Kevin Stadler, who will be inducted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame next month, joins Sean O’Hair, defending champ Jim Knous and many other notables in field for this week’s Colorado Open
By Gary Baines
Kevin Stadler doesn’t play much tournament golf anymore, though he owns a PGA Tour victory, four wins on the Korn Ferry Tour and one on what is now known as the DP World Tour.
The Kent Denver graduate and part-time Denver resident last played a PGA Tour of Korn Ferry Tour event in 2024 as he has very limited status on those circuits.
But the 46-year-old who will be inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame on Aug. 30 is scheduled to tee it up this week as the 62nd edition of the Inspirato Colorado Open takes place Thursday through Sunday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.
The 2002 Colorado Open, held at Sonnenalp Golf Club in Edwards, marked Stadler’s first pro victory. Also in the state, he’s won two CGA Match Play titles and a state high school individual championship. Stadler has played the Colorado Open since, but only occasionally.
The Colorado Open — now with a $200,000 purse, of which $50,000 goes to the winner — will feature a 144-player field, and Stadler isn’t the only PGA Tour winner entered. Also scheduled to compete is Sean O’Hair, a 44-year-old who has won four times on the PGA Tour, most recently the 2011 RBC Canadian Open. Erik Barnes, who lost in a playoff at the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open two years ago, also is set to play at GVR.
Joining Stadler as former Colorado Open champions in the field this week are 2025 winner Jim Knous, Derek Tolan (2009 and ’12), Wil Collins (2005 and ’22), Zahkai Brown (2013), Dru Love, son of Davis Love III (2018) and Jimmy Gunn (2015).
Davis Bryant of Aurora, the 2024 champion who grew up playing GVR, was originally entered but recently withdrew to get some off time before resuming his DP World Tour schedule.
Among others in the field this week are AJ Ott (third place last year), fellow former CGA Player of the Year Connor Jones, Hunter Swanson (another GVR regular as a young man who recently turned pro), 2020 U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci, 10-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year Geoff Keffer, longtime standout amateur Parker Edens and amateur Brady Duval, son of former world No. 1 David Duval. Joe Neuheisel, son of former University of Colorado football head coach Rick Neuheisel, also will tee it up.
In fact, two former CU football head coaches are in the field for Wednesday’s pro-ams as Rick Neuheisel will be joined by Gary Barnett.
For all the Thursday and Friday championship tee times for the Colorado Open — prior to the inclusion of qualifiers on Monday — CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com