Mike Zaremba wasn’t far from shooting his age on Thursday afternoon, which would have been no small feat given how much the wind was blowing at the CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

As it was, the 64-year-old accomplished plenty as it was, shooting a 6-under-par 66 in difficult afternoon conditions at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. The score was the best of the day, leaving the Pueblo West resident at 8-under-par 136 and one shot behind leader Skip Kendall of Windermere, Fla.

“It was great, a good round, a real good round,” said Zaremba (left). “I was going along just OK. I had birdied my 11th and 12th holes, then I eagled 13 (the 318-yard fourth hole at GVR) and it changed everything. I hit a 3-wood in there about 20 feet and rolled it in.”

Zaremba two-putted for birdie on his 18th hole, No. 9, giving him an eagle, five birdies and a bogey for the day.

Zaremba is certainly no stranger to success in Colorado Open championships. He won the Colorado Open in 1995, the Colorado Senior Open in 2005 and has posted seven top-10 finishes in the Senior Open. But his only top-10 since 2009 came last year, when he ended up ninth.

“Obviously I haven’t been here (in contention) in a while,” he said. “It’s going to be a good experience tomorrow again. It’ll be fun.”

As for being in the hunt going into the final day at age 64, Zaremba said, “You’ve just got to fight it all the time. As we get a little bit older, we get a little more shaky. There’s no doubt about it.”

Zaremba is one of five Coloradans in the top 10 going into the final day. Jeff Hanson of Edwards, who was paired with John Elway the first two rounds, shares sixth place at 139 despite a double-hit chip on Wedneday; three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield is tied for eighth at 140 with Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale and Rick Cole of Eaton. Rohrbaugh was the last Coloradan to win the Colorado Senior Open, in 2013.

Hanson carded a 71 on Thurday, while Lindstrom had a 69, Rohrbaugh a 70 and Cole a 72.

But Kendall (left), a veteran who’s played in 423 PGA Tour events, is still at the top of the leaderboard going into Friday’s final round. The 53-year-old backed up his first-round 66 with a 3-under-par 69 on Thursday to check in at 9-under 135. He managed a four-birdie, one-bogey day, but played his last five holes in 1 over.

“I’m looking forward (to being in contention on the final day),” he said. “That was the whole idea in coming out here — to see if I could get in the thick of things again and kind of challenge myself. So far, so good. It’s been fun. I look forward to the challenge tomorrow.”

Kendall, who’s competing in his first Colorado Senior Open, has played in just one PGA Tour Champions event this year after being exempt in 2017. But he said the last time he was on the leaderboard in the final day of a tournament was in 2014. That year he finished third in the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and sixth at the Greater Hickory Kia Classic on the senior circuit.

“It’s been a while,” he said.

But Kendall has contended in Colorado before, at the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines. He finished third in 1997 and eighth in ’93, coincidentally the two years Phil Mickelson won.

“I had some nice tournaments there. I liked playing there,” said Kendall, who never won on the PGA Tour but claimed four titles on the Web.com Tour. “I’ve seemed to adjust OK to altitude. I won a Web.com event (in 2012) in Bogota, Colombia at 8,500 feet. For some reason I seem to guess right. I’m coming from Orlando where you hit it the shortest distance anywhere in the country because the air is really thick there. The ball just doesn’t go anywhere. It’s quite a difference here. But I’ve adjusted OK. It’s an educated guess — at least it is for me.”

Another former PGA Tour player, defending Colorado Senior Open champion Jeff Gallagher, was paired with Kendall the first two days and is also in the thick of the title hunt. Gallagher shot a 71 on Thursday and stands in third place at 137.

The group of Kendall, Gallagher and amateur Guy Mertz of Longmont (144) combined to make 33 birdies in two days.

Two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair of St. George, Utah, and former PGA Tour player John Riegger, of Henderson, Nev., share fourth place at 138.

At stake on Friday will be an $8,500 first prize for the low pro.

Elway Just Misses Cut Despite Late Rally: Things weren’t looking good for John Elway when he made the turn during Thursday’s second round. The Broncos general manager had shot a 6-over-par 42 on the front nine at GVR and was considerably on the wrong side of the cut line. A double bogey at No. 5 and a triple bogey at No. 8 (including a shank into the hazard and a three-putt) certainly didn’t help matters.

But the Pro Football Hall of Famer (left) mustered some of the old comeback magic to give himself hope to make the 36-hole cut. Alas, even with an impressive final nine holes, he ended up missing the cut for the first time in four Colorado Senior Open appearances.

