The last time the U.S. Open was held in Colorado, the drivers were made of persimmon wood and a club head was smaller than a white-knuckled fist.

In June of 1978, the world’s best golfers arrived at Cherry Hills Country Club looking to win the country’s biggest golf tournament. Andy North, a two-time U.S. Open winner and current ESPN golf analyst, fired a final-round 71 to hold off a big-name leaderboard.

“It’s a fantastic golf course, so it’s really a good test for golf,” North told The Denver Gazette. “If Cherry Hills was at sea level, you’d have a U.S. Open there every 10 years.”

North played the third round with Jack Nicklaus, who won the 1978 Open Championship, and the final round with Gary Player, who won the 1978 Masters. North was familiar with Cherry Hills and the test it brought to the table. He had played in the 1969 Trans-Miss Amateur at the course.

“We have had a couple great amateurs there (Cherry Hills),” North said. “I think there will be more events like that in the future. I know they would love to get a Walker Cup or Ryder Cup.”

The last major tournament held at Cherry Hills was the 2023 U.S. Amateur won by Nick Dunlap. It also hosted Steven Fox’s run to the U.S. Amateur title in 2012. The 1938 U.S. Open, 1941 PGA Championship and the 1960 U.S. Open, won by Arnold Palmer, were also played at the Englewood course.

The PGA Tour’s BMW Championship was played there in 2014 with Billy Horschel winning the crown.

North acclimated to the elevation with the help of friend Tom Babb, who was the director of golf at Englewood’s Inverness Golf Club from 1973-2000. North came in the Sunday before the U.S. Open to prepare to play in Colorado. He stayed with Babb for the rest of the week.

“We had a great time all week long,” North said of staying with the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee who passed away in 2010. “We had eggs Benedict every morning when things went well and and we had barbecue ribs at night when things went well. It was nice to have a place to hang out and relax and get away from the tournament. That really made the week.”

There was plenty of playing well for North against some of the best competition in golf. After the first round, he shot 70 and was one shot behind Colorado golf legend Hale Irwin. North took the lead at 2-under after Friday’s round, but Nicklaus and Player were in second place, only two shots behind.

After Saturday’s third round, North still led by one over Player. Player faded on Sunday, but Dave Stockton and J.C. Snead made a run at North. North struggled down the tough finishing stretch at Cherry Hills as he played the last five holes at 4-over but held on for the victory by one shot to claim his first major title. He finished the tournament with a winning score of 1-over. 

Irwin and Tom Weiskopf finished in a tie for fourth. Nicklaus and Player were in a group tied for sixth place with Tom Watson and Johnny Miller. 

“It was a disappointing way to finish,” North said. “Obviously I still won, but it bothered me that I didn’t finish it off better. But that’s why you play 72 holes, right?

“Thank heavens we didn’t have three more holes the way I was playing.”

The Wisconsin native won three events on the PGA Tour with two of them being U.S. Opens after winning the tournament again in 1985 at Oakland Hills in Michigan. He also took home titles at the 1969 Wisconsin Amateur and 1971 Western Amateur.

“The U.S. Open was always the most important to me,” North said. “The USGA was the standard of golf. You play the hardest courses. You play the best courses, and it was a really great test of golf. So, winning your national championship to me was the absolute ultimate.”

The 125th U.S. Open tees off Thursday at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. The course is set to host its 10th U.S. Open, which is the most in history. Oakmont is regarded as one of the toughest tests in golf with its long rough, tricky bunkers and fast greens.

“I think even par will be a really good score,” North said. “Could somebody go low? Of course. Could somebody shoot 6 over? Yeah.”

Scottie Scheffler rolls into Oakmont as the hottest and best player in the world. He won The Memorial last week and also claimed the PGA Championship in May. After a slow start to the season due to a hand injury, the 28-year-old has three wins on tour. 

“He looks like Scottie Scheffler again,” North said. Even when he won the PGA, he didn’t play great. He managed his way around the golf course unbelievably well. He eliminated major mistakes. He did what he needed to do.”

North made a recent trip to Denver to watch his beloved Wisconsin Badgers basketball team play in the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena. The No. 3-seeded Badgers beat Montana in the first round before falling to BYU in a classic second-round matchup.

“Denver is a big-time sports city and that’s why it’s too bad that we can’t have a U.S. Open at Cherry Hills because they would support it unbelievably well as they did the BMW,” he said.

Golfers with Colorado ties set for U.S. Open

2023 U.S. Open champion and Denver native Wyndham Clark will begin his quest for a second major title at Oakmont Country Club with two previous U.S. Open winners.

Clark will be one of the first groups off the tee at 5:40 a.m. Thursday with 2022 champion Matt Fitzpatrick and 2019 winner Gary Woodland. On Thursday they start at No. 1, while at 11:25 a.m. Friday the group begins on the 10th hole.

Colorado Academy graduate Mark Hubbard, who survived “Golf’s Longest Day” to qualify, will tee off at 6:25 a.m. Thursday and be paired with James Hahn and amateur Michael La Sasso. The group is off No. 10 on Thursday and will go at 12:20 p.m. Friday off the first tee.

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What they’re saying

“You dream about the final putt going in at The Masters but you don’t think about what comes next.”

—Rory McIlroy during his press conference before the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club

Skins game

Odds to win U.S. Open

Scottie Scheffler +280

Bryson DeChambeau +700

Jon Rahm +1200

Rory McIlroy +1200

Xander Schauffele +2200

Collin Morikawa +2500

Ludvig Aberg +2500

Wyndham Clark +15000

Mark Hubbard +40000

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This week in golf

United States Golf Association

U.S. OPEN

Site: Oakmont, Pa.

Course: Oakmont CC. Yardage: 7,372. Par: 70.

Prize money: TBA ($21.5 million in 2024). Winner’s share: TBA ($4.3 million in 2024).

Television: Thursday, 4:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. (USA Network), 3-6 p.m. (Peacock); Friday, 4:30-11 a.m. (Peacock), 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (NBC), 5-6 p.m. (Peacock); Saturday, 8-10 a.m. (USA Network), 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 7-10 a.m. (USA Network), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Bryson DeChambeau.

LPGA Tour

MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC

Site: Belmont, Mich.

Course: Blythefield CC. Yardage: 6,611. Par: 72.

Prize money: $3 million. Winner’s share: $450,000.

Television: Thursday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 11 a.m.-Noon (Golf), Noon-2 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Lilia Vu.