The tour season isn’t over yet, but even before the stretch run, it’s proven to be one of the most memorable in recent years for professionals with Colorado connections.
“Locals” have won events on the PGA, Champions and European Tours, and even several of those players who haven’t claimed a championship trophy have accomplished some notable feats.
So as we head into fall, it’s worth taking a look at what’s happened so far in 2011, and at some of the reasons the coming months are pivotal to several local players.
Victories (So Far) — Former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird (pictured), whose first notable professional win came at the 2004 Denver Open, posted the most impressive victory of 2011 by a player with strong Colorado ties. Laird’s second PGA Tour title came in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March. The $1.08 million payday is one of the key reasons Laird sits 21st on the 2011 PGA Tour money list and has won $4.8 million on Tour since the beginning of 2010. Alas, he missed qualifying for this week’s Tour Championship by finishing one spot out of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup playoff standings.
Mark Wiebe of Aurora won the Champions Tour’s Greater Hickory Classic in a playoff the same June day that he was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. It was the third Champions Tour victory of Wiebe’s career, and it’s helped him currently stand 13th on the 2011 Champions Tour money list.
Matt Zions of Denver, a former University of Colorado golfer, won a tournament in his second full season on the European Tour, capturing the Saint Omer Open in France in June and winning 100,000 Euros in the process.
Defying Their Age — Former CU golfer Hale Irwin and fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe haven’t been acting their ages this year.
Irwin, now 66, owns a record 45 Champions Tour victories and he’s threatened on several occasions to add to that total. Considering no one older than 63 has ever won a Champions event, it’s been a sight to behold. In arguably the two biggest tournaments on the circuit — the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championship — Irwin placed fourth, his best showings on the tour since September 2007. The U.S. Senior Open performance came at the same site (Inverness in Ohio) where Irwin won the 1979 U.S. Open. Overall, Irwin owns seven top-10 performances in 2011 — which gives him a record 205 for his Champions career — and he sits 20th on the 2011 money list, which isn’t bad for a senior citizen.
Jobe, 46, has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence on the PGA Tour. After losing his Tour card, he played primarily on the Nationwide circuit in 2010, but with a sixth-place showing in the final stage of Q-school he regained a spot on the top tour in the world. And Jobe hasn’t wasted the opportunity, posting his second-best money total ever ($1.58 million so far, good for 48th on the 2011 list). That total is more than his previous five years combined. Early in June, he matched his career best by finishing second in the Memorial. It’s hard to believe that going into the year, Jobe had to be concerned about earning “veteran membership” on Tour by surpassing 150 made cuts for his career. He came into 2011 three shy of the mark, but has long since blasted through that barrier.
600 And Counting — Dale Douglass of Castle Rock hasn’t been a full-time Champions Tour player for about five years, but he still regularly plays the U.S. Senior Open, a tournament he won 25 years ago. The 2011 Senior Open marked Douglass’ 600th Champions Tour event. Only Miller Barber (603) has competed in more.
One of the Futures Tour’s Best — Coloradan Dawn Shockley had a very good season on the LPGA Futures Tour in 2011, posting three top-five finishes, including second place in the Santorini Riviera Nayarit Classic in April. The former University of Denver player was in position much of the year to finish in the top 10 on the year-long money list, which would have earned her a 2012 LPGA Tour card, but she dropped to 13th place in the final standings. That means she’ll need a good showing in the final stage of LPGA Tour qualifying this fall to punch her ticket to the big leagues.
Looking Ahead — The last months of the tour schedules will be pivotal for several local players, including former DU golfer Stephanie Sherlock, David Duval of Cherry Hills Village, Parker resident Shane Bertsch, Kent Denver High School graduate Kevin Stadler and former CU golfer Steve Jones.
Sherlock stands 101st on this year’s LPGA Tour money list, but at least needs to finish in the top 125 to keep some status on the Tour, and needs to move into the top 80 to have priority status.
Duval would have no problem getting sponsor exemptions on the PGA Tour, but in order to remain fully exempt, he’ll need to finish in the top 125 on the money list. Placing 126-150 would give him lesser status. The former No. 1 player in the world will go into the fall 152nd on the 2011 money list.
Stadler faces the same parameters, but he’s in much better shape entering the fall, sitting 106th in the 2011 money standings.
Bertsch faces a much tougher road to keep his full Tour card. His medical extension (after suffering a broken hand in 2010) calls for him to earn $729,869 in 21 tournaments to remain fully exempt, which means he’s now down to five events in which he must earn $471,338 to retain his full status.
As for Jones, the 1996 U.S. Open champion is trying to move into the top 30 on the Champions Tour money list — or win an event — to be exempt in 2012. Jones turned 50 in late 2008, but didn’t make his Champions Tour debut until this year due to a severe case of tennis elbow. He currently stands 80th on the 2011 Champions money list.
