Life may not start at 50, but you wouldn’t know it from the case of Doug Rohrbaugh and his born-again golf career.

On Wednesday, the director of golf from Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs added another chapter to the stellar playing career he’s put together since reaching the big 5-0.

Not only did Rohrbaugh match a record by winning his third consecutive Colorado PGA Professional Championship, but he continues to break the standard he’s previously set by claiming the title at unprecedented ages.

The 53-year-old did it again Wednesday at Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, though this one was more of a challenge than the previous two victories in the event. This time around, he fended off a late charge from Valley Country Club head professional Barry Milstead by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to post a two-stroke victory.

The win, worth $8,000, made Rohrbaugh the first player since Ken Krieger (1996-98) to claim three straight Colorado PGA Professional Championships. Ron Vlosich (1991-93) is believed to be the only other player to three-peat in the 58-year history of the tournament. (Rohrbaugh is pictured at left and above with runner-up Milstead.)

“That was everything,” Rohrbaugh said of his quest for three straight victories. “To be honest, that was my goal coming in. Yes, you’re trying to win, but knowing the three-peat hadn’t been done much, I was definitely thinking about it. To want a three-peat and do it, that makes it sweeter. It means a lot. It was more than just a win.”

Besides claiming three straight Colorado PGA Professional Championships since turning 50, Rohrbaugh has also captured the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open title, finished third at the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Open as a 51-year-old, won the 2012 and ’13 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, and has earned conditional status on the 2015 Champions Tour.

“I don’t get it,” he admits of his status as a late bloomer. “I still can’t answer the question people ask me: Why? I think it’s a lot of things. I always thought I could play the Tour but I tried the regular Q-school twice and didn’t even get past first stage. It was a bit letdown. Then when 50 was coming it was like, ‘Here’s my second chance.’ So it got me excited, fired me up. That was a big part of it, knowing there was another chance.”

After winning the Colorado PGA Professional Championship by five each of the past two years, this one wasn’t settled until the final green. With Milstead one-putting for birdie and par, respectively on the final two par-3s (Nos. 15 and 17) while Rohrbaugh made bogeys, Milstead picked up three shots, leaving the margin at one going into the par-4 18th. There, both players had birdie putts of about 20 feet, and Milstead had his attempt online, but left it short.

“I did a lot of that today,” said Milstead (left and below). “I left a lot of putts short. (The one on 18) may or may not have gone in the hole, but I probably left four or five or six putts short and going in the right direction.”

Rohrbaugh, who said he hadn’t been nervous on his previous two shots on 18, got a few butterflies over his birdie putt.

“I realized I just had to two-putt,” the Carbondale resident said. “I wasn’t even trying to make it. I was just trying to get it up as close as I could. When it was about 3 feet out, I started to walk because I had a feeling it had a chance. Sure enough (it went in), and that certainly makes it a little sweeter.”

Rohrbaugh, who took a two-stroke lead into the final round, shot a 1-over-par 73 on Wednesday, the same as Milstead. Rohrbaugh finished at 5-under-par 211 overall, while Milstead (213) was the only other player who ended up under par.

Those two, along with the next six finishers, qualified for the 2016 PGA Professional National Championship, set for June 26-29 in Verona, N.Y. The other PNC qualifiers were Ari Papadopoulos (216), two-time CPGA Professional Championship winner Rob Hunt (217), University of Denver men’s golf coach Erik Billinger (218), Jeff Hanson (218), 2013 PGA Championship competitor Caine Fitzgerald (219) and Doug Wherry (219). Fitzgerald and Wherry each birdied the second hole of a sudden-death qualifying playoff that featured six competitors.

The battle for the CPGA Professional Championship title was largely a two-man affair on Wednesday, though Papadoupolos was 3 under for the tournament through 51 holes before finishing with three consecutive bogeys.

After Rohrbaugh (left) began the day with a bogey, Milstead earned a tie for the lead with a birdie on No. 2. But after the pro from Valley went bogey-double bogey on Nos. 4 and 5, Rohrbaugh never lost the outright lead again.

Though Milstead hit a few errant tee shots on the back nine Wednesday, he scrambled well enough to leave himself just one down going into 18.

“Down the stretch, I figured if I could hang around and make a few putts or make a birdie or two to get closer to him, we’d see what happened,” Milstead said. “I got within one going into 18, but I couldn’t quite catch him. Doug played great and hung in there. He’s a deserving champion.