Elway played the back nine in 3-under-par 33 to shoot a 3-over-par 75. That left him at 4-over 148 overall and in 56th place out of the 150-man field. But only the top 55 players and ties after two rounds advanced to Friday.

“What seems to be happening more lately is the fact that I can only play about 14 (good) holes,” the 57-year-old said. “But I still enjoy competing. This is the one area where I can still compete. It’s fun to play in these situations because you’ve got to count every shot. I don’t like playing poorly, but I still enjoy playing.”

The bad stretch for Elway on Thursday came on holes 5-9, where he went a combined 7 over par. He was 1 under par through four, then a couple of bad shots on 5 led to a double bogey. His tee shot ended up in a deep divot in the sixth fairway, leading to a bogey, and the shank and three-putt on 8 resulted in a triple bogey. Another three-putt on No. 9 led to another bogey. He ended up going 5 over par on the par-3s on the front nine.

“Then I got it going on the back nine and hit some good shots,” Elway said after making birdies on 11, 12 and 17.

But it wasn’t quite enough to keep him around for the final round.

Elway’s previous Senior Open finishes have been 52nd in 2010, 19th in 2014 and 29th in 2016.

Notable: Friday’s final-round tee times will run from 8:20 to 9:55 a.m., with Kendall, Zaremba and Gallagher going off in the final group, off No. 1. … Lindstrom, playing in his first CSO at age 50, leads the amateur competition with a 140 total. In second place, at 144, is Mertz. … In the super-senior division for players over 60, Zaremba (136) leads by four over Cole. Two-time PGA Tour winner Donnie Hammond (141) is in third place. … Keith Clearwater, also owner of two PGA Tour wins, was disqualified on his final hole Thursday, though he was borderline to make the cut anyway despite going 7 under par in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of his round. Clearwater finished third in the CSO two years ago.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

Jeff Gallagher hadn’t played in a multi-day tournament yet in 2018, but you’d never have known it by the way the former PGA Tour player opened his title defense Wednesday at the CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

Gallagher, 53, made seven birdies and one bogey in a round of 6-under-par 66 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club to share the lead with two rounds remaining.

“I haven’t played in anything since Champions Tour Q-school in December except for two Monday qualifiers,” the resident of Henderson, Nev., said on Wednesday. “My competitiveness is not around. But it was today. You’ve got to figure out what you’re doing quickly, and I got off to a good start. That made it easier.”

Perhaps not coindentally, a fellow former PGA Tour veteran who was paired with Gallagher (left) on Wednesday also shares the lead at 66. That’s Skip Kendall, who has played in 423 PGA Tour events in his career.

“It was great,” Kendall (below) said of the pairing. “I was just trying to hold on to Jeff’s shirttails. He got off to a good start (with three birdies in his first four holes), and we ended up kind of feeding off each other. And we both played very well.”

Also at 66 after the first round is Mike Grob of Billings, Mont., a former PGA Tour player who surprised himself after waking up Wednesday feeling less than optimal.

“It felt great because this morning I woke up and I felt swollen and sore and stiff,” said the 54-year-old, who placed fifth in last year’s CSO. “I think it was a good thing because I wouldn’t swing too fast. It kept me slow.”

On a day when scoring conditions were near ideal, 31 players broke par on Wednesday.

Former Broncos quarterback John Elway was 2 under par through 14 holes, but bogeyed three of his last four to shoot 73. (See below for more details.)

Bill Breen of Nashville, Tenn., opened with a 67 to stand in fourth place.

Three Coloradans are in the top 10 through the first day. Rick Cole of Eaton, the runner-up in the 2017 Colorado PGA Professional Championship, had a bogey-free 68, good for a share of fifth place. Eaton finished sixth at last year’s Senior Open.

Also at 68 is Jeff Hanson of Edwards, who was part of Elway’s threesome, along with Paul Lobato. Doug Wherry of Lakewood posted a 69, leaving him in eighth place.

Gallagher shot 66 despite missing three putts of 5 feet or less, including a 2-foot birdie attempt on his first hole.

“The course kinds of suits me,” said Gallagher, who went 68-66-71 to win last year. “I drove it really well and hit some good shots at times. The golf course is nice. It’s fun to play.

“It’s so much different than when I played on Tour and on the Web.com. I have a mindset (now) that I’m going to go out and have fun. Whatever happens, happens. I think that mindset makes it a lot easier to play. It took a long time to figure that out — 53 years old and you finally figure out that this game actually is a lot of fun to play. And I still hit it really well, and that makes it a lot more fun to play.”

