It’s been a unique week at the CoBank Colorado Open.

Through three days at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club …

— Twice the course record of 62 has been matched, including Saturday by Alex Kim (left) of Fullerton, Calif., who used a hole-in-one to vault into the 54-hole lead. It was the second ace of tournament week.

— Also on Saturday, the very rare “albatross” made an appearance at GVR, with James Back of La Palma, Calif., recording a double eagle on the 531-yard par-5 12th hole, flying a 229-yard approach into the cup with a 5-iron.

— With little wind and pure greens, the scores are so low this year that the 36-hole cut of 3 under par was a tournament record by three strokes. And Kim’s 18-under-par total is a 54-hole tourney record, also by three.

— And this year’s tournament also featured a female competitor, Sherry Andonian-Smith of Denver, for the first time ever.

Now, though, things will really take on a different look. In the first 51 Colorado Opens, the highest first-prize payout has been $38,800, in 1997. But on Sunday, $100,000 will go to the winner, more than quadrupling last year’s $23,000 winner’s check.

Suffice it to say that many of those in the running for the title this year have never truly been in contention going into the final round of a tournament in which the winner would receive a six-figure check.

Indeed, aside from for the two players on the leaderboard who have won PGA Tour events — Jonathan Kaye of Boulder and Parker McLachlin of Honolulu — Sunday will be novel experience for just about everyone who’s in contention.

And making it even more unique is the huge money difference between first and second place, $100,000 and $20,000.

“The purse is huge, especially for guys playing the mini tours,” said Kim, a former UCLA golfer who played in the 2015 U.S. Open. “We don’t play for this kind of purse ($250,000).”

As noted, Kaye (left) is an exception. The former University of Colorado golfer earned $900,000 for winning the 2003 Buick Open and $936,000 for his victory at the 2004 FBR Open on the PGA Tour.

“I always looked at it that they were giving away money and I was there to get it,” Kaye said Saturday. “I was like, ‘I’m going to go as low as I can.’ I wasn’t really thinking about the consequences at that point. I was trying to go as low as I could to make money.’

“My rookie year (on the PGA Tour), that was how I kept my card. I had the No. 1 scoring average on tour on Saturday, but I only made eight cuts. I played good when I had to.

“But the young kids now, they aren’t scared. They look at it as a (cash) giveaway, I think. They think they can win right away. I think these guys (in contention at the Colorado Open) are all pretty good. (But) hopefully they all get nervous and crumble and I can slide in there. I’ll still take the money. A hundred grand is a hundred grand.”

With Saturday’s 62 and an 18-under-par 198 total, Kim will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday. The previous 54-hole tournament record, in relation to par, was Derek Tolan’s 15 under mark in 2009. That year, the former CU golfer went on to finish a record 22 under par.

Wil Collins (left) of Albuquerque, N.M., the 2005 Open champion, played his final five holes in 3 under par on Saturday and his bogey-free 67 left him a stroke behind Kim heading into the final round.

Colorado native Nick Hodge of Littleton and Neil Johnson of Phoenix share third place at 201, with Hodge carding a 66 that featured a 30 on the front nine, and Johnson posting a 68.

“This is the biggest event we play during the year as mini-tour players,” said Hodge (below). “There’s a little extra on there. I’ve been playing really well all week. It’s definitely a big event. It would be important to me to win (having grown) up here and everything.”

The group four out of the lead — at 14-under-par 202 — features two former champions (Kaye and Zahkai Brown of Arvada) and, as noted, two players who have won on the PGA Tour (Kaye and McLachlin), along with Martin Trainer of Palo Alto, Calif.

Brown is in the hunt for his fourth top-2 Colorado Open finish in the last five years, while Kaye is playing his first tournament in two years. Both shot 70 after sharing the 36-hole lead with Collins.

“I’d much rather be closer, but I am where I am so I guess I’ll have to try to make it up,” said Kaye, who needed a 30-foot chip-in for bogey on No. 16 after hitting a tree and watching his second shot go into a hazard. “It was kind of ugly today. I didn’t play very well all in all. It wasn’t as clean as the other two days. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and we’ll try to make a run at it.”