“I played really well yesterday (67), which got me into position. I wish I had hit the ball as well as I did the first two days because I hit it great. I couldn’t quite hit it as well today.”

But overall, while he was disappointed in not landing the win, Milstead took some satisfaction in his best finish ever at the CPGA Professional Championship.

“I haven’t played a whole lot this year, so it’s good to see I’ve still got a lot of good shots in me,” the 48-year-old said. “We’ll take a lot of good things out of this week.”

As for Rohrbaugh, he wasn’t at his best either on Wednesday, which he attributes to having three-peat-itis on his mind.

“My golf today reflected that,” he said. “I did not play well today. My irons were off. I was nervous; there’s no question I was nervous. This one was harder than the first two because of that, but I managed to scrape it in there.”

Rohrbaugh, whose best finish out of six Champions Tour events this year is a 15th place, will take some momentum into his last four attempts at Monday qualifying for tournaments. If he can climb from 103rd to inside the top 75 on the final 2015 money list, he’ll earn an automatic spot in the final stage of Champions Tour Q-school.

“This is exactly what I needed heading out to the next four qualifiers,” he said. “I’m certainly feeling more confident and more excited about these four coming up after the way I’ve played the last two weeks.”

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 14-16, 2015 (final) at Par-72 Meridian GC in Englewood

Top 10 Finishers (note: top eight qualify for 2016 PGA Professional National Championship) — 1. Doug Rohrbaugh 69-69-73–211; 2. Barry Milstead 73-67-73–213; 3. Ari Papadopoulos 72-72-72–216; 4. Rob Hunt 70-74-73–217; 5. (tie) Erik Billinger 73-74-71–218; Jeff Hanson 71-73-74–218; 7. (tie, with Fitzgerald and Wherry winning playoff) Caine Fitzgerald 69-75-75–219; Doug Wherry 75-73-71–219; Kyle Voska 74-76-69–219; Don Hurter 74-76-69–219; Mike Northern 74-74-71–219; Dustin Miller 75-73-71–219. For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

The first stage of LPGA (and Symetra) Tour Q-school begins Thursday and continues through Sunday (Aug. 6-9) as the process of determining the most worthy golfers gets underway.

Qualifying for the LPGA is the first on the docket for the world’s major tours. With there no longer being a direct route to the PGA Tour through Q-school, the Web.com Tour is now the immediate goal of men’s Q-school participants in the U.S.

The four-stage Web.com qualifying process begins on Sept. 2. There are six “pre-qualifying” tournaments in September, 11 first-stage events in October, five second-stage tourneys in November, and the qualifying finals set for Dec. 10-15 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Making it to that final stage guarantees some Web.com Tour status for 2016, but considerable priority is given to players who finish in the top 45.

The Champions Tour holds regional qualifying in November and the finals Dec. 1-4 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The European Tour conducts three stages of qualifying, beginning Sept. 15 and concluding with the finals Nov. 14-19 in Girona, Span.

While the competitors with strong Colorado ties who are entered in Web.com, Champions and European qualifying won’t be finalized until later dates, many of the locals who will be competing in LPGA/Symetra Tour Q-school are coming into focus.

The first of three stages of LPGA qualifying will be held in Rancho Mirago, Calif., this week. A total of 288 players are entered for stage 1, and the top 60 and ties will advance to stage 2.

Among the players with major Colorado connections in the field in Rancho Mirage are former University of Denver golfer and former Pueblo resident Kimberly Kim, who won the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 14; two-time CWGA Player of the Year Somin Lee, of Denver; former state high school champion Lindsay McGetrick; Colorado Springs resident Paige Crawford; and former University of Colorado golfer Kristin Coleman.

Kim (pictured) is trying to revive a career which also included playing on the LPGA Tour in 2011, and being runner-up in three USGA championships: the 2006 and 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

The second stage of LPGA qualifying will take place Oct. 22-25 in Venice, Fla. Assuming they don’t earn 2016 LPGA cards by finishing in the top 10 on the 2015 Symetra Tour money list, here are the players with strong Colorado ties currently exempt into stage 2: former CU golfers Jenny Coleman (who competed in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Emily Childs; former CWGA Player of the Year Becca Huffer; former DU golfer Katie Kempter, who held an LPGA Tour card in 2010 and who won a Symetra Tour event this year; and Carleigh Silvers of Greeley.

