Before we bid adieu to 2018, we have one last bit of unfinished business regarding our year-end retrospectives.

Yes, it’s time to revisit some of the most memorable, insightful, profound and/or funny quotes of 2018 from the world of Colorado golf.

In other words, our most notable quotables.

Here are our picks for 2018:

— Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz on qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor:

“I don’t know if there’s a cloud higher than Cloud Nine, but that’s where I feel like I’ve been.

“It’s probably the No. 1 thing that I’ve ever accomplished. 

— Then-State Senator Lucia Guzman said after fellow Senator Jack Tate read a tribute to golf during Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol:

“Golf is a good thing. It’s good for the economy. It’s good for the soul, so get out and do it.”

— Former University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi, who has never competed in a USGA championship other than the two U.S. Women’s Opens for which she’s qualified:

“It’s the biggest tournament. I feel like I’ve had a big jump. I feel like I’m missing the (USGA) in-betweeners. I think it’s weird.”

— Former CWGA/CGA president Juliet Miner (above), on being honored as the CGA women’s volunteer of year:

“I’m a comer, I’m a doer, I’m a participant.”

— Retired District Judge Tom Kennedy on winning the Jim Topliff Award as the CGA’s on-course rules official of the year in late 2017:

“I think it was a pretty easy transition for me because I spent my entire adult life dealing with the law, dealing with the rules and learning how to understand them and apply them to the factual situation that existed at that time. As I told people when I first started doing this, ‘I’m used to calling balls and strikes. That’s what I’ve been doing all my adult life.'”

— Oswaldo Morales, a Coloradan who received the full-tuition and housing Evans Scholarship for caddies in 2018:

The Evans scholarship will “not make A difference in my life, but THE difference.”

— An article in azcentral.com, the digital home of The Arizona Republic newspaper, on the social media phenomenon that is Paige Spiranac, who grew up in Colorado and won the 2015 CWGA Match Play title:

“She picked up her first individual win in years, and checked her phone as she walked off the course, assuming the stream of texts was to congratulate her. Then she checked Instagram.

“Thousands of people had followed her. As she searched for explanation, a friend texted her a link to an article on (name redacted), a website devoted to frat parties and college girls. Spiranac clicked the link. The bro-targeted site had declared, “The Whole World Is About To Fall In Love With Paige Spiranac,” complete with a dozen photos and a link to her Instagram account.

“… Thousands of more people found her and followed Spiranac. She told her sister she just wanted a ‘K,’ to see her follower count tick from ‘9,999’ to ’10K.’ That happened in a few hours. Then it kept climbing.

“Twenty-thousand. Fifty. By the next day, she had more than 100,000 followers.”

— Three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, who grew up in Boulder, on the end of an era regarding 18-hole playoffs at the U.S. Open:

“It’s not a surprise, frankly. I’m sure there have been a lot of opinions expressed to see a winner determined on Sunday, be it fans or media or Fox Sports, which is paying umpteen millions to broadcast the U.S. Open. I think tradition had to take a backseat here to the times we live in.”

— CGA executive director Ed Mate, at the Women’s Annual Meeting regarding CGA/CWGA unification, which took place a year ago:

“We’re just better together. It’s that simple.”

— Mate, in an interview with We Are Golf, on caddying:

“Caddying embodies some of the most important and fundamental attributes of our sport that make it great. Golf is a game of a lifetime and caddying puts young and old together to share it. Golf promotes health and wellness and caddies make it more enjoyable for adults to walk and gets kids outside and away from their video screens. Golf is a social game; show me a group of four golfers with four caddies and I will show you eight people having a great time.”

— Three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jon Lindstrom (left), on learning he had prostate cancer in 2017, shortly after turning 50:

“It wasn’t on my radar at all, then all of a sudden it went from 0 to 100 with a (mortality) scare. I was telling everyone I golf with who are over 40 to go get the blood test at the very least during your next physical because you never know. I had no symptoms or family history of this.

“Now that I’m a prostate cancer expert (he said with a bit of a laugh) … Obviously I had cancer before I was 50 because it didn’t just happen overnight, so I’d recommend at least having the discussion of the blood test starting at 40. Obviously I had it at some point in my 40s. The earlier you get it, the more options you have. That’s the biggest thing. There’s several different routes you can go, but the sooner you know, the more options you have.”

— CGA executive director Ed Mate, on Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol, an opportunity for golf industry leaders to meet state lawmakers:

“We have to kind of keep chipping away at the image” of the golf industry, referring to the stubborn perceptions that it wastes water and resourses and is inaccessible. “There’s always going to be people who think golf is the Masters. I think it’s worked out well that we follow the Masters (for Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol). It’s a nice landmark date. That (venue and event) is unique. This (Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol) is about affordability, and not emerald green (grass) but environmental stewardship.”

— Colorado PGA execuctive director Eddie Ainsworth, on a growing number of rounds played, according to the Public Golf Course Rounds and Revenue Survey:

“As long as the weather cooperates, I think rounds should continue to increase. All the things that everybody is doing to grow the game — all the efforts to make golf more inclusive, what we’re doing with junior golf and trying to get more families out at the golf course, private clubs becoming more family entertainment centers to get the entire family involved — I think everybody’s efforts are paying some dividends.”

— Runner-up Alex Buecking, after Jon Lindstrom teamed with Richard Bradsby and became the first person to win the CGA Four-Ball title at least four times:

“I’m going to create a conflict for Lindstrom next year” for this event.

— Wake Forest golfer and Westminster resident Jennifer Kupcho, after winning the women’s NCAA Division I individual title a week after turning 21 and on her parents’ 35th wedding anniversary:

“It’s awesome. It’s so fun to have my teammates here. To win this on my parents’ anniversary is even better. I’m really excited for that.”

— A year after Davis Bryant and younger sister Emma Bryant jointly won all four Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors in 2017, they completed a sweep of the boys and girls 5A state high school titles in the same school year. Said Emma:

“After he won state we were like, ‘Oh that would be so cool if Emma won state too. That’s never happened before.’ I was like, ‘It could happen. I don’t know. I guess you’ve got to see where the cards fall.’ Getting the Bryant Slam was so cool, but us both winning state … Thinking who won state this season, it’ll be, ‘Oh, Emma and Davis Bryant, they both won state.’ That’s so cool. I’m not exactly walking in his footsteps; I’m kind of building my own path a little bit. But I’m going back to his path a tad bit.”

— Two players with 44 CGA women’s championships between them at that point — Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Kim Eaton and Janet Moore (left) — teamed up for the first time to win another in May at the CGA Women’s Brassie. Said Eaton:

“We have never, ever played together as partners. It’s kind of like a no-brainer, right?”

— Despite his stellar record as a player, World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, who grew up in Boulder, was pleasantly surprised to become a Memorial Tournament honoree, joining a group which includes many of the top players in history.

“I have a hard time putting myself in that category with the greats of the past, so I am absolutely delighted.”

— Colorado PGA professional Doug Rohrbaugh, on qualifying for his fourth U.S. Senior Open, this one at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs:

“Four times (in the Senior Open) is obviously amazing, but to play in your backyard … I’ve been thinking about this ever since I saw it was on the schedule — thinking how cool it would be to have family and friends come down. It’s huge.”

— Guy Mertz, on teaming with son Nick to win the CGA Parent/Child title:

“I’d put this up there with any of the wins I’ve ever had, maybe above them all. When you win with your son it means more than just winning by yourself.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, on qualifying for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open:

“This one is very special for me. Normally I don’t get too nervous for qualifiers. I was nervous for this one, and already I’m nervous for the tournament and it’s a month away. This is very special to play in the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open. It’s the biggest (USGA event) I’ve played in.

“My friend Ellen Port (a seven-time USGA champ) is exempt. And she said, ‘Janet, I want you to come out and watch.’ I said, ‘Ellen, I’m going to try to play.’ She’s like, ‘I’m sorry. I forgot.’ I’m anxious to text her and say, ‘Hey, I’m playing too.'”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe, on returning to the state to play the U.S. Senior Open:

“This has always been home so it’s nice to come back. I’ve got nephews and nieces that have never even seen me play golf. That will be kind of cool.”

