If not for two local businessmen, the 192 participants at the Pikes Peak Amateur might have been teeing off and putting shirtless.

Maybe it wouldn’t have been that extreme, but Colorado Springs’ Darrell Dafoe and Skip Borham each ponied up $2,760 so every player at the tournament could have a shirt and hat donning the Amateur logo.

In the past, the tournament, which started in 1948, has been sponsored by various companies such as Foss Industries and Carlin Dodge, Borham said.

But this year, largely because of the economy, the Amateur was without a sponsor until Borham and Dafoe came forward.

Dafoe, who’s competed at the Amateur at the Patty Jewett Golf Course for about seven or eight years, said being a co-sponsor “felt like the right thing to do.”

“Patty Jewett is kind of like a family,” said Dafoe, the owner of Darrell’s Automotive Inc. in Woodland Park. “I’ve played in this tournament so many years and I’ve won a lot of things at Patty Jewett so it’s just my way of giving a little something back.”

Both co-sponsors beat their opponents 4 and 3 when match play started Wednesday.

As for Borham, he donated because of the tournament’s historical background.

“I’m just such a golf fanatic and I’m really into golf history,” said Borham, the owner of Nicely Done Window & Door Co. “This is the oldest amateur tournament in the state of Colorado. This goes back to the’40s. There’s just so much tradition here and it’s an honor to get involved with it.”

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