The top 80 finishers and ties from stage 2 will advance to the Q-school finals, set for Dec. 2-6 in Daytota Beach, Fla. The number of LPGA Tour cards awarded there hasn’t been finalized, but last year 45 players earned some LPGA status.

In 2014, five local players made it to the LPGA Q-school finals — former CU golfer Emily Talley, former DU golfer Sue Kim, Huffer, Childs and Silvers — with Talley just missing earning her LPGA card by finishing 58th.
 

With his 70th birthday awaiting him on Wednesday, Hale Irwin realizes the odds of adding to his record win total on the Champions Tour (45) are long. But his renowned competitiveness simply won’t allow him to close that door completely, even though no one older than 63 has won on the circuit.

“To say I can’t win, I’d never say that,” the World Golf Hall of Famer said on Monday in a visit to Colorado, where he grew up and started making a name for himself. “I’ll retire before saying I can’t win.”

Still, there are ways of further building on a legacy that have nothing to do with adding to his record with further victories. That’s where Monday came in. Without question the finest golfer to grow up in Colorado, Irwin came to CommonGround Golf Course to do what he can to pass along some of his values and experience to an up-and-coming generation of talented young golfers.

Specifically, the three-time U.S. Open champion put on a short-game clinic and conducted a Q&A for about 250 people on the eve of the inaugural AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, presented by MusclePharm. The 54-hole tournament will be contested at CommonGround Tuesday through Thursday.

Asked in an interview later if he felt good about the career he’s had and what he’s accomplished, Irwin said, “I would feel better if we could take this particular event and turn it into something very special for these kids. And hopefully they’ll go out and work in their communities at some point in time and do the same thing and we can grow it exponentially. These kids are our future. It’s not us standing here. If we can help formulate a better citizen — a contributing person to our future — then we’ve done our job.”

Indeed, at some point in the careers of most successful and well-meaning people, their attention turns increasingly toward giving back and doing what they can to effect positive change in the younger generation. And so it is with Irwin. If he can use his influence as a golfer who has won 20 times on the PGA Tour, 45 times on the Champions Tour, an NCAA title, and four Colorado state amateurs, all the better.

On Monday, he was giving some instructions to AJGA competitors and others in attendance about how to be successful at golf. He was also conveying messages about what it takes to be a person of integrity who contributes to society in a larger sense.

“I hope I can pass on at least some of the things I’ve been able to learn through all these years being around golf and the people associated with golf,” Irwin said. “If there’s a lesson to be learned about yourself, I’m sure you can learn it in the game of golf.”

Asked what he hopes the junior players take away from events such as Monday’s, Irwin said, “Be positive about themselves, be positive about things. You can get so caught up in the negativity surrounding what’s happening in the world. Their world right now is golf. As they get older, it’ll expand; it’ll become something else. When you learn as a young person to stay connected to yourself — be true to yourself and do the right things, make the right decisions — then as an adult you’re going to be a contributing citizen rather than maybe being a drag.”

That certainly fits in with the message that the CGA and CWGA tries to impart through their youth programming at CommonGround like the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program (at bottom Hale posed with current Elite Players) and other community initiatives. (Not coincidentally, Hale’s son Steve, beyond being one of the state’s better amateur golfers, also serves on the CGA board of governors.)

But while Irwin and event organizers hope such messages sink in, the Boulder High School and CU graduate also had plenty of helpful tips to convey regarding becoming a better golfer per se and managing expectations. For instance, Irwin told the story about when he was approaching the end of his CU days, he was trying to figure out the best career path for himself. Using his marketing career and going into business was one option. Pro football was another, as he was an All-Big Eight defensive back, though that option was less likely to play out. And then there was professional golf.

“I made this pact with myself that I had to win a major tournament outside the state of Colorado so that it would convince me that I could play on a national level,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to win the NCAA tournament my senior year (1967), and that was the catalyst that got me out there and got me through an eight-round, six-day qualifying event (for the PGA Tour).

“And once I got to the Tour there were some really good players out there, and you have to learn how to play with those guys. I went out and I watched other really good players. I watched Jack Nicklaus, I watched Arnold Palmer, I watched Gary Player, Lee Trevino. And I adapted what I could to my game.”

And the rest is history as Irwin won the Sea Pines Heritage Classic in 1971 for his first PGA Tour victory and captured U.S. Open titles in 1974, ’79 and ’90, becoming the oldest Open champ with the last of those wins, at age 45.

