It’s fair to say that Derek Tolan has grown up before our very eyes — at least in a golf sense.
We’ve seen the Denver native qualify for the 2002 U.S. Open as a 16-year-old, win a high school state title, qualify for 10 USGA championships, win two college tournaments at the University of Colorado, and capture the HealthOne Colorado Open title as a rookie pro last year.
For many top-level golfers, that would be a lifetime worth of accomplishments, but Tolan is 24 years old and always has his sights set on bigger and better things. Ultimately, that means making it onto the PGA Tour, and having success there. But in the short term, joining the list of five players who have won two or more Colorado Opens (Dave Hill, Bill Loeffler, Bill Bisdorf, Brian Guetz and Jim Blair) would be a significant accomplishment.
Tolan, who now lives in Greenwood Village, will have that opportunity as he’ll defend his Colorado Open title starting Thursday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.
“I was born and raised here, so I know how big a deal (winning the Colorado Open) is,” Tolan said in a phone interview last week. “I took a lot from winning last year. I went wire-to-wire, which is one of the toughest things to do, especially with guys like John Douma and Chris Kamin chasing you. Obviously it’s a big deal to make the check and win the tournament, but I’ll draw back on that tournament for the rest of my life.”
In finishing at 22 under par for four rounds, Tolan demolished the old 72-hole Colorado Open scoring record by five strokes. As you might imagine, the former CU golfer is looking forward to his return to GVR.
“Big time,” he said. “I feel pretty good about my chances. I’m starting to feel a lot better about my game. And it’s nice to know you’re playing somewhere where you’ve had success in the past. And it’s one of the bigger events around.”
Last year, Tolan wasn’t able to parlay his Colorado Open victory into a spot on the PGA Tour. He made it through Tour pre-qualifying in September, but fell just short in the first stage of the three-stage event.
This year, Tolan has been trying to take another route to playing PGA and Nationwide Tour events. By his estimate, he’s attempted to Monday qualify for eight events between the two tours. It’s a difficult process as typically about 80 players compete for four spots in PGA Tour events, and about 300 go for 14 spots in Nationwide tournaments.
So far, Tolan has qualified for one PGA or Nationwide event this year — the PGA Tour’s Texas Open in May — and he missed the cut.
What’s his thinking in focusing more on Monday qualifying than in playing in state opens or mini-tour events?
“Mini tours are so hard to win on,” Tolan said. “I feel like if you’re playing good enough to win, you’re playing good enough to Monday qualify. And if you play well (in a mini-tour event) it doesn’t really mean much. So I’d rather take my chances” trying to get into a potentially career-changing PGA or Nationwide Tour event.
In several respects, it’s been a trying year for Tolan. Because of travel and/or weather problems, he’s slept in airports twice, he’s gotten to a course only to find it closed because of rain, and he played in what he describes as “gale-force winds” for 2½ weeks.
“I’ve always felt unprepared, it seems like,” he said. “Then I think the wind kind of screwed up my swing. I haven’t been confident for the last month and a half, but I’m starting to feel better now. I’m not that far off.”
COLORADO OPEN FACTS & FIGURES
What: 46th annual HealthOne Colorado Open.
When: Thursday through Sunday (July 22-25).
Where: Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. 7,211 yards, par-71.
Prize money: $125,000, with $23,000 going to the low professional.
Field size: 156 players, cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes.
Defending champion: Derek Tolan.
Notable: Former Broncos quarterback John Elway, competing in his fourth Colorado Open, will tee off at 7:50 a.m. on Thursday and at 12:50 p.m. on Friday. “¦ Besides Elway, the biggest name in the field is Brian Watts, who lost in a playoff at the British Open 12 years ago this month. “¦ Also competing is Jason Preeo, the Colorado teaching pro who stood in 16th place at the halfway point of the 2010 U.S. Open before struggling on the weekend.
