Danny Edwards will turn 66 in two weeks, so there are people in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open field who were just being born when he was starting to drive a car.

But that didn’t keep the five-time PGA Tour winner from finding a spot on the leaderboard after round 1 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

Edwards (pictured) shot a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 Wedneday to share sixth place with two rounds left at GVR. He sits just two strokes out of the lead.

“There’s a lot of difference between 50 and 66 (years old),” Edwards said. “You don’t hit it as far, your nerves aren’t as good. Name about anything, there’s a big difference. It’s hard to believe I’m that old, but I am. It’s definitely a challenge.

“But it’s nice to play well — whether I was 10th (place) or 30th. I hit some really good shots. That’s what you enjoy — hitting really good shots and making a few saves. I hit 16 greens in regulation, which isn’t bad.”

On a day that featured good scoring conditions — though there were two lightning suspensions in the afternoon lasting a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes — 22 players were under par Wednesday before play was suspended due to darkness at 8:15 p.m. A total of 30 players hadn’t yet completed round 1 and will do so on Thursday beginning at 7:30 a.m. Scheduled second-round tee times won’t be affected.

Leading the way when play concluded Wednesday night were Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah, the 2016 winner of the national Senior PGA Professional Championship, and a couple of Texans, Tim Thelen of College Station and Steve Jurgensen of The Woodlands. All three fired 5-under-par 67s.

“We had perfect conditions,” said Thelen, a two-time winner of the national PGA Professional Championship and a five-time champion on the European Senior Tour. “I guess it rained out here a little last night. It softened the course up a little so you could go after it.”

Edwards is no stranger to being in contention at the Colorado Senior Open. He finished second in the tournament in 2009, third in 2005 and fifth in 2011 at age 60.

On Wednesday, Edwards kept his bogey-free round intact by getting up and down from the front bunker on No. 18, sinking a 6-foot par putt.

Shooting rounds in the 60s is always a good thing, but especially when a player like Edwards isn’t competing nearly as much as he used to.

“I play maybe once a month” tournament-wise, he said. “If you’re playing the (PGA) Tour, you’re playing virtually every week. It’s a lot more difficult (now), there’s no question about it. You’re not playing as much. I’m just a part-time player and an older guy. But I can still play a little bit, so it’s nice to have a round like today.”

Thelen (left), a college teammate of Colin Montgomerie at Houston Baptist, made seven birdies in his round of 67 on Wednesday.

“I hit it well. I drove it well, hit my irons well and made a few putts,” said the 55-year-old Thelen, who placed fourth in the Senior Open in 2014, the only other year he’s competed in the event. “I played a practice round here yesterday and didn’t hit it very well. I was on the range this morning before we played and I just felt something. I went out there and did it. I haven’t been putting very well, and I guess the hole got in the way a few times today. Hopefully the next two days are good.”

Joining Thelen in the first-round lead was Schneiter, who in addition to winning the national Senior PGA Professional Championship in November has captured the PGA Professional Championship in 1995. Schneiter made six birdies on the day and played his final six holes in 4 under. Also sharing the lead was Jurgensen, a one-time winner on the Web.com Tour. The 55-year-old carded six birdies and a bogey on Wednesday.

Sharing fourth place at 68 were Jeff Gallagher of Henderson, Nev., who went bogey-free, and Robin Byrd of Satellite Beach, Fla., whose lone bogey came on his final hole of the day.

Notable: The low amateur after Wednesday’s action was Albert Johnson Jr., of Lawton, Okla., who carded a 2-under-par 70. … The field will be cut to the low 55 players and ties after Thursday’s second round. … Defending champion John Ross of Bramwell, W. Va., opened with a 73. … Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, who competed in the Senior PGA Championship last week, posted a 71 on Wednesday.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.
 

Edwards has won five times on the PGA Tour and Clearwater three. Rinker’s best Tour showings were two runner-up finishes.

Clearwater (pictured) placed third at least year’s CSO, three strokes behind champion John Ross of Bramwell, W.Va., who will defend his title.

