Brandt Jobe has won so much in Colorado over the years, but on the biggest of stages, he’s had to settle for being heart-wrenchingly close.

It happened at the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines in 2005, when he led by nine points early in the final round in the modified Stableford format, only to finish second for one of the four times he did on golf’s top tour. And as it turned out, Jobe never did win on the PGA Tour.

Then on Sunday, Jobe, who was back in the state where he lived from 1970 to ’99, was tied for the lead at the U.S. Senior Open with three holes left at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Alas, a bogey on the 15th hole — his only one in the final dozen holes — foiled his chances. The 52-year-old Colorado Golf Hall of Famer shot an even-par 70 on Sunday and tied for fifth place at 1-under 279, two strokes behind champion David Toms.

“It would have been cool” to win in his old home state, Jobe said. “That was my goal. That would have been so cool. Two unbelievable chances (this and the 2005 International). It was out there for me. As well as I was putting — which was crazy because I putted so bad the first two days — but I putted so good the last two days. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t my day.”

Jobe (pictured) has won a Colorado Open, three CGA Match Plays and a CGA Amateur in Colorado, in addition to some state junior titles. And, coincidentally, his first two CGA Match Play victories came at The Broadmoor, on what was then known as the South Course.

And it looked like he might notch another victory at the resort on Sunday, albeit of a much bigger variety. After making numerous par saves and sinking a 35-foot downhill breaker for birdie on No. 8 and a 5-footer at No. 1, Jobe shared the lead on the 15th tee.

There, though, he pulled his 2-iron tee shot into a fairway bunker that was 290 yards out. His next shot finished in the rough short of the green, and after a nice pitch, he missed a 6-foot par putt, taking a bogey. With playing partner Paul Goydos making a birdie on the same hole, Jobe was quickly two behind. And he couldn’t catch up.

“It feels like a lost opportunity,” said Jobe, who has one PGA Tour Champions win, but was looking for his biggest title.

“The 15th hole was my undoing,” he said. “It kind of took me out of it. I hit my 2-iron this week unbelievable. But there I pulled it. I didn’t think it got to the bunker, which would have been alright because I only had a wedge in. It was the worst 2-iron I hit all week, which was surprising.

“They fluffed (the sand in) the bunkers and I had no chance. I was in the middle of the bunker and it should have been at least a decent lie to have a chance. I’ve got nothing. It was either blade it into the grandstands or chunk it down front (so he did the latter). I hit a great chip and hit a good putt but misread it.”

Jobe was trying to become the third player to win the U.S. Senior Open after growing up in Colorado, following Dale Douglass (1986) and Hale Irwin (1998 and 2000).

“There are going to be guys losing sleep over this championship,” FS1 analyst Paul Azinger said, speaking of several contenders.

On the positive side, Jobe notched his seventh top-10 finish in senior majors. He’s been third and fifth in the U.S. Senior Open, second and fourth in the Senior Players, third and eighth in the Senior PGA, and fifth in the Senior British Open.

“At the end of the day, I guess I was maybe fortunate to have a chance because I didn’t play as well as I would have liked to,” said Jobe, who was competing in Colorado for the first time in a dozen years. “Whenever you’re that close, you’ve got to kind of take it. And I didn’t.”

But it was “a great week. I enjoyed it. They did a great job. That was how it should be. It was so hard it drove us crazy. But at the end of the day, good players are going to win.”

Low Am Wilson Matches Giles’ Feat: Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, Calif., became just the second player ever to claim low-amateur honors at both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open by hitting the mark in the latter on Sunday. He joined Vinny Giles in that elite club after having been the top amateur in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

“He was a great amateur player and to be mentioned in the same light as that, that’s terrific,” Wilson said of Giles. “I haven’t really thought about it. I was really trying to kind of just finish. You can’t get ahead of yourself or bad things could happen real quick. But that’s awesome.”

Wilson finished 31st overall at 10-over-par 290 after a final-round 73. Mike Finster was second among amateurs at 293.

Notable: Among those watching the action again Sunday at The Broadmoor was Broncos general manager John Elway (left, in striped shirt), the honorary chairman of the U.S. Senior Open. … Jerry Kelly, who led after the first three rounds and finished second on Sunday, said his son is attending school in Boulder, at the University of Colorado, and that the family is considering buying a home in the Centennial State. … On a blustery day, only three players shot under par on Sunday — Duffy Waldorf (68), Miguel Angel Jimenez (69) and Paul Broadhurst (69). That’s the fewest in the final round of a U.S. Senior Open since 1991 at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Township, Mich., where there were two.
 

