December obviously isn’t prime golf season for those of us in Colorado. Even if the weather relents, typically only the most hard-core golfers venture out to the course.
But that doesn’t keep thoughts of playing great rounds from dancing in our heads.
With that in mind, it’s time to dole out Colorado golf gift wishes for the third straight holiday season here at COgolf.org. And just to make it easy on the man with the big white beard, we’ve put our list in alphabetical order:
To: Coloradan Christie Austin, who’s moving up the ladder on the USGA Executive Committee. Gift: A stint as officer that she will long treasure.
To: Shane Bertsch of Parker. Gift: Earning at least $241,285 in his first PGA Tour start of 2012 — enough for him to meet the terms of his medical extension and retain his fully-exempt status on Tour.
To: The Broadmoor Golf Club. Gift: An upcoming major championship of one sort or another to follow on the heels of the well-attended 2011 U.S. Women’s Open and 2008 U.S. Senior Open.
To: CGA Player of the Year Zahkai Brown. Gift: Finishing his college career at Colorado State with a bang.
To: Denver’s Jim Bunch, new chairman of the Western Golf Association as of Jan. 1. Gift: An overabundance of donations to the Evans Caddie Scholarship, which the WGA administers.
To: Cherry Hills Country Club and CommonGround Golf Course. Gift: A U.S. Amateur in August that produces a champion like the 1990 Amateur at Cherry Hills yielded — a guy named Phil Mickelson.
To: Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village. Gift: A freshman season at Oklahoma State that’s as memorable as that 64-64 you shot in winning the 4A state high school title by eight strokes.
To: Colorado golf course operators. Gift: Good weather and a good economy.
To: The Colorado PGA. Gift: A collective toast to the Section for its membership winning a PGA of America national award for the fifth consecutive year.
To: Mark and Lynn Cramer, who run the Denver Golf Expo. Gift: A fitting launch to a stellar golf season in Colorado.
To: Kathryn Davis and Tom Lawrence, new presidents of the CWGA and CGA, respectively. Gift: In their new positions, success befitting two former Division I college athletes.
To: Coloradan Brian Dorfman, a senior at Georgetown University. Gift: Two wins in the spring season to serve as bookends for the two you earned in the fall.
To: Cherry Hills Village resident David Duval. Gift: Your first PGA Tour victory in more than a decade.
To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton. Gift: After trips to the quarterfinals of the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur two of the last three years, a run at the national title in 2012.
To: The Golf in Schools program, the joint initiative of the Allied Golf Associations of Colorado that made its debut in 2011. Gift: Reaching ever-more kids in 2012.
To: The HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open. Gift: A tournament as memorable as this year’s, when reigning PGA Champion Martin Kaymer caddied for his girlfriend.
To: Rob Hunt of Highlands Ranch. Gift: A good run at a record-tying third Colorado PGA Professional Championship.
To: Former CU athlete Hale Irwin. Gift: Shooting your age en route to winning a Champions Tour event at age 66.
To: Dustin Jensen, popular former director of youth programs for the CGA. Gift: May you have as big an impact in your new job as you made at the CGA.
To: Oft-injured former CU golfer Steve Jones. Gift: Your first PGA/Champions Tour victory of the new millennium.
To: CU women’s golf coach Anne Kelly. Gift: The Buffs going to the NCAA Finals after qualifying at the NCAA regional tournament CU is hosting in May.
To: Former CSU golfer Martin Laird. Gift: Another major championship for a European-born player — in this case, a certain Scotsman who went to college in Colorado.
To: Pete Lis, director of rules and competitions for the CGA. Gift: A year when all tournament competitors play quickly enough that there’s no need to hand out slow-play penalties.
To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Janet and Kent Moore. Gift: Plenty of ongoing satisfaction in your new college coaching gigs in Illinois.
To: Will Nicholson Jr., of Denver. Gift: An April to remember, with your annual trip to the Masters and a well-deserved induction into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
To: People who have supported the Eisenhower-Evans Caddie Scholarship at CU. Gift: A house full of young men and women forever grateful for the opportunity they’ve been given.
To: Part-time Lakewood resident Hollis Stacy. Gift: An unforgettable day for you and your family when induction time comes for the World Golf Hall of Fame.
To: The CWGA’s “Three Putt for the Cure” initiative that benefits breast-cancer research. Gift: A lot of donors who don’t putt very well.
To: Coloradan Derek Tolan. Gift: After missing the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying by one stroke, the persistence to finally land a Nationwide or PGA Tour card.
To: Cherry Creek High School junior Dani Urman, who’s battled back from bone cancer. Gift: Being in contention for the individual title at the girls state high school championship.