Kim, meanwhile, put himself atop the leaderboard Saturday thanks to matching the course record of 62 set by Nick Mason in 2013 and matched by Collins on Thursday.

While Kim made nine birdies on the day — including a 7-footer on 18 — it was the ace on the 177-yard eighth hole that especially grabbed the attention. His 9-iron hit about 6 feet short of the flag, took a bounce and rolled in. It was his fourth hole-in-one, but his first in competition.

“I was plugging along at 2 under, and made that hole-in-one and it was just off to the races,” said Kim, who qualified for the Colorado Open on July 12 in Eagle. “I birdied the next hole and turned at 5 under. It easily could have been a 2-under front nine, but it helps when you make a ‘1’.

“One of my playing partners said while (his tee shot on 8) was in the air, ‘Go in’, and sure enough, it one-hopped and just disappeared. I threw my club in the air. That was pretty cool.”

As for the day overall, while Kim has shot 61 before, Saturday’s 62 was his best ever in competition.

“I’m pretty pleased with that,” said the South Korea-born 26-year-old, who’s playing his first Colorado Open.

Mark Me Down for a Deuce: As noted, James Back — whose hometown of La Palma, Calif., is about 10 miles from Kim’s hometown of Fullerton — had his own fireworks on Saturday.

After a good drive on the 531-yard 12th hole — his third hole of the day — he hit a baby draw with his 5-iron from 229 yards and the ball flew straight into the cup for a double eagle, the first of his life.

Only it took Back several minutes to realize his accomplishment.

“I hit it pretty good and I was looking at it,” he said. “I didn’t see any bounce. I went up to the green and I thought it had gone over. The guys were checking all over (for the ball). Finally, the guys checked the hole and it was in the hole. It hit the back of the cup and went in the hole. It was pretty crazy.

“I didn’t expect it to go in, but if it’s in, good for me.”

Back finished with a 7-under-par 65 on Saturday and shares 14th place at 11-under 205.

Ram Tough: The chase for low-amateur honors may come down to what amounts to an intrasquad competition for Colorado State University golfers from last season.

Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village will take a two-stroke lead in the amateur competiton into Sunday’s final round. Staiano, who advanced to match play at last year’s U.S. Amateur, has gone 68-68-69 for an 11-under-par 205 total. He played his last four holes in 3 under par on Saturday.

Two back of Staiano is former Ram Dominic Kieffer of Byron, Minn., who posted a 67 on Saturday. And Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo is another two back after carding a third-round 68.

University of Colorado golfer John Souza trails Staiano by five following a 74 on Saturday.

Sitting Out This Senior British: It might seem a bit unusual to see Mark Wiebe caddying for son Gunner in this week’s Colorado Open, considering the Senior British Open is being contested this week in Scotland. After all, Wiebe won the Senior British just three years ago.

But concerns over physical ailments — most notably neck problems — made the elder Wiebe think better of a trip overseas.

“Something is going on, so it’s been a real drag,” said Wiebe, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer and five-time Champions winner who noted that he’s had to withdraw from all the senior majors so far in 2016. “And to go all the way over there, all I’m thinking is, ‘Am I going to get there and be able to play?’

“I’ve tried to play injured for over a year and I suck (at that). I’m no good injured. I need to be 100 percent.”

Gunner Wiebe, playing his first tournament in two months, shares 10th place at 12-under 204 after a 68 on Saturday. (Gunner and Mark are pictured together above.)

Notable: The lead threesome of Alex Kim, Wil Collins and Nick Hodge will tee off for Sunday’s final round at 9:25 a.m. … Part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler, winner of the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour, shot a 4-under-par 68 on Saturday to move up to 29th place at 8-under 208 in his first tournament in over a year.

For scores from the Colorado Open CLICK HERE.
 

For Sunday tee times, CLICK HERE.
 