Ten past champions are entered into the Senior Open, including Coloradans Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale (2013), Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler of Castle Rock (2009), Dave Arbuckle of Colorado Springs (2007), Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West (2005). Rohrbaugh, a three-time winner of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship, was the last Coloradan to win the tournament.

Also scheduled to play at GVR are two-time champion Greg Bruckner of Phoenix; Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, fresh off competing in the Senior PGA Championship; Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore, who just won the CGA Super-Senior Match Play; Utahn Steve Schneiter, winner of the national Senior PGA Professional Championship in November; Dale Smigelsky, the Colorado PGA Senior Player of the Year in 2015; and 2016 U.S. Senior Open qualifier Ron Vlosich of Lakewood.

One player who won’t be in the field is Denver Broncos general manager John Elway, who has competed three Colorado Senior Opens, including last year’s, and the Colorado Open.

The tournament will feature a $50,000 purse, with $8,500 going to the winner. The champion will also get a spot in the $250,000 CoBank Colorado Open.

For more information on the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.
 

Consider this an “on” year.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (pictured) is scheduled to be in the field for next week’s CoBank Colorado Senior Open, set for June 1-3 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).

It will be Elway’s third appearance in the Colorado Senior Open as he finished 52nd in 2010 and 19th (and second among amateurs) in 2014. He’s also competed in the now-CoBank Colorado Open four times.

But this time, of course, he’ll be coming off helping build the Broncos team that won the Super Bowl in February.

Elway, who will turn 56 next month, is certainly no stranger to competitive golf, having played in all 26 nationally televised American Century Championships held in Stateline, Nev. He’s finished in the top 10 there 13 times.

Elway will tee off at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1 and at 8:40 a.m. on Thursday, June 2.

Also signed up to play in the 17th Colorado Senior Open are five-time PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards, four-time PGA Tour Champions winner R.W. Eaks, a Colorado Springs native who won the Senior Open in 2011, and PGA Tour vetern Larry Rinker.

Likewise in the field are defending and two-time champion Greg Bruckner of Phoenix and 2013 CSO winner Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, the only Colorado resident to claim the title since 2009.

The Senior Open will feature a $50,000 purse, with $8,500 going to the winner (or the low pro). Admission to the tournament is free.

For tee times for the Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

It was a day of odd happenings at the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open on Friday:

— Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale won the tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club by six strokes, matching the event’s largest margin of victory.

— For the second consecutive year, Colorado Springs native R.W. Eaks withdrew from the tournament mid-round while being in the top five on the leaderboard. Last year, the four-time Champions Tour winner attributed it to a pulled groin. On Friday, he was just fed up with how things were going for him.

“I’m just done,” he told a tournament official while exiting after nine holes. Asked if he was hurt, he said half-jokingly, “No, I’m just mentally ill.”

— With Eaks’ WD, five-time PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards went from 10 strokes out of the lead in the super-senior division (60 and older) to being a few strokes ahead — all in an instant.

— Two players made holes-in-one in Friday’s final round. Edwards aced the 140-yard 13th hole into the wind, using an 8-iron. It was the 22nd hole-in-one of his life. And Denver’s Paul Lobato aced the 184-yard fifth hole, also using an 8-iron. Lobato has made a half-dozen holes-in-one, all in competition.

— And, despite having no cartilage and a torn labrum in his surgically repaired left shoulder, University of Denver men’s golf coach Eric Hoos claimed low-amateur honors for the second time in three years at the Senior Open.

But on a day when so many things were noticeably out of the ordinary, it was something that most people probably didn’t see that was the most meaningful, at least for Rohrbaugh (pictured above being congratulated by rules official Rich Langston).

After parring the last hole on Friday to clinch his biggest victory ever, the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club clenched his fists and glanced toward the sky. It was a tribute to his younger sister, Janet Marie, who died early this year after living her whole life with a heart defect.

