The Ascendant Presented by Blue Preview: How TPC Colorado Prepares the PGA’s Next Generation

The TPC Colorado course is about as long as human decency allows – more than 8,000 yards. But with pros at this altitude able to blast 400-yard drives, the competitiveness of the layout has to be defined by more than length.

The course each year is set up for the Ascendant Presented by Blue to be a fair challenge but give the players a stage on which to show they are ready for bigger things.

Last year Nicholas Lindheim of California took top honors with a 20-under par tournament, 6-under for the final day. (He was one of only two players to shoot four rounds in the 60s; the other, Parker Coody, finished third). What did it take for him to be the best on the challenging TPC Colorado course? Lindheim was tied for first in greens in regulation at 80.6 percent and had only four bogeys over the four days. The winds in 2023 were pretty tame, Lindheim said, and that made a huge difference between last year and previous tournaments.

The win gave Lindheim a $180,000 paycheck and his overall 2023 Korn Ferry performance earned him a PGA Tour card this year and access to more tournaments. In the first six months of this season, however, he played in nine PGA events and failed to make the cut in any of them.

He has been wrestling with back issues last season and this.

“I’ve taken a lot of time away from golf with my injury to be with my family and I think that’s put me in a good place mentally,” he said. “Just when I’ve played I’m excited to be out here rather than just going week in and week out. That’s really paid dividends.”

One of the nice aspects of the tournament is that fans typically show up in greater numbers than at some other stops. As some of these players are still learning how to handle pressure in front of crowds, the Ascendant gives them a crash course.

“The crowds this week are as big as at a Tour event,” Lindheim said after last year’s win. “That’s probably one of my biggest things is the crowds and dealing with the pressure and knowing I can get it done.”

Tournament Director Drew Blass said the tournament has a reputation for offering a good experience and they work hard to keep that momentum going.

“Some (of the players) are just waiting their one year so they can be on the PGA Tour,” he said. “The nice thing is these players really appreciate this community and the opportunity we’re giving them to reach their dreams.”

The volunteer support for the tournament remains strong, Blass said. They love the stories they have been told of local homes that were opened up for some of the players to stay in; one volunteer gave a player an extra bedroom and was later invited to his wedding, Blass said.

The tournament this year is trying a new approach to its final qualifying process. The tournament is holding three qualifiers setting aside one of the four qualifying slots for a junior player. The qualifiers were played on July 6 at the TPC Colorado course.

Two qualifier slots will go to the top two finishers who have PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour memberships. One will be for the top finisher under the age of 18. The fourth will be for a non-tour-aligned top finisher.

Then, it will be up to the best players to perform under pressure. Lindheim said the secret is simple.

“It’s a matter of making putts and I really haven’t been a great putter the last few years but I’ve also figured out how to hit my golf ball better,” he said. “You’ve got to make putts to win.”

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