The HealthOne Colorado Open will be contested for the 50th time this year, so a recent e-mail I received particularly piqued my interest.
Dennis Lyon, the retired manager of golf for the city of Aurora, pointed out that he remembered Jimmy Walker — winner of three PGA Tour events this wraparound season, and the leader in the FedEx Cup playoff standings — playing in the Colorado Open back when it was held at Saddle Rock Golf Course in Aurora.
I’ve been fortunate enough to cover every Colorado Open since 1983, and I still have much of the year-to-year material that’s handed out. And, after poking around a little, I confirmed that Lyon’s recollections were accurate.
Walker, in the summer before his junior season at Baylor, competed in the 1999 Colorado Open, the second of the three Opens Saddle Rock hosted. Former University of Colorado golfer Bill Riddle won that year, but I had to go far down the list of results — into the “missed cut” category — to find Jimmy Walker’s name.
For the record, the four-time All-Big 12 golfer, then 20 years old, shot 77-74 and missed the 36-hole cut by two.
But it brought to mind — especially given the milestone the Colorado Open will reach this summer (July 24-27 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver) — the amazing number of golf greats who have played in the tournament since it debuted in 1964.
The great majority of the most recognizable names made their appearances at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen in the 1970s, ’80s and early ’90s, but there have been a smattering since then at Inverness Golf Club, Saddle Rock, Sonnenalp Golf Club and Green Valley Ranch.
Perhaps the most notable participant, from a historical perspective, played in 1978 at Hiwan. Look at the Open’s all-time money list — starting from the bottom — and you’ll quickly come across the name of a certain Sam Snead (despite a small typo), who won a grand total of $62.50 at the Colorado Open. And, by the way, he rode a cart in the final round.
Snead (pictured at top) is one of a handful of current World Golf Hall of Famers who have been contestants in the Colorado Open. Among the others are Phil Mickelson (pictured at left), Billy Casper, Hale Irwin and Fred Couples.
Mickelson posted two top-10 finishes at Hiwan shortly after winning NCAA titles in 1989 and ’90. In ’89, he placed third and was low amateur in the Colorado Open, and in ’90 he tied for 10th shortly before winning the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club.
Irwin likewise was low amateur (fourth place overall) in the Colorado Open the same year he won the NCAA title (1967).
Casper finished second in the 1978 Colorado Open. That year, the Open field featured players who now account for more than 150 PGA Tour victories, including Snead (82), Casper (51), Dave Hill (13), Steve Jones (8), Fred Wampler (1) and Larry Mowry (1). Hill still holds the record for most Colorado Open wins, with four.
Couples only competed in the Open as an amateur as he finished fifth in 1980. The low amateur that year was another future major championship winner, Bob Tway, who placed second at Hiwan.
All told, participants in the Colorado Open have accounted for more than 35 major championship victories. The most successful in that regard are Snead (seven major wins), Mickelson (five) and Irwin (pictured at left) and Casper (three each).
Looking at it another way, there are 10 Colorado Open champions who have now won at least one PGA Tour event: Hill (Open victories in 1971, ’76, ’77 and ’81), Al Geiberger (1985), Jones (1988), Kevin Stadler (2002), Mark Wiebe (1986), Jonathan Kaye (1996), Willie Wood (1984), Bill Johnston (1973), Mowry (1979) and Dan Halldorson (1982). Stadler, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour a month ago and currently is ninth on the FedEx Cup standings, had his dad, 1982 Masters champion Craig Stadler, caddying for him when he won the Colorado Open 12 years ago. Craig Stadler has also competed in the Open.
For the record, here are some of the other notable golfers who have played in the Colorado Open at some time or other: Mark O’Meara, Dave Stockton, Don January, George Archer, Dow Finsterwald, Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington, Bob Goalby, Charles Coody, Bob Murphy, former Denver-based serviceman Orville Moody, Peter Jacobsen, Bruce Devlin, Tommy Aaron, Martin Laird, Dale Douglass, Gary Hallberg, Bob Byman and 1992 Open winner Brandt Jobe. Jacobsen earned low-amateur honors in 1975, Byman in ’76, Pavin in ’82 and Elkington in ’84.
And, it should be noted, two very prominent former NFL quarterbacks — both named John — have competed in the Colorado Open as well, Brodie and Elway. And a big-time pitcher, Rick Rhoden, also gave it a go.
So Jimmy Walker is in some very good company.
