Eyeing a dream
CU grad Paul looking to gain steam this week
Former University of Colorado brothers Jeremy and Yannik Paul share big dreams on the golf course.
The identical twins born a minute apart stayed nearly as close through their upbringing in Germany, often while playing a game that earned them international acclaim and brought them to Boulder nine years ago.
Their hopes (identical too) are a place on the PGA Tour.
On Thursday, the 28-year-olds will look to take another step towards their joint dream while on links thousands of miles apart. Jeremy, looking for his path into the PGA through the Korn Ferry Tour, will tee off at The Ascendant at TPC Colorado in Berthoud. Yannik, who is playing in the DP World Tour, opens play at the Horizon Irish Open in Ireland.
“At some point in time we want to reunite on the PGA Tour,” Jeremy said after his practice round at Heron Lakes at TPC Colorado Tuesday. “That’s the goal for both of us.”
Jeremy will be a familiar face at the fourth running of The Ascendant, which was renamed from TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes after a fiveyear partnership with Ascendant National Title was announced earlier in the year.
The four-day tournament will again feature 156 professional golfers, who like Jeremy are hoping to earn their PGA card.
In the current Korn Ferry Tour season, the German is just outside the season’s 25-golfer PGA cut. But his play of late on the circuit — which includes three straight top-16 finishes and a pair of top-seven places — has him in a strong spot with five tournaments to go (and three postseason tournaments after that).
“You never know with golf,” said Jeremy, currently 41st on the KFT season leaderboard. “One day it feels great, then the
next you might wake up and it doesn’t feel so good. I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself. Just stick to my game plan and I’m in a good spot at the moment.”
The Berthoud event has continued to grow from its 2019 inception, ticketed as an easy, fun and affordable way to see professional golf in the Front Range.
Last year, the TPC Colorado Championship was named Korn Ferry’s Tournament of the Year.
Part of the spectacle includes mammoth drives on the longest Pga-sanctioned course in history. Its par-5 13th hole stretches a Pga-most 773 yards.
It’s also a chance to see PGA stars before they’re household names. 2020 winner Will Zalatoris is now among the top golfers in the world.
This year, tournament director Drew Blass promises the event will be even “bigger and better.”
“Our goal here is to thank this community and provide more opportunity for these fans to see these incredible golfers,” Blass said. “More shaded areas. More spots for them to watch multiple holes. We’ve enhanced so much of our grandstand. We’ve also added more interactive areas. We have more putting greens out here, more concession stands.”
Blass predicts the tournament will have more than 30,000 in attendance over the week of festivities. The first groups will tee off at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Paul’s first round begins at 7:36 a.m., starting on tee 10.
Omar Rawlings