— Jobe, on finishing fifth at the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor:

“It would have been so cool” to win in his old home state. “That was my goal. Two unbelievable chances (this and the 2005 International). It was out there for me. … I guess it wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t my day.”

— Fred Couples, on playing the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor:

“These greens, I think they’re (tougher) than Oakmont and Oakmont’s are the hardest greens I’ve ever seen. I think they’re brutal (here).”

Added Bernhard Langer, regarding the Broadmoor greens:

“They’re as severe as they get. Fred and I played in many Masters over the years. And they’re pretty severe and tough (at Augusta National). But these probably are another level still.”

— Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, on possibly playing his final U.S. Senior Open in the Centennial State:

“If it was (my last) — and we’re not saying that — being here around family and friends and the old stomping grounds, sure there’s a great deal of nostalgia here. Going into the clubhouse and seeing the old 1967 Broadmoor Invitation (a tournament that Irwin won), that brings back a lot of fond memories. At the same time, I’m not one that gets hung up in the history and what used to be. I’m more, ‘what can I do today?’ That’s kind of what drives my life now. I have a lot of history and a lot of it is great, but I don’t live my life in the past. I want to live my life in the present and the future.”

— Irwin, on the 15-over-par 85 he shot in the second round of the Senior Open at The Broadmoor:

It was “the worst round I’ve ever had as a professional.”

— Colorado PGA professionals Doug Rohrbaugh, on having the honor to hit the first tee shot at the 2018 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs:

“That was on my mind, it was. That’s kind of a cool deal to kick the thing off. I had my mom and dad sitting there, and a bunch of friends. I’m not going to lie — it kind of got to me a little. I got a little emotional about it.”

— U.S. Senior Open competitor Jerry Kelly, on jokingly being asked by fellow University of Hartford alum Tim Petrovic if he attended the school:

“I went to the school. I just didn’t go to class.”

— Russ Miller, director of golf at The Broadmoor, on the U.S. Senior Open there attracting 134,500 fans for the week:

“It’s amazing how well Colorado supports these things. It’s been proven over and over and over. That’s exciting.”

— AJ Ott of Fort Collins, on qualifying for the U.S. Amateur that was hosted by Pebble Beach:

“We grew up playing Pebble on the Wii and the Tiger Woods (video games) and stuff like that. That was always everyone’s favorite course. It will be really fun.”

— Tiffany Maurycy, after needing 20 holes in the title match to win the CGA Women’s Senior Match Play:

“I’m over the moon. I’ve now won state championships in New York, Vermont and Colorado. It’s a real feather in my cap. My dad is a golf pro and I come from a golfing family. This is a big deal, there’s no doubt. … This is it. I can’t believe that I won.”

— Guy Mertz, on rallying to qualify for the U.S. Senior Amateur for a second straight year:

“I guess it proves last year wasn’t a fluke. Two years in a row; it can’t be a fluke, can it? Maybe I’m decent.”

— Georgene McGonagle, who captained the Colorado Girls Junior Americas Cup team for four straight years in the 1980s, on the importance of the event, which this year was held at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen:

“I think this is probably one of the most wonderful things for young girls for their development. It’s something they’re going to remember the rest of their lives. They have to work with lots of other people. They learn the pressure of competition, which will suit them for any realm the rest of their life. (The GJAC) has to go on forever because it’s so meaningful and important for the development of those kids.”

— Dru Love, on what his father, World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III, told him over the phone before Dru won the CoBank Colorado Open in a playoff:

“He gave me some advice. He’s been in a lot of playoffs. He’s won a lot of them and lost a lot of them so he knows what he’s doing. He gave me some good advice. He just told me to get back my contact, get some confidence back and go beat ’em. Take ’em down. I went to the range and did what he told me. And under that much pressure I didn’t hit a single bad shot in the playoff.”

— Kyler Dunkle, on winning the CGA Amateur:

“To have my name on the trophy with a lot of other really good players (including Hale Irwin, Steve Jones, Brandt Jobe, Bob Byman and Wyndham Clark), that will be a cool thing. Growing up in Colorado, this is the tournament that a lot of people want to win. This is where all the best players in the state play.”

— Kristine Franklin after winning the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play while her dad George Hoos was battling leukemia:

“I really wanted to do this for my dad. I just can’t wait to tell my dad (about winning). I get so much joy from watching my kids play. I didn’t realize that back when I played that my parents got that much joy.”

— World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, on playing a round of golf at The Broadmoor with First Tee members from around the nation:

“The thing I do with my foundation is I tell people there’s no other sport like golf where you have great ambassadors like these young kids. These are the next generation of leaders or influencers — or whatever you want to call them. It’s so cool that they play golf. I think we really need to take advantage of these opportunities. I love being part of it — to see how focused these young kids are. I think they inspire me as much as hopefully I inspire them.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, on qualifying for her 28th USGA national championship:

“Which is really impressive until you hear Carol Semple Thompson’s 100-plus. Then it’s like, ‘Oh.’ I remember somebody said, ‘Janet, that’s so good.’ Then you go to the players’ dinner (at USGA events) and there’s 70, 80 and (Semple Thompson’s 100-plus). It’s a different league. There’s a whole different realm out there.”

— Patrick Reidy, on winning the Colorado PGA Professional Chamionship:

“Other than playing golf at (the University of Colorado in the mid-1980s), this is hands down the greatest thing I’ve ever accomplished in my golfing career. It’s great, seriously. It’s unexpected to be even having this conversation to be honest with you. To actually hold this (trophy) right now is absolutely crazy. It’s bringing tears to my eyes.”

— Robert Polk, chairman of the CGA Tournament Committee, on winning the CGA Senior Amateur at age 63:

“I’ve handed out trophies way too many times. I wanted to win. That was always painful. The older I get, the winning is wonderful but it means you didn’t lose. I take losing so much harder now, and I lose obviously a lot more than I win. It takes me a while to get over it. I think, ‘I left so many shots out there.’ You’d think I wouldn’t take it so hard. But to get it done is very exciting.”

— Sandra Young, on teaming with Louise Lyle to win the CGA Women’s Dunham Chapman Championship:

“It’s amazing. I’ve won a few smaller things, but not a state event. … I’m ready to pass out.”

— Kyle Danford, on pairing with David Johnson to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship:

“My wife is happy because the other three USGA events I’ve qualified for, she’s been pregnant. Now we’ve broken that little schneid so she doesn’t have to get pregnant any more for me to go to a USGA event.”

— Coloradan Jim Knous on qualifying for the PGA Tour by earning the last available card through the Web.com Tour Finals:

“It was a brutal day emotionally. I wasn’t quite sure how much my performance would affect the overall outcome. It kind of just depended on what everybody else did. That’s pretty terrifying. So I really just kind of did my best to stay calm and inside I was really freaking out and just super psyched that at the end of the day finished right there on No. 25.”

— Jack Nicklaus on Colorado Sports Hall of Famer and International founder Jack Vickers, who passed away in September:

“Jack was someone who cared deeply about the history and the traditions of the game of golf, and wanted to protect them for the future. Jack was always a huge supporter of the game — whether it was in Colorado or nationwide; whether it was the game played at the highest level or his support of grassroots programs. Simply put, Jack Vickers was very good for the game of golf. Jack was a good man, and very well-liked by all. Jack always handled himself incredibly well, and always with integrity. He was a very good man, and I”™m blessed to say he was my friend.”

— Fifteen-year-old Armando Duarte, a caddie for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy:

“Before I started (caddying), I never knew anything about golf. I thought golf was the most boring sport ever. Now, I’m back to playing it. I tried out for my high school team. I didn’t make it but I’m still playing. I think it’s a great thing to do. I got all that from caddying.”

— 2018 CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jared Reid, on being paired in the final round with Jon Lindstrom and Chris Thayer, who have won the championship five times between them:

“Teeing off with those two and they’re announcing all the times they’ve won the championship and runner-ups and everything like that. I’m like, ‘Geez, how am I going to do this today? Hopefully I get out of their way most of the time.'”