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.

Also scheduled to compete are Broncos Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway, who will be making his fourth Senior Open appearance, and 10 former CSO champions.

Here’s the rundown of longtime tour players who have committed to the 19th Colorado Senior Open:

— Guy Boros (253 PGA Tour starts, with one win; 32 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Jim Carter (461 PGA Tour starts, with one win; 70 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Keith Clearwater (411 PGA Tour starts, with two wins; 36 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Former University of Northern Colorado athlete R.W. Eaks (77 PGA Tour starts; 176 PGA Tour Champions starts, with four wins)

— Donnie Hammond (497 PGA Tour stars, with two wins; 36 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Skip Kendall (423 PGA Tour starts; 36 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— John Riegger (224 PGA Tour starts; 67 PGA Tour Champions starts, with one win)

— Larry Rinker (525 PGA Tour starts; 2 PGA Tour Champions starts)

Add it up and for those eight players, that’s 2,871 PGA Tour starts with six victories, and 419 PGA Tour Champions starts with five wins.

In addition, 2017 CSO winner Jeff Gallagher played in 134 PGA Tour events in his career, and many others in the field have competed in some major tour tournaments in their careers.

As for Elway, in addition to his Senior Open appearances, he’s competed in four CoBank Colorado Opens, making one cut.

His Senior Open finishes have been 52nd in 2010, 19th in 2014 and 29th in 2016. In those last two events, he placed second among amateurs.

A lifelong golf amateur, Elway has placed in the top 10 14 times in the nationally televised American Century Championships celebrity tournament in the Lake Tahoe area. He and Tom Hart won the 2009 Trans-Miss Four-Ball at Cherry Hills Country Club and tied for second in the 2010 CGA Four-Ball.

Elway is scheduled to tee off at 1 p.m. on Wednesday off No. 10 and at 8:05 a.m. on Thursday off No. 1. Fans are welcome and admission is free.

As for former CSO champions entered, besides Eaks and Gallagher, there’s Bill Loeffler, Doug Rohrbaugh, Mike Zaremba, Dave Arbuckle, Perry Arthur, Greg Bruckner (a two-time champ), John Ross and Ron Schroeder. Rohrbaugh played in last week’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and on Monday he earned medalist honors in U.S. Senior Open qualifying at The Broadmoor.

The low pro in this week’s tournament will earn $8,500.

For Wednesday and Thursday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.

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

John Elway drew the majority of the crowds Monday at U.S. Senior Open qualifying at The Broadmoor Golf Club — no surprise there — but it was Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale and Chris Johnson of Castle Rock who will be competing in front of the really big galleries at the Colorado Springs resort in four weeks.

While an estimated 500 fans came to The Broadmoor to see the Pro Football Hall of Famer — an extemely high number for a Colorado-based USGA qualifying tournament — Rohrbaugh and Johnson earned the two available U.S. Senior Open berths at stake on the historic East Course. (The two qualifiers are pictured, with Rohrbaugh at left.)

The Broadmoor, of course, will host this year’s Senior Open come June 28-July 1, which makes it an even bigger bonus for Colorado PGA professionals like Rohrbaugh and Johnson, both of whom competed in last week’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in Michigan.

Rohrbaugh, who was paired with two of the best senior players in the world (Scott McCarron and Miguel Angel Jimenez) at the Senior PGA, fired a stellar 1-under-par 69 Monday at The Broadmoor to earn medalist honors. On a course that takes a toll on many a player’s scorecard, Rohrbaugh was rock solid. He made two birdies on the day — most notably from 3 feet on the 520-yard par-4 17th — and his only bogey came when he three-putted No. 15 by missing a 2-foot putt.

Johnson, the 2010 Colorado PGA Professional Champion, carded a 2-over 72 to land the second and final qualifying spot out of a field that originally numbered 84. He made two birdies and four bogeys on the day.

Meanwhile, Elway, the honorary chairman of the 2018 U.S. Senior Open, won’t to adding “competitor” to his title for this year’s championship. The Broncos general manager posted a 10-over-par 80 in a round that was interrupted for 75 minutes by a lightning delay. The 57-year-old was even-par for the first four holes, but ended up with eight bogeys and a double bogey. Still, an 80 was tied for the 18th-best score of the day. Oilman and philanthropist George Solich, who earned an Evans Scholarship as a caddie at The Broadmoor in the late 1970s, looped for Elway on Monday. (The two are pictured at left.)

