BMW Championship tourney chair Duffy Solich: Caddie Hall of Fame induction with brother George “very emotional”

CASTLE ROCK — Duffy Solich was so touched, he could barely believe the scorecard.

“As I keep telling people: For me, I was convinced there were some hanging chads on the carpet,” the local philanthropist and chairman of the BMW Championship, said of being inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame, along with brother and fellow CU Buff George Solich, earlier this week. “And that someone was going to demand a recount.”

The Solich brothers — Duffy is president of Ponderosa Energy, George is CEO and chairman of Four Points Energy — grew up caddying at The Broadmoor in their native Colorado Springs.

The pair parlayed that into earning Evans Scholarships to CU and have been paying it forward ever since. The Soliches founded the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy and the Broadmoor Caddie and Leadership Academy, two institutions that are responsible for 52 Evans Scholars.

“Getting (this) with my brother Duffy makes it an even greater honor because he kind of dragged me to the caddie yard when I was 12 years old,” George recalled. “He said, ‘This is a great job, we ought to go do it. And by the way, maybe you could get a college scholarship, too.’ So it means a ton.

“And ever since, the game of golf and caddying and all that kind of stuff has really enriched my life so much, that giving back to that and making sure the caddie programs are alive and well and healthy, making sure kids have the opportunity to go as far as they can go … it’s a really wonderful mission.”

George has another induction coming later this year: He’s slated to join the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in December, along with luminaries such as Wyndham Clark.

“As an analogy to sports, which is sometimes overused, but George is a quarterback and is used to that kind of stuff, and is a leader and is someone that is out in front,” Duffy said, “and is probably one of the most dynamic, driven, inspiring people I know.

“I’m more of a pulling guard, OK? And a pulling guard gets things done, but they’re usually not out in front. So this has been, for me, a really unique experience. And to get honored from this organization, and looking at the men that have come before me, it was over-the-top. Very emotional.”