Laramie Open gives Wyoming golfers a test against professionals

Former Cowboy Aaron Johnson had his hometown course back in the spotlight June 26, when the Laramie Open put University of Wyoming golfers in the same field as professionals at Jacoby Golf Course. The tournament gave Cowboy players a local measuring stick at a course just off campus, while drawing some of the region’s best traveling professionals to Albany County.

Jacoby is a public 18-hole course near the University of Wyoming campus, but the setting is not a soft one. The course sits at 7,220 feet elevation and can play as long as 7,247 yards, with a par of 71. That combination makes it a demanding place for UW golfers to see how their games hold up against players who spend the summer chasing money and points across the region.

The 2026 Jacoby tournament schedule listed practice rounds for the Laramie Open and Colorado Qualifier on June 25, followed by the Laramie Open from June 26 through June 28. That slot placed the event in the middle of a busy summer calendar at Jacoby, alongside tournaments including the Brown and Gold Cup, the WSGA Junior World and a Jubilee Days committee event.

Johnson’s role in the tournament runs deep. A Laramie native who played at Laramie High School and for the University of Wyoming in 2008-09, he turned professional in 2009 and became Jacoby’s director of instruction in 2015. In 2016, Johnson, with help from Joe Jensen and Skiy Martin and title sponsor Toyota of Laramie, started the Laramie Open as a professional tournament he wanted to bring to Jacoby.

By 2018, Johnson was calling it the third annual Laramie Open and saying the event was growing every year. That steady expansion has kept the tournament in the local golf conversation, with Jacoby serving as both a home course for UW players and a summer stop for professionals who can turn a week in Laramie into a test at altitude.