “When they have a caddie, they get it. And they’re helping kids in the process.”

As for meeting increasing scholarship costs, Bunch said the WGA has done a good job of finding new sources of charitable revenue. And Bunch may be able to help take that up another notch.

“I know a lot of people all over the golf world (in large part because of his days on the USGA Executive Committee),” he said. “I hope to bring those contacts to bear.”

In fact, Bunch not only is aiming to provide Evans Scholarships to roughly the number of kids the program does now, but he hopes to gradually increase that total.

Though Bunch thought at the time that his parents made too much money for him to qualify for the Evans Scholarship five decades ago, he now wonders if he might have been mistaken as he had a blue-collar upbringing in inner-city Chicago and the surrounding area. In any case, he certainly filled most of the qualifications asked of Scholar applicants.

Bunch began caddying at age 12 at the Glen View Club — “when the Labor Department showed up, the (underage) 12- and 13-year-olds would go hide in the woods,” he said with a laugh — then he took up occupational residence at Evanston Golf Club beginning at age 14. Over the next eight years there, besides caddying, he worked in the golf shop, fixed club, tended bar — you name it — to help put himself through college.

It’s a time Bunch looks back upon fondly — especially his days as a caddie.

“It’s a wonderful job, caddying,” he said. “You learn a lot about human nature in those 4-4 1/2 hours you’re out on the course. And it’s good for the community to have caddie programs.”