Gallagher and Kendall have known each other almost 30 years, back to their mini-tour days, which made for an ideal pairing on Wednesday, with Colorado amateur Guy Mertz (72 in round 1) being the third player.

“We had a good group,” Gallagher said. “It was fun. A lot of birdies.”

Kendall, who finished third at The International at Castle Pines in 1997, played his final 10 holes in 6 under par on Wednesday.

“I putted pretty well. I made eight birdies. I can’t remember the last time I did that,” said Kendall, who is playing in his first Colorado Senior Open. “Obviously I didn’t really expect to. I didn’t know what to expect because I haven’t been playing that much (one PGA Tour Champions start this year after a full schedule in 2017 but losing his card). So we’ll see what happens the next couple of days, but today was a nice day. I kept the ball in play, hit some decent irons shots and made some putts.

“It’s a good course. I’m enjoying it. It’s fun competing again.”

Elway Falters at End, Shoots 73: As for Elway, on Wednesday he made another one of those comebacks he’s famous for — only this one came on the golf course rather than the football field. Unfortunately for the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, he couldn’t close the deal on Wednesday.

Starting on his ninth hole (No. 18 at GVR), the Broncos general manager went birdie-par-birdie-birdie to get to 2 under, which put him in the top 15 overall. And he drove it over the green on the 318-yard fourth hole, but settled for a par. Then a couple of missed short putts and a ball that plugged in the bunker on his 17th hole resulted in three bogeys in his final four holes.

The 1-over-par 73 left Elway (left) in 44th place after the first round.

“I’m getting old. I can’t finish rounds,” said Elway, who has finished as high as 19th in the CSO. “I had it going so it was great, then … I don’t know if it’s age and I lack concentration late or what. But that’s golf.

“I played as good as I could play (for much of the round). I had a lot of good shots and made some good putts. For me it was a good round. You’re always disappointed if you miss a little putt or whatnot. But I hit the ball pretty well today.

“It’s always a crash course for me once the (NFL) draft is over. We’re about a month out, so it’s starting to get a little better. But I always enjoy playing out here. This is really a fun golf course to play. It’s in great shape.”

Elway was paired with Lobato, a PGA professional at Meridian Golf Club who has served as Elway’s instructor for many years.

“He can’t help you (during a tournament round),” Elway noted. “But it’s always good to play with guys you’re comfortable with. We kind of root for each other, but obviously we’re still playing in the tournament.”

Elway ranks fourth among amateurs after one round. Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield, a three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion, leads the amateur ranks after shooting a 1-under-par 71.

The top 55 players and ties after Thursday’s second round will advance to Friday’s final round.

Hamill Surprised, Humbled by Honor: Pat Hamill, the founder of Oakwood Homes, is credited by many for bringing the Colorado Open back from the brink during tough times 15 years ago and re-establishing it as one of the top state opens in the country.

Hamill is the founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and the owner of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club — where the CoBank Colorado Open, CoBank Colorado Women’s Open and the CoBank Colorado Senior Open are held. It’s also the home of The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, a program which helps shape and impact the lives of kids.

Given the impact Hamill has had with The First Tee of GVR and with the CoBank Colorado Open championships, he recently received an unexpected honor when The First Tee Learning Center/Colorado Open Golf Foundation building at GVR was renamed the Patrick H. Hamill Learning Center.

“I was very surprised,” he said Wednesday at the Colorado Senior Open. “Had they asked for permission, I wouldn’t have let it happen. But I’m very humbled.”

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

A Colorado resident has won the CoBank Colorado Senior Open just once in the past seven years, but Dale Smigelsky of Fort Collins might have hit upon a reason why.

“I’m heading home now to do all my scoresheets for my (Collindale) invitational for this weekend,” Smigelsky said after shooting a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

Indeed, Smigelsky’s situation isn’t unusual for many of the Colorado competitors. In his case, he’s the director of golf at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins, and the workload doesn’t stop when he’s competing in a tournament.

But, so far, Smigelsky (pictured) is juggling the situation quite well. The 56-year-old stands at 5-under-par 139 and shares holds sixth place, six strokes behind leader Steve Jurgensen of The Woodlands, Texas and five back of Jeff Gallagher of Henderson, Nev. Both of the top two on the leaderboard are former PGA Tour players who have won on the Web.com Tour.

“I’m a golf professional,” said Smigelsky, the 2015 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Champion. “The other guys, the good players, are professional golfers — and that’s what the difference is. For those of us that work in the business, it’s kind of fun to compare ourselves against the good players. So it’s nice to play well.”