Irwin’s last victory on the Champions Tour came in early 2007, and age, ailments and various other interests likely will lead to him playing considerably fewer Tour events in the not-too-distant future.

“The older I get, the less focused I become, the more interest I have in watching my granddaughter and spending time with my family,” he said. “That’s more important to me than golf right now.

“I’m not looking to break myself playing anymore. Playing badly is not fun. I’ve played at such a high level for a long period of time, and that’s what I’ve grown to accept. To accept anything else, in my world, I’m accepting less than what I’m telling these kids to do.

“What I want to do is go through the summer as best I can, and if these (muscle) issues don’t work themselves out, then next year I’m going to really slow it down. I think it’s time to start enjoying those things I’ve talked about — the people, my family — and start taking advantage of a few trips that my wife and I have put off for so many years and leave the golf clubs behind. There are places we’d like to go and see and do that I don’t get to do because I’ve been so busy all these years.”
 

The Champions Tour season begins on Friday, and never before have there been so many players with strong Colorado connections competing on the circuit as there will be in 2015.

Up first on the schedule is the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii, where the 40-player field will include Centennial State locals Hale Irwin, Craig Stadler, Mark Wiebe and Esteban Toledo.

All told, there’s a good chance that 10 competitors with major ties to Colorado will play at some point during the Champions Tour season, which ends in November. That number has been — or will be — bolstered by Doug Rohrbaugh (pictured above) of Carbondale earning conditional status through Q-school and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe becoming eligible for the tour on Aug. 1 when he turns 50.

The 10 locals account for a remarkable 68 Champions wins — with former University of Colorado athlete Irwin holding the tour’s all-time record with 45 — and 48 victories on the PGA Tour.

Here’s an alphabetical rundown on the “locals” on the Champions Tour.

R.W. Eaks (Colorado Springs native and attended UNC, 4 Champions Tour wins and 3 Web.com victories) — Eaks, now 62, only played in one Champions Tour event in 2014, finishing 64th in the Quebec Championship. But the 2011 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion has made a nice living on the Champions circuit, having won nearly $4.7 million.

Gary Hallberg (Castle Rock resident, 1 Champions Tour victory, 3 PGA Tour wins and 1 Web.com victory) — Hallberg hasn’t always been exempt on the Champions Tour — and he won’t be in 2015 either — but he’s managed to play in more than 20 events each of the last four years after winning his one and only Champions tournament in 2010. However, the $262,310 he earned in 2014 was his lowest total since 2009.

Hale Irwin (Grew up in Boulder and CU graduate and Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, 20 PGA Tour wins and record 45 Champions Tour victories) — The World Golf Hall of Famer will turn 70 years old in June, but he continues to have his moments on the Champions Tour. While Irwin hasn’t won since he captured the title in the 2007 MasterCard Championship in Hawaii, he’s recorded 15 top-10s in the last six seasons. The last of those came in August, when placed ninth in 3M Championship for his 210th Champions Tour top-10. He bettered his age in all three rounds at that event, marking the first time that’s happened for a Champions Tour player since 2009. (Irwin is pictured above with granddaughter Tatum.)

Brandt Jobe (Kent Denver High School graduate and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 0 PGA Tour wins) — Jobe hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since 2013 — having undergone shoulder surgery in November of that year — but that will probably change soon as he has 10 events remaining on a medical extension. And the four-time PGA Tour runner-up could get a new career start when he turns 50 on Aug. 1 and becomes eligible for the Champions circuit. Jobe did show he still has some talent by finishing second in a Web.com Tour event in August.

Steve Jones (Grew up in Yuma and former CU golfer and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 8 PGA Tour wins, 0 Champions Tour victories) — The 56-year-old Jones, who got a late start as a Champions Tour players because of major elbow problems, has yet to score a top-10 on the circuit in 48 starts. Without exempt status, he’s been limited to between 10-15 starts a year as a Champions player. A 40th-place showing was the 1996 U.S. Open champ’s best in 2014.

Mike Reid (former Cherry Creek High School golfer, 2 PGA Tour wins and 2 Champions Tour victories) — The 60-year-old played in 21 events last season, but managed just two top-30 showings in non-team events. Reid hasn’t surpassed $200,000 in season-long earnings since 2010.

