Kevin Stadler went to high school about a mile — as the crow flies — from Cherry Hills Country Club, at Kent Denver. And he now spends summers at his second home, near the University of Denver, also not far from Cherry Hills.
So if anyone in the field for the BMW Championship, which begins Thursday at Cherry Hills, knows the altitude and has a bit of a home-field advantage this week, it’s Stadler.
Despite spending his formative years — and now his summers — in the area, Stadler is only somewhat more familiar with Cherry Hills CC than his fellow PGA Tour players. Though his dad is Evergreen resident and 1982 Masters champion Craig Stadler, Kevin estimates he’s played the course fewer than 10 times.
But he’s definitely more familiar than most Tour players with competing at a mile-high-plus altitude. He won the 2002 Colorado Open at Sonnenalp Golf Club, just west of Vail, at roughly 7,200 feet in elevation. He also claimed titles in the 1999 and 2002 CGA Match Plays.
“I certainly would think (he has an advantage at altitude),” he said Wednesday at Cherry Hills. “I’m certainly comfortable playing in it and I understand what you need to do to judge it from growing up and playing a lot here. I played so much here as a kid that (even after coming back from sea level), second nature kicks in.”
And Stadler returns “home” having been on quite a roll this year. He broke through for his first PGA Tour victory — at the Waste Management Phoenix Open near his primary home of Scottsdale in February — and has earned almost $2.3 million in the 2013-14 wraparound season. He posted his best finish ever at a major championship (eighth at the Masters) and stands 34th on the season-long money list. He also placed second in the European Tour’s Alstom Open de France this summer.
And after a 16th-place finish on Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston, he’s 32nd on the FedExCup Playoff standings.
With all that as build-up, Stadler will be the home favorite this week at the BMW Championship.
“I was extremely excited when they announced three or four years ago that they were coming here,” the 34-year-old said. “I can’t believe it’s already here. I’m certainly excited and looking forward to it.”
As for Cherry Hills, Stadler is eager to see how it plays. As a kid, he only played the course twice, both times in the winter. It’s undergone a restoration — by Tom Doak — since then, in 2008. Stadler checked it out a couple times this summer, then has gotten reacquainted the last couple of days.
“The course was playing as short as I’ve ever seen it (on Tuesday),” he said. “There wasn’t a hint of wind and it was playing really firm and fast. I think when it cools off, the ball’s not going to travel quite as much (and) it won’t be quite as score-able. But it’s in pristine condition.”
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BMW Championship: The Essentials
What — BMW Championship PGA Tour FedExCup Playoff Event.
Where — Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village.
Schedule
Sept. 4-7: Championship rounds, with Thursday and Friday tee times from 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. off the first and 10th tees, and Saturday and Sunday tee times from 9-11 a.m. off the first and 10th tees.
Gates Open — 10 a.m. Sept. 4-5; and 8 a.m. Sept. 6-7.
TV Coverage — Sept. 4-5: 2-6 p.m., Golf Channel; Sept. 6: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Golf Channel and 1-4 p.m., KUSA (9); Sept. 7: 10 a.m.-noon, Golf Channel and noon-4 p.m., KUSA (9).
Tickets — Tickets will not be sold on site, only online. CLICK HERE.
PGA Tour Players Short Game Clinic — CommonGround Golf Course, located at 10300 East Golfers Way in Aurora, near the intersection of Havana and 1st Avenue, will host a PGA Tour Players Short Game Clinic on Sept. 3 at approximately 5-6 p.m. The event is free and open to the general public. Two PGA Tour players — to be determined — from the BMW Championship field will be the focus of the event.
Thursday/Friday Tee Times: For Thursday and Friday tee times, CLICK HERE.
Free Admission for Juniors — Kids 16 and under will be admitted free to the BMW Championship when accompanied by an adult ticket or credential holder.
Military Admission Policy — All active-duty, retired, reserve and veterans will receive free admission for one day of the tournament. Each military member must verify his or her military status on the website (CLICK HERE) and print off a free ticket voucher in advance of the tournament.
Field — The top 70 players in the FedExCup Playoff standings after the Deutsche Bank Championship concludes on Sept. 1. There will be no cut during the BMW Championship.
Purse — $8 million, with $1.44 million going to the winner.
Course Set-up — 7,352 yards. Par-70 (34-36). 3-inch-deep bluegrass rough. Greens 11-11.5 on Stimpmeter.
Tournament Beneficiary — All the net proceeds from the BMW Championship go to the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to worthy and qualified caddies with limited financial means. The average value of an Evans Scholarship nationwide is estimated to be $80,000. One of the 14 Evans Scholarship houses is located at the University of Colorado in Boulder. About 870 caddies are currently on scholarship nationwide, and the program has produced almost 10,000 alums since 1930, with about 430 from CU. Among the CU Evans Scholar alums is George Solich, the general chairman of the 2014 BMW Championship.
Parking — Free parking is available at 1 Highfield Parkway in Englewood, with free shuttle service provided to the main entrance at Cherry Hills CC. Free parking for BMW owners will be provided at 6145 Happy Canyon Road in Denver, with shuttle service to the course. (At Cherry Hills, the BMW owners’ pavilion is located between the seventh and 14th holes; owners need only show their BMW key for access).
Autographs and Cameras — Not permitted during championship rounds Thursday through Sunday.
Tournament History — The BMW Championship’s predecessor, the Western Open, began in 1899, making it the third-oldest PGA Tour event, behind the British Open and U.S. Open. The tournament was renamed the BMW Championship in 2007 when it became part of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Course History — Cherry Hills Country Club, a William Flynn-designed course, opened in 1922. It has hosted a myriad of significant tournaments over the years: U.S. Opens in 1938, ’60 and ’78; PGA Championships in 1941 and ’85; a U.S. Women’s Open in 2005; U.S. Amateurs in 1990 and 2012; a U.S. Senior Open in 1993; a U.S. Senior Amateur in 1976; and a U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1983. Winners of those events include Arnold Palmer (’60 U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (’93 U.S. Senior Open) and Phil Mickelson (’90 U.S. Amateur).
For More Information — Visit the BMW Championship website (CLICK HERE.)
