Notable anniversaries we’ll celebrate in Colorado golf in 2025: Annika and Ernie and the Babe. Oh my!

By Gary Baines – 1/13/2025

The history of Colorado golf is a topic that doesn’t get a lot of attention. It’s brought up here and there, and the new Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum at The Broadmoor does a great job in helping shed light on it. But overall it’s far from top of mind for most people, even ardent local golfers.

But every once in a while it’s fun to call a little attention to the subject. We’ve done that annually in recent years in this space by noting interesting anniversaries that await us in Colorado golf in a given year (think monumental Colorado golf happenings from 5, 10, 20, 25 and 50 years ago, etc.). So here we go for our 2025 edition …

125 Years Ago (1900)

— Coloradan Frank Woodward plays an exhibition match in Denver against the legendary Harry Vardon during Vardon’s nationwide tour. Woodward goes on to become president of the USGA in 1915.

90 Years Ago (1935) 

— The prestigious Western Amateur is held at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, where future U.S. Amateur champion Charlie Yates prevails.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Phyllis Buchanan wins the first of five consecutive CWGA Match Play titles. She captured six championships in that event overall.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Paul Runyan records three of his 28 career wins on the PGA Tour.

80 Years Ago (1945)

— Future World Golf Hall of Famer — and onetime Denver-area resident — Babe Zaharias wins The Broadmoor Ladies Invitation for the first of three straight times. She also prevails at the prestigious Women’s Western Open as an amateur.

75 Years Ago (1950)

— Babe Zaharias, who earlier had been dubbed “Denver’s Queen of the Fairways,” wins an LPGA major, the Women’s Western Open, at Cherry Hills Country Club. It’s one of eight LPGA victories for the Babe that year alone, including three major championships.

— Mason Rudolph, who went on to win five times on the PGA Tour, claims the title at the third U.S. Junior Amateur, at Denver Country Club.

— Two current Colorado Golf Hall of Famers meet in the Trans-Miss final, with Jim English Sr., defeating Jack Vickers in Omaha.

70 Years Ago (1955)

— The LPGA Tour holds its Mile High Open at Lakewood Country Club, where future World Golf Hall of Famer Marilyn Smith wins.

— Former Colorado resident Babe Zaharias posts the last two of her 41 career LPGA Tour victories.

— In the decade starting this year, Coloradan Jim English puts together a stellar run, winning two Broadmoor Invitations, three CGA Stroke Plays and two CGA Match Plays, plus earning low-amateur honors at the 1959 U.S. Open. 

— Future Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Dow Finsterwald wins the first of his dozen PGA Tour titles.

60 Years Ago (1965)

— Lakewood Country Club hosts the U.S. Women’s Amateur won by Jean Ashley, with the runner-up being 

, who won seven USGA titles from 1958 to ’93.

— Another USGA championship is held in Colorado, with the U.S. Girls’ Junior conducted at Hiwan Golf Club. Gail Sykes wins. Stroke-play medalist Shelley Hamlin went on to claim three titles on the LPGA Tour.

— Future World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin wins the CGA Stroke Play title for the third straight year, while Larry McAtee claims the CGA Match Play for the third consecutive year.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Marcia Bailey wins the first of three straight CWGA Match Play titles — and one of her four in five years.

— Bill Bisdorf wins the second of his three Colorado Open titles to start the tournament’s long run at Hiwan Golf Club.

— Golf and tennis standout Joan Birkland wins the second of three straight CWGA Stroke Play titles.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Gene Torres wins the first of his two Rocky Mountain Open championships in Grand Junction.

50 Years Ago (1975)

— The LPGA Tour’s National Jewish Hospital Open is held in the Denver area for the fourth straight year, in this case at Pinehurst Country Club. Future World Golf Hall of Famer Judy Rankin claims the victory.

— Colorado Springs resident Nancy Roth Syms wins the Ladies’ British Amateur at The Old Course at St. Andrews. 

— In a title match featuring two future Colorado Golf Hall of Famers, two University of Colorado teammates and two CU Evans Scholars, Mark Crabtree defeats Tom Woodard to win the first of his four CGA Match Play championships.

— Future LPGA Tour winner Lauren Howe wins the CWGA Stroke Play at age 16.

— Past U.S. Open winner Orville Moody wins the Rocky Mountain Open in Grand Junction.

— Dave Hill, part of the first class of Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductees, wins the 12th of his 13 PGA Tour events, the Sahara Invitational.

40 Years Ago (1985)

— In the last men’s Grand Slam event held in Colorado — to date — Cherry Hills Country Club hosts the PGA Championship. Hubert Green outduels fellow future World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino to claim the title.

— The LPGA Tour event in Colorado is rebranded as the LPGA National Pro-Am, with Lone Tree Golf Club and Meridian Golf Club co-hosting. World Golf Hall of Famer Pat Bradley wins an LPGA title in Colorado for the second time in three years. Thirty-nine years later, Bradley’s nephew, Keegan Bradley, wins the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship at nearby Castle Pines Golf Club.

— Lee Elder, one of the most successful African-American golfers in the world at the time, wins the Denver Post Champions of Golf Senior Tour event at TPC Plum Creek in Castle Rock.

— Al Geiberger, an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour, claims the Colorado Open title at Hiwan Golf Club.