— 3A boys state high school champion Jackson Klutznick (pictured, with Bob Austin), on what his one-time tennis coach told him that led to him giving up high-level competitive tennis in favor of golf:

“He told me that when I’m playing tennis, I need to be hating the person on the other side of the net. I came down to the decision, I didn’t want to do that. That’s not me. In golf, you’re telling (your playing partners) they hit a great shot or an awesome putt. You’re not trying to bring them down. I thought that was a much more positive mindset to be in than trying to hate the person I’m playing against.”

— Colorado State University men’s golf coach Christian Newton on the 67 CSU freshman Oscar Teiffel shot at Colorado Golf Club in brutal weather conditions to win the individual title at the Paintbrush Invitational:

“That’s the best competitive round I’ve ever seen — under pressure, playing for the lead, shoot 67 in blowing snow and 35 degrees. That’s as good as I’ve ever seen.”

— Hale Irwin, a design advisor during the redesign and construction project at City Park Golf Course in Denver, after visiting the site in the fall:

“It is exciting to physically see the progress being made on the City Park Golf Course project. When completed, this will not only be a place for us all to enjoy now, it will be a place we would encourage our children to come and play golf. This project is a legacy for the future.”

— Former Waste Management Phoenix Open champion Kevin Stadler, a part-time Denver resident, on returning to the PGA Tour after a three-plus-year absence due to a hand injury:

“The whole thing was a mess. I was told it was a stress fracture. A year later I was told it was fully healed, but it kept getting worse. I stopped after having about 6-8 MRIs on it. They told me it was healed for nine months in a row and I was still having pain. They couldn’t find the answer for it. The pain finally got back to day 1 excruciating last summer (in 2017). I was told it was 75 percent broken. I’d seen six different hand surgeons — and they’re all in major league baseball. I had two out of maybe six or seven guys tell me I needed surgery initially and the other guys said not to. But it’s doing great now. I just need to figure out how to get the game back in working order.”

— Lauren Howe, on her reaction to being voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame:

“In the back of my mind, I knew it could be coming. And yet it still hit me … I’m tearing up now. It’s just so precious to me, especially having not played in a while and everything. It really hit me like a big wave.”

— Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, on finishing second at the LPGA Q-Series and qualifying for an LPGA Tour card once she graduates from Wake Forest in May:

“I’ve been shooting for this goal for so long that it’s awesome to just be able to go back to school knowing that I have what I’m going to do after college already in the bank.”

— CGA executive director — and USGA Rules of Golf Committee member — Ed Mate, regarding the Rules changes:

“I used to say to people who were not rules experts and would say, ‘I’ve got reasonably good common sense,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s not going to help you'” understand the rules. “It doesn’t help you. There was ‘rules common sense’, and once you became a rules expert and understood the philosophy behind it then common sense in that context would work for you. But unless you understood this, it didn’t help you. Now (with the changes), if you just have common sense, they make more sense — if that makes sense.”

— Rules official Bob Austin, on how he and his wife Christie, a former chairperson of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, enjoy studying about the Rules:

“Christie and I both joke about it. When we’re both studying for rules, we both have decision books on our bedside table. That’s sort of the standard joke with our rules officials. (Christie and I) will talk about situations that come up. She’ll ask me what I learned today. We actually talk about (the rules) a reasonable amount. As a past chairman of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, she has a great knowledge also. Every time we take the test together, we have a little bit of a friendly (competition). I hope she gets 100, but we certainly have a friendly rivalry about it. She’s academically smarter than I am, and it drives me crazy because I work a lot harder at it that she does. But she can get to the same level as I am in less time. It drives me crazy, but I’m proud of her for it.”

— Tiger Woods, recalling one of his more memorable holes-in-one, at the 1998 International: “TV crews here have to take a mandatory union break, and it was on No. 7 at Castle Pines. I hooped it. They showed me on the sixth green, take the union break. I hoop it on 7. They catch me up on the eighth fairway, par-5 up the hill. So that was probably one of the more funny ones, because it went in the hole on the fly and tore up the cup.”

— Former CWGA executive director Laura Robinson, who worked for the CGA this year, on retiring from the golf business:

“This has been the most rewarding three years of my career. I had to pull knowledge from every aspect of all my experience together — from accounting and finance, employment law, human resources, marketing, customer service (and) operations in order the lead the CWGA, then to integrate the two associations (the CGA and the CWGA). I think I’ve been very, very lucky to have this as the capstone to my career. It’s been so much fun. 

— Paul Lobato, PGA head professional at Meridian Golf Club, on the retirement of longtime CGA director of course rating and handicapping Gerry Brown:

“Gerry is a golf pro’s best friend.”.

— New CGA president Janene Guzowski, on her impression of women taking more leadership roles in Colorado golf:

“It’s a phenomenon, and to me it represents what happened last year with the historic merger of the CGA and the CWGA. Women are coming forward and people are giving us a chance to show everybody what we can do with golf in Colorado. It’s not strictly a man’s world anymore with golf or anything else for that matter. For us it’s an amazing growth and coming together in Colorado golf.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee and PGA Master Professional Danny Harvanek, who was the first PGA head professional at Bear Creek Golf Club, has earned the Colorado PGA Golf Professional of the Year honor three times, has received an award from the CGA for outstanding contributions to amateur golf, has authored eight golf books, has earned the PGA of America’s national Junior Golf Leader award and who planted the seeds that led to the highly successful Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program:

It’s been “a Walter Mitty life.”

And now, it’s on to 2019. …

Kids say the darnedest things. So do adults — and just about anyone affiliated with golf.

We’ve certainly found that to be the case in many years of covering the sport. And 2017 definitely was no exception.

Each December we go back through the year to compile some of the more notable quotables in Colorado golf, whether they be funny, insightful, profound, memorable or some combination thereof.

Here are our selections for 2017:

— Wyndham Clark, who grew up in Colorado, after earning a Web.com Tour card through Q-school, via Twitter:

“Officially have a job!”

— CGA executive director Ed Mate, on working alongside former CGA staffers Thomas Pagel and Pete Lis on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee:

“On a personal level, I take great pride in that. For a long time, Colorado has had strong representation with the USGA. And it’s nice because you can be candid with friends.”

— Peter Evans, one of the caddies on a full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship at the University of Colorado:

“It was a dream of Chick Evans. He believed in a bunch of poor caddies — and it turned out so well.”

— Coloradan Jim Knous after Monday qualifying for the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour:

“It’s going to be incredible. My college buddies and I … we all come down here and pile on 16 (the famously raucous par-3 at TPC Scottsdale), and get there super early and go watch and get rowdy. … To be on the other side, actually hitting shots, is going to be wild. I’ve yelled at my fair share of golfers on No. 16, and now I’m going to be the guy getting yelled at.”

— Mark Cramer, owner and operator of the Denver Golf Expo, on the 2017 show drawing 9,136 people, the most since 2014:

“It feels great. I’m very happy the number got over 9,000. When I opened the last cash box and (exceeded 9,000), I let out a huge primal scream.”

— Sarah Hirshland, senior managing director of business affairs for the USGA, speaking at the G4 Summit in Colorado about the changing business of golf:

“I genuinely believe — and I’ll go to my grave saying — that we are part of a moment in time in a sport that has hundreds of years of history and will survive for hundreds of years beyond all of us. I hope everybody feels as privileged to be a part of this as I do because at some point they will look back and say that was a decade-ish where the golf world changed and evolved, and it’s a really fun thing to be a part of. I hope all of you appreciate that. You may not yet, but one day I know we all will.”

— Mate, after the USGA and R&A announced a major set of proposed changes to the Rules of Golf. Mate serves on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee:

“It’s exciting to finally have the duct tape off my mouth because I’ve been sworn to secrecy the last two years.”

— Colorado Open Golf Foundation CEO Kevin Laura on the announcement that the first prize for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open was more than quadrupling and the overall purse doubling:

“We’re very excited that we’re a big girls’ game now.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Alan Abrams, the president of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, after receiving a $10,000 check for the organization from the CWGA:

“Our beginning year we were hoping to shoot, using a golf analogy, 1 or 2 over par. But we had an incredible sub-par round and ended up winning the tournament.”

