Hale Irwin called it “the worst round I’ve ever had as a professional.”
And that’s saying something considering the World Golf Hall of Famer and former University of Colorado athlete has played in 1,132 events between the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions in his 50-year pro career.
Following up a first-round 79 at the U.S. Senior Open — his highest score ever in a USGA championship — Irwin shot an ever-so frustrating 15-over-par 85 on Friday at The Broadmoor, where he won the Broadmoor Invitation 51 years ago while still a Colorado resident.
To put that into perspective, not only did the 85 feel like his worst round as a pro to Irwin, it was indeed the highest score he’s ever shot in a PGA Tour or PGA Tour Champions event.
His previous highs were an 84 on the PGA Tour (first round of 1990 USF&G Classic, ironically less than two months before winning his third U.S. Open) and two 82s on PGA Tour Champions (both in 2015).
“Coming into this event there was a lot I was doing. This has been a crazy week,” the 73-year-old said in an interview with coloradogolf.org. “I was ill-prepared for this for a variety of reasons. I haven’t played in an individual tournament since March and Wes Short and I played in the Legends (team event) in April. I haven’t played, and it showed — big time.
“My priorities this week are my family. I don’t get to see them all the time. That has made my week, so everything else is (secondary). It sounds a little trite — I don’t mean it to be — but that’s from my heart. What I wanted to see more than anything was my family together. That’s where my life is now. It isn’t necessarily predicated on, will I play golf. The golf really came secondary (here), and it showed.
“I just didn’t have it — and maybe I don’t have it. But I’m not going to continue playing like this. Unless I see something happen in the next month or two. …”
Even before going 79-85, missing the cut and finishing at 24-over-par 164 on a demanding Broadmoor East course, Irwin had said this “could be” his final U.S. Senior Open, and therefore his final USGA event. That’s definitely notable considering he’s won five USGA championships — three U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens.
Irwin, who grew up in Colorado and played golf and football at CU, has now competed in 23 U.S. Senior Opens in addition to 34 U.S. Opens. Only fellow former CU golfer Dale Douglass (26) and Arnold Palmer (25) have played in more U.S. Senior Opens.
Asked again after his round on Friday if this is his last U.S. Senior Open, he said, “I don’t know. The odds say yes, but I don’t know. If I can help push the needle in the direction of positive golf — not my golf (but golf in general, like) USGA golf, junior golf, golf — I’m happy to do that. And that might be where my role is. I don’t know. We’ll have to sit back and analyze how much playing is left in 2019.
“I’ll play out my plans (in 2018). Whether I play the Senior Players in Chicago (in two weeks), I don’t know. I need to make that decision. I will play the Senior British (next month at the Old Course at St. Andrews, where his son Steve will caddie for him) and probably The First Tee event (in late September) because I really enjoy being with those kids out at Pebble Beach. That’s fun.
“You got me at a down time and kicked me — or maybe I kicked myself.”
Irwin, named the male player of the century in Colorado during the CGA’s centennial year festivities in 2015, has won a record 45 times on PGA Tour Champions and 20 on the PGA Tour. But he’s only competed in eight PGA Tour Champions events each of the past two years and five so far in 2018.
Between age taking an ever-increasing toll on his game, and wanting to spend more time with his family, competitive golf obviously is not near the priority it used to be.
That was apparent in his very un-Irwin-like round on Friday. He made just two pars on the day and was playing bogey golf through 11 holes. He didn’t make a birdie until finishing up with one on the ninth hole, his 18th — at least going out this week on a minor high note.
“I was just way off on my golf game,” Irwin said. “There was nothing, nothing. On this golf course where you have rough like this and you’re not driving it well … And my irons — oh my gosh — I bet I didn’t hit four or five greens all day. I didn’t get it up and down. I had three-putts all over the place. I made two really good putts to keep from four-putting this week, so I felt really good about that.”
At least Irwin can still joke about it.
And he used the circumstances on Friday as a life lesson of sorts for grandson Dylan Meyer, who was caddying for him at The Broadmoor. (The two are pictured at left.)
“It’s like I told my grandson when we were playing 18: ‘This is the time it would be so easy to quit and walk right in, but we don’t quit. We’re going to finish it off.'” Irwin said.
An experimentation with new irons definitely didn’t help this week. In an effort to conteract the effect of age, Irwin went with lighter irons with different shafts.
“They’re lighter thinking I’ve lost some of my strength. But I can’t feel the club,” he said. “You don’t come into a U.S. Senior Open and play new irons. Well, I did.”
That certainly didn’t help, but Irwin by no means blames his poor play primarily on that.
As to what the future holds as Irwin devotes ever-less time to tournaments, there are some business matters, and he still does some course design/redesign work. That includes helping out with the new course at City Park Golf Course in Denver. And he’s ready to start a project in the Los Angeles area where an old 18-hole course that has gone to seed will be made into a new 12-hole course with a modernized practice facility, with much of the rest of the land being developed. And there’s a possiblity of another project in the Bahamas.
“There’s not that many jobs around, but I’d like to do a couple to help absorb my time and competitiveness,” he said. “I want be the best designer. There’s some things out there I’d still like to do.
“You always try to contribute, then you’ll always be competitive — whatever that word means. I’ve not known something different than being competitive.”
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For all the essentials regarding this week’s U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, CLICK HERE.
