The year 2012 produced plenty of headline-worthy happenings in Colorado golf.
But just as interesting as all the newsworthy stories the sport yielded was how people reacted to them.
So without further ado, here’s a selection of some of the most memorable quotes from Colorado golf this year:
— PGA Tour player — and former Colorado State University golfer — Martin Laird, reflecting on how he and many of his fellow Scotsmen wore kilts for his 2011 wedding in Steamboat Springs to the former Meagan Franks:
“They’ve definitely never seen so many white legs as they saw that day.”
— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Joan Birkland, executive director of Sportswomen of Colorado, on how far things have come for women athletes during her lifetime.
When Birkland was young, “We were told it was bad for you to compete. They said not to run more than 100 yards. You tell people that now and they say, ‘What?'”
— CGA executive director Ed Mate, in anticipation of helping designer Tom Doak make an Olympic golf course proposal for the 2016 Games in Brazil, along with several golf luminaries:
“I’ve thought about it — how it would be interesting to be in a waiting room chatting with Greg Norman, Annika (Sorenstam) or Jack (Nicklaus).”
— Tom Woodard, former head professional at Denver’s City Park Golf Course, as the course turned 100 years old:
“When I started playing there (in the late 1960s), the men’s clubs were pretty much segregated, but the gambling games weren’t. The color of money — green — was the only thing that mattered there. I thought that was pretty amazing.”
— Coloradan Christie Austin, a USGA Executive Committee member who was the keynote speaker at the 2012 Season Tee-Off Luncheon:
“At a time when the game faces increasingly complex challenges — from the cost and time required to play the game, from the environment and the economy, and from a history and perception that the game is unwelcoming to some — we must recommit ourselves to the USGA’s mission. … Sustaining the game will require the USGA to do more. We have to promote a more enjoyable, more affordable and more welcoming experience for golfers. Without fundamentally changing the game itself, there are clear and present opportunities for the USGA.”
— George Solich, who the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy is named for, along with brother Geoff:
“There’s nothing that taught me more than caddying. I look at the path (it can put kids on) — that’s the key. You put a kid in caddying and it gives them the opportunity to be a successful student, gives them that work ethic, teaches them how to be self-sufficient and gives them the drive to get better.”
— Mark Cramer, co-owner and operator of the Denver Golf Expo, after the show drew 10,519 attendees:
“I really came in confident that we had a legitimate shot at breaking 12,000, but my crystal ball broke in about 1986, so you never know.”
— Colorado PGA executive director Eddie Ainsworth, on growing the game of golf:
“It’s time for us to stop apologizing for golf and share it with the masses. It’s a great game and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Golf is fun, friendly, affordable and it’s about family.”
— Jon Lindstrom, after winning the first two CGA championships he competed in in 2012, the Four-Ball (with Dean Clapp) and the Mid-Amateur Match Play:
“You can’t win them all unless you win the first two.”
— U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon on Colorado Golf Club, site of the 2013 matches:
“I knew this place before there was a hole in the ground. I saw it as they were mapping out the course. When there were literally stakes in the ground (Mike McGetrick) walked me through the course. … The whole experience of watching this thing come together has been something.”
— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Lynn Zmistowski, on building a stone bench at Willis Case Golf Course honoring Katie Fiorella:
“There was such a strong love between Katie and Willis Case that it’s appropriate to have a memorial bench there. Her heart was so much in that course. You think about Katie and how she’s looking down from heaven with a smile. We knew how much she loved Willis Case, and this shows our love for her. It’s really special.”
— Jerry Kidney, who has won CGA team titles with three different partners:
“I go through partners left and right. They can only put up with me for so long.”
— Former University of Colorado football player and golfer Hale Irwin, the day he received the Will Nicholson Award in Colorado:
“I looked at every golf course as a football field. It was me or them. I say that somewhat jokingly because the thing I had more of than the other fellas was effort. I point back to the football background. Look at me — I was a little guy even then, and I wasn’t terribly fast. So I had to read keys and be in position and play technically better than the next guy. Then I had to play over my weight. I had to hit harder. All that effort is what you could take to the golf course. So when you got to Winged Foot or those hard courses — where others guys might let up because they thought it was too hard — that was right up my alley.”
— CU golfer Emily Talley, on playing in an NCAA regional tournament at Colorado National instead of participating in her graduation ceremony:
“This is enough like a graduation out here. You’re ‘walking’ on your home course. This is awesome. This is where it is right now.”
— Allie Johnston, who graduated from Rock Canyon High School and began competing in the first round of the state high school tournament on the same morning:
“I got to school at 7, I walked, exited out the side and came here. Graduation started at 8:30 and they had me walk first which was pretty funny because it went ‘Johnston,’ then started with the A’s. They just had me walk, then just keep walking straight out. I wanted to be there, and it was cool to be there.”