“I lost my sister in January,” Rohrbaugh said as he teared up while explaining the situation a little while later. “Scott Freelove (a Titleist representative and a friend of Rohrbaugh) had some golf balls made up for me. They had her initials on one side and the number 49 for how old she was. That’s the golf ball I was using. So it was kind of a little kiss on the golf ball and looking up at her (after winning).”

Though Rohrbaugh became a little choked up after the tournament was over, the final round was a relatively uneventful one for the 51-year-old. He led by more than five strokes most of the day — and by nine at times — in becoming the first wire-to-wire winner of the Senior Open since 2007.

He’s the fourth Colorado PGA member to claim the Senior Open title — and the first since 2009 — joining Mike Zaremba, Dave Arbuckle and Bill Loeffler.

Despite playing his final 11 holes in 6 over par in more very windy conditions at Green Valley Ranch, Rohrbaugh was never challenged on Friday. He shot a 5-over-par 77 in the final round to finish at even-par 216, good for the $8,500 first prize.

Barry Conser of Scottsdale, Ariz. (72 for a 222 total) placed second alone, while Ron Vlosich of Lakewood (77 Friday), Timothy Matthews of Scotts, Mich. (75), Javier Sanchez of Fayetteville, Ga. (74) and Ron Schroeder of Montgomery, Texas (71) tied for third at 223.

Eaks (pictured at left) was Rohrbaugh’s closest pursuer early in the final round, but he hit into a hazard and made a triple bogey on the par-3 eighth hole, then after missing his par putt on No. 9, he swatted the ball off the green without holing it, though he would have been in third place at the time.

Eaks, the 2011 champion, attested the scorecard he was keeping, then drove his cart to the parking lot, leaving Rohrbaugh and Gary Rusnak to finish the round as a twosome.

With no challenge coming from Eaks or anyone else, Rohrbaugh could afford five bogeys on the back nine and still win with ease.

“It was sure nice to have that lead in these (windy) conditions,” he said.

Rohrbaugh has been playing competitive golf a long time, but Friday was his crowning achievement to date.

“It’s by far the biggest event I’ve ever won,” said the 2012 U.S. Senior Open qualifier. “I’ve been at it for a while. But I’ve always believed I had it. I’ve been close, but never in a big one like this.”

Said fellow Colorado PGA member Vlosich: “Doug is a good guy, a good player. I’m happy for him to win the tournament. That’s cool.”

Hoos (pictured at left), meanwhile, claimed his second Senior Open low-amateur trophy, this time needing a playoff to prevail. Sean Forey of Morrison, the low amateur in 2008 and ’10, looked to be in good shape to add a third trophy, but he double bogeyed the 18th hole in regulation and tied Hoos at 18-over-par 234.

On the first playoff hole, Hoos made a routine par by two-putting from 25 feet, while Forey missed the green and couldn’t get up and down.

“This one is really special considering that last year my body was in such bad shape I couldn’t even play (well),” said Hoos, a onetime winner on what is now the Web.com Tour. “So this feels great.

“I still have no cartilage in the (left) shoulder and my labrum is still torn, so I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to play at a pretty good level. So that makes it really special.”

As Hoos has been low amateur in 2011 and 2013, Edwards has claimed super-senior honors those same years. That was worth an extra $1,000, but his hole-in-one is what set Friday apart.

“They’re probably not as special as they once were, but it’s always nice to make one,” he said of another ace.

For Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.

This week proved to be a blast from the past for R.W. Eaks and Eric Hoos.

From the mid-1980s to the mid-90s, the two traveled together regularly as mini-tour players, then on the Ben Hogan and Nike Tours, the predecessors of the current-day Nationwide Tour. And both enjoyed some success on that circuit in the 1990s, with Eaks winning three times and Hoos once.

Lots of water has passed under the bridge since then, but on Friday, they competed in the same tournament, and both earned trophies.

