Kevin Stadler is beginning his PGA Tour season this week in Las Vegas at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and if this year is as momentous as the 2013-14 season, there may be big things ahead.
The part-time Denver resident and Kent Denver High School graduate accomplished plenty of personal firsts during the ’13-’14 wraparound season. Let’s count the ways:
— Most notably, he won for the first time on the PGA Tour, out-dueling Bubba Watson down the stretch in the Waste Management Phoenix Open near Stadler’s winter home in Scottsdale.
— Stadler won more than $2 million in a PGA Tour season for the first time, ending up with $2.3 million, good for 36th place on the Tour money list.
— The 34-year-old finished eighth in the Masters, marking by far his best showing ever in a major championship.
— In July, Stadler was on the verge of becoming the first American in 42 years to win the European Tour’s French Open, but he three-putted the final green, missing an attempt of less than 3 feet that would have forced a playoff.
“All in all, it was definitely a good year, but I would have liked to have played a little better in the summer than I did,” Stadler told COgolf.org after last month’s BMW Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club. “I’ve gotten into a spot the last three or four years where I’ve been a lot more comfortable, a lot more consistent, and played all around a lot better. I’ve had three good solid years in a row now.”
Indeed, Stadler recorded eight top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2013-14, not counting his French Open showing. Currently, Stadler stands at No. 56 in the World Golf Rankings.
So now the question is, what does Stadler need to do to join the elite of the elite, the players who win multiple times on Tour and contend in major championships? (Kevin’s dad, Evergreen resident Craig Stadler, claimed 13 PGA Tour titles, including the 1982 Masters, and nine Champions Tour victories.)
“What exactly I need to do to take the next step, I’m not too sure,” Kevin said. “I’ll try to figure that out over the winter.”
Stadler likely will soon surpass $10 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour as he currently sits at $9.66 million, with more than $9 million of that total coming since the beginning of 2007.
Coincidentally, Craig Stadler barely surpassed $10 million in career PGA Tour earnings, with $10,021,897.
Followers of Colorado golf over the last couple of decades are familiar with Kevin Stadler’s record in the state. While at Kent Denver, Stadler won the state high school title in 1997, when there was only one state tournament. Also as an amateur, he earned titles in the 1999 and 2002 CGA Match Play. And he won the 2002 Colorado Open after a three-way playoff in his professional debut while dad Craig was caddying for him at Sonnenalp Golf Club in Edwards.
