However, considering he last played a tournament 10 months ago, and he underwent neck fusion surgery last November, many would consider it quite an accomplishment that he’s not only competing again, but he easily made the cut Thursday in the Colorado Senior Open.

The 56-year-old from Castle Rock shot a 4-over-par 76 Thursday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, leaving him in 35th place at 150 after two rounds. The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer trails leader Jim Carson of Anaheim Hills, Calif., by 13 strokes, but he had no problem advancing to Friday’s final round.

“I’m just glad to get out and hit it,” he said. “It’s kind of fun.”

But it’s also foreign in some respects. After his neck fusion, Loeffler didn’t start taking full swings with a golf club until May, and even now it feels very little like he did in the good old days, when he won three national titles: the 1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur, the 1992 PGA Assistant Professional Championship, and the 2007 Senior PGA Professional National Championship.

Asked how the swing feels, Loeffler said, “It feels terrible. It’s like a different human being. I don’t know where the club is. I’m supposed to swing like (David) Duval and (Annika) Sorenstam” with the head following the ball during the follow-through. “And one of my keys has always been to come through like that (with his head and eyes staying down). It’s a challenge.”

And it sounds like it will continue to be a challenge for a while. Besides Loeffler also experiencing some lower-back problems, the recovery from his November neck surgery is taking longer than he anticipated.

“It’s coming; I’m healing up,” he said. “But it surprises me. I thought it would be a six-month heal, and I just saw (the doctor) last week and he said it’s going to be another nine months — so 18 months (total). It’s a long process, a lot longer than I thought.

“But at least I’m hitting shots.”

Defending Champion Eaks Withdraws Mid-Round: Colorado Springs native R.W. Eaks was in second place after 27 holes of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open on Thursday, but the defending champion withdrew on the 15th hole of round 2, saying he was hurt. Eaks had said Wednesday a pulled groin was bothering him.

The four-time winner on the Champions Tour was 1 under par in very windy afternoon conditions on Thursday, leaving him at 5 under overall. And though he bogeyed his first three holes on the back nine, but was still in fifth place at the time.

Carson Leads by 3 Entering Final Round: First-round leader Jim Carson of Anaheim Hills, Calif., maintained his advantage at the Senior Open on Thursday.

The 57-year-old shot a steady 1-under-par 71 in the morning portion of the second round and posted a 7-under 137 total, good for a three-stroke lead.

Bob Niger of El Dorado Hills, Calif., who’s finished in the tournament’s top three each of the last two years, stands at 140 after a 71 Thursday, while Colorado Springs amateur David Delich (69 Thursday) joined 70-year-old Tom Storey of Mesquite, Nev. (74) and Greg Bruckner of Phoenix (68) in third place at 141. Delich carded four birdies on Thursday.

Carson made two birdies — nearly holing out for eagle on No. 16 — and one bogey on Thursday.

“I actually hit the ball better, in my opinion” than he did in Wednesday’s round of 66, said Carson, winner of 55 mini-tour events in his career. “I just struggled with the putter, for crying out loud. I knocked it in close quite often, but I couldn’t get the ball to go in the hole. Some days are like that, but I did hit it solid.”

Notable: The lead threesome — Carson, Niger and Delich — will tee off for Friday’s final round at 11 a.m. … Delich, winner of two CGA Senior Match Play titles, started the tournament with a triple bogey, but has been 6 under par since. With rounds of 72-69–141, he holds a six-stroke advantage in the competition for low amateur. Next best are Kelly Crone of Littleton (73-74–147) and Bill Bolgar of Parker (74-73–147). … The 57 players who shot 9-over-par 153 or better survived the 36-hole cut. Among those who won’t be around for the final round is 2011 Senior Open low amateur Eric Hoos (80-81–161). Hoos, the University of Denver men’s golf coach, had to have a cortisone shot in the joint of his healing shoulder just to be able to defend his amateur title. This was his first tournament in a year. … A total championship purse of $50,000 will be up for grabs on Friday, with $8,500 going to the low professional.

For scores, CLICK HERE.