“I played as well as I could play,” Elway said. “These are hard conditions. If you’re off the fairway by a yard, it’s hard to get it to the green. It’s a lot of work in that rough. But it was fun. I enjoyed playing in these conditions.”

Asked if he thought he had a chance to qualify had he played his best, Elway said, “No. I hadn’t been playing very well and not playing much either. But it was fun to be out here and compete.”

Next month’s championship will mark the fourth U.S. Senior Open for the 56-year-old Rohrbaugh — and the 11th PGA Tour Champions event of his career. Oddly, eight of those 11 will have been senior majors (four U.S. Senior Opens, three Senior PGAs and one Regions Tradition). In Rohrbaugh’s three previous trips to the U.S. Senior Open, he’s missed the 36-hole cut each time — by one stroke (2015), three (2012) and four (2013).

“Four times (in the Senior Open) is obviously amazing, but to play in your backyard …,” Rohrbaugh said. “I’ve been thinking about this ever since I saw it was on the schedule — thinking how cool it would be to have family and friends come down. It’s huge.”

In Colorado, Rohrbaugh has won the 2013 CoBank Colorado Senior Open and three Colorado PGA Professional Championships. As for his day jobs, he’s an instructor at Snowmass Club and a representative at Anderson Ord apparel.

Meanwhile, this will be the second senior major of Johnson’s career, following last week’s Senior PGA. Both the 51-year-old Johnson (77-76) and Rohrbaugh (76-76) missed the 36-hole cut last week.

“I’ll tell you what: It’s been a couple of crazy weeks,” said Johnson, a Life Member of the Colorado PGA. “To get to play in one major was incredibly fun. To get to play in a second one, these are the goals you set when you’re a kid. I’m just tickled.

“I don’t know that I could have played any better than I did today. That was a pretty solid round of golf for me. If you drove the ball in the rough here, you were done. You couldn’t get it to the green. You couldn’t get it close to the hole. On the fourth hole, I hit a 7-iron out of the rough as hard as I could and advanced it 120 yards. You had to hit it in the fairway.”

Rohrbaugh’s score on Monday was surprising to many observers, who didn’t think anyone would match par or better. And as it turned out, only three players broke 76. But a strong finish netted Rohrbaugh a 69. A 310-yard drive on 17 left him 216 in, and he hit a 4 hybrid to 3 feet and sunk the putt for birdie. Then on 18, with a difficult pin placement, Rohrbaugh’s birdie putt ended up 12 feet from the hole. But with the help of a good read from son Tristan, a former 3A state high school champion and 2015 CGA Western Chapter winner, Rohrbaugh rolled in the par putt (left) to shoot in the 60s.

“Going in, I thought par or even 1 over would” qualify, Rohrbaugh said. “I played so good today. I only missed three fairways. And the lies I had when I missed the fairway were decent. And my irons today were really good. I only missed three greens and made just one bogey. That was huge. I had it under par early and just kept going par-par-par and playing smart. I managed my game pretty fricking good, I have to say.”

Besides both being Colorado PGA professionals and both having played in last week’s Senior PGA, Rohrbaugh and Johnson had one other thing in common at The Broadmoor: They both had their sons caddying for them, Tristan for Doug Rohrbaugh, and Cooper for Chris Johnson.

“Tristan was awesome,” Rohrbaugh said. “He read the greens. We all know how tricky these are, but he read them so good.”

All in all, Johnson said it shouldn’t surprise anyone that two guys who competed in the Senior PGA last week should gain the two spots at stake Monday in the U.S. Senior Open.

“It’s no coincidence,” he said. “You go out there for 36 holes grinding your butt off (in Michigan) to shoot your best possible score and you know that you’re striking it good and that you’ve worked really hard to play in that event. Then you come here and there’s this thinking, ‘I can do this.’ So I don’t think it’s coincidental that Doug and I both shot solid rounds today.”

As for Rohbaugh, watching McCarron and Jimenez operate up close for two days paid dividends. After all, the two have combined for 11 PGA Tour Champions wins, including two senior majors.

“With the pairing I had, it could have been very nerve-wracking,” Rohrbaugh said of the Senior PGA. “But I was as comfortable as I’ve ever been playing. It was the advantage of playing in those circumstances so many times. I’ve played with (Bernhard) Langer before and played well.

