GARY BAINES: A Matter of Perspective

Wishes for a Successful New Year

Saturday, January 3, 2009

      The holidays are over and 2009 is here. And with the PGA Tour season starting next week in Hawaii, it’s time to spread New Year’s wishes for PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour players who have major ties to Colorado.

      Let’s call them up to the first tee in alphabetical order for a proper sendoff in 2009:

      -- Shane Bertsch, PGA Tour (Parker resident) -- Our wish: That the new season goes a lot more smoothly than the old season ended. Bertsch went into the final week of the 2008 Tour year thinking he had fully-exempt status locked up for 2009. He was apprised differently just before the Tour finale started, and he promptly missed the cut and ended up 126th on the Tour money list -- one spot away from fully-exempt status for this year. As a partially-exempt player, he’ll still likely be able to play 20-25 Tour events in 2009. If he can avoid stewing over the way 2008 ended, there’s no reason he can’t remain on the big circuit for years to come.

     -- David Duval, PGA Tour (Cherry Hills Village resident) -- Our wish: That the 13-time winner on the PGA Tour can regain the inner fire and mindset that once made him one of the top players in the world. Duval hasn’t won since the 2001 British Open and hasn’t posted a top-10 on Tour since 2002. He’ll play in 2009 thanks to a top-50 all-time money list exemption. But if he doesn’t finish the year in the top 125 on the 2009 money rankings, or successfully negotiate Tour qualifying, he’ll be faced with a very limited schedule in 2010.

     -- R.W. Eaks, Champions Tour (Colorado Springs native and University of Northern Colorado graduate) -- Our wish: Knee pain that’s tolerable. Eaks has won two tournaments each of the last two years, and there’s every reason to think more victories will come if his problematic knees don’t give out.

     -- Gary Hallberg, Champions Tour (Castle Rock resident) -- Our wish: A continuation of the revival. Hallberg has three PGA Tour wins to his credit, but none since 1992, so a fast start on the Champions circuit was definitely welcome. After turning 50 on May 31, he posted seven top-20 finishes, including a second. He certainly wouldn’t mind if more of the same is in store.

     -- Hale Irwin, Champions Tour (Grew up in Boulder and University of Colorado graduate) -- Our wish: A taste of victory again. No one has won close to as many times on the Champions Tour as has Irwin (45 victories), but he’s gone winless since January 2007. At 63 (or 64) a triumph would probably mean more than just about any of his previous ones on the Champions circuit.

     -- Brandt Jobe, PGA Tour (Kent Denver High School graduate and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer)   -- Our wish: A very fast start to the season. The terms of Jobe’s medical extension require him to earn $480,950 in just four tournaments to remain fully exempt on Tour for the rest of 2009. If Jobe doesn’t meet those standards, he has the option to play on the Japan or Nationwide tours. Though Jobe hasn’t won in 257 PGA Tour starts -- he finished second at the 2005 International and two other times -- he’s claimed six victories on the Japanese circuit.

      -- Steve Jones, Champions Tour (Grew up in Yuma and former CU player) -- Our wish: Good health. The eight-time winner on the PGA Tour hasn’t competed since August 2007 due to injuries. The 1996 U.S. Open champion turned 50 in December, becoming eligible for the Champions Tour. Now we’ll see when Jones’ body allows him to compete on a regular basis.

     -- Jonathan Kaye, PGA Tour (Denver native and CU graduate) -- Our wish: Pain-free feet. Kaye only played in eight Tour events in 2008 -- and none after June -- due to ongoing foot problems. Due to his medical extension, the two-time winner on Tour will have 13 tournaments to earn $743,805 in order to remain fully exempt for the remainder of 2009.

     --  Martin Laird, PGA Tour (Colorado State graduate) -- Our wish: A season a little easier on his nerves. Laird had to battle back from a slow start as a rookie in 2008 -- he didn’t crack the top 50 in a tournament until July -- and needed to make an 8-foot putt on his final hole of the season to keep his fully-exempt status for 2009.

     -- Jill McGill, LPGA Tour (Denver native and Cherry Creek High School graduate) -- Our wish: A victory. McGill has played 13 seasons on the LPGA circuit, but is still looking for win No. 1. In 2008, she notched the fifth top-3 finish of her career. Perhaps if she keeps knocking on that door …

     -- Leif Olson, PGA Tour (Golden native and Mullen High School graduate) -- Our wish: Continuation of the Cinderella story. Olson quit the game a few years ago, but couldn’t stay away. He made it through all three stages of Tour qualifying and will be a rookie on the circuit this year.

     -- Craig Stadler, Champions Tour (Evergreen resident) -- Our wish: An end to the victory drought. Stadler has won eight times on the Champions Tour, including five in 2004, but hasn’t taken home the hardware in more than four years. He came close at the 2008 First Tee Open, where he finished second.

     -- Kevin Stadler, PGA Tour (Kent Denver High School graduate) -- Our wish: Consistency. The Frys.com Open in late October, when Stadler shot an 81 then a 61 on back-to-back days, was a microcosm of his up-and-down season. Stadler made 16 cuts and missed 14 during the year. He finished the official Tour season on a high note with a 16th-place showing, then ballooned to a 148th-place performance in the final stage of Tour qualifying. In finishing 145th on the 2008 money list, Stadler will be partially exempt in 2009.

     -- Mark Wiebe, Champions Tour (Denver-area resident) -- Our wish: More of the same on the Champions circuit. Wiebe, who won twice in his long PGA Tour career, notched that many victories in his first seven months on the Champions Tour (September 2007 to April 2008). He finished an impressive 17th on the 2008 Champions money list with more than $1 million in earnings.

What local tour pros need most in 2009

     Littleton High School graduate Becca Huffer, who won her second state high school golf title in May, was voted Girls High School Athlete of the Year Monday by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame selection committee. The award goes to the top female prep athlete in the state in 2008, regardless of sport.

     Huffer, who now competes for the Notre Dame golf team, claimed the 5A girls state title by a whopping 13 strokes, but that was just one of her many accomplishments in 2008. She finished second in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Publinks and advanced to match play, and was named Colorado Women’s Golf Association Player of the Year in 2008.

      Huffer will be among those honored at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame banquet April 14 in Denver.

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Honors Huffer

Monday, January 5, 2009