 

July 4th was three weeks ago, but there was no lack of fireworks from the threesome that teed off at 12:10 p.m. on Friday for the 50th HealthOne Colorado Open.

On the group’s ninth hole, on his first shot after an 85-minute weather delay, Devin Schreiner of Durango pitched in from 45 feet for eagle on No. 18 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, moving him into a share of the lead at the time.

Then on the threesome’s final hole of the day — the par-5 ninth — amateur Cole Nygren of Longmont, who was paired with Schreiner, pulled off one of golf’s rarest feats. He made an albatross — a double eagle from 296 yards — to instantly assure himself of making the 36-hole cut.

And, mind you, this is the same tournament in which a father and son, paired together, each made a hole-in-one in a practice round on Tuesday. (See below for more on that accomplishment.)

All in all, it’s been quite a last few days at Green Valley Ranch.

Schreiner’s eagle, coming during a 33-hole bogey-free stretch to start the tournament, and a 1-foot birdie on the final hole gave the former Fort Lewis College golfer a two-stroke lead after Friday.

But let’s start with Nygren’s double-eagle, which deservedly earned high-fives from playing partners Schreiner and Nate Stevenson of Steamboat Springs.

“It’s the best shot I’ve ever hit definitely,” said Nygren (pictured above), who plays college golf for Cal Poly. “I’ve had a couple of hole-in-ones, but that tops it. It was pretty unbelievable. I’ve never felt anything like it. Rarely do you make better than a hole-in-one.”

Standing at 4 over par for the tournament and thinking he at least needed a birdie on his final hole to make the cut, Nygren hit his drive on No. 9 as close as possible to the water that runs across the fairway. From there, he pulled out a 3-wood for the 296-yard shot. The ball just carried the front bunker, but Nygren had no idea it was in the hole until he got up to the cup.

“I assumed I would get some applause if it was on the green, so honestly I thought it was in the bunker,” said Nygren, who recently played in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. “Walking up, I didn’t see it on the green and got up a little further and didn’t see it in the bunker. I saw it bounce on the fringe so I knew there was no way it could have been long. I figured I’d walk up and check the cup, and sure enough …”

The stroke Nygren will never forget gave him an even-par 71 Friday, a 1-over 143 total, and vaulted him into 37th place going into the weekend. It’s amazing what playing a hole in 3 under par will do for you.

Meanwhile, playing partner Schreiner continued his stellar play, backing up a first-round 64 with a 5-under-par 66 in the afternoon wind Friday at GVR. That left him at 12-under-par 130, two ahead of second-place Ian Davis of Edmond Okla. (66-66) and six better than the four golfers tied for third place at 6 under par. Among those at that figure are former University of Colorado golfer Luke Symons (67-69) and 2010 champion Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz. (70-66).

“This is the best I’ve played in a long time,” said Schreiner, who qualified for the Open just last week. “Hopefully I can keep it going.”

The highlight of his day came on the par-5 18th, his ninth hole of the day. He was just walking up to his ball, behind the green, when a horn signaled a suspension of play due to lightning in the area. About an hour and a half later, when play resumed, he coaxed his pitch (left) down the hill and into the cup for an eagle.

“That was a good way to come back out of the rain delay for sure,” the 26-year-old said. “That shot was definitely on my mind (during most of the time during the suspension).”

Schreiner went on to add three birdies, offset by just one bogey, on his back nine despite gusty winds.

“Anytime the wind kicks up, it’s definitely harder to score, so I’m really happy with the way I played today,” he said. “I was able to take advantage of some things I probably shouldn’t have been able to take advantage of.

“I feel really good. I know there’s still two days to play — there’s still a lot of work to be done — but I feel pretty confident after what’s happened in the last 48 hours.”

A smattering of players didn’t finish round 2 on Friday because of the weather delay, and they will resume action at 7 a.m. Saturday. But the top players on the leaderboard all completed 36 holes by the end of the day Friday.

