PARKER — Even before he won the Senior PGA Championship, Tom Lehman said there was a lot to love about Colorado Golf Club, particularly as it applies to match play.
The combination of short par-4 holes, the risk-reward opportunities on the par-5s and the support of the golf-loving crowds in Colorado, he said, would make for “some amazing” competition.
“When I think of match-play courses, I think of what are the weaknesses, and there aren’t very many here,” Lehman said.
“Home-court” edge
However, that being said, the 1997 British Open champion and 2006 Ryder Cup captain concluded that bringing the biennial clash between the United States and Europe to the 3-year-old course in Parker “would be a mistake.”
Lehman, whose U.S. team was routed 18 1/2-9 1/2 at the K-Club in Ireland, the site of a yearly European Tour event, made his comments after the second round of play.
“(Europe) picks courses that they play year in and year out in tournaments, so their players know the courses really well; we tend to pick courses that no one’s ever played before, us or the Europeans,” Lehman said. “We played the Country Club at Brookline (in 1999), which is a great course, but I had never played it before — I don’t know if any our guys had.
“So as much as I like this course, I don’t think we’d be doing our guys any favors by hosting it here. I think there should be some ‘home-court’ advantage, and no one’s ever seen this course.”
Lehman did say Sunday after his victory that increased exposure at CGC could sway his opinion, and given all the drama that played out in the final round, it’s easy to see that happening. Long before a three-way playoff decided the championship, players and officials from the PGA of America — the organization that awards not only the Ryder Cup, but also the PGA Championship — were praising the course.
All of which was gratifying to Ben Crenshaw, who co-designed CGC with Bill Coore.
“I’m just pleased,” Crenshaw said Sunday afternoon. “I think some people enjoyed the course for the most part. I heard some nice comments from some of the players.”
“Flip the nines”
Crenshaw said he was especially pleased by the praise from international players, many of whom weren’t concerned about their own scores as much as the course’s quality.
Sam Torrance, the captain of the victorious 2002 European squad, finished his week at 11-over-par 299. Even so, he said, “I loved the course when I got here and I still like it. It’s an exciting course. I think it would be a good venue for the Ryder Cup.”
Mark James, the European captain in that 1999 competition in Massachusetts, agreed.
“The course is certainly good enough,” he said. “If I had to be supercritical, I’d say the 18th hole is a little mundane — they could probably flip the nines because No. 9 is a better hole. But no one gets it dead right, right away.”
Obviously, Lehman loves the course; his hesitancy has less to do with the physical layout of CGC and more with making sure U.S. players have every opportunity to succeed in the passionate, intense competition.
That’s where the PGA Championship comes into play; if the course became a part of that major championship’s rotation, U.S. players could indeed become accustomed to it.
The next available opening for the Ryder Cup in the U.S. is 2024. The next opening for the PGA Championship is 2017.
“I just think that’s a really big benefit — the more you play it, the more you know it and the better off you’ll be,” Lehman said. “That’s why I think we should play the Cup on courses that we play regularly.
“And then think about the crowds; the people here would be fantastic because it’s clear they love golf. But to me, have it at the TPC in Scottsdale, with 100,000 people standing on the 16th hole — now there’s a real home-field advantage.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