“Good shot, Gramps,” University of Denver men’s golf coach Eric Hoos said after R.W. Eaks’ pitch finished within a few feet of the cup on their final hole Wednesday.

Though “Gramps” has been Eaks’ nickname for a long time, it seemed particularly appropriate in a general sense during the first round of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open.

The players at the top of the leaderboard in the 50-and-older tournament are veterans even by that age standard. Leader Jim Carson of Anaheim Hills, Calif., is 57, but second-place Tom Storey of Mesquite, Nev., is 70, and third-place R.W. Eaks (pictured) is 60.

Storey, winner of the PGA Tour’s Oklahoma City Open in 1977, shot three strokes under his age (67) Wednesday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. And Colorado Springs native Eaks, the defending champion and a winner of four Champions Tour events, posted a 68.

Carson, winner of 55 mini-tour events in his career, made seven birdies in relatively windless afternoon conditions en route to a 6-under-par 66, which gave him a one-stroke edge over Storey.

“I feel blessed to have played in such benign conditions, for sure,” said Carson, who birdied four of his first five holes. “It helped without question.”

As for Storey, shooting under his age was hardly a new experience.

“I do it every time I play unless it’s a junior event from the back tees in a tournament,” said Storey, who has finished in the top five in three Colorado Senior Opens, besides placing third twice in the Colorado Open. “If it’s just regular tees, I always break my age.”

As far as Eaks goes, after winning the Colorado Senior Open last year at age 59, he finished 11th in the Colorado Open at age 60 this summer.

“I love this golf course,” said Eaks, fresh off a 28th-place finish last week in the Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic. “It fits my eye. How can you not try to play good here? The people are so nice, it’s unbelievable.

“The Colorado Open and the Colorado Senior Open are the best state opens in the country. They’re run the best, and the golf course is great. Sure, this is a big deal to me. It’d be nice to win this again.”

After getting into just one Champions Tour event in 2011, Eaks has competed in four Champions tournaments this year. The former University of Northern Colorado basketball player and golfer hopes to get in a couple of more, then plans to go to Champions qualifying in the fall.

“I’m pretty excited about playing again,” he said. “I feel a little bit better (physically). I still can’t walk, but I feel better.”

Better, but certainly not perfect. Eaks’ knees have been a chronic problem, and he suffered a pulled groin this week. “It’s always something new — always,” he said.

Only three players joined Carson, Storey and Eaks in breaking 70 on Wednesday. Bob Niger of El Dorado Hills, Calif., Mark Balen of Orchard Park, N.Y., and Brad Britton of Fountain Hills, Ariz., fired 69s. Niger has finished second and third in the last two Colorado Senior Opens.

For Storey, Wednesday was quite a round. He holed a 5-iron from 172 yards for eagle on No. 1 — his 10th hole — and another approach shot hit the pin and yet another lipped out.

On the down side, he missed a 30-inch birdie putt on his final hole.

“The fact that one of (the long approach shots) went in made up for my three-putt and a couple others,” the three-time Nevada Open champion said. “I pretty much had an easy birdie putt on every hole. I shot pretty much what I should have shot. There wasn’t much lucky crap going on.”

Ironically, though Carson made seven birdies Wednesday, he saw his only bogey as the highlight of his round. On the par-3 17th (his eighth hole), his tee shot buried under the lip of the bunker. In fact, he had to rake the sand just to find his ball, then he had to recreate the lie.

Despite having to hit the ball almost vertical, he got it out onto the fringe, then two-putted from 60 feet for bogey.

“I was delighted with that,” Carson said. “I was pleased with the outcome because it could have been nasty. It was very daunting, but we got it done.”

Notable: Eric Hoos, the low amateur in last year’s Colorado Senior Open, is still battling shoulder problems and struggled to an 80 on Wednesday. … Another player dealing with ailments — in his case neck-related — 2009 Senior Open champion Bill Loeffler, managed a 74 after starting bogey-double bogey. … After Day 1, David Delich of Colorado Springs leads the competition for low-amateur following an even-par 72. … The field will be cut to the top 55 players and ties after Thursday’s second round.

For scores, CLICK HERE.