DUVAL POSTS BEST FINISH OF 2008: Cherry Hills Village resident David Duval, the former top-ranked player in the world, on Sunday recorded his best finish of 2008 on the PGA Tour. Duval placed 22nd in the Viking Classic in Mississippi. He’s now made three cuts in 16 tournaments in 2008 and stands 222nd on the Tour money list for the year.
Meanwhile, Parker’s Shane Bertsch finished 14th at the Viking Classic, marking his second top-15 showing in the last month.
TERRIBLE TOMMY: Tommy Bolt, the 1958 U.S. Open champion who died late last month at age 92, will forever have a spot in Colorado golf lore. Known for his temper -- especially launching a disobedient golf club every now and then -- Bolt was caught in a famous picture during the first round of the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club south of Denver. There, after Bolt smacked two tee shots into the lake on the 18th hole, he promptly tossed his driver to a watery grave.
As GolfWorld magazine recently noted, Bolt later in life said that he sometimes felt an obligation to live up to his reputation.
“It thrills the crowds to see a guy suffer,” Bolt told Golf Digest in 2002. “That’s why I threw clubs so often. They love to see golf get the better of someone, and I was only too happy to oblige them. At first I threw clubs because I was angry. After a while it became showmanship, plain and simple.”
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: The University of Denver last week was hosting a men’s college golf tournament in Colorado for the first time since 2004, but apparently that was news to the Rocky Mountain News. The Ron Moore Invitational took place at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, but the Rocky reported in two consecutive editions that it was being held in Goodyear, Ariz., which has hosted the event in previous seasons.
MORE COLLEGE GOLF: CU and Colorado State, both winners of an early-season men’s tournament, are ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation by Golfweek magazine. CU stands at 10th and CSU at 18th. As for local women‘s teams, Golfweek places CU 10th, CSU 25th and Denver 30th. … The CU women will host its annual fall tournament Sept. 29-30 at the Omni Interlocken Golf Club in Broomfield. Also in the field for the Heather Farr Memorial Invitational will be Colorado State. … The top three finishers from CU and CSU at last week’s Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque were all freshmen. CU’s Emily Childs placed seventh and teammate Emily Talley was 10th, while CSU’s Melissa Martin was 14th.
CASH FOR A CAUSE: Last week’s fourth annual Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Golf Classic, held at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, raised $75,000 for the Hall of Fame Museum and to support the Open Fairways, MVParents.com and Gold Crown Foundation exhibits in the Hall of Fame museum.
GOLF NOTES
GARY BAINES: Taking Notes
Broomfield Golfers Setting the Standard
Pat Grady, Lindstrom rank 1-2 in state amateur standings
The Broomfield Boys take a back seat to no one when it comes to the Colorado amateur golf ranks.
Just in the last week, two of Broomfield’s finest have scored significant breakthroughs. First, Pat Grady, a senior at the University of Colorado, won a college golf tournament for the first time, capturing the honors at last week’s Ron Moore Invitational at Green Valley Ranch in Denver. Then on Sunday, fellow Broomfield resident Jon Lindstrom won his first individual Colorado Golf Association title, claiming the Mid-Amateur championship at Columbine Country Club in Littleton.
The latter performance leaves Lindstrom in second place on the CGA men’s player of the year points list. And guess who’s first? None other than
Monday, September 22, 2008
Grady, the 2007 CGA Player of the Year. And the Broomfield roll call doesn’t end there. Jim Grady, Pat’s brother, stands fifth in the state’s amateur rankings even though he turned pro a couple of months ago. That means Broomfield golfer are first, second and fifth in Colorado’s amateur ranks, with CU golfers Derek Tolan and Luke Symons third and fourth, respectively.
In addition, Steve Ziegler of Broomfield, the Stanford golfer who competes in the state only occasionally, also stands in the top dozen.
Maybe it’s something in the city’s water. Whatever the case, here are some of the summer highlights of the Broomfield Boys:
• Pat Grady: Besides his recent college victory, he qualified for the U.S. Publinks in Aurora and advanced to the round of 16, and he claimed low-amateur honors in the HealthOne Colorado Open. Grady also finished second in both the CGA Publinks and the CGA Stroke Play.
• Jon Lindstrom: At 41, he’s the only one in the top five on the amateur player of the year points list who didn’t play college golf in 2008. He finished tied with Pat Grady for second place in the CGA Stroke Play, placed in the top 25 at the Colorado Open, advanced to the round of 16 at this month’s U.S. Mid-Amateur in Wisconsin, and then won the CGA Mid-Amateur.
• Jim Grady: Before accepting a job as the CU assistant men’s golf coach and turning pro, he qualified for the U.S. Publinks and advanced to match play. He also placed fifth in the CGA Publinks.
• Steve Ziegler: The Legacy High School graduate finished 10th at the Colorado Open and was medalist in U.S. Amateur qualifying.
