It’s regarded as the biggest golf weekend of the year in Durango.
Yes, this is U.S. Open weekend. Father’s Day weekend, too. But for most of the last 53 years, those two have shared the third weekend in June with the Navajo Trail Open at Hillcrest Golf Club.
And in Durango golf circles, it doesn’t get any bigger than the NTO.
It’s the lone annual professional open golf tournament in southwestern Colorado. And according to Hillcrest head professional John Vickers, the tournament, in its 54th year, is the second-oldest open championship in the state (the Rocky Mountain Open in Grand Junction is in its 77th year). And, as usual, it will boast a full field – 40 professionals and 180 amateurs, making it as big of a tournament numbers-wise as you’ll see anywhere in the state.
“It’s the premier event in terms of golf in Durango and even the Four Corners area – no disrespect to the San Juan Open,” Vickers said, referring to the other annual pro event in the area the following weekend at the San Juan Country Club in Farmington. “The week starting Wednesday definitely has a different feel and a different vibe. We flip a switch and go into full tournament mode.
“It’s the only time this course is closed during the season.”
Considering Hillcrest is the only true public course in town – and the immediate area – and sees about 40,000 rounds a year, that’s saying something. The course will be closed to public play from Thursday through Sunday.
Wednesday was an unofficial practice round, and the pro-am is Thursday with 40 teams headed by those NTO pros, Vickers said, followed by competition Friday through Sunday. Vickers said amateur championship flight players and the pros will start teeing off at noon Friday, 7:30 a.m. Saturday and at noon again Sunday – off Nos. 1 and 10 each day to accommodate the size of the field. In all, including the championship flight, those 180 amateurs will be divided into five flights – or 36 players per flight.
Returning open champions include defending winner Zahkai Brown of Arvada, Keenan Holt of Durango, brothers Tom and Bobby Kalinowski of Arizona, both with deep Durango roots, Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale and Micah Rudosky, the head pro and manager at Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez and the head boys golf coach at Montezuma-Cortez High School.
Bud Andersen, an assistant pro at Hillcrest and the former longtime head men’s golf coach at Fort Lewis, is among a number of the pros who have played for years, even decades. This will be Andersen’s 26th year, he said, adding that he’s “been in the hunt a couple of times.”
“We used to encourage PGA club pros to play in the event. For the pros, it became a mini-tour event,” said Vickers, in his 10th year at Hillcrest.
Vickers said he played in the tournament the first year he got to Hillcrest, but said that playing and working the tournament proved to be too much.
“A lot of them had aspirations to play professionally or one day to make the PGA Tour. I tend to kind of follow them and hope they make it. I don’t know if any past champions have played on the Tour on a regular basis. It’s a neat storyline. (The spectators) like to see the pros play. And they hit it so far these days.”
It’s not unheard of for NTO champions to make it big. 2013 champion Jimmy Gunn of Scotland qualified for this year’s U.S. Open and will tee it up at Chambers Bay.
Regardless of it being Father’s Day/U.S. Open weekend, the NTO draws good crowds, especially Sunday. Hillcrest members and tournament volunteers – often one in the same – go out of their way to make it a fun, memorable weekend.
“A lot goes into this event behind the scenes,” Vickers said. “On No. 14, they put scaffolding up to spot golf balls. And kids in the junior program will flag golf balls. Kids 8 or 9 years old. And people will bring bags of quarters to tip the kids. The little things make it what it is. Close to 50 (volunteers) will help during the week. And we couldn’t do it without the help of Jim and Marilyn Fiala. He was my predecessor (at Hillcrest) and was here for 26 years and was probably institutional in getting this event to the next level.
“It’s good for the community,” he added. “(Out-of-town competitors) rent hotels, eat at the restaurants. And it’s a big deal in part because this is a small-town public golf course.
“A lot goes into it.”
bpeterson@durangoherald.com
