Maybe it wasn’t quite like Tiger Woods chipping in at the 2005 Masters — possibly the most iconic shot in golf history — but when Jim Knous holed out from 69 yards to win the Colorado Open on Sunday, it certainly went down as one of the greatest shots in the state’s history.

“I just took a 60-degree wedge. It was kind of a half, or three-quarters, shot,” Knous recalled on Wednesday in a phone interview with The Aspen Times.

His caddie, Tyler Kimble, also gave him a bit of advice in the moment.

“He said, ‘Alright, stay down through the shot, and keep your speed up through the ball,’ so I kind of took that to heart,” Knous continued. “Right off the club, I knew it was going to be pretty good, but gosh, I didn’t even imagine it was going to go in the hole. One bounce and in.”

Knous, who grew up in Basalt, didn’t have a direct line of sight to see the ball drop. But he heard the cheers from the crowd, his eagle on the fourth and final playoff hole at Green Valley Ranch in Denver locking up his win over Albuquerque’s Sam Saunders at the 61st Inspirato Colorado Open, which is open to both amateur and professional golfers.

The victory came with a $50,000 paycheck and redemption after he lost in a similar playoff at the 2024 Colorado Open to Aurora’s Davis Bryant.

“It’s always been huge; it’s always been a big tournament. I probably first started playing the Colorado Open when I was in high school or early college,” the 35-year-old Knous said. “Growing up in Colorado, being from Colorado, to win the state open is pretty darn special.”

A 2008 graduate of Basalt High School, he had a standout career with the Colorado School of Mines — his caddie, Kimble, is the program’s longtime head coach — before spending a few years on the PGA Tour, playing in roughly 45 tournaments. He no longer has his tour card, which only makes events like the Colorado Open even more important.

“I always tell people I’m not retired from golf. I’m just retired from playing full-time, chasing that PGA Tour life,” he said. “Getting in contention here at the Colorado Open is kind of my main goal now that I’m done playing full-time competitively. Tournaments like this are now huge for me, and being able to win this one was at the top of that list.”

The Colorado Open was a four-round affair, with Knous and Saunders both finishing at 22-under-par after 72 holes. It wasn’t until Knous chipped in for eagle in the playoff that an end came to the competition. Saunders won $20,000 for taking second, so it was a $30,000 chip by Knous. He shot 62 in his final round.

He’s now working his way through a PGA of America program, which would allow him to again play in certain PGA-level events. But, with three young kids, the life of a traveling golf pro wasn’t feasible anymore, and he’s settled into his new life in Phoenix as an engineer for golf equipment company PING, where he’s been dubbed the “putter guy,” working in their fitting and performance department.

“It’s great for me because I still get to be in the industry and work in the industry that I love,” he said. “I just don’t want to travel as much as this life demands. So, I kind of looked at other avenues and had a connection here at PING. It all is working out really well right now.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com