Eaks, a Colorado Springs native, captured the overall title at the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, marking his first professional victory in Colorado. And Hoos, a reinstated amateur and the longtime men’s golf coach at the University of Denver, grabbed low-amateur honors and finished seventh overall at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

“When I heard (Eaks) was playing, I came out Tuesday after work and played about seven holes (in a practice round) with him,” said Hoos (pictured above at left with Eaks). “It was kind of like old times. It was fun. It showed me how much I miss playing, seeing Bobby and playing in a tournament and that kind of stuff.”

Both golfers are at far different times in their lives nowadays, but they proved this week that they’ve still got some game.

Eaks, who won four Champions Tour events in 2007 and 2008, not only captured the Senior Open title, but he broke the tournament’s scoring record.

The former University of Northern Colorado basketball and golf standout shot his second consecutive 6-under-par 66 and finished at 15-under 201 on Friday. That was two strokes better than the previous record for the tournament, a 13-under 203 set by Dave Arbuckle in 2007. And Eaks’ six-stroke victory matched the largest margin in Senior Open history.

Jim Kane of Edmond, Okla., holed out a 192-yard shot for eagle on the par-4 11th hole Friday, but couldn’t get any closer to Eaks than three shots on the back nine. His final-round 70 left him a distant second at 207. Perry Holmes of Denver (70-209) and Bob Niger of El Dorado Hills, Calif. (67-209) tied for third place.

The 59-year-old Eaks (pictured at left), who now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., earned $8,500 for the victory.

“This is my first professional win in Colorado, so it’s huge for me,” said Eaks, who lived in the state until 1990. “But I haven’t played in that much stuff here.”

When Eaks was playing full-time on the Nationwide or Champions Tour, he intentionally avoided competing in events such as the Colorado Open or Colorado Senior Open because he didn’t think it was fair to the regulars in such tournaments. But now that he is no longer playing regularly on the Champions circuit — and is trying to see if he can get his game ready for another possible run at Champions qualifying school — the Colorado Senior Open was a good spot to test himself.

And Eaks took that more seriously than you might imagine. He certainly was trying to win the Colorado Senior Open, but he wanted to be challenged in the process. And the fact that he was six strokes ahead with nine holes left wasn’t ideal in that regard, but what happened at the beginning of the back nine changed that a little.

Eaks bogeyed No. 10 after hitting his tee shot into a divot, then Kane drained his 192-yard approach on No. 11 with a 6-iron, quickly cutting the margin to three shots.

On Kane’s eagle, “You can’t see (the pin where it was situated) from the fairway,” the Oklahoman said. Playing partner Mark Balen “and I were right next to each other, and when I hit it, I said, ‘That’s as good as I’ve got.’ Unbeknownst, it went it. That was fun.”

And it was fun for Eaks in a different respect.

“I kind of fell asleep because I had a six-shot lead,” he said. “When (Kane) made that eagle it kind of woke me up a little bit because I was kind of coasting. It helped me more than you probably realize. I was kind of loafing. The whole idea of me playing is to get my game back in shape. I really needed the pressure back on me to see how well I could play coming in. So it worked out more for my benefit than it would if I would have (kept winning) by six or seven or something.”

After both Eaks and Kane birdied No. 12, Kane missed a 5-foot birdie putt on 13 and a 7-footer on 14, “and that was kind of it right there,” he said.

Eaks pulled away with birdies on Nos. 14, 17 and 18 — three of his eight birdies on the day.

“It was great playing with R.W.; he’s a fantastic player, a great guy,” Kane said. “He’s a well-deserving champion. He played awesome.”

The win was Eaks’ first since his last Champions Tour victory in 2008.

“I think there’s more pressure on me to win this thing than anyone else,” he said. “So that helps, knowing that I can do it again. It’s hard to come back and win. I still kind of feel funny coming back and playing, but I haven’t been doing anything, so what the heck.”

Meanwhile, five-time PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards (pictured at left) captured the super-senior title for players 60 and older as his final-day 70 left him at 211.

For his part, Hoos, competing in his first Colorado Senior Open, earned low-amateur honors at 212 after making five consecutive birdies en route to a 68 Friday. Considering it’s been a very long while since he played three straight days of tournament golf — mainly due to a bad back — it was a very satisfying result. Hoos finished 11 strokes ahead of second-place amateur Harry Johnson of Vail.