Doug Rohrbaugh (Carbondale resident) — Rohrbaugh, the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion, will be a Champions Tour rookie in 2015. He earned the final conditional spot at the Q-school finals, meaning he probably won’t get a lot of starts. But it’s nevertheless a step up into the big time for Rohrbaugh, winner of the 2013 and ’14 Colorado PGA Professional Championships.

Craig Stadler (Evergreen resident, 13 PGA Tour wins and 9 Champions Tour victories) — Stadler had a rough season in 2014 after in 2013 winning on the Champions circuit for the first time in almost nine years — a record gap for the tour. His best showing last year in a non-team event as a 25th-place performance. The $156,137 Stadler won in 2014 was the second-lowest total of his 12-year Champions career.

Esteban Toledo (onetime Castle Rock resident, 2 Champions Tour victories and 1 Nationwide Tour win) — Toledo, who once lived in Castle Pines, had a very good 2014 after a stellar 2013, when he won twice as a Champions Tour rookie. He finished 27th on the season-long money list last year after placing 12th — with $1.27 million — in 2013. Toledo notched two top-four finishes in 2014.

Mark Wiebe (Aurora resident and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 2 PGA Tour wins and 5 Champions Tour victories) — Wiebe’s performance level fell off in a major way in 2014 primarily due to injury/ailments. Wiebe won twice in 2013 — including the Senior British Open — compared to nothing better than 40th place in a non-team event in 2014. He went from $803,025 in earnings in 2013 to $62,189 last year. After having finished in the top 30 on the money list for six straight seasons, he dropped to 98th in 2014.
 

Now, less than 15 months shy of his 70th birthday, he’s still breaking 70 on a fairly regular basis. In fact, in half of the dozen rounds he’s played this year on the Champions Tour, the former University of Colorado athlete has shot in the 60s.

Just last Saturday, the three-time U.S. Open champion shot better than his age for the third time in his Champions Tour career. The 68-year-old fired a bogey-free 5-under-par 66 in the second round of the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif.

He also accomplished the age-bettering feat (by four shots) last September in the final round of the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, where a 7-under-par 64 was his lowest round on the Champions Tour since 2007.

Irwin first bettered his age in a Champions event at the 2012 3M Championship, where, at age 67, he closed with a 7-under-par 65.

The World Golf Hall of Famer has won a record 45 times on the Champions Tour, but he’s fully aware that no one older than 63 has claimed a victory on the circuit. Still, he’s shown enough glimmers of greatness to keep him competing on a regular basis.

“I’m trying to enjoy what I have,” Irwin said last year on the eve of the Senior PGA Championship. “I’m trying to keep things in perspective. I’m trying to open my front a little more, so I’m not as restrictive to what’s a good shot and a bad shot.

“I think any player, at any level, you reach a stage where your skill set kind of … you question it. Your mental preparation wobbles a little bit. How do you go about your next expectation?

“That’s kind of where I am. My expectations are hopefully realistic, but they’re still lofty. Maybe I’m trying to over-achieve. That’s a battle I’m facing right now.”

Irwin, of course, is the inspiration for the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA. During the mid-1960s, he won four CGA championships (three stroke play, one match play) before claiming the 1967 NCAA title and embarking on his pro career.

With Irwin shooting under his age last weekend, we thought we’d note the multitude of major Champions Tour records held by the Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, the most successful player in the circuit’s history:

— Most Champions Tour career victories: 45 (next best is Lee Trevino with 29).

— Most consecutive years winning at least one tournament: 11, 1995-2005.

— Most consecutive years winning multiple tournaments: 11, 1995-2005 (next-best total is six).

— Most victories in a season: 9, in 1997 (tied with Peter Thomson).

— Largest winning margin: 12 strokes, 1997 Senior PGA Championship.

— Consecutive rounds under 70: 13, in 1999.

— Most victories in a single event: 6, Kaanapali Classic and Turtle Bay Championship, 1997-2005.

— Most consecutive victories in a single event: 5, Kaanapali Classic and Turtle Bay Championship, 2000-05; there was no event in 2004.

— Most Champions Tour Player of the Year honors: 3, in 1997, ’98 and 2002 (tied with Lee Trevino and Bernhard Langer).

— Most money won in season: $3,028,304 in 2002 (also holds No. 2 spot with $2,861,945 in 1998).

— Most years in top 10 on final money list: 12.

— Most consecutive years in top 10 on final money list: 11, 1995-2005.

— Most consecutive $2 million seasons: 6, 1997-2002.