— CWGA executive director Laura Robinson, on 2016 Volunteer of the Year Vivian Heggie:

“Vivian is the most dedicated, passionate, enthusiastic and nutsy person. She stayed out at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open qualifier for more than 10 hours in the rain and cold. We kept trying to rescue her. She is there when we ask her to be — helping the golfers and making sure everyone has a great experience.”

— CGA president Joe McCleary after a training session for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course:

“The way I look at CommonGround is it’s a lab for a lot of different programs related to golf, and this is one of them. We also have a chapter down at Meridian and we’re now into Grand Junction. And the model has been used for other places around the country. How can anyone argue with what we’re doing? I think it’s awesome, and I love being a part of it.”

— Clark on winning the Pac-12 Conference Championship in his home state at Boulder Country Club:

“It’s probably the best win of my career and it couldn’t have been in a better spot, playing at home in front of friends and family, which to me was the coolest part, and also winning a team championship. It’s pretty awesome. I’ve done a lot of preparation to get to this moment. I’ve thought about it, dreamed about it. Sometimes it’s a little surreal when it happens.”

— University of Oregon coach — and former college teammate of Tiger Woods — Casey Martin, on Clark, one of his players:

“Wyndham has just been a monster all year. He’s only had a couple of over-par rounds all year. He came home (to Colorado for the Pac-12 tournament) with all the pressure here and played beautifully. He’s a grinder and I love him.”
 
— CU men’s golf coach Roy Edwards, asked who helped the clear the Boulder Country Club course of snow (left) to make it playable for the final round of the Pac-12 Conference Championship:

“Anybody who was breathing that had a shovel.”

— Robinson, on being part of a Colorado golf contigent participating in the Colorado Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol, where golf administrators met with state representatives and senators:

“(The lawmakers) were getting to know the golf industry on a personal level. They were able to ask us questions and we answered, but they got to meet us — and that was valuable. It’s also valuable that we get to debunk a lot of the myths that some people have about the golf industry. They think that we use water (excessively), we waste resources, we pollute through chemicals, that we are inaccessible. I hope what we shared today through all the literature and the posters was that we are actually a good member of the community. If we even educated two or three people today, it was successful.”

— Doug Moore, who teamed with Raymond Kelley and won the CGA Senior Four-Ball after a day that featured rain, cold, snow and finally sunshine:

“I looked at (the three days) like a triathlon. We got out of the pool and we were doing well. We got off the bike and we were still leading. It’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got to go run a marathon — and it was going to be a marathon in bad weather.'”

— Keoni Johnson, a participant in a Golf in Schools field trip at CommonGround Gol Course:

“It was the best. I went to this mini-golf place and (after that) I always wanted to go golfing.” Asked what he learned from Golf in Schools and the field trip, Johnson responded, “How to hold the golfing stick properly and how to hit the ball properly because if you hit it wrong, it’s going to hit somebody in the head. And watch out for the head part because if it hits somebody’s head, you have to call 9-1-1.”

— Mate, on the redesign of Denver’s City Park Golf Course so that the site can include a stormwater detention area:

“It’s bittersweet. It’s where I grew up playing. With the nostalgia and all that, obviously it’s hard to see (the existing course) go away. But you have to be realistic. There’s a way to transform public property that incorporates very-much-needed (public safety-related changes) and modernizes the course like at (CGA-owned and operated) CommonGround. It’s sad to see the old course go, but I’m glad to see it used for the greater good of the community. If it was becoming a parking lot or a high-rise, it would be a different matter, but it’s staying a golf course.”

— Valor Christian boys golf coach Jason Preeo after he joined three of his former players in advancing to the final stage of U.S. Open Qualifying:

“I’ve got to keep up with those (former Valor) guys. We’ve had three of them get through, so I couldn’t let them show me up today.”

— Westminster’s Jennifer Kupcho, on qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open two days after losing a late lead and finishing second at the NCAA Championship Finals:

“I have to get over it at some point. It’s definitely a little hard to sleep at night, just realizing I was so close. But I’m going to the Open so … Open or win the national championship? Both would have been nice, but the Open is still cool.”

— Jeff Gallagher, after winning the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, on almost missing the registration deadline for the tournament:

“I’m good friends with Tom Krystyn, who lives here, and we were on the phone. I’m like, ‘Dang, that reminds me, I’ve got to register for the tournament.’ I think I did it about two hours before the deadline, and I’m sure glad I did. I nearly air-balled it.”

— World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, who grew up in Boulder, after conducting a clinic for juniors prior to the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, almost 50 years exactly after winning an NCAA title as a University of Colorado golfer:

“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.”

— Nick Nosewicz, on winning the CGA Parent/Child with father Lenny a year after the death of Nick’s grandfather Ed, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer:

“If it wasn’t for grandpa, neither of us would have played golf. If if wasn’t for grandpa, I wouldn’t have dad. So the whole tournament was pretty special. Honestly, I think the only reason we came up here was because of what happened last year, losing grandpa, and trying to continue the Nosewicz legacy. At a state level, that’s cool.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, after teaming up with Susie Roh to win her record eighth CWGA Mashie Championship. Moore has now won Mashie titles with three different partners (Christie Austin, daughter Sarah, and Roh):

“The strength of my game in Mashies is picking great partners. And I did that really well this time.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe, on winning his first PGA Tour-sanctioned event ever by claiming the title in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa:

Winning “is huge. I’ve been knocking on that door a long time. … To finally get a win means a lot. It’s hard. You’re out here to win, and I haven’t done as good of a job as I would have liked. This is nice. It’s a little bit of a relief.”

— Kupcho, a two-time U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, after winning her third consecutive CWGA Stroke Play title:

“It’s exciting to come out of Colorado and have everyone be super supportive of me. That’s probably a bigger deal than winning — just to know that everyone is behind me when I’m out competing on a national level.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton, in a year in which she won her 24th CWGA championship, leaving her one shy of the record held by Carol Flenniken:

“I’m doing it,” Eaton said of a full-bore pursuit of Flenniken’s mark. “I’m going to keep coming back. That’s my goal now.”

— LPGA Tour standout Lexi Thompson, at a First Tee kids exhibition in Denver, on the growth of golf among girls in her lifetime:

“It’s amazing. That’s what we want. We want to see little girls pick up a club early and get involved in the game because it is an amazing sport. You learn a lot about yourself. We want to grow the game, so it’s great to see. The thing I’ve noticed is the number of little girls wearing the program shirts or hats that are out following us. There’s so many little girls out following us and that’s what we want to see. We want to see smiles on their faces when we sign something for them or are giving them high-fives between holes. Knowing that they play the game as well, and we have an impact on that, it means the world to us.”

— Russ Miller, the PGA director of golf at The Broadmoor, which will host the 2018 U.S. Senior Open, the club’s eighth USGA championship:

“It gets easier (with the past experience), but there’s still so many things to do before the time comes. It’s like taking a test in college. You kind of know how to prepare, but you still have to study and do all the things beforehand. We always try to get better and you can always learn.”

— Liz Breed of Waynesboro, Pa., on winning the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open and the $50,000 first prize:

“I don’t think it’s set in yet. Call me in about two hours and I’ll probably be passed out in the street somewhere. This is probably the most proud I’ve ever been. I mean, 50 grand, that changes my life. That doesn’t just change my year, that changes my career.”

— George Solich, CU Evans Scholar alum and the namesake (with brother Duffy) of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course:

“What I really love about CommonGround in particular is we’re able to take kids from walks of life that have never been on a golf course and change their lives — either through the (Evans) Scholarship or otherwise. Not even 10 percent of the kids in this program are going to get the scholarship, so the goal is to impact the kids that don’t get the scholarship AND the kids that get the scholarship. Impact their work ethic, their character, their understanding of how to communicate and deal with adults — all the stuff we all learn from caddying. It’s really cool to be able to see how much impact (the program) has. … It’s exactly what we hoped.”

— Cherry Hills Country Club head professional John Ogden, 50, after defeating Rick Cole, 64, in a playoff to claim the title in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship:

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

— CGA Senior Amateur champion Steve Ivan, who plays his golf with 1993 Ram Laser Fx irons — of which he owns 13 sets. And he favors Royal grips and claims to own more of those than anyone in the U.S.:

“They call that OCD. The first step in recovery is admitting you’ve got a problem.”

