CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE — Broomfield’s Steve Ziegler is not the kind to rub it in, but the Stanford junior-to-be will always have Philip Francis to thank as his golf career progresses. Nothing personal, but sometimes an extra dose of motivation is all it takes to reach the next level.
Three summers ago, at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, Ziegler surprised Francis, and just about everybody else, by finishing seventh in the prestigious American Junior Golf Association Tournament of Champions. Ziegler, then a Legacy High School senior-to-be, was a virtual unknown in national circles, having entered just a handful of AJGA events before receiving a special invitation to the Tournament of Champions as “a local.”
Francis, a Scottsdale, Ariz., resident and an incoming junior at UCLA, grew up playing in dozens of AJGA tournaments and arrived at Hiwan as the nation’s top-ranked junior player. They were paired in the final threesome on the last day. Francis won, but Ziegler also created a buzz. For the first time, he attracted serious attention from college-golf powers recruiters. That included Stanford, his dream school.
“I remember Philip saying something like, ‘The local guy probably won’t stay up there,’ ” said Ziegler, playing this week for the U.S. team against Europe in the Palmer Cup, a Ryder Cup-like college competition at Cherry Hills Country Club.
“I understood, because I hadn’t been out there. But I also knew my game.”
Ziegler continues to turn heads. He earned first-team all-Pac-10 honors this year and is ranked No. 17 among all college players by Golfweek magazine.
“Steve really came on this spring,” said University of Washington coach Matt Thurmond, who is directing the U.S. team in the Palmer Cup. “What impressed me was that Stanford had a player (Joseph Bramlett) go out with an injury, and Steve just assumed the No. 1 spot. Some people, when they’re forced to be ‘the man,’ feel the pressure and can’t handle it. What Steve did just shows what kind of confidence he has in himself.”
UCLA senior Erik Flores, another member of the U.S. team in the Palmer Cup, recalled being impressed with Ziegler’s ball striking ability. They were paired together when Ziegler won a February tournament hosted by Southern Cal. “He was just ‘pureing’ it,” Flores said.
Ziegler has always had a sweet swing. This year he learned it takes more than that to beat the best.
PGA players, he said, “Don’t do anything different except they know how to play. It’s about course management, learning how to practice, learning how to get ready for a competition.”
Ed Oldham, head golf pro at The Ranch Country Club in Westminster, is Ziegler’s swing coach.
“The cool thing about Steve is, he keeps getting better,” Oldham said.
That’s the plan, Ziegler said.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” he explained.
But another naysayer or two might accelerate the process.
Top of the class.
Ziegler is among four Coloradans who finished in Golfweek’s ranking of the top 50 male college golfers for the 2008-09 season.
Ziegler is ranked No. 17. He is joined by Southern Cal senior Tom Glissmeyer (No. 24) and the University of Colorado senior duo of Derek Tolan (No. 43) and Pat Grady (No. 46). Glissmeyer played high school golf at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs. Tolan is a ThunderRidge graduate; Grady prepped at Broomfield High.
Tolan (2002) and Glissmeyer (2003) made national headlines as 16-year-olds by qualifying for the U.S. Open.
“There’s been a big jump in recent years, and I think that’s a testament to the Colorado Golf Association and their junior programs,” Ziegler said. “There’s better organization and more structure than there used to be, and it’s giving kids in Colorado wonderful opportunities.”
Footnotes.
Tom Watson will be the honoree for the fourth annual Will Nicholson Award, to be presented Tuesday at The University Club, 1673 Sherman St. Cost is $125 per person. Call 303-861-5300 for seating availability. . . . Sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open will be Monday at Columbine C.C. . . . Next week’s AJGA event at Aspen Golf Club will have 99 entrants (boys and girls) ages 12-15 representing 18 states, plus Mexico and Canada.
