Scott Petersen has endured a rough couple of years as a player on the Nationwide Tour and various mini-tours, but he’s always been able to count on success at the Wigwam.
In that regard, nothing has changed for 2009.
The Parker resident, who won both the Colorado Open and the Nationwide Tour’s Inland Empire Open in 2000, continued a remarkable streak last week in Arizona. Petersen won the pro portion of the Wigwam Interclub Challenge for the sixth straight year, claiming $1,600 out of the $10,000 professional purse.
While the Wigwam Challenge certainly doesn’t compare to a Nationwide event, it does feature quite a few club pros who are strong players, including many from the Colorado Section PGA. Other competitors come from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, California, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.
And, winning any tournament of note six straight times is a feat.
“I feel comfortable there,” Petersen said this week. “I’ve had success there, and my dad and I have gone down there probably 10 or 12 times. But I didn’t have a lot of expectations this year because I haven’t played much.”
Petersen, a two-time Colorado state amateur champion, shot back-to-back rounds of 68 for an eight-shot victory at the Wigwam Resort west of Phoenix. Another Coloradan, Matt Schalk, director of golf at Vista Ridge Golf Club in Erie, tied for third place at 145 (73-72), a shot behind runner-up Justin Herron of Omaha, Neb.
Colorado pros have held a stranglehold on the professional title at the Wigwam in the new century, winning every title since 2000. Pueblo West’s Mike Zaremba prevailed each year from 2000 to 2003, with Petersen claiming victory every winter since.
In all, the Wigwam Challenge has been held the last 20 years, and Petersen and Zaremba have won the tournament six times apiece.
Petersen, 38, has been battling back injuries the last couple of years, and it’s shown in his play. After two top-10 finishes in 2006 on the Nationwide Tour, he hasn’t made a cut in 13 Nationwide starts since.
But buoyed by a training regimen that has his back feeling better, the former University of Colorado golfer hopes to return to his old form. Though he’s been helping his dad in the oil business on occasion, Petersen plans to compete full-time beginning in late March. He hopes that’s mainly on the Nationwide circuit, but mini-tours, state opens and the like will probably fit prominently on his schedule.
In any case, the Wigwam victory “gives me some confidence going into this year,” Petersen said.