— Most top-10 finishes in career: 209.

— Most consecutive top-five finishes: 19, in 1997-98.

— Oldest player to finish in top 5 in major championships: Irwin owns the top 3 spots on this list — third in 2012 Senior PGA (nearly 67 years old); fourth in 2011 U.S. Senior Open (66 years old); fourth in 2011 Senior PGA (nearly 66 years old).

— High start by a tournament winner: 6-over-par 77, 1998 U.S. Senior Open.

— And, though it’s not Champions Tour-related, Irwin remains the oldest winner of the U.S. Open, at 45 years, 15 days in 1990.
 

Moreover, after the Colorado contingent entered the 2013 season having gone winless in the previous year, the locals begin 2014 after a stellar last 12 months. Players with strong Colorado ties won a remarkable five times on the Champions Tour in 2013.

Mark Wiebe (pictured) of Aurora claimed two titles, including the Senior British Open in a five-hole playoff. Former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo won twice as a Champions Tour rookie. And Craig Stadler of Evergreen established the record for the longest time between Champions Tour victories (8 years, 9 months — and 171 starts) when he won the Encompass Championship in June.

Joining Wiebe, Toledo and Stadler in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship field will be former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin and former Cherry Creek High School golfer Mike Reid. Also competing are Tom Lehman, who won the 2010 Senior PGA Championship at Colorado Golf Club, and Willie Wood, who captured the 1984 Colorado Open title.

The MEC field is limited to 2012 and 2013 tournament champions, winners of Champions Tour majors from the past five years and special invitees. The tournament runs Friday through Sunday at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Hualalai Course on Hawaii’s Big Island.

While Irwin hasn’t won in seven years, the three-time U.S. Open champion can’t be dismissed as a title contender, even though he’s 68 years old and is beginning his 47th tour season.

One reason is that with just 41 players competing this weekend, there are fewer to beat. In addition, the MEC is where Irwin won the last of his record 45 Champions Tour titles. And the Boulder High School graduate loves the Aloha State. He’s won nine official tour events in Hawaii, including eight Champions Tour tournaments and two MEC titles.

Beside, the World Golf Hall of Famer is already the oldest champion in the history of the event (61 years, 7 months in 2007). This week marks the 19th consecutive year Irwin has competed in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship (or its previous incarnations) — far and away the longest stretch in the field.

Last year, Irwin finished a season-best ninth in the MEC.
 

The 2013 Champions Tour season comes to a close this week at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in San Francisco. And what a season it has been for golfers with strong Colorado connections.

There have been 25 Champions events contested so far this year, and five have been won by players who live in Colorado now or have been a resident within the last decade.

And, besides that 1-in-5 success rate, one of the victories came in a Champions Tour major, by Aurora resident Mark Wiebe (pictured above) in the Senior British Open.

Before this year, the last time a longtime Coloradan had won a Champions major was in 2004, when Boulder High School and University of Colorado alum Hale Irwin prevailed in the Senior PGA Championship and Colorado resident Craig Stadler captured the title in The Tradition. (Mike Reid won two majors in the interim, but he lived in Colorado for just over a year, attending high school at Cherry Creek during that time.)

The real success in 2013 came from the three players who qualified for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship by finishing in the top 30 on the season-long money list: Wiebe, Stadler and former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo.

Wiebe and Toledo won twice each this year, while Stadler captured his first title since 2004.

Here’s a brief rundown on their accomplishments and those of other “locals” on the 2013 Champions Tour:

— Aurora resident Mark Wiebe: In the course of eight weeks from late July to late September, the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer won twice, giving him five victories in his six years on the Champions circuit.

In both cases, Wiebe’s victories came in playoffs over golfers who have won majors on the PGA Tour. After battling knee and elbow problems in recent years, he outdueled Bernhard Langer over five holes of sudden death to claim the Senior British Open title. In the wake of his biggest victory, Wiebe tweeted about receiving a congratulatory letter from Arnold Palmer and a heartfelt voicemail from Gary Player.

In September, Wiebe won another playoff — this time against Corey Pavin — to claim the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship.

The amazing thing about Wiebe’s performance in 2013 is that he’s posted just two top-10 finishes on the Champions Tour, and both have been victories. Wiebe stands 22nd on the season-long money list, marking his sixth straight year of placing in the top 30.