“It’s the first (multi-day) tournament I’ve played in a long time,” Hoos said. “So it means a lot. (Low amateur) was all I was thinking about. I couldn’t catch Eaks, so I had to look for something else to keep me going — and that was being low amateur. So I’m very proud of it.”

A year after Colorado players were completely shut out of the top 10 in the Senior Open, Holmes (third) and Hoos (seventh) made the grade this time.

“I’m real pleased with third; I’ll certainly take it,” said Holmes, winner of the 2008 Colorado PGA Professional Championship. Holmes made just one bogey in the last two rounds in posting his first Colorado Senior Open top 10.

For HealthOne Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.

The first-round leaderboard at the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open certainly doesn’t lack for notable names.

There’s a player who’s won four times on the Champions Tour, another who’s captured five PGA Tour titles, and two Colorado Golf Hall of Famers. And that’s just among the top seven golfers at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

The group includes R.W. Eaks (Champions Tour winner), Danny Edwards (PGA Tour champ), and Bill Loeffler and Rick DeWitt (both Hall of Famers).

Jim Kane of Edmond, Okla., who has made the cut in three major championships during his career, leads the way after a 4-under-par 68 on Wednesday. The 53-year-old, a top-10 finisher in each of the last two Senior Opens, made a 50-foot eagle putt on his final hole (No. 9) to grab the top spot. “That was kind of nice,” he said.

Four players — Eaks, a Colorado Springs native; Arvada resident DeWitt; Don Graham of Fountain Hills, Ariz.; and 2001 champion Greg Harmon from Mesa, Ariz. — share second place at 69. Loeffler, a Castle Rock resident who’s won three Colorado Opens and one Colorado Senior Open, and Edwards are tied for sixth place at 70. Edwards, who like Harmon is 60 years old, eagled the 12th hole to highlight his round.

Eaks (pictured above) no longer is fully exempt on the Champions Tour and is using the Colorado Senior Open to help gauge whether he will return to that tour’s qualifying tournament this fall.

“I was pretty satisfied with this round actually,” said the 59-year-old. “I only had one practice round (at Green Valley Ranch), and anytime you get it under par it’s good.

“I quit playing golf for a little while, so this is just my fourth tournament this year (including one on the Champions circuit). I decided if I’m going to go back to Tour school I’ve got to play in some tournaments. So if I feel my game is coming around, I’ll go back to Tour school,” which will be held at TPC Scottsdale, Eaks’ home course.

Eaks has long battled knee problems and needs two knee replacements, which he has put off for several years.

“It’s caught up with me out there (on the Champions Tour),” he said. “All the real good tournaments out there are walking tournaments, so that cancels me out. I barely can walk from here to the cart, but I still enjoy playing golf.”

DeWitt, a former amateur standout in Colorado, likewise is trying to decide whether to return to Champions Tour Q-school. On Wednesday, he certainly saw some encouraging signs as he needed just 27 putts on the day and made 13 of 14 from inside of 12 feet.

“That was sterling,” the 54-year-old said. “That (long) putter, that’s my secret weapon.”

DeWitt has made the cut in the last few Colorado Senior Opens, but said “now it’s time for a top 10.”

Loeffler (pictured at left) can take comfort in the fact that he shot 70, the same score he posted in the first round when he won the Colorado Senior Open in 2009.

“I played better than I thought I would,” said the 55-year-old. “I haven’t been playing a lot, so this was good.”

Notable: University of Denver men’s golf coach Eric Hoos, competing in his first Colorado Senior Open, shares low-amateur honors at 71 with David Brown of Lafayette. … Play was suspended due to lightning for about 40 minutes late Wednesday afternoon. A microburst in the mid-afternoon was strong enough to blow over one of the scoring tents. … The top 55 players and ties after 36 holes will survive the cut and advance to Friday’s final round.

For HealthOne Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.