Smigelsky was actually 7 under par overall through 14 holes on Thursday, but bogeyed Nos. 15 and 17 to drop back a little.

“I’m a normal working pro so I got a little uncomfortable with it,” he said. “Then the wind came up and played around with the ball the last couple holes.

“I’m happy with where I’m at. I wish I could have brought it in once I got to 7 (under), but you look at the leaderboard and you’re not used to seeing it (and) you get a little anxious.

“But I’m excited because I’ve played so little golf. If you had asked me before I started if I was going to be 5 under after two rounds, I’d say, ‘Sure, I’ll take it.'”

But as solid as Smigelsky has been, he has quite a bit of ground to make up in Friday’s final round. Jurgensen shot a 6-under-par 66 on Thursday — matching the best round of the tournament — and will take a one-stroke lead into the last round of the $50,000 tournament with an 11-under-par 133 total. One back is Gallagher, who also fired a second-round 66. Gallagher is the younger brother of five-time PGA Tour winner Jim Gallagher Jr.

Jurgensen, a one-time winner on the Web.com Tour who has posted three top-10 finishes in 93 PGA Tour starts, carded an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys on Thursday. On the par-5 second hole (his 11th), he hit a 3-wood from 255 yards to 2 feet for his 3.

“You want to be up there somewhere (on the leaderboard) if you can,” the 55-year-old said. “(Friday’s final round) is just another day where you find your game when you get out there on the course. It’s either going to be a struggle or a day you feel like you can do something really special. Every round of golf is a wait-and-see kind of thing.

“But I like the golf course (and) I’ve played well in Colorado before. I don’t know if it’s just the atmosphere, but you feel real good. The greens are really good and I’ve made some putts this week. Usually that’s the difference when somebody scores low — they’re making some putts.”

Gallagher (left) — who has two Web.com Tour victories to his credit, and has played in 134 events on the PGA Tour — made an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys bogeys on Thursday. He was 4 under par through five, then chipped in from 90 feet for eagle on the par-5 12th. And, mind you, this is Gallagher’s first time competing in the Colorado Senior Open — or the Colorado Open, for that matter.

“I haven’t been playing a whole lot,” the 52-year-old instructor said. “This is probably my third round of golf in about three months. I quit playing the Web.com Tour in 2011. I’ve been teaching the last (six) years. I spend most of my time on the driving range watching kids and grownups hit golf shots.

“It’s strange that I play better now that I don’t play (regularly) than I did when I was playing. It’s a different attitude; that’s pretty much all it is. The nerves are there, but I don’t take it like I used to. It’s not a job anymore. It’s fun.”

Longtime fans of golf in Colorado might remember Jeff’s older brother Jim and his feat at the now-defunct International at Castle Pines Golf Club. In 1990, Jim Gallagher made a double eagle on the par-5 17th hole, marking one of two recorded at Castle Pines that day — a rare happening indeed. These days, Jim Gallagher spends much of his time working for the Golf Channel.

Jeff didn’t have the success that Jim did on the PGA Tour, but he did play the world’s top circuit on and off from 1996 to 2003, including competing at The International several times. More recently, he finished 18th at last year’s U.S. Senior Open.

Back at the Colorado Senior Open, Robin Byrd of Sattelite Beach, Fla., holds third place at 135 after a second-round 67.

Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah, winner of the 2016 national Senior PGA Professional Championship, shares fourth place at 137 with Texan Tim Thelen after both posted 70s on Thursday.

By his own estimate, Schneiter has competed in the Colorado Open and Colorado Senior Open 25-30 times between them. And though he’s contended for the title — most notably, he lost a playoff to Bill Loeffler in the last Open played at Hiwan Golf Club, in 1991 — he’s yet to take home the trophy.

“I’d like to win one of them,” said Schneiter, who owns state open titles in Arizona, Idaho and Wyoming. “At least I have a chance going into tomorrow. Hopefully things will keep going good.”

Notable: Tee times for Friday’s final round will begin at 8:15 a.m., with the leaders going off at 9:55. … A total of 60 players, all of whom stand at 149 or better, made the 36-hole cut. … Albert Johnson Jr., of Lawton, Okla., opened up a seven-stroke lead in the low-amateur competition as he’s gone 70-71–141. … The low super-senior (60 and older) after two days is five-time PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards (69-75–144). … Duane Lorio of Luling, La., made a hole-in-one on Thursday afternoon, draining a 9-iron shot on the fifth hole. But Lorio (78-74) missed the cut with a 152 total.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.