“And the two guys (McCarron and Jimenez) were absolute gentlemen. They were so great. It made up for the way I played. What a treat to get to play with them and witness some incredible ball-striking.”

Landing alternate spots on Monday at The Broadmoor were Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler of Castle Rock (round of 74) and low amateur Steve Ivan of Colorado Springs (76). 

(At left was the gallery as Elway walked off the first tee on Monday.)

U.S. Senior Open Qualifying
At Par-70 East Course at The Broadmoor GC in Colorado Springs
ADVANCE TO U.S. SENIOR OPEN
Doug Rohrbaugh, Carbondale 35-34–69
Chris Johnson, Castle Rock 36-36–72
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Bill Loeffler, Castle Rock 39-35–74
Steve Ivan, Colorado Springs 38-38–76

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

John Elway figures to receive much of the attention from fans and the media on Monday at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, whether the Pro Football Hall of Famer qualifies for the U.S. Senior Open or not. More than 2,000 fans are expected to watch him try to qualify Monday at The Broadmoor.

Attention comes with the territory for Elway, who has an official role to play for this particular U.S. Senior Open even if he fails to earn a spot in the 156-man field. The Broncos general manager is the honorary chairman for this year’s Senior Open, which the East Course at The Broadmoor will host June 28-July 1.

On the golf course, Elway does have some game. He’s made the cut in the CoBank Colorado Open once, and has posted two top-30 finishes in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open. And he’ll be helped out on Monday by oilman and philanthropist George Solich, an Elway friend who grew up caddying at The Broadmoor. George Solich and brother Duffy have lent their names and support to the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy. Elway is scheduled to tee off at 10:10 a.m. from No. 1 on the East Course.

But the bar will be set high on Monday for Elway and the other 83 competitors in the 18-hole qualifying tournament at the East Course as just two players from the site will advance to the U.S. Senior Open itself.

The field is full of formidable players. Ron Vlosich of Lakewood has qualified for five U.S. Senior Opens and Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale for three, and Rohrbaugh has also won a Colorado Senior Open and three Colorado PGA Professional Championships in recent years. Dale Smigeksy of Fort Collins and Charlie Post of Castle Rock played in the 2017 Senior Open.

On top of that, there’s several Colorado Golf Hall of Famers, in addition to Vlosich — Bill Loeffler (the 1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion), Kent Moore and John Olive, who’s competing at his home course. There’s 2017 Colorado PGA Professional Champion John Ogden of Cherry Hills Village; Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West, winner of both a Colorado Open and a Colorado Senior Open; Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, who finished fourth in the 2016 national Senior PGA Professional Championship; amateurs David Delich, a two-time U.S. Senior Open qualifier, and Robert Polk, who went to the 2007 Senior Open; 2016 U.S. Senior Open qualifier John Hornbeck of Wyoming; and Chris Johnson, who along with Rohrbaugh is competing in this week’s Senior PGA Championship.

Besides Colorado, states represented in Monday’s field including Arizona (6), Utah (5), Wyoming (3), Oklahoma (2), California (1), Florida (1), Montana (1), Ohio (1), Tennessee (1) and Texas (1).

Monday marks just the fourth time a U.S. Senior Open host course has also held a qualifying tournament leading up to the event. All told, 34 sites will host U.S. Senior Open qualifying events this spring.

Spectators are welcome for Monday’s qualifying tournament at The Broadmoor, and admission is free.
 

The Broncos Pro Football Hall of Famer, who will attempt to qualify on May 28 at The Broadmoor for the U.S. Senior Open, has also committed to play in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open later that week at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

Elway’s entry was confirmed by tournament organizers on Monday morning. This year’s Colorado Senior Open is set for May 30-June 1. Admission is free. Elway is scheduled to tee off at 1 p.m. on May 30 and at 8:05 a.m. on May 31.

It will be Elway’s fourth appearance in the Colorado Senior Open, and he’s also competed in the Colorado Open four times, making the cut once. His Senior Open finishes have been 52nd in 2010, 19th in 2014 and 29th in 2016. In those last two events, he placed second among amateurs.

Two years ago, the Broncos general manager finished 5 over par for 54 holes, with one hole mainly proving his undoing. He went 5 over par on No. 1 at GVR. (Elway is pictured at GVR in 2016.)

