The HealthOne Colorado Open understandably takes great pride in its long and storied history.
After all, it dates back 45 years and its champions include PGA Tour winners Dave Hill, Al Geiberger, Steve Jones, Mark Wiebe, Jonathan Kaye, Dan Halldorson and Willie Wood.
But in some respects, the Colorado Open must take a back seat to another open golf championship held in Colorado.
When it comes to sheer longevity, the Grand Junction-based Enstrom’s Rocky Mountain Open makes the Colorado Open look like a newcomer. The RMO has been played every year since the days of the Great Depression — 1939 to be exact — making it the state’s oldest continuous-running open golf tournament (that is, open to both pros and amateurs). Friday through Sunday of this week will mark the 71st annual RMO as Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado golf courses host the 54-hole event.
While the RMO may not have quite the list of champions the Colorado Open does, there are some big names. Orville Moody won in 1975, six years after “Sarge” became one of the most improbable champions in U.S. Open history. And the 1996 RMO champ was Bill Loeffler, winner of three Colorado Opens, a U.S. Mid-Amateur, a PGA Assistant Professional National Championship, and a Senior PGA Professional National Championship.
Then there was one Babe Didrikson Zaharias, voted the top female athlete in the first half of the 20th century, who finished third as an amateur in the 1946 RMO and competed in the pro flight in 1950.
The RMO pros played for $500-$750 purses in the early years, and $1,000 in war bonds was up for grabs in 1942 during World War II. Now, the prize for the overall pro champion is $8,000 out of a $33,500 pro purse (plus $2,000 more for senior pros). There’s also $9,500 in merchandise for amateurs, $1,750 for senior amateurs, and $6,000 for pros and amateurs entered in a Four-ball that runs Friday and Saturday.
“There’s a lot going on at once,” said Mike Knode, a founder of the Western Colorado Golf Foundation and a driving force behind the RMO.
Among the top entrants out of this year’s 192-player field are 2007 champion Scott Petersen, winner of a Nationwide Tour event and the Colorado Open in 2000; five-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year Ron Vlosich; Drew Stoltz, winner on the Gateway Tour this year; and Pat Grady, a two-time champion during the 2008-09 college season for the University of Colorado who has since turned pro.
Petersen was one of five players in a playoff for last year’s title, won by Kyle Daniell.
Competitors will alternate courses for the first two rounds, with half the field at Lincoln Park and the other at Tiara Rado. On Sunday, the pros and top amateurs will play at Tiara Rado, with the rest of the amateurs at Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park was the original host course for the tournament, while Tiara Rado was added in 2000.
Partially through RMO proceeds, the Western Colorado Golf Foundation funds college scholarships for former high school and junior golfers from Western Slope schools. Since 2001, over $150,000 has gone to the cause, and 24 youngsters are currently receiving aide — anywhere from $500 to $1,250 per person per year for the renewable scholarships.