— Davis Bryant (pictured at top with fellow JGAC Player of the Year Hailey Schalk), on winning all three Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors in which he competed in 2017:

“It’s been a season to remember. … It was a cool feeling to accomplishment as much as I did.”

— Larry Collins, PGA general manager and director of golf at TPC Colorado in Berthoud, which is expected to open roughly in June 2018:

The course “is phenomenal. It’s really a stunning piece of land. It sits on 800 acres, overlooking three reservoirs (Lonetree, Welch and McNeil) with about 1,500 acres of water — with Longs Peak and a panoramic view (of the mountains) in the background. The community is just going to be loaded with amenities. It’s very, very exciting.”

— Gerry Brown, the CGA’s director of handicapping and course rating, after helping rate TPC Colorado for the first time:

“From a bogey golfer standpoint, it’s a very scary-looking course with monstrous bunkers (left) ready to gobble up errant shots. … But there are very few trees and most of the OB is away from play. The fairways are generous. And the native is thin and wispy so you can play out.”

— Mark Passey, who retired this year as a Colorado-based regional affairs director for the USGA, noting that he caddied periodically for Frank Beard on the PGA Tour in the 1960s:

“Being inside the ropes is special. I thought, ‘I’d love to work at the USGA sometime.’ The fact that it happened is a miracle.”

— Dustin Jensen, the departing CGA managing director of operations, who will be relocating back to Jamestown, North Dakota:

“It’s hard to leave the CGA. I’ve grown up here (professionally). I grew up in Jamestown, but the other half of my life has been with the CGA. Leaving is tough. It’s really, really hard to go. I’m excited to get back and be around family. But I’ve got my Jamestown family and my CGA family.”

— Jensen, who played a key role in the early development of the highly successful Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado:

“I’m really excited to see where the Junior Golf Alliance goes. Multiple entities (the CGA, Colorado PGA and CWGA) came together and put kids first. That was the biggest thing I’ve been part of (professionally). The Alliance was good in year 1 (2016). It was really good in year 2 (2017). It’s going to grow exponentially from here on. Like Ed (Mate) has said, junior golf in Colorado is a North Star for other associations. We get emails from other associations asking how we’ve done it.”

— Mate, on the CGA and CWGA joining forces as one organization:

“I’ve been working for the CGA for a long time — over 25 years in stops and starts — and to me it’s the most significant thing we’ve ever done because I think it’s going to position golf and all the things we represent for the next 100 years.” 
 

And, as the end of the year nears, we’ll tell you what they said. In other words, it’s time for our look back at the most notable quotables of 2016 — from a Colorado golf perspective.
 
So here we go …

— Caddie Sydney Bates, interviewing for a full tuition and housing Charles “Chick” Evans caddie Scholarship to the University of Colorado:

“I always thought I’d be a drive-through person at Chick-fil-A, but I like this Chick better.”

— Former USGA president Thomas O’Toole, on Colorado Springs resident Judy Bell receiving the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award, during U.S. Open week:

“Judy is a towering presence in golf and her contributions to shaping the USGA can be seen to this day. … From her earliest days as an accomplished player through her tenure as USGA president, Judy has been a staunch advocate and diplomat for the game. Those mantles were always delivered with her unique kindness and infectious personality. Judy is a real treasure.”

— On-course TV reporter Dottie Pepper, speaking at the G4 Summit at The Broadmoor, where during the 2008 U.S. Senior Open she had one of the most harrowing moments of her career:

“How can I ever forget being chased by a bear?”

— Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and a former chairman of the “We Are Golf” campaign, speaking about golf initiatives in Colorado, including the new Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado:

“The state of Colorado has the foresight to bring together multiple associations for the common good of golf. What’s going on here in the state of Colorado needs to be replicated in a lot of other states as we try to combat some of the headwinds that golf faces. I think what you’re doing here today is a step in the right direction.”

— Longtime PGA Tour player Hal Sutton, speaking at the Denver Golf Expo in February:

“I think the Tour right now is in position to be really exciting to watch with a lot of good players. The Tour is better off right now is my point. … But I’ll throw one caveat into that: What if all of a sudden Tiger Woods was back on his game (and healthy)? There’s a lot of people that really like Tiger Woods, and there’s a lot of people who don’t. But the truth of the matter is, he adds a flare into the game that I think we miss a little bit right now.”

— Former Colorado Springs resident — and onetime USGA president — Judy Bell, on the CWGA celebrating its 100th anniversary:

“The CWGA is one of the most respected women’s golf associations in the United States. Its reputation has grown over the years right along with its membership. In all my years with the USGA, I was always very proud of the Colorado Women’s Golf Association.”

— Pat Hamill, founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, on the quadrupling of the first-place money for the CoBank Colorado Open:

“Getting first place to $100,000, it makes me want to go work on my golf game.”

— CGA executive director Ed Mate, speaking at the annual Caddie Summit in Colorado:

“To me, you’ve got to continue to put the effort in. Caddying is not the path of least resistance. It’s not like the things at a club that you don’t need to push, that you don’t need to promote; they’ll just be fine. You don’t need to promote golf carts. People are going to take them. And if you’re not careful, they’ll take them too much. So just to maintain (the amount of caddie activity there is in Colorado) is success because it’s not the path of least resistance.”

— Colorado PGA executive director Eddie Ainsworth, on the number of rounds of golf being played in the state:
 
“I wouldn’t look at (relatively) flat as a negative; I’d look at flat as a positive in a down economy. I’m not just trying to paint a rosy picture. I literally believe that. If we’re flat and we’re currently in the economy we’re in, that’s a good thing.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Gary Potter, on raising about $95,000 for the Hall of Fame and junior golf through the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Classic 100, an event in which participants garner pledges and then play 100 holes:

“It’s a hell of a success. Our goal Jan. 31 was to get to $40,000 overall, so doubling that is a great success.”

— CGA executive director Ed Mate, on his experience as a rules official at the Masters:

“It was amazing — everything you’ve heard about the Masters. From the experience standpoint, it’s unlike anything, so unique. It’s like you’re in a time warp, with no cell phones (allowed for fans on the grounds) and the food costs ($2.50 for a Masters club sandwich, $2 for a soft drink and $1.50 for a Georgia Peach ice cream sandwich). It’s the spirit of Bobby Jones and Cliff Roberts: They don’t measure themselves against what everyone else is doing. They do stuff their own way. It’s not a coincidence they’re viewed the way they are.

“There was a great quote (uttered) at a rules meeting: ‘We strive for everything to be the best, and if it’s not, we’ll figure out how to make it the best.’ … They just make you feel good. And if everyone around you treats you courteously, you can’t help but reciprocate.”

— George Solich, a 1983 University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum, on the $6 million renovation and expansion the E.S. house underwent recently:

“Being in the house today, it was remarkable to see. We have such fond memories of being in that house. We used to have freshman projects to improve the house, and our freshman project was using barn wood as siding for ‘The Pit’ room (in the basement). To see that room today when we had a directors meeting there, it was really like an out of body experience.” 

— CWGA Golfer of the Century Carol (Sorenson) Flenniken, recalling her heyday as a player in 1964:

“I’ll tell you what meant more to me than anything else: After I won the British (Ladies Amateur) that year, I was named Wisconsin Athlete of the Year. I beat out Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers and whoever else was up that year. Little Carol Sorenson, I was the Wisconsin Athlete of the Year. I’ll tell you what: That stuck with me all these years.”

— Robert Polk, who won his third CGA Senior Four-Ball Championship with his third different partner, joked with 2016 teammate Bill Fowler that he soon may be switching him out too.

The exchange between the two players:

“He keeps trading down, getting somebody younger,” said Fowler, who just turned 53.

“I’m not stupid,” the 60-year-old Polk said with a hearty laugh. “You better watch yourself.”

“I turned 53 yesterday,” Fowler noted. “He’s looking for somebody 50.”