Two days before the Colorado Senior Open starts, Elway, who will turn 58 on June 28, is hoping to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, which will host the national championship June 28-July 1. Elway, the honorary chairman of the event, has said he’ll use George Solich, co-founder of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, as his caddie on May 28. Solich, a friend of Elway’s, grew up caddying at The Broadmoor.

A lifelong golf amateur, Elway has placed in the top 10 14 times in the nationally televised American Century Championships celebrity tournament in the Lake Tahoe area. He and Tom Hart won the 2009 Trans-Miss Four-Ball at Cherry Hills Country Club and tied for second in the 2010 CGA Four-Ball.

Also entered in the $50,000 Colorado Senior Open are four-time PGA Tour Champions winner R.W. Eaks, the 2011 CSO champ; two-time PGA Tour winners Keith Clearwater and Donnie Hammond; one-time PGA Tour winner Guy Boros; and longtime PGA Tour veterans Larry Rinker, Skip Kendall and John Riegger.

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

Kenny Perry was sitting within a few feet of a U.S. Senior Open trophy at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs on Monday, but given that he won the championship last summer, he’s got one of his own back home in Franklin, Ky.

“It makes me nervous every day where it’s sitting,” Perry explained during a U.S. Senior Open Championship Preview seven weeks before the tournament comes to The Broadmoor. “I have a little muni (course) I opened in 1995 (named Country Creek). I’ve got the trophy right there on the counter where everybody who comes in and gets a greens fee can see it, have your picture taken with it or whatever. It makes me so nervous because we’ve been broken into four or five times, and I’m afraid somebody is going to get it. But I’ve still got it.

“We keep it shiny, keep it looking nice. When people grab that trophy and just start looking at the names (of the champions), I just sit back and take pictures of them. Everybody is in awe of all the names on that trophy.”

Along with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Hale Irwin, engraved on that trophy is Perry’s name — twice, in fact. The 57-year-old has won the U.S. Senior Open, arguably the top event in senior golf, two times in the last five years. The only other players who have claimed the title two or more times are Nicklaus, Player, Irwin, Allen Doyle and Miller Barber, the only three-time champ.

And if Perry plays well enough come June 28-July 1 at The Broadmoor, he could join Barber in the three-timers club.

Perry came to The Broadmoor Resort for the first time on Sunday, though he didn’t arrive until late at night. So he truly had his first good look on Monday morning after he woke up. And his first reaction to the resort was the same as many people’s.

“As a golfer, you travel the world, but you don’t see the world,” he said. “You just see golf courses. Last night I flew in from Houston. I got in here about midnight. I didn’t have an idea of what we pulled into, so this morning when I woke up early, they’d given me this beautiful suite. I opened the curtains and there was this panoramic view. There was The Broadmoor out there in front of my eyes. I was like, ‘Wow. This place is amazing already.’

“The place is phenomenal. It’s beautiful. Thank you all for picking a golf course where every hole goes from right to left because that’s (the only shot) I can hit. I noticed there’s a lot of hooking holes out there. That’s right in my wheelhouse. I’m looking forward to coming here.”

Russ Miller, The Broadmoor’s longtime director of golf, gave Perry a quick tour of the East Course, where the championship will be contested. Miller made sure Perry took notice of the Will Rogers Shrine on the side of Cheyenne Mountain above the course as putts break away from it to the point of being very deceptive.

As Dale Douglass, a longtime Coloradan who won the 1986 U.S. Senior Open, noted on Monday, “I wake up having nightmares about having to make a 15-footer at this place.”

Added Ben Kimball, director of the U.S. Senior Open Championship: “This is a very, very interesting venue and every time I come here I tell Russ I struggle to figure out The Broadmoor — and I think the best players in the world will too.”

Perry is sure to be fooled too — at least on occasion — during the U.S. Senior Open, just like about all 156 players in the field will. But he didn’t win 14 times on the PGA Tour and nine times on PGA Tour Champions by lacking for talent. And though he lost two major championships in playoffs — to Mark Brooks at the 1996 PGA Championship and to Angel Cabrera at the 2009 Masters — he’s won four majors on the senior circuit: a Senior Players and a Tradition to go along with his two U.S. Senior Open victories.

“When you’ve got Palmer, Nicklaus, Player on that trophy, it makes you feel pretty special you’re part of that company,” Perry said. “It’s been pretty rough on me my whole life. I’ve always come up a little short in my career. To finally break through and win a couple of these titles really means a lot.

