Jack Nicklaus & Ernie Els on the Same Page as Senior Players Get Handed a Tough Test by USGA

After their tough challenge at Firestone Country Club, the legends from the PGA Tour Champions are heading to Broadmoor Golf Club for their next big task. The 2025 U.S. Senior Open Championship. Interestingly, based on what Jack Nicklaus and Ernie Els’ statements, it seems that the veteran golfers will get to relive the challenges at Augusta National during their visit to the Colorado Springs course.

In a press conference preceding the senior major, Els was asked, “Jack Nicklaus compared these greens to Augusta National. Maybe not quite as severe. Do you see that the same way, or is there another course that compares?” The fact that the fairways at both courses use Bermuda grass might have contributed to the 73-time PGA Tour winner’s thought process. But Ernie Els had a slightly different understanding about why Nicklaus drew the parallels.

“Yeah, there’s golf courses that compare. Every time you come near a hill or a mountain, in this case, you’re going to have some slope. This golf course was designed back in the day with green speeds a little bit different. So green speeds are up in the modern day, same type of contours on the greens. You’re going to have some speed and slope to deal with, and I think that’s a defense of the golf course. It’s a very fair course. Everything is in front of you. I think that’s a good comparison,” he shared.

Sitting at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, the Broadmoor has its fair share of elevations and declines throughout the course. So the fast-rolling slopes on the greens come from the uneven surface around the mountainous region. The course designers, Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones, Ed Seay, and one of Nicklaus’s closest friends from golf, Arnold Palmer, have made sure the diverse nature of the grass is maintained within the shape of the course as well.

The South African legend further added, “Obviously Augusta National, the speed is a bit different, a little bit quicker even than here, but this slope and where you have to position your ball for 18 holes is key. If you can get an uphill putt, you can have a go at it. But anything down or from the side, there’s huge slopes and speed issues. We’re going to have to be on our guard. That’s why controlling your ball into the fairways, getting yourself with an iron, put spin on it, is very important. So a very controlled player will do well here this week.”

While Ángel Cabrera, Steven Alker, and Miguel Angel Jiménez have dominated the Schwab Cup leaderboard so far, golfers who have been particularly accurate at hitting the fairways will get an advantage at the Broadmoor. Based on Els’ statement, golfers like Bernhard Langer, Olin Browne, and Jerry Kelly will be strong contenders at Colorado Springs this weekend in the 2025 U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Jack Nicklaus, who was known for his accurate drives off the tee, has also found some success on the course. Let’s take a look at his impressive record here to understand how he tackles the challenges of the Broadmoor.

Jack Nicklaus’s tough battle at the Broadmoor

Right from when he was a young amateur to a Champions Tour player, Jack Nicklaus has had some experiences playing at the Broadmoor professionally. And his familiarity with the grass of Augusta National has helped him overcome the daunting slopes of the course at Colorado Springs. As an amateur golfer in 1959, Nicklaus played the U.S. Amateur at the Broadmoor for the first time in his career.

He won the tournament by defeating the defending champion, Charles Coe. This was the first of the two times the amateur event was played on the course, the second one being in 1967. In an article by Golf Digest, the Golden Bear considers his win at the Broadmoor one of the most cherished memories of his career. Nicklaus has also stated that it was the “real beginning” of his career, as back in 1959, the event was still considered a major.

It’s worth noting that the last time the U.S. Senior Open Championship was played at the Broadmoor in 2018, both Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Jerry Kelly finished tied second. It will be interesting to see what happens this year.