— Two-time state high school champion Kelly Jacques, who grew up in Longmont, on qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time:
“This is like a dream. Oh my gosh, it’s so exciting. It’s such a goal. I haven’t really done too much since high school (as far as major golf accomplishments). I had a decent college career (at Oklahoma), but I didn’t do great. I was never an All-American, a standout in the country. I always felt I had more in me. My game is finally getting to the point where I feel like I can compete with the best.”
— USGA regional affairs director Mark Passey, on the association’s relationship with the CGA and CWGA:
“The heart and mission of the USGA is delivered by the CGA and CWGA. It’s an important relationship. Their mission statements are about the same as ours. We share best practices with them and want them to be as good as they can be. We treasure groups like the CGA and CWGA.”
— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Rick DeWitt, on qualifying for his first U.S. Senior Open:
“I thought, ‘God, just let me play in one PGA tournament before it’s all over — just one, God. I deserve one. I look at some of these guys who have played in PGA after PGA tournament. Just give me one.'”
— Allie Johnston, after teaming with Claudia Davis to win a 25-hole, 6 1/2-hour CWGA Mashie final:
“I still kind of feel like we should be playing. It was really fun. Mostly I think we were all just wanting to finish and eat.”
— CU golfer Jessica Wallace, after the women’s team rallied in the final round of the NCAA regional to qualify for the NCAA Championship finals for the first time in program history:
“It’s the best collective effort I’ve ever seen out of the team, especially with the pressure we were under. Everyone was capable of doing this, but we all came up and did it together when it mattered most. It shows what we’re really made of.”
— Gunner Wiebe, on being one of the participants in a U.S. Amateur Alumni Day exhibition at CommonGround Golf Course:
“I think this is one of the coolest things we could do as part of the CGA, the U.S. Amateur or anything. We don’t get enough opportunities to come back and have fun with a bunch of kids who just want to see golf. We might not be Tiger Woods or Phil (Mickelson), but to them we might be more than just your normal everyday (golfer).”
— Mary Doyen, after winning the senior division of the CWGA Match Play a year after claiming the CWGA Senior Stroke Play title:
“Turning 60 ain’t so bad.”
— Champion Somin Lee, 20, on a brief conversation she had with runner-up Kim Eaton, 53, while walking up the final hole of the CWGA Stroke Play Championship:
“She was like, ‘Oh you played really good today and you gave too hard of a time to your elder. I was like, ‘I really wanted the trophy, so you weren’t the elder for me on the golf course.'”
— Gary Nicklaus, on competing in the U.S. Amateur after playing few big-time tournaments over the previous nine years:
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win. It’s like riding a bike; you don’t forget how to do it. You just get a little rusty. You just put a little grease on there and get it moving again.”
— Jack Nicklaus (pictured above at CommonGround Golf Course), on son Gary returning to the U.S. Amateur after last playing in 1991:
“I didn’t even know Gary was trying to qualify for the national amateur. I got home from overseas and they said Gary qualified for the Amateur. Fantastic. Where is it? Denver. Then we’ll go to Denver.”
— Jack Nicklaus, asked about his golf game while he was attending the U.S. Amateur:
“I have about a 90 mph clubhead speed and hit it about 210 if I hit it flush. I play once a month if I have to and if I don’t have to I don’t play. I did play the other day. I had 168 yards in, and the previous hole I had the same distance and hit a 5-iron that wasn’t even close. So I ripped a 4-iron and I got it there. 4-iron is about 230 yards for these guys (at the U.S. Amateur), and I’m hitting it 168. The way I play and $10 will get you a cup of coffee most anyplace.”
— Michael Schoolcraft, who went 19 holes and lost a first-round U.S. Amateur match at his home course of Cherry Hills after being 2 up through 13 holes:
“I’m angry now, but I’m just going to be devastated. I mean, it’s a tough way to go out. The farther you make it, the more it hurts. This will hurt for a while.”
— Chris Williams, then the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, on U.S. Amateur venue Cherry Hills Country Club:
“It’s awesome to be playing a course like this. It feels like a U.S. Open. I played (in the Open) last year at Congressional, and I’d say that course is much easier than this one.”
— U.S. Amateur champion Steven Fox, on rallying in the title match to capture the title in a 37-hole finale:
“The whole match is the definition of being ‘Foxed’. Definitely 2 down with two to go, then winning the first playoff hole by making a 20-footer there, that’s the definition of being ‘Foxed’.”