“This takes the edge off the pain I still carry with me to be able to have some major titles associated with my name. It still motivates me very highly. It keeps me going, keeps the fire burning inside of me.”

Elway, Solich Will Team Up in Qualifying: As was noted months ago, U.S. Senior Open honorary chairman and Broncos general manager John Elway will attempt to qualify for the championship on Memorial Day at The Broadmoor. And, as Elway indicated in a video message on Monday, he’ll have a secret weapon of sorts to help bolster his chances.

Elway said George Solich, a co-founder of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy who himself caddied at The Broadmoor as a teenager en route to receiving the Evans Scholarship for caddies, will be looping for the Pro Football Hall of Famer on May 28.

“He was a caddie down there for a long, long time,” Elway said of Solich, a friend for years. “He told me he’d get me through it and make sure I qualified.

“I’m excited for the opportunity just to play in a qualifier. I don’t have high expectations. My practice for the last three months has been inside the (Broncos) draft room. It’s been the mental side of practice and nothing physical. But I’m glad to be part of the Senior Open and bringing it back to Colorado.”

A lifelong golf amateur, Elway has finished as high as 19th in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, has made the cut once in the Colorado Open, and has placed in the top 10 14 times in the nationally televised American Century Championships celebrity tournament in the Lake Tahoe area. He and Tom Hart won the 2009 Trans-Miss Four-Ball at Cherry Hills and tied for second in the 2010 CGA Four-Ball.

In all, more than 2,200 golfers posted entries for the U.S. Senior Open, with most of them competing at one of 34 qualifying tournaments. The qualifier at The Broadmoor on May 28 has a full field of 84 players.

Irwin, Watson Conducting Kids Exhibitions: Russ Miller, The Broadmoor’s director of golf, said Monday that two World Golf Hall of Famers will conduct kids exhibitions the week of the U.S. Senior Open June 25-July 1. Former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin, the career victory leader on PGA Tour Champions, will do the honors on Tuesday afternoon (June 26) and Tom Watson on Wednesday afternoon (June 27).

Miller said that in addition to Irwin, Watson and Perry, among those who are planning to play in the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor are Bernhard Langer, Davis Love III (who was previously announced) and Steve Stricker.

In Short: Among those in attendance at Monday’s U.S. Senior Open Championship Preview at The Broadmoor was a who’s who of Colorado golf. On hand were Judy Bell, a former USGA president; Dow Finsterwald, winner of the 1958 PGA Championship among his 11 PGA Tour titles; and Dale Douglass, who owns three PGA Tour wins and 11 on PGA Tour Champions, including a U.S. Senior Open. (Douglass and Finsterwald are pictured above.) Also at the festivities was Broncos placekicker Brandon McManus. … At least 21 hours of TV coverage is planned for the U.S. Senior Open, almost all on FS1. … The Broadmoor’s East Course will play 7,264 yards — and thereabouts — and to a par of 70 for the Senior Open. The 17th hole will be a par-4 rather than a par-5 for the championship. And the seventh and 11th holes will be flipped for the tournament, with both playing as par-4s.
 

The annual G4 Summit celebrates collaboration among golf industry leaders in Colorado.

That hits home this year particularly with the recent unification of the CGA and the CWGA. Also, there’s the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, established by the CGA and the Colorado PGA; the combined effort that’s gone into the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools Program; and the JGAC recently adding the national Youth on Course program to its list of offerings for juniors. And the list goes on.

But the G4 also serves another purpose, which is to bring up pressing issues which golf needs to address to grow the game.

There was plenty of both celebrating the successes and working on shortcomings included on the agenda for the fifth G4 Summit, attended by approximately 175 people Wednesday at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Growing the game of golf in the U.S. is a constant topic of conversation in the industry. That comes with the territory given that there are roughly 20 percent fewers golfers in the U.S. now than when golf was at its peak, popularity-wise, in 2005.

On Wednesday, speakers at the G4 addressed several issues in which golf could help its cause: being more intentionally inclusive when it comes to women and people of color in the industry and the game; more effectively embracing digital media to lure and retain younger demographic groups; and making golf appeal to a broader base by reducing the time commitment to participate and by making clubs places where people love to do everything from socialize to work out, to indoor training and even playing in golf simulators.