— The Jerry Ford Invitational, in the middle of two-decade run in Vail, is won by PGA Tour player Mark Pfeil.

— Brandt Jobe, a future PGA Tour regular and twice a winner on PGA Tour Champions, sweeps the CGA Match Play and Stroke Play titles in the same year. Along with his Match Play win in 1984, he captured three CGA “majors” in two years.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Jack Sommers, who grew up in Grand Junction, wins the third of his four Rocky Mountain Open titles.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Mark Wiebe records the first of his two PGA Tour victories.

30 Years Ago (1995)

— In the first U.S. Women’s Open held in Colorado — specifically at The Broadmoor’s East Couse — future World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam records the first of her 72 LPGA titles and 10 open-age majors. This was the 50th playing of the U.S. Women’s Open and the first that featured a purse of at least $1 million.

— In the 10th playing of the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines Golf Club, Lee Janzen prevails. He won two U.S. Opens in the 1990s.

— Hale Irwin, the most accomplished golfer who grew up in Colorado, starts a PGA Tour Champions career in which he won 45 times, which until recently stood as the all-time record for the circuit.

— Doug Tewell, who had won three times on the PGA Tour, claims the title at the Jerry Ford Invitational in Vail.

— The Colorado Women’s Open debuts, with Shelly Rule winning at Fox Hollow.

— Myran Craig retires after 22 years as executive director of the Colorado PGA.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore wins the third of the five CWGA Stroke Play titles she claimed in the 1990s.

— Future Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Jack Sommers wins the Colorado PGA Professional Championship for his fourth and final time.

Ernie Els, then en route to a World Golf Hall of Fame career, fended off Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman to win the 2000 International at Castle Pines Golf Club.

25 Years Ago (2000)

— Future World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els wins the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines, with two-time International champ Phil Mickelson placing second and 1989 winner Greg Norman fourth.

— Colorado-based sports writer Kaye Kessler receives the PGA of America’s National Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism.

— Boulder High School and University of Colorado alum Hale Irwin wins his second U.S. Senior Open and his fifth USGA championship.

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Barbara McIntire earns the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award.

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Vic Kline is awarded the PGA of America’s national Golf Professional of the Year honor.

— Ed Mate is hired as the CGA’s executive director, later becoming the longest-serving executive in that role.

— Former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Bill Loeffler wins the Colorado PGA Professional Championship for the first of three times in five years.

— Coloradan Scott Petersen wins both the Colorado Open and a Korn Ferry Tour event (the Buy.com Inland Empire Open) in the same year.

— The Girls Junior Americas Cup, featuring some of the best female junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico, is conducted at Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy. Mexico sweeps the team and individual (Violeta Retamoza) titles.

20 Years Ago (2005)

— Relief Goosen, winner of two U.S. Opens in the early 2000s, claims the title at the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines Golf Club.

— The appropriately named Birdie Kim holes out a challenging bunker shot for birdie on the final hole at Cherry Hills Country Club to win the U.S. Women’s Open, which would turn out to be her only LPGA Tour victory.

— Colorado golf professionals Warren Smith and Vic Kline are inducted into the national PGA of America Hall of Fame.

— Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West, a past winner of the Colorado Open, adds a Colorado Senior Open title to his resumé.

— Becca Huffer, who would go on to play on the LPGA Tour, wins the CWGA Match Play at age 15.

— Matt Zions, a future winner on the European Tour, wins the Rocky Mountain Open in Grand Junction.

10 Years Ago (2015)

— The CGA celebrates its 100th anniversary by hosting a Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor, headlined by Jack Nicklaus. 

— Jennifer Kupcho, who recently became the youngest person inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame at age 27, wins the first of three consecutive CWGA Stroke Play titles.

— Paige Spiranac, who grew up in Colorado and has since become a social media sensation, wins the 100th CWGA Match Play title, prevailing at Raccoon Creek Golf Course over a field that included Jennifer Kupcho and University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan. In the title match, Spiranac went 9 under par over 35 holes.

— Senior player Doug Rohrbaugh wins the Colorado PGA professional championship for the third straight year.

— Jim Hajek of Fossil Trace Golf Club is awarded PGA of America’s national Public Merchandiser of the Year honor.

5 Years ago (2020)

— Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho wins for the first time as a pro, at the Colorado Women’s Open, where she outdueled fellow LPGA Tour player Carlota Ciganda.

— Colin Prater, a high school science teacher from Colorado Springs, becomes the first person since Gary Longfellow in 1974 to win both the CGA Match Play and Amateur and be low amateur in the Colorado Open in the same year. 

— Will Zalatoris, who would go on to win on the PGA Tour, claims the title at the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes in Berthoud.

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore wins a CGA championship in his sixth consecutive decade.

— Covid-19 safety concerns lead to the cancellation of many prominent golf tournaments, including the scheduled 2020 U.S. Girls’ Junior which had been set for Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy. That site was later awarded and hosted the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior. The end of the 2019-20 college golf season — and the first portion of the 2020-21 campaign were nixed for the most part, affecting programs nationwide, including those based in Colorado.

— Geoff Keffer, who has now earned more Colorado PGA overall player of the year honors than anyone in history, wins the Colorado PGA Professional Championship for the second time.

About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com