Peter Jacobsen will be a part of one of his favorite events on Sunday.

Jacobsen, who won 18 professional tournaments including seven on the PGA Tour, will see the future of the game as part of Golf Channel’s broadcast team for the “Drive, Chip & Putt” national finals featuring Colorado’s Brady Shaw and Jacob Eagan.

Jacobsen spoke with The Denver Gazette’s Chris Schmaedeke about several topics involving golf and where the game is headed. 

CS: What impact do you feel the Drive, Chip & Putt competition has had on youth golf?

PJ: I’ve been fortunate enough to have done the Drive, Chip & Putt every year and I feel honored to be able to to say that. I remember when we first got started, the young boys and girls that participated were entry-level players. And to see where it’s come in ten years — it is really an incredible thing to see the skill level, to see the growth, to see the maturation of these boys and girls when they get onto the grounds at Augusta National. They are so sophisticated now. It’s so wonderful to see, because when I run through the bios of all the kids every year, I see more and more kids working with nationally known teachers, working on their swings, working on their short game. And that didn’t happen 10 years ago. Mostly they were taught by their dad or their uncle or their grandfather.

CS: The Colorado kids’ parents say they are preparing them for every aspect of golf.

PJ: I think when you start talking about preparing a young child to get to the next level, there are a lot of aspects, obviously, talking to media, how you present yourself, how you speak, but also you can see in their eyes if they’re really in love with the game or not. That’s the one thing that sets these kids apart. You can take 100 kids, line them up on a driving range, and easily pick out the 10 or 15 that get it. Because you could just see it, you can feel it. They’ve got natural swings. They’ve got swagger, they’ve got confidence, they’ve got a brightness in their eyes that they want to learn, they want to grow. That’s what we see at the Drive, Chip & Putt. We see these boys and girls that love Tiger (Woods), they love Rory (McIlroy), they love (Jack) Nicklaus, they love Arnold (Palmer), they love Justin Thomas, and they want to get to that next level. And they know that through the Drive, Chip & Putt, that’s going to prepare them to make that jump.

CS: What does it mean to these kids to compete at Augusta?

PJ: I feel like that would even resonate with someone at a very young age without a doubt. It’s fun to read the bios and to hear moms and dads talk about never having the chance to get to Augusta and now, thanks to their child, they have a chance to make that trip. But it’s a dream of a lifetime. The Masters is the preeminent major championship in the world. Everybody knows about The Masters, the history, the tradition of the green jacket. It is a dream come true for every family member when their young son or daughter happens to make it to Augusta.

CS: How do you think we grow the game among kids? 

PJ: One of the great organizations that started more than 20 years ago was The First Tee and it is a wonderful way to get kids into the game, to be able to create awareness and education and get a club in their bag and a club in their hand. I think the way we grow the game is access, and that’s what I love about the Drive, Chip & Putt. It’s only a few shots. You get two drives. You get two chips and you get two putts. It’s not a nine-hole tournament. It’s not an 18-hole tournament, so it is a totally different format than other golf. But what it does is it opens the eyes of a lot of these kids, and it gives them access to August National. Don’t forget at the tournament practice area where they hit their drives, the only people that practice there are the professionals. That’s it. That is pretty exclusive access. And then when they have a chance to chip, and then they have a chance to put on the 18th green, that is the ultimate access. But I think to grow the game, we need to make sure that all the clubs around the country, whether their private clubs or public golf clubs, they have an hour or two a day where they allow junior players, beginners, emerging players on the course.

CS: As a parent I see my son worry about his score. What advice would you give parents to say, don’t worry about that?

The one aspect of The First Tee that I love, and I would encourage you to look it up. They have nine core values. I’ll tell you one quick story. I was playing in the old Bob Hope Classic in Palm Springs, California. I was paired with Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. And Charles missed a 4- or 5-foot putt and he got really upset. He ran back like he was going scream or throw his hat or throw his club. And he stopped, and he looked at us as he was starting to erupt, and he said, no, that’s not how we act on the golf course. We just pick our ball up and go to the next tee. And I love that. First of all, I love Charles Barkley. I’d vote for him if he ran for president tomorrow. The guy is an amazing individual and he understands the complexities of the game. It’s frustrating. It’s difficult to put the ball in the hole, whether you’re an NBA legend or you’re a tour pro or you’re a beginner. It has very little to do with putting the ball into the hole, as it does with how you act whether it goes in or not. That really is the character-defining aspect of playing the game.

CS: What’s been your experience with golf in Colorado?

PJ: When I was at the University of Oregon, I played on the college team there. I have very good friends in Colorado, and I would travel to play at Hiwan Country Club for the Colorado Open. I just love playing in Colorado. I came and played in The International many times at Castle Pines. I think I love it simply because of the altitude. I feel like Superman because I can hit the ball 10 to 15 percent farther. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, so even though the altitude is higher in Denver, it’s the same type of geography. I love the huge trees. I love the grass. I love the state of Colorado. And I love Denver.

CS: What are your thoughts on this year’s Masters?

PJ: Jon Rahm is the most dominant player right now. Rory is always right there. Cameron Young is a player that burst on the scene and is long. He’s got a great attitude. And I think Sam Burns is one of these players that can win anything at any time. So put those four players in the mix and then you look at Jordan Spieth with his history there. Justin Thomas is so motivated and he’s a frontrunner. And you can never count out Scottie Scheffler. I think experience really counts at Augusta. There are so many places where you know not to hit it, not to miss it. Don’t forget — golf is a game of recovery. It’s not a game of precision. And when you play in The Masters three, four, five times, you know where to miss it.

CS: What are your thoughts on the LIV Tour?