— Craig Stadler‘s friend — and fellow Colorado resident — Mark Wiebe was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame five years ago, but the Walrus couldn’t help friendly needling his buddy during the reception prior to Stadler himself being enshrined into the Hall. After all, Wiebe didn’t attend his induction as he was in the midst of winning a PGA Tour Champions tournament that weekend:

“Every time I’ve seen him the last few months I’ve given him a hard time,” noted Stadler. “I say, ‘At least I’m showing up for (my induction).’ He said, ‘I was winning a golf tournament.’ I say, ‘That’s no excuse.'”

— World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin (pictured), who grew up in Colorado, following a kids clinic in the Centennial State:

“There’s so much to be learned out there in the world and I’ve learned an awful lot through golf. Some of the people I’ve been around have been just outstanding people. If I can take just a germ of that and give it to these kids, and it seeds itself and it grows, they’re far better off. And what’s not to love about being out there with these kids? If you don’t love that, there’s something wrong with you.”

— Irwin, on significantly cutting back his competitive schedule in his early 70s:

“If you had asked me two or three years ago, ‘Would I ever miss a major?’ I’d say, ‘Never.’ Well, I am. The leaves always turn in the fall, don’t they? Well, my leaf is starting to turn.”

— David Oraee, on advacing through U.S. Open Local Qualifying after a nine-month layoff from tournament golf while he graduated from CU and prepared to take the Medical College Admission Test:

“It’s crazy to think it’s been (nine) months. I like tournament golf a lot. This is why I play golf. It’s good to get back into it. But I’ve never played this bad and won something.”

— Jeff English, on draining a 35-foot birdie putt on the 19th hole that gave him the title in a back-and-forth CGA Super-Senior Match Play final against Steve Scheffel:

“I was just absolutely floored” at making the long winning putt. “I just got plain-ass lucky frankly.”

— CGA executive director Ed Mate, on the death of Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Will Nicholson Jr.:

“I’m pleased we were able to recognize him as our Man of the Century last fall (in 2015). That pretty much says it all. There’s no individual who’s done more for the game and for the CGA in the last 100 years than Will Nicholson. He’s on the Mount Rushmore of golf in Colorado for sure.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, on Jennifer Kupcho, the CWGA Player of the Year the last three years:

“I started playing in the CWGA stuff probably when I was 10 or 12 — so about 40 years ago. I’ve never seen anyone like (Kupcho). She’s in a different league altogether. She has great temperament, a world-class swing, she’s really powerful and she’s just a good kid, too. I think she’s going to do very well.”

— Braden Bentley, on claiming the boys title at the first major ever conducted by the new Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado:

“It’s cool to be the first of a new era. It’s cool to think I’m the first one of so many junior golfers that are going (to win these Junior Golf Alliance majors). It’s also good to be part of the tradition of the (CGA Junior) Stroke Play that’s been going on forever. Players like (current PGA Tour professional Mark Hubbard, the 2007 Junior Stroke Play champion) and so many others that are playing good golf at a high level that have won this tournament before. It’s cool that it means it puts me in good company.”

— CGA amateur open-division captain Nick Nosewicz, after the open, senior and women amateurs swept the Colorado PGA professionals in the Colorado Cup Matches for the first time:

“Obviously as amateurs we want to beat the pros, and the pros obviously want to beat us, so there is a good rivalry between the two of us. It’s pretty special. Anytime you can get your name on the trophy that’s state-related and be part of a team, it’s fun.”

— Ron Vlosich qualified for his fifth U.S. Senior Open, but wasn’t particularly confident going into the qualifying round:

“In the (Colorado PGA) Section pro-am stuff, I was shooting like 75 all the time. I told my buddy, ‘I think 75 is par now.'”

— Just like a fellow southpaw who held the 36-hole lead at the British Open (Phil Mickelson) at the same time, AJ Ott of Fort Collins rode rounds of 63-69 to the top of the leaderboard at the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. Said Ott:

“Lefties are making a comeback, I’ll tell you what.”

— Wil Collins, who shot a 62 in the first round of the CoBank Colorado Open, early in the year had all but given up being a full-time tournament player:

“I was out. I was substitute teaching, teaching some juniors, got a job at the golf course, was doing some caddying. I needed to take a look at the other side of life. … I needed a change of perspective, and I was trying to get it by looking at the real world. It scared the daylights out of me. I’m trying not to take this (playing tournament golf) for granted. It’s pretty special.”

— Part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler on the left hand injury that kept him off the PGA Tour for most of the past two seasons:


”It literally felt like I had a firecracker going off in my palm every time I’d practice. It was a nightmare.”

— Gunner Wiebe, who sustained a very, very deep cut on the underside of his upper right arm after walking through a sliding glass door that he thought was open, and it shattered:

“To think, if it’s a little bit deeper cut, it hits my artery and I’m not here … You’re in Mexico, (the person treating him) did the best he could. (But) I felt a little bit like I was a pet at a vet.”

— Neil Johnson, who, after barely qualifying for his first CoBank Colorado Open earlier in the week, won the tournament and the $100,000 first prize:

“Maybe literally I was the last guy in (the field). The elephant in the room is the big $100,000 check, which is awesome. But for me I always just loved playing golf. … To beat a field like this … You’ve got every type of player — you’ve got PGA Tour winners, PGA Tour members, Web.com members, Canadian and Latinamerican Tour players and mini-tour all-stars. To come out on top is definitely the defining win so far of my career.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, on playing in the CWGA Stroke Play at Denver Country Club 25 years after winning that same tournament at the club (Janet is married to fellow Hall of Famer Kent Moore):

In ’91, “Kent’s mom brought (Janet and Kent’s son) Steven out because my parents were watching and she was babysitting. I have pictures holding Steven when he was probably four months old. And now Steven is here at my house with my granddaughter. That shows you how time passes. Here I am playing 25 years later and there’s another baby in the mix, and it’s a grandchild. That’s a huge blessing and a lot of fun.”

— Wes Martin on qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Amateur for the first time since 2009:

“It’s a huge deal. I can confidently say there hasn’t been a day gone by over the last seven years that (returning to the U.S. Mid-Am) hasn’t been my goal. They give a little badge (to participants, and the one from 2009) is right where I keep my wallet and keys and I see it several times a day. I’m definitely looking for redemption.”

— Ashleigh Wilson of Highlands Ranch, who skipped her first day of fourth grade at SkyView Academy to play in the JGAC 10 & Under Junior Series Championship, which she ended up winning for the second time:

“I’m glad I skipped the first day of school to come here. My mom wasn’t too sure (about missing school to play in the tournament), but my dad and me were like, ‘If I’m in it, I’m playing.’ I wasn’t going to miss it. I’m glad I didn’t.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore, whose win in the CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play gave him titles in seven different individual championships — an unprecedented feat in CGA competition — over the course of five decades:

“I’ve always tried to be persistent. There’s a lot better players in every tournament, but I was just persistent, and I really enjoy golf. And I somehow learned how to get it into the clubhouse reasonably well.”

— Moore, after noting Club at Rolling Hills members Kevin Ott and Bill Fowler set the pace throughout much of the CGA Senior Amatuer, which just happened to be played at Rolling Hills:

“It’s like a club championship.”

— Arnold Palmer, who passed away this year, on his victory at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills:

“It was my only (U.S.) Open win; it was the highlight of my career.”

— Louise Lyle, who helped Patty Jewett Golf Course in Colorado Springs win the CWGA Club Team Championship:

“It’s nice (to prevail) because the Denver clubs seem to win everything. It’s nice to be like the little club that could.”

— Steve Irwin, after teaming with Barry Erwin to win the CGA Four-Ball title, giving Irwin six CGA championships:

“It feels fantastic to get back in the winners’ circle. Maybe I should start doing the four-ball circuit after winning The Broadmoor Invitation and now this. I guess that’s what happens when you get a little older — you need the support of your partners.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Christie Austin, on being one of the first women to receive an invitation to join the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland, a longtime men’s-only club:

“I get this email about the third week of November (in 2015), and I don’t know who this is, I don’t know what they’re talking about. I click on the attachment, which was the formal letter inviting me to be a member. I sat there and read it, thinking, ‘Who sent this as a joke? Who’s trying to fool me?”

— Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s managing director of operations, reflecting on the first year of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, a collaboration of the CGA and Colorado PGA, with the help of contributing partner CWGA:

“I’d call it without a doubt one of the most successful things we’ve ever done. The entire thing just exploded in a great way. It was a complete success.”

— Janene Guzowski, on being one of the first two female members (along the Tracy Zabel) of the CGA Board of Governors:

“It’s the first time in 101 years that they’ve ever had any women on the (CGA) board. There’s two of us, which is kind of an honor.”

— M.J. Mastalir, on being voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame:

“It’s a nice honor — and humbling. I’ve been really fortunate. I’ve worn a lot of different hats in golf, I’ve met a lot of nice people and gone to a lot of nice places.”

— Windy He, who works as a rules official for both the CGA and CWGA, on how she got interested in the Rules of Golf while living in her native China:

“That was a very interesting story. In 2003 my son Li Chen was trying to qualify in China for the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego. He was 6 years old, and he hit the wrong ball. Somebody told me, ‘There is a two-stroke penalty.’ I said, “What!? There is a penalty in golf? Seriously?’ The guy said, ‘Yes, that’s the rules.’ I said, ‘How many rules are there in golf?’ And the guy said, ‘Lots of rules.’ I had to figure it out. So I bought some rules books and began to read the rules.”

— Broncos general manager John Elway, the honorary chairman for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, on what he likes about golf:

“As an athlete, golf is the one game you can play forever. It’s a game that is different every single day. It’s a game that you can never ever get your arms around all the time. It’s a tremendous challenge, but most importantly it gives us ex-athletes a chance to compete again. I love the challenge of it.”

— CWGA executive director Laura Robinson, on the prospect of hosting the 2018 Girls Junior America’s Cup at Hiwan Golf Club, where she’s a member:

“The more we talk to people who have hosted, the more energy and enthusiasm we get. We’re throwing a party for 72 of the best high school golfers west of the Mississippi, and we’re competing with others who have gone before us. We have to make it unique for Colorado, and we want it to be memorable.”

— Denver-area resident David Duval, who teamed with stepson Nick Karavites to win the nationally televised PNC Father/Son Challenge, on his first big victory in 15 years:

“It’s wonderful. It’s wonderful to have the feelings, the nerves of really paying attention to what you’re doing, executing the golf shots and picking your lines. … This is as good as anything. It truly is. I know it’s not winning The Players or something like that, but this is what the progression of life is. To be able to come out in a professional event and win and have the whole family here, I’ll never forget it.”
 

A year’s worth of golf — and golf-related activities — produces many quotable utterances, even if you limit it to just Colorado and Coloradans.

2013 was certainly no exception. An eventful year yielded a plethora of memorable quotes.

Without any further ado, we present you with a selection of the most notable quotables of the year in Colorado golf:

 — Dustin Jensen, recalling an episode when he and fellow former CGA staffer Pete Lis (pictured above in green) shared an apartment:

“(Lis) was a diehard about the Rules of Golf. He sat out on the patio at our apartment and was reading the original Rules of Golf — or a book like that — and happened to fall asleep. He was catching a suntan and had his shirt off. He fell asleep with the book laying on his stomach, and he ended up having the outline of the book burned into his stomach. We thought that was pretty funny. He loved the Rules of Golf to the point that he would burn them into his chest.”

— Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, after winning the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open:

“I lost my sister in January. Scott Freelove (a Titleist representative and a friend of Rohrbaugh) had some golf balls made up for me. They had her initials on one side and the number 49 for how old she was. That’s the golf ball I was using. So it was kind of a little kiss on the golf ball and looking up at her (after winning).”

— Colorado Springs native R.W. Eaks (left), after, for the second consecutive year, withdrawing from the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open mid-round while being in the top five on the leaderboard:

“I’m just done.” Asked if he was hurt, he added, “No, I’m just mentally ill.”

— Country Club at Castle Pines head professional George Kahrhoff insisted that his two sons, Mitchell and Trey, watch the Golf Channel after he and Collindale Golf Course director of golf Dale Smigelsky earned PGA of America nationwide awards, both for merchandising:

“I said, ‘You guys need to pay attention.’ Of course, they were on the computer and all that. I said, ‘Are you watching?’ and they were like, ‘Yeah, yeah’. All of a sudden my name pops up on the TV, and they said, ‘Hey, that’s you.'”

— Denver’s Jim Bunch, the departing chairman of the Western Golf Association, on participating in interview sessions with Evans Caddie Scholarship candidates:

“It’s the best day of the year without any question — and not just for the Evans Scholars but for me. It’s very rewarding and makes you so glad you’re helping out. It’s a one-of-a-kind event; there’s not another organization that I know that does it like that. I look forward to it.”

— LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, leading up to the Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club:

“Colorado (fan support) has been a consistent home run for women’s golf.”

— Meg Mallon, captain for the U.S. team at the Solheim Cup in Colorado, on getting more girls involved in the game:

“My greatest memory in golf to this day is walking nine holes with my mom (while) carrying a bag on my back. I want every kid and every parent to have that experience. I’m biased. It’s the greatest game in the world. It teaches ethics, morals, the right thing to do, how to get along with people. What greater avenue (than) to teach children the game of golf? So we need to, as adults, make sure that that happens. … It’s a hard game. It’s a time-consuming game. You have to give the kids the love of the game so they want to be out there playing. … Make golf fun. It’s not supposed to be like going to the dentist.”

— George Solich (left, in red) on making a seven-figure lead gift to found the Colorado Golf Foundation:

“I love golf and what it can teach kids of all socio-economic backgrounds — good lessons about character and competition. For me, the game has affected my life in so many great ways. When we look back in five or 10 years, I hope we can say, ‘Look at what we started and how many kids we affected.'”

— Hannah Wood of Centennial, after winning the Kathy Whitworth Invitational, an event which featured several players ranked highly on a national basis:

“I knew I could play with them, but I’ve never had the opportunity. I went up against the best today and kept telling myself to play Hannah Wood golf.”

— CommonGround Golf Course director of golf Dave Troyer, characterizing Lauren Harmon, the course’s director of player development:

“She’s a non-stop energy bunny. Her relaxation and enjoyment is to spend more time at work.”

— Former Colorado State golfer Martin Laird, on winning the Valero Texas Open to earn a spot in the Masters the following week:

“I’ve probably been asked 30 times in the last couple of weeks, ‘Are you in Augusta, are you in Augusta?’ Everytime I’d say ‘no’ it hurt me.”


— Coloradan Kaye Kessler, on the attraction of the Masters, a tournament he covered for the 50th time in 2013:

“It’s the first breath of spring. It’s a coming-out party, a rite of spring. And it’s the only one of the majors that’s anchored. The Masters tries to look better every year — and they seem to do it. It’s just kind of an awakening. And I think it’s still the toughest ticket around.”

— Former University of Colorado golfer Steve Jones, on attending the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame banquet instead of competing in a Champions Tour event:

“In the very beginning, yeah (it was a tough choice), but when you really think about it, my parents raised me pretty well to think correctly. And thanks to that upbringing, I made the right decision to come here. There’s no way you can miss something like this. It’s the biggest golf honor in my life that I’ve been given.”

— Tom Glissmeyer, on continuing to try to qualify for the U.S. Open after making it as a 16-year-old in 2003:

“It’s hard to believe that I’ve tried 10 times now. I don’t think I had an appreciation for how tough it is. I just showed up my first time (and qualified). It was like, ‘Oh, it’s no big deal.’ Little did I know 10 years later I’d still be waiting for that return trip.”

— Kala Keltz of Montrose after winning the 4A state high school title:

“I don’t even know what to say right now. I’m kind of in shock, I guess. This means the world. I don’t know what to do I’m so excited. This is something people dream about. It was one of my goals this year to even come close, so I’m stoked.”

— Dean Clapp, after winning his first CGA individual title (the Mid-Amateur Match Play Invitational) following 21 years of competing in Colorado, ironically on the eve of moving to California:

“I’ve always been the bridesmaid but never the bride, so to speak. Last night I was telling my wife, ‘I have a chance to go out with a bang tomorrow. I could end my Colorado golf career with a bang if I can finish it off.’ Lo and behold, I pulled it off. I’m elated. I finally got the monkey off my back.”

