Not long removed from being executive director of the CWGA, Laura Robinson has become a devoted rules official, to the point of earning the Jim Topliff Award from the CGA; John Sova & Jan Fincher named Master Rules Officials by CGA
By Gary Baines – 11/21/2024
When Laura Robinson became executive director of the CWGA roughly nine years ago, she admits she didn’t have more than an average knowledge of the Rules of Golf.
Little did she know that in 2024 she’d find herself front and center during the final round of the Inspirato Colorado Open as the top two players on the leaderboard both encountered rules situations at roughly the same time near the 10th green at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.
“That was definitely a memorable experience because it was the lead group,” Robinson recalled this week in a conversation centered around her receiving the Jim Topliff Rules Official of the Year Award from the CGA. And, the rulings involved two of the more prominent tournament players in Colorado golf over the last decade or so: Davis Bryant, who this month earned his 2024-25 DP World Tour card, and Jim Knous, a former PGA Tour player.
It’s not so much that the rules situations Robinson encountered as an official at the $250,000 tournament were particularly complex; it’s more the gravity of the situation, with a $100,000 first-place check at stake for the competitors. But, one by one, Robinson sorted out the situation efficiently and matter-of-factly. And, about two hours later, Bryant won a playoff to secure the biggest victory of his career — and the $100k that went with it — while Knous placed second. Bryant became just the first Colorado resident since 2017 to win the Colorado Open.
Meanwhile, Robinson demonstrated that she’s now anything but the rules official “newbie” that she acknowledged she was early in her tenure as the CWGA’s executive director.
Robinson (center) works with Colorado Open leader Davis Bryant after he hit his approach shot on the 10th hole at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club into the penalty area during this year’s tournament.
On that final day of the Colorado Open on July 28, Bryant came to the 10th hole with a one-stroke lead over Knous, but pushed his second shot on the tough par-4 into the penalty area right of the green. And Knous pulled his approach there, with his ball finishing next to a small wooden fence that borders three sides of the green.
“They were very different rules situations,” Robinson said this week. “I was very conscious of the fact that there was a larger crowd there than I had seen all week. Julie Bryant and Matt Bryant (Davis’ parents) were there (with Matt caddying for his son). It was memorable because I think I handled it very very well. I had to have good communication with both players. Both of them wanted relief — I had to tell Davis ‘no’ and Jim asked and we went through this whole scenario where he could get relief from the fence or he could take an unplayable; there were a lot of options to work through with Jim. I felt pretty good about the whole situation because it was straightforward, both players were very polite and I actually had to use a lot of communication skills in the whole process. Don’t get me wrong: I was nervous. But on reflection that was a very memorable day for me.”
As it turned out, Bryant made his only double bogey of the tournament at No. 10 that day, while Knous carded a bogey to take a share of the lead.
“I had enough presence of mind to take (each rules situation) separately and deal with them individually — and to take my time to make sure I got it right,” Robinson said. “And I knew what questions to ask. I went into this zone where all my training was going to come together. They were pretty straightforward situations, but I went into this zone — management consultant-style in front of 500 people giving a presentation — and I have to do it right. So it wasn’t until after the fact that it was a memorable situation. It could have been a hard situation, but I think I handled it pretty well.”
For her considerable work as a rules official, Robinson earned the 2024 Topliff Award — named for Jim Topliff, a longtime tournament director for the CGA who passed away in 2007. The Topliff honor has been given out annually since 1995 to a volunteer rules official who “demonstrates dedication, passion and service to the game of golf through officiating.” It typically goes to an official who works an extensive schedule and makes a particularly positive impression while conducting his or her duties.
This marks the fourth time since 2019 that the Topliff Award has been presented to a woman. Other female winners of the award in the last decade are Judy Bradford (2014, with Cope Bradford), Peggy Coleman (2019), Susan Gilbert (2020, with Peter Gilbert) and Karla Harding (2023, with Leo Barabe).
Robinson, who retired at the end of 2018 after two years as CWGA executive director (2016-17) and one as the CGA’s managing director of membership and integration (2018), will likely finish 2024 with 47 days devoted to officiating duties, including the last three days of the Colorado Open. As she and her husband Paul reside about six months each in Evergreen (and Hiwan Golf Club) and Boynton Beach, Fla., her officiating is split between the two states.
A Colorado resident since 1998, Robinson started doing some rules-related work for the CWGA in 2016, and after passing the PGA/USGA rules exam in early 2018 she began duties as a certified and USGA-qualified official. She initially did officiating work in Florida in 2022. The events in which she’s officiated include CGA and Florida State Golf Association championships, USGA qualifiers, and some college, major amateur and junior tournaments.
Still, Robinson was a bit taken aback when notified she had earned the Topliff Award, which has been presented to many of the top Colorado-based rules officials over the last three decades.
“It was a surprise to me and a great honor to be listed among some really good names,” she said. “It was really cool. It means quite a lot to me. I feel very honored to be in the company of folks like Mike Rice and Brad Wiesley and Greg With and Karla Harding and all the others on that list.”
In fact, when Robinson went through her first PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop — in 2017 in Pomona, Calif. — among those also participating in that event were With, Wiesley and Kate Moore, now the CGA’s managing director of rules and competitions.
“It was a real eye-opener,” Robinson said of the workshop. “I was completely shellshocked and dismayed by all the details that I never considered. (With, Wiesley and Moore) kept teasing me how glossy-eyed I looked because it really was an eye-opener.
“It wasn’t until I was getting ready to retire that I decided to make learning the rules and volunteering an official goal. I wanted to do something with my brain. I was intrigued by the details of the rules, I had the time, and I really liked the problem-solving aspect.”
Meanwhile, she notes Rice played a particularly big role in her journey toward becoming a certified rules official who works tournaments on a regular basis nowadays.