— Former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo (pictured at left): Toledo has made his first full season on the Champions circuit one to remember. Last November he earned his Tour card by finishing fourth in the final stage of qualifying school. Then on Cinco de Mayo, the native of Mexico won his first Champions Tour title by prevailing in a three-way playoff at the Insperity Championship. And last month he won another playoff to claim the title in the Montreal Championship.

Overall, Toledo has been a force on the 2013 tour, recording nine top-10 finishes and winning more than $1.2 million, good for 11th place on this year’s money list.

— Evergreen resident Craig Stadler (pictured below): The former Masters champ resurrected his career when it seemed unlikely that he would ever win again. When Stadler earned the Encompass Championship title in June — the month he turned 60 — he set a Champions Tour record for most time between victories (roughly 8 years and 9 months). Stadler won three times in 2003 and five times in 2004, but when the spigot was turned off, it was closed completely. Then he went 171 starts unless notching his next victory.

Before this year, Stadler hadn’t recorded a top-five finish on the Champions Tour since 2009. He goes into the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 27th place on the 2013 money list.

— Elsewhere: Irwin, owner of the most Champions Tour titles in history (45), posted one top-10 finish in 2013. The 68-year-old winner of three U.S. Opens shot a 64 — four strokes under his age — at the Shaw Charity Classic on Sept. 1, marking his best Champions Tour score since 2007. … Irwin finished the year 73rd on the 2013 money list. Gary Hallberg of Castle Rock was 43rd, former CU golfer Steve Jones was 74th and Colorado Springs native R.W. Eaks was 106th.
 

PGATour.com, the official web site for the PGA, Champions and Nationwide tours, recently published its list of the “top 25 players to watch in 2012” on the Champions circuit.

Former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin gained a spot, at No. 13, despite being 66 years old. But another player with strong Colorado connections seemed notable by his absence.

Aurora resident Mark Wiebe finished a career-best 16th on the 2011 Champions Tour money list — marking his fourth straight top-30 showing — and won a tournament, yet he was nowhere to be found in pgatour.com’s top 25 for 2012.

But there are some extenuating circumstances that may have figured into the rankings. Specifically, Wiebe underwent back surgery on Nov. 7, the day after the 2011 Champions Tour season ended.  The microdiscectomy was performed to alleviate a herniated disc problem that was causing pain in Wiebe’s lower right leg.

Wiebe, who won his third Champions Tour event last June, couldn’t swing a club for most of the last eight weeks of 2011. Nevertheless, he’s scheduled to play in the Champions Tour season opener, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, which runs Friday through Sunday (Jan. 20-22) in Hawaii.

This isn’t the first time Wiebe has undergone surgery since joining the Champions Tour in 2007. He had a knee operation in February 2008, yet recovered quickly enough to win a Tour event a couple of months later.

The latest situation with Wiebe marks the second consecutive season that a Colorado-based Champions Tour player has undergone significant surgery late in the year, followed by a layoff from the game. Evergreen resident Craig Stadler had hip replacement surgery in September 2010 before returning last year.

Wiebe is coming off a memorable season on the Champions Tour. His playoff victory in the Greater Hickory Classic ended a win drought of more than three years — and it came on the same day he was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Later that same month, Wiebe placed third in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, and subsequently was named Champions Tour Player of the Month for June.

With five top-five finishes overall for the year, Wiebe accumulated $961,652 in prize money in 2011. In his first four full seasons on the Champions circuit, he’s ended up 17th, 19th, 29th and 16th on the money list.

Wiebe isn’t the only player with significant Colorado ties opening his Champions Tour season this week in Hawaii. Also in the 41-man field are Irwin and Castle Rock’s Gary Hallberg.

Despite turning 66 last year, Irwin had his best Champions Tour season since 2007. The World Golf Hall of Famer posted seven top-10 finishes — a record for a player his age — including fourth-place showings in two senior majors, the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championships.

Irwin, far and away the player with the most career Champions Tour victories (45), ended up 27th on the 2011 money list and shot his age twice in competitive rounds.

The three-time U.S. Open champion has won nine official PGA Tour-sanctioned events in Hawaii, including eight on the Champions Tour. He’s claimed the Mitsubishi Electric Championship title twice, in 1997 and 2007, and has played in the event 17 straight years.

Meanwhile, Hallberg finished 2011 on a high note by placing second in the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying. After winning his first Champions Tour title in October 2010, Hallberg ended up 48th on the 2011 money list.