• No green light on greens
The greens at the Broadmoor are some of the most difficult to putt in Colorado. With the course being at the base of a mountain, putts can not only be very quick, but can break many feet.
“The tournament will be won or lost on the greens,” Hale Irwin said. “The tee-to-green game is pretty straightforward.”
The players all know the general rule that putts break away from the Will Rogers shrine on the mountainside. But the severe contours of the greens can still wreak havoc.
“There are some places if you don’t hit the ball on the right line with the right speed, you may be chipping (on your next shot), or you may be putting from a longer distance, or you may have the same putt you just got through trying,” said Coloradan Dale Douglass.
• Player this week, caddie next
Denver’s Mark Wiebe has two victories each on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour, but he’ll find himself in the role of caddie on Tuesday at Vista Ridge Golf Club in Erie. That’s where his son, Gunner, will compete in qualifying for the U.S. Amateur.
“He caddied for me in the Senior British, he’s caddying for me this week, then we change roles on Tuesday,” Mark said.
Gunner Wiebe is an accomplished player in his own right, and regularly outdrives his dad by 30-50 yards when they play together.
“It’s gone on for about three years; that’s just the way it is,” Mark said with a smile.
• Chip shots
Graham Marsh, winner of six Champions Tour events in his career, withdrew Wednesday from the U.S. Senior Open. He was replaced in the field by Steve Heckel of Carterville, Ill. … Jay Haas, one of the top names on the Champions Tour, pulled a hamstring while playing football prior to his daughter’s recent wedding and still hasn’t fully recovered. “Walking 18 holes is a little bit of an achievement,” he said.