“He was the one who tactfully reminded me to go back to basics in a lot of situations,” Robinson said. “Where is the ball? Who is involved? When did it occur? I was rehearsing those questions in my mind as I was driving up to the green (to make the Bryant/Knous rulings at the Colorado Open). By the time I got there, I think I was prepared with the questions I needed to ask and the information I needed to find out.”
Robinson has a considerable professional background in business-related matters — she has an MBA from London Business School — as well as teaching, information technology, marketing, customer service, consulting work, etc. — but rules officiating is a different animal in many respects.
“I like the problem-solving aspect of it. I like the intellectual aspect of it,” Robinson said. “During my career in business, the problem solving I did was more about coming up with business solutions based on a lot of things that were uncertain: what do customers want? What are competitors doing? What do the economics tell us? It involved lots of risk-taking, intuition, experience and common sense, right? You need a new product, you need more market share. Who would have thought a camera on a phone would be successful? That’s business problem solving. Problem solving in rules is very different. Common sense doesn’t always prevail, as many people realize. What’s important is being able to assemble the pieces of the puzzle in order to see the big picture. I can’t invent new rules like one would event a new product; I had to be more of a detective. And I liked that.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, Robinson first became a certified rules official when the rules modernization kicked in, in 2019.
At that point, “the (rules) book made sense to me — the way it was organized, the way the clarifications are laid out,” she said. “The book told a story to me. I began studying for the exam in late 2018 nearing retirement. And I took it in March of 2019 and scored above what you need to be recognized by the USGA as a rules official (for USGA amateur championships, 75 percent). I was qualified March 2019 and I began volunteering at that point.”
These days, even though she’s been a certified rules official for more than five years, keeping up to date with changes and sharp with all the rules is an ongoing process — not only for Robinson, but for all rules officials. So right now, with Robinson scheduled to work three tournaments in Florida next month, she said she’s spending 1 1/2-2 hours a day studying and reviewing the rules, making sure she’s at the top of her game.
“During the season, I’m watching videos and I get a lot of emails from other organizations with rules scenarios in them — three questions, this week’s brain teaser,” she said. “I do those quite a lot. Mike Rice every couple of weeks sends out rules scenarios to a few of us and I always do those. So my brain is pretty active all year around. But now I’m in a big push because these are pretty big tournaments (next month) and I want to make sure I’m up to speed.”
Does Robinson enjoy these rules exercises, or are they just simply part of the gig as a rules official?
“I enjoy it and it’s frustrating at the same time,” she said. “My brain goes down the common-sense approach. I need to go back to the rules and the definitions; that’s where the answers are. I have to stop myself from inventing new rules. And I have to ask why the answer is what it is. The USGA has 700 (rules) questions on its website, and every time I do them I discover something new. I think it stems from when you begin to learn the rules, you’re memorizing. And as you begin to move past memorization to understanding the principles and the connections between the rules — and sometimes the subjectivity and the judgment that’s involved — I learn something every time I do the questions because I’ve made a new connection in my head. It’s not memorization anymore; it’s understanding and connecting the dots. Many of the rules are interrelated. It’s not justing saying I’m going to learn rule 10 today. Well, 10 talks to other rules. That’s what I’m appreciating now. In other words, I’ve moved past a piano player who really knows the scales to being able to actually play music.”
But, mind you, while Robinson does plenty of officiating, she also plays a lot of golf personally. Whether that’s at Hiwan Golf Club, which is about seven minutes from her home, or at public courses in Palm Beach County in Florida, she said she plays more than 100 rounds of golf a year.
In other words, at a given time, it’s a good bet you’ll find Robinson on or around a golf course. It might be with a club in her hand, or on a rules cart.
It all comes with the territory when you love the game of golf — and the rules.
Among the tournaments John Sova regularly works as a rules official is the Inspirato Colorado Open. (Photo: Inspirato Colorado Open)
Also regarding rules officiating in Colorado, two prominent members of that community recently were named Master Rules Officials: John Sova of Colorado Springs and Jan Fincher of Niwot. They join eight others who have earned Masters Rules Official status from the CGA: Mike Boster, Jon Burnett, Rich Langston, Ken McGechie, Gene Miranda, Dick Payne, Joe Salvo and Larry Wall.
According to the CGA website, “The designation of Master Rules Official is an honorary title given to a Chief Rules Official who has semi-retired, retired or passed away, and who demonstrated an exceptional knowledge of the Rules of Golf and exemplary dedication to the Colorado Golf Association as a volunteer.”
Salvo has been a fixture officiating at Colorado golf championships and tournaments for decades, including being a regular at the Inspirato Colorado Open Championships. And last year, he spent many hours working the U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club, Sova’s home course. In 2006, he earned the Jim Topliff Award, which goes to CGA rules volunteers who demonstrate dedication, passion, and service to the game of golf through officiating. It’s the highest honor the CGA presents to rules volunteers. Sova is a past member of the CGA board of directors.
Jan Fincher is a familiar face helping lead rules seminars for the CGA/CWGA, including at the annual Women’s Summit.
Fincher has long volunteered her time helping educate golfers about the Rules of Golf, often at CGA-related events. That notably includes the CGA Women’s Summit, where during breakout sessions, Fincher often has teamed up with Sandy Schnitzer and/or Karla Harding to explain the rules in relatively simple, relatable and fun ways. For example, there was the year they dressed up in some Dr. Seuss-related garb and put together a clever rhyming take-off on Dr. Seuss for rules situations. Finisher previously earned the CGA/(CWGA) Volunteer of the Year honor in 2013.
Both Sova and Fincher are past members of the CGA Rules Committee.
For more information about CGA volunteer opportunities and award winners, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com