PJ: The LIV Tour is like the Harlem Globetrotters of golf. I’ve got no problem with the LIV Tour and these players. Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin (Johnson) and Brooks (Koepka) came along at a time where they used the PGA Tour as their platform to win majors and to be able to be in the limelight. When Norman created this LIV thing, they took millions of dollars and they basically retired from competitive golf. I’ve got no problem with that. That just opens up the door for a lot of younger players to take their place. It’s entertainment. LIV is entertainment. There’s no drama whatsoever. There’s more drama in the Drive, Chip & Putt than there is at LIV. Now, I’m not trying to be smart. I’m just just talking about watching an event. If you want to watch some dramatic golf, you’re going tune into a LPGA or PGA or European Tour event to be able to watch somebody make a putt that’s going change the direction of the trajectory of their life and their career. That’s already happened with these guys on the LIV Tour. These guys have moved on. They took the money and they moved on, which I wholeheartedly applaud that, and wish them the best of luck.

CS: I have to ask. How often do people ask you about being the voice of Golden Tee?

PJ: I tell you what people ask me about the most. They ask me about tackling the streaker at the British Open (in 1985). They ask me about winning the U.S. Open in the movie “Tin Cup” and they ask me about voicing Golden Tee. It’s funny in the bios of a lot of these boys and girls for the Drive, Chip, and Putt mention their favorite video game is Golden Tee. Whether they know I’m involved or not, I don’t know that. That all happened in the mid-90s when I got involved with that with Jim Nantz, and I have been involved with that for the last 25-30 years. But yeah,  I get a lot of obscure comments which pleases me to no end. I had a lot of opportunities to do a bunch of things within the game. And I’m glad I did that.

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How to watch

What: Drive, Chip and Putt national finals

When: 6 a.m., Sunday

Where: Augusta National Golf Club

TV: Golf Channel and Peacock

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Local Links

Cherry Hills to host the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship

One of golf’s most prestigous events is headed back to Colorado.

On Aug. 14-20, Cherry Hills Country Club will host the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championships. This will be the third time Cherry Hills will have the tournament in the course’s 100-year history. 

“Cherry Hills hosting the U.S. Amateur Championship for the third time brings great pride to the club and the community,” Cherry Hills president Kim Koehn said.

The starting field of 312 players for the U.S. Amateur will play 18 holes of stroke play Aug. 14-15, with one round at Cherry Hills and one at Colorado Golf Club, the stroke-play co-host for the championship, after which the field will be cut to the low 64 scores.

Six rounds of match play begin Aug. 16. The championship concludes with a 36-hole championship match Aug. 20.  

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This week in golf

PGA

Valero Texas Open

When: Thursday-Sunday

Site: TPC San Antonio (Oaks)

Defending champ: J.J. Spaun

Purse: $8.9 million

TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30-4 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 12:30-4 p.m. (NBC)

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LPGA

Dio Implant L.A. Open

When: Thursday-Sunday

Site: Palos Verdes Golf Course – Palos Verdes Estates, California

Defending champ: Nasa Hataoka

Purse: $1.75 million

TV: Thursday-Friday, 5-7:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)

***

LIV

LIV Golf Orlando

When: Friday-Sunday

Where: Orange County National (Crooked Cat) – Orlando

Purse: $25 million

Defending champ: New event

TV:  Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (The CW App); Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (CW Network)

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Augusta National Women’s Amateur

When: Wednesday-Saturday

Site: Champions Retreat and Augusta National Golf Club

Defending champ: Anna Davis

TV: Wednesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (NBC)

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Korn Ferry 

Astara Chile Classic

When: Thursday-Sunday

Site: Prince of Wales Country Club – Santiago, Chile

Defending champ: New event

Purse: $1 million

TV: None

***

Skins game

Odds to win Valero Texas Open

Tyrrell Hatton +1400

Corey Connors +2000

Rickie Fowler +2000

Si Woo Kim +2000

Davis Riley +2500

Hideki Matsuyama +2500

Taylor Montgomery +2500

—Odds from SuperBook Colorado

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World Golf Rankings

Player, points

1. Scottie Scheffler, 541.16191

2. Rory McIlroy, 408.38192

3. Jon Rahm, 411.78442

4. Patrick Cantlay, 285.30290

5. Cameron Smith, 238.89312

6. Max Homa, 272.59833

7. Xander Schauffele, 257.78195

8. Will Zalatoris, 230.59663

9. Viktor Hovland, 259.68393

10. Sam Burns, 245.48083

Ryder Cup standings

United States

Captain: Zach Johnson

Player, points

1. Scottie Scheffler, 16,481.423

2. Max Homa, 6,636.810

3. Cameron Young, 5,665.003

4. Will Zalatoris, 5,529.134

5. Sam Burns, 5,379.644

6. Justin Thomas, 5,261.750

7. Collin Morikawa, 4,827.095

8. Kurt Kitayama, 4,525.605

9. Patrick Cantlay, 3,797.925

10. Tom Hoge, 3,327.309

11. Chris Kirk, 3,255.402

12. Jordan Spieth, 3,096.092

Note: The U.S. team will be made up from the top six eligible players in the points rankings with six captain’s picks

Europe

Captain: Luke Donald

European points

1. Rory McIlroy, 2,171.5

2. Jon Rahm, 1,883.53

3. Victor Perez, 1,286.02

4. Yannik Paul, 1,269.97

5. Alex Noren, 1,037.5

6. Adrian Otaegui, 1,020.51

 World points

1. Jon Rahm, 206.74

2. Rory McIlroy, 176.86

3. Tyrrell Hatton, 108.72

4. Viktor Hovland, 103.92

5. Shane Lowry, 62.71

6. Tommy Fleetwood, 61.26

Note: The European team will be made up from the top three eligible players from the European points List, the top three eligible players from the World Points List and six captain’s picks.