— Christie Austin, 56, on her and Janet Moore, 48, coming up short in the CWGA Mashie Championship against Samantha Stancato, 20, and Kathleen Kershisnik, 19:

“We’re like they’re mothers (age-wise). I think they would have been disappointed to lose to the old ladies, to be honest. I think they’re pretty happy that they beat us.”

— Steven Kupcho, whose 63 the previous day was bettered by Derek Fribbs’ 62 in the CGA Public Links Championship:

“He was 9 under through 17; that’s just unbelievable. I can’t even fathom shooting that number after what I did yesterday because I felt like I played about as good as I could.”


— Annika Sorenstam (left, in purple cap), assistant captain for the European squad at the Solheim Cup held in Parker, on potentially bringing her husband, Mike McGee, to the competition:

“My husband is a U.S. citizen. I said, ‘(You can come, but) only if you cheer for Europe.”

— CU’s David Oraee, who beat CSU’s Parker Edens, a fellow Greeley product, in the final of the CGA Match Play:

“Obviously we’ve always gone to rival schools in high school and college. It was fun. It’s fun to play against someone you’ve known for a while. And it’s awesome that we’re both from Greeley. We bring the city name some ‘rep’.”

— Wyndham Clark, who has qualified for three of the last four U.S. Amateurs, on the one he missed, which just happened to be held at his home course, Cherry Hills Country Club, in 2012:

“It sucked. I would have for sure given up one of the other Ams to play in that one. But I told myself last year, ‘I don’t ever want to miss it again.’ I just hated that feeling.”

— Zahkai Brown, on his final-round approach at the HealthOne Colorado Open, where he’s led through three rounds each of the last two years:

“I stayed real aggressive. On No. 18, I was like 305 (yards out on the par-5). I’m like, ‘I’m still going for it. Play aggressive.’ My whole mindset was to stay aggressive.”

— Gunner Wiebe, on finishing fifth following the final round of the HealthOne Colorado Open while his dad, Mark, was in contention at the Senior British Open:

“My mind was really elsewhere today, but I will not apologize for that. I love playing golf myself and I love competing, but it’s hard for me not to” be distracted by what was going on with Mark.

— Fellow competitor Deb Hughes on Kim Eaton, the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer who’s retiring from CWGA championships after 41 years of competing:

“She’s not only a good player, but she’s a good person and I love being paired with her and against her. I learn a lot by playing with her.”

— Beth Clippinger, on trying to qualify for the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur at age 61:

“You always think the young ‘munchkins’ are going to come beat you out. So it is more special (to qualify as a 61-year-old).”

— Pueblo West’s Glenn Workman, on arguably his two biggest golf victories coming in Colorado Springs:

“I like the air up here, the water.”

— Hale Irwin, stopping by the CGA Stroke Play 50 years after posting the first of three straight wins in the tournament, that one by 15 shots:

“That was a lot of years ago, but I remember that first one; that made an impression on me. I was an upstart young guy and then there was the old guard — guys like Les Fowler and Jim English. I was relatively new to Colorado and I happened to have a very good tournament. I do remember playing awfully well.”

— World Golf Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth after captaining a U.S. team that won the Junior Solheim Cup at Inverness Golf Club:

“I never played on a team, even in high school or later on. So (the Solheim Cup) was a new experience for me. And I was flattered that John Solheim asked me to do this again. I don’t have any experience doing things like this. I was never part of a team. I would have liked to have been, but it wasn’t in the books for me. But I can imagine being part of a team that’s playing for your country.”


— Liselotte Neumann, European team captain, proving somewhat prophetic going into the Solheim Cup in Colorado:

“I said, ‘We need to go to America, we need to make history. No (European) team has ever won here before; let’s do this.’ So that’s our goal and that’s why I took on the job, and here we are.”

— U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon, after a day in which Europe’s Anna Nordqvist made a hole-in-one to win a match at Colorado Golf Club:

“I’m standing there on 17 tee and looking at Anna Nordqvist’s shot in the air, and I’m thinking, ‘That’s going to go in the hole.’ And it did. Things like that just don’t happen. But today for the Europeans, it was a magical day.

— Veteran Suzann Pettersen, on being on the first European Solheim Cup team to win in the U.S.:

“It’s massive for women’s golf, it’s massive for the Solheim Cup, for us to be historic and win on American soil, in Colorado, in front of a pretty much all-American crowd We took it to them and they couldn’t answer.”

— U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon after the Americans’ historic loss to the Europeans:

“We really got our butts kicked this week.”

— Haymes Snedeker, an older brother of six-time PGA Tour winner Brandt Snedeker, on holing out for eagle from 90 yards on the final hole at CommonGround to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur:

“Sometimes it’s supposed to be. Sometimes it’s meant to be and sometimes it certainly isn’t. I’ve been on both sides of it.”

— Vail’s Harry Johnson on becoming, at age 63, the fifth player to sweep CGA match play and stroke play senior championships in a calendar year:

“These guys (his fellow competitors) make me play better than I can play. It’s really an interesting phenomenon. It’s one reason I play in these events. I don’t have that type of game when I play Saturday with my friends, but in a tournament the focus is there and I can make it happen.”

— George Solich, who with brother Geoff are the namesakes for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, which produced more than 1,000 caddie loops in 2013 at CommonGround Golf Course:

“I feel like we’re really hitting it on all cylinders right now, and I think people get what this is about.”

— Doug Rohrbaugh (left) after a season in which he won the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, and the Colorado PGA Professional Championship:

“The only thing I keep saying is, ‘Why did it take me 50 years to figure this out?’ There’s definitely something to be said for older and wiser, but who knows?”

— George Solich figures there are two ways to approach his job as general chairman for the 2014 BMW Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club:

“You can be a figurehead and let everyone else do all the work, or you can dive in — and I’ve dived in and it’s been really fun. There are a lot of balls in the air, but it’s been fun.”

— Ernie Els, noting his attachment to Colorado in receiving the Will Nicholson Award:

“I made so many great friends here. I was this close to buying a house at Castle Pines about 10 years ago. I used to stay with a heart specialist here in town — he’s an ex-South African — and he had a house on the 11th tee. (My) whole family came every year; we’d come on a Sunday and stay until Tuesday (of the following week). “I saw his kids grow up and he’s seen my kids grow up. He lives near Cherry Hills here now. I said to Liezl (Els’ wife), ‘You know, next year we’re going to come to Cherry Hills (for the BMW Championship) and maybe I’ll still buy that house.'”

— DU men’s golf coach Eric Hoos, on the Pioneers winning CSU’s home tournament by a stroke over the Rams as a one-stroke penalty incurred on the final hole by CSU freshman Jimmy Makloski loomed large:

“You hate to see that. Honestly, I would much rather have had a tie and go into a playoff. But that speaks volumes about the character of Jimmy and to their program that he called (the penalty) on himself. That’s what this game is about. I don’t think that always happens out there. Class kid, class program. I’m sorry for him.”

— Keith Humerickhouse, on winning a record-matching four straight CGA Mid-Amateur titles:

“I feel like it’s my niche. I really like it. I feel comfortable out here. I feel like I can actually compete. The Publinks and the Stroke Play, it’s not that I don’t feel I can compete, but basically I’m playing a college golf tournament. These (college-age) kids are playing every day. You feel like you’re going to have to shoot 10 to 15 under to even sniff the lead. That’s how good they are.”

— Spencer Painton, on claiming the 5A state high school individual title and helping his Regis Jesuit squad land its fourth consecutive team championship:

“I’m happy to contribute to hopefully (Regis eventually winning) six in a row. I wish I could come back again next year, but I went out with a bang. That’s all I can do.”

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton, on retiring from CWGA championship competition:

“It’s tough because the CWGA is a great organization and I love the way they run all their tournaments and I love all the people. Everybody that’s been involved in the CWGA in the 41 years I’ve played has somewhat been involved in raising me or making me a better person or making me the person I am today. And that’s hard. But sometimes you just have to move on. … You know what they say: It’s better to go out on top because you all know when I’m not on top I’m not going to be a very happy person. It’s been a great run.”