— USGA executive director Mike Davis, reflecting on the U.S. Amateur:
“It was wonderful. Every time we come to Cherry Hills, something magical just happens. Whether it’s the 1960 U.S. Open — which is one of the great U.S. Opens we’ve ever had … And this is where (Phil) Mickelson kind of made his name (at the 1990 U.S. Amateur). And you think about Jack Nicklaus winning here at the (1993) U.S. Senior Open. And we had a great Women’s Open (in 2005). The club couldn’t have done a better job. CommonGround couldn’t have been a better companion course for stroke play. The weather couldn’t have been better. And the golf course (at Cherry Hills) was a true championship test.”
— Christie Austin, after advancing to the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur despite shooting an 81 in qualifying:
“I really kind of feel like I don’t deserve it, but I’m not going to turn the spot back.”
— European captain Liselotte Neumann, on getting some fan support for her side in the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club:
“It’s hard to bring a lot of people over from Europe obviously. We’re trying to make some connections (in Colorado). We’re trying to tempt everybody. We could maybe put an ad in the paper, maybe pay people to come out and cheer for us. We’ll see. We pay good, by the way.”
— USGA executive director Mike Davis, on CommonGround Golf Course, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA:
“It’s got so many great story lines that go with it beyond just being a marvelous architectural, fun course that’s well-conditioned. I think the thing that’s so appealing is it’s a great story. Very affordable golf, it focuses on junior golf and now it has a great caddie program (the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy). And it’s close to the city. It’s a model we’d love to see in a lot of other cities around the country.”
— Carter Francis, who notified the CGA that he signed an incorrect scorecard in finishing second in the 1978 CGA Junior Stroke Play Championship:
“I had a dream, I woke up, and it bothered me to death. In hindsight, if I would have known it was going to be a 900-pound gorilla waking me up at 5 in the morning 34 years after the fact, I would have done something. But you’re young and stupid and don’t know any better.”
— German-born golfer Sandra Gal on the Solheim Cup, which will be played at Colorado Golf Club next year:
“I personally think it’s the biggest event we have in women’s golf. You really can’t compare it to any regular tour event or major. Even seeing how involved the fans are in the tournament, in the event, with dressing up and chanting songs. You get goose bumps when you’re there. You just have to be there to see it.”
— Retired school teacher Laurie Steenrod, 56, on qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in her first attempt:
“I’m very pleased to go. Get beaten up by the little girls (age 25 and older) there — by the big hitters — you betcha. What the heck. I’ve got lots of woods, so I’ll just bang ’em.”
— Champions Tour player R.W. Eaks, who won the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in 2011:
“I love this golf course. It fits my eye. How can you not try to play good here? The people are so nice, it’s unbelievable. The Colorado Open and the Colorado Senior Open are the best state opens in the country. They’re run the best, and the golf course is great. Sure, this is a big deal to me.”
— USGA Senior Amateur qualifier Hal Marshall, remembering one of the highlights of his golf career:
“I was a 7 handicap at Meridian (Golf Club) in 1990 and shot 64 from the back tees. That’s the same year that (Phil) Mickelson did it (at Meridian in stroke play) for the U.S. Amateur. He shot 64 and they took my name down and put his up, which is OK with me.”
— CGA executive director Ed Mate, after going to the BMW Championship in anticipation of Colorado hosting the event in 2014:
“The biggest impression for me personally was how big the event is, how grand a scale it’s on. Colorado hasn’t had a PGA Tour event since the International in 2006, but this is the PGA Tour on steroids. It’s much closer to a U.S. Open than a U.S. Women’s Open. There are more grandstands, more corporate hospitality and more moving parts. If you had to pick an event to have in Colorado, this would be this one. It’s in a great month — September. And the deck is stacked; the field includes only the top players. The chances of getting a leader board again are pretty high.”
— Nikki Athey after winning the first CWGA championship she’s ever entered (her Country Club of Colorado team won the CWGA Club Team Championship):
“One-for-one, woo-hoo.”
— CGA Mid-Amateur champion Keith Humerickhouse, on taking pride in excelling at golf while being a sole proprietor in the flooring business:
“I work for a living, and I work my butt off. I’m a one-man show. There are days when I work all day and I go out and I trunk-slam it and go to the first tee and my back is killing me. But I do it because I love it. I think guys that work hard for a living can relate, and that feels good.”
— Coloradan Christie Austin, on leaving the USGA Executive Committee after six years:
“One person goes up the ladder (to become president), so it’s a rare occurrence to be pushed forward. I’m not disappointed. I served a great purpose for women in golf and for golf in general and I’m real proud of my accomplishments. I served with pleasure and honor and thoroughly enjoyed my time on the committee.”
— Tom Woodard on being voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame:
“It’s one of the biggest accomplishments of my golfing career. To me it says, ‘Job well done’ and that’s huge.”
— Competitor Scott Crone, after it was noted that the turnout was great for the first CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play Championship:
“We may be old, but we ain’t dead.”
