Last weekend essentially marked the end of 2016 from a competitive standpoint for the world’s top golf tours. And an impressive 2016 it was in many respects from a Colorado perspective.
Players with strong Colorado connections had plenty of highlights during the year — whether that be victories, spectacular scores, outstanding season-long performances or otherwise.
Here’s a sampling:
— Jobe’s Impressive Season: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe had a rookie year to remember on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99, finished 23rd on the Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup points list, winning more than $900,000. Though he didn’t win in 2016 after being medalist in Champions Q-school a year ago, Jobe (pictured above) posted seven top-10 finishes. And the former Colorado Open champion came up big in some of the most prestigious tournaments of the year, with three top-fives in Champions majors (Senior PGA, Senior Players and the Senior British Open), and two top-10s in the inaugural Schwab Cup Playoffs.
— Tour Victories: Several players who have significant Colorado ties posted wins on major worldwide tours (or co-sanctioned events) in 2016.
Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo notched his fourth PGA Tour Champions triumph, this one in February at the Allianz Championship in a playoff over Billy Andrade.
Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda recorded his third Web.com Tour victory in April as he prevailed in the Brasil Champions.
In July, former University of Denver golfer Espen Kofstad notched his third European Challenge Tour victory — and first since 2012 — prevailing in a playoff at the D+D Real Slovakia Challenge.
And, on Sunday, Denver-area resident Duval Duval recorded his first win in a nationally televised tournament in 15 years by teaming with stepson — and fellow Colorado resident — Nick Karavites to claim the title in the PNC Father/Son Challenge.
— In the Spotlight: Two former DU golfers — Kofstad and Oskar Arvidsson — qualified for two of the biggest tournaments of the year. With his Slovakia Challenge victory, Kofstad earned a spot on Norway’s Olympic squad, placing 43rd individually. And Arvidsson qualified for the British Open, though he missed the cut there.
And although they’re still amateurs, Coloradans Jennifer Kupcho and Hannah Wood advanced to the U.S. Women’s Open, arguably the top women’s tournament in the world, though neither made the 36-hole cut.
— A Local Presence on LPGA Tour: Going into this month, the last time a player with a strong Colorado connection earned an LPGA Tour card through Q-school was 2012, when former Longmont resident Kelly Jacques and former DU golfers Stephanie Sherlock and Kimberly Kim landed status on the 2013 LPGA circuit.
But early this month, the drought ended when Jenny Coleman (left) became the first former University of Colorado golfer to secure a spot on the LPGA Tour. By finishing 29th in the final stage of Q-school, Coleman will have conditional status on the top women’s circuit in the world in 2017. The former Buff played on the Symetra Tour in 2016, finishing 31st on the money list.
— Going Low: Local players took their turns shooting exceptionally low scores in professional events in 2016. Denver resident — and former DU player — James Love carded a 12-under-par 59 in the first round of a Web.com Tour Q-school tournament in St. George, Utah in October. And Tom Whitney of Fort Collins, a regular on PGA Tour Latinoamerica in 2016, fired a 12-under-par 60 in the final round to win his second consecutive Waterloo Open. On the Latinoameric circuit, Whitney finished 11th on the 2016 money list, with his best finish being second in the Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open in October.
— Hubbard Extends PGA Tour Stay: Denver native Mark Hubbard hasn’t yet posted a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, but he’s performed well enough that 2016-17 will be his third consecutive season playing a full schedule on the top tour in the world. Hubbard, winner of both of the CGA’s top junior championships in 2007, is on the verge of going over $1 million in career earnings as he currently stands at $971,522. Hubbard’s best showing in 2016 came at the Puerto Rico Open, where he placed 15th.
— Near-Miss for Laird: Also on the PGA Tour, former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird finished runner-up in the RBC Canadian Open in July, marking his best showing on that circuit in more than three years. It was one of four top-10 performances for Laird in 2016.
Also scoring top-10s on the PGA Tour in 2016 was former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders, who hit the mark twice in July.
— Locals Find Home on European Tour: For the first time in recent years, two pros who played their college golf in Colorado will be regulars on the European Tour. That’s after both former CU golfer Sebastian Heisele and former DU player Espen Kofstad made the grade in the final stage of European Q-school. Heisele finished 19th there and Kofstad 25th. It will be Kofstad’s second full-time stint on the top European circuit.
— Knous Becomes Regular on Web Circuit: On the No. 2 open-age tour in the U.S., Englewood’s Jim Knous in 2017 will become the first Coloradan in two years to compete regularly on the Web.com circuit. The former Colorado School of Mines golfer earned that right by finishing 23rd Sunday in the final stage of Q-school.
— Schoolcraft Shines in Canada: On PGA Tour Canada, Denver resident Michael Schoolcraft was one of the more impressive players, posting three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up in the Cape Breton Open in September. Schoolcraft ended up ninth on the money list with $41,485.
— Wallace Strong in Final Symetra Tour Season: On the Symetra Tour, the women’s equivalent of the Web.com Tour, former University of Colorado golfer Jessica Wallace posted three top-10 showings, including a runner-up in the IOA Championship in February. Despite finishing 19th on the 2016 Symetra Tour money list, Wallace decided to stop playing professionally; instead she plans to become an accountant. Also notching a second-place Symetra finish in 2016 was Denver resident Becca Huffer in the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in October.