Schreiner’s closest pursuer, Davis, is looking for the first paycheck of his young professional career. Davis, who played for NCAA runner-up Oklahoma State, turned pro in late May. Though the former All-American has missed the cut in all three of his tournaments since then, he hasn’t missed a beat this week.

Competing in the Colorado Open for the first time and having played GVR just once before Thursday, Davis has posted consecutive rounds of 66 for a 10-under 132 total.

“I’ve been playing pretty well,” he said. “I’ve been close to playing some really good golf for a while. My goal is to put it in some spots where I can make birdies and see how low I can go. I’ve done pretty well the last two days, and hopefully I can keep it going.”

Indeed, Davis has gone bogey-free for his last 33 holes after starting the tournament bogey-par-double bogey.

Davis is playing this week after getting the thumbs-up on the Colorado Open from Oklahoma State assistant coach Brian Guetz, a two-time Colorado Open champion.

“It’s a great event. They run it awesome,” Davis said.

Aces by Father and Son, Same Group, Same Day: Micah Rudosky, the head professional at Conquistador Golf Club in Cortez, and his son Jakob both missed the cut Friday in the Colorado Open, but they left Green Valley Ranch Golf Club with an indelible memory.

On Tuesday in a practice round at GVR, the Rudoskys defied the odds in a big way by each making a hole-in-one during the same round while playing in the same group.

Jakob Rudosky, who finished fifth in the 4A state high school tournament last fall, struck first, acing the fifth hole with an 8-iron.

Three holes later, it was dad’s turn, as Micah holed out a — you guessed it — 8-iron shot to match his son’s feat.

“When (Jakob’s) went in, it was unbelievable,” Micah said Friday. “Then when I made it — that just doesn’t happen. In your group you might have one, but for both of us to have one — and they were both 8-irons … That’s kind of funny. We’ll never forget it.”

Tolan Makes a 180-Degree Turn: As the winner of two HealthOne Colorado Opens in the last five years, Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch was far from enamored by the 4-over-par 75 he shot in Thursday’s opening round at Green Valley Ranch.

But it wasn’t simply the score that bothered the former University of Colorado golfer.

“My dad (John Tolan, the head professional at South Suburban Family Sports) couldn’t make it out the first two days and said he was going to come on Sunday,” Derek Tolan noted on Friday. “I shot 75 yesterday and I was a little sad knowing that I’d have to have a pretty exceptional round to (make the cut and play on the weekend). But I did it.”

Indeed, and in spectacular fashion. Tolan birdied the first five holes Friday, six of the first seven, and carded nine birdies on the day as he shot a 5-under-par 66 and moved from 96th place to 20th.

Tolan said five consecutive birdies matches his best in competition. Appropriately, he capped his round with a 15-foot birdie on No. 18. His 66 came despite a double bogey (on No. 10) and two bogeys.

“I didn’t have anything close to a birdie (Thursday) besides a two-putt on No. 2 for birdie,” Tolan said. “Having that, then turning around 10 hours later and making nine (birdies) was shocking. It caught me off guard. I was pleased with it. I was also pleased with hanging in there grinding after hitting some poor shots.”

Despite being 11 strokes out of the lead with two days left, Tolan wouldn’t rule out his chances at another title.

“Especially out here, with how quickly things can change,” he said. “I’m going to have to play pretty exceptional, but there’s a lot of room to be made up out here. I’m definitely going to have to play extremely well, but it’s there.”

Notables: Former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and the 1996 Colorado Open champion, struggled again Friday and missed the cut. He shot 78-77 for a 13-over-par 155 total. He managed just one birdie on Friday. … Also missing the 36-hole cut to the low 60 players and ties was defending champion Zahkai Brown of Arvada (75-74–149). … Colorado State University golfer Cameron Harrell leads the amateur competition at the halfway point of the Open. He’s carded rounds of 68-70 for a 4-under-par 138 total, which leaves him one ahead of Jacob Holt of Tooele, Utah. … For Saturday’s third round, the plan is to send players off both the first and 10th tees, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Scores: For all the scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.