Here’s some of what was touched upon at The Broadmoor:

— Diversity. Dr. Michael Cooper, chairman of the Golf 20/20 Diversity Task Force, who appeared recently on Golf Channel to address the topic, cited several statistics that noted the problem. According to the National Golf Foundation, only 19 percent of golf participants in this country are non-Caucasians, and just 24 percent are females. In addition, he said 10 percent of the golf workforce is female and 12 percent minority.

But the goal of the Diversity Task Force is to “make golf look like America,” Cooper said. “Imagine how great the game could be if we caught up to the rest of America.”

“Golf has created enough programs for diversity,” he added during a panel discussion on Wednesday afternoon. “I wish the golf (industry) instead of doing programs FOR these communities would do things WITH these communities” who often have programs of their own in place.

But as things stand now, Cooper encourages golf facilities to hire more people of color and women, and/or do business with more vendors who fall into those categories.

“There are people out there begging to be included,” he noted.

“We heard today that people are just waiting to be asked,” Colorado PGA executive director Eddie Ainsworth said after the Summit wrapped up. “That’s the biggest message for me today. We have the right people to do the asking — with our club managers, PGA professionals and with our (other) partners because we all believe that golf can change people’s lives.”

Added Juliet Miner, who attended Wednesday’s G4 along with fellow CGA co-president Joe McCleary: “What Dr. Cooper brought to my mind is that we need to get more women into pro shops. Every pro shop should have a female in there. It’s up to us to make that move to be visible.”

— Appealing to a Broader Base. The days of golf facilities simply needing to unlock their doors in order to keep their tee sheets full with willing customers are a thing of the past in many cases. But Frank Vain, president of McMahon Group, said that facilities can be hubs of activity and clubs can have golfers eager to become members if they give those customers what the want:

They want activities that make the best use of their limited time. They want facilities that include things like fitness centers, indoor training, golf simulators (even simulation leagues); places they can watch sports on TV, eat, drink and socialize. Places like Topgolf, which has a location in Centennial and another in the planning stages in Thornton. Or, as Vain pointed out, the amenity-filled new clubhouse at Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley. And a staff that will engage its customers.

“They tie it all together in terms of socialization,” Vain said of such facilities. “And the club of the future has a lot (for members) to do on a year-around basis. Investments in non-golf experiences always lead to more golf.

“Golf is not going away, but you have to be more innovative.”

— Embracing Digital Media. If there’s one thing Joe Steranka learned when he was the CEO of the PGA of America, it was “how to peak around the corner and see what you need to do next.” And one of those things now is for golf facilities to embrace digital media in order to thrive in the 21st century.

“Social media is the old word of mouth,” Steranka noted in his presentation. Social media helps a business — golf and otherwise — utilize customers who can often be very effective marketers for that business” and brag on the brand.

That’s especially true of younger customers who tend to embrace social media fully.

But keep in mind, Steranka said, “Content is king, curation is king, and content never sleeps.” In other words, content has to be relevant, has to resonate, and has to be real time.

“People (Generation X and Millennials) like hearing about themselves,” Steranka added, noting examples like someone who won the club championship or made a hole-in-one. “They are the future, and they grew up on this.

“Investing in digital media can help grow the top line” for a golf facility. “You better learn how to embrace social media. That’s a great opportunity for golf.”

All told, G4 speakers provided plenty of food for thought for an industry that would love to bolster its base and remain healthy for decades to come.

“I thought we had a really good range of speakers,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said in looking back at this year’s Summit. “In the past I think we’ve had some redundancy. But there was really no overlap (today). The messages were very distinct.”

Elway Taking Aim at U.S. Senior Open Spot: Among the other topics addressed on Wednesday was one apropos for the site — the 2018 U.S. Senior Open that The Broadmoor will host June 25-July 1.

Doug Habgood, a key event organizer for the Senior Open, noted that 2,412 people have volunteered for the event — and that’s all that’s needed aside from some junior standard bearers. He said there have been tickets purchased from buyers in 48 states.

“We’re seeing a tremendous amount of support and pent-up demand” for a major golf event in Colorado, Habgood said.

Habgood added that John Elway, honorary chairman for the U.S. Senior Open, plans to try to earn a spot in the championship field via a Memorial Day qualifier that’s set for The Broadmoor.

A lifelong golf amateur, Elway has finished as high as 19th in the Colorado Senior Open, has made the cut once in the Colorado Open, and has placed in the top 10 14 times in the nationally televised American Century Championships celebrity tournament in the Lake Tahoe area. He and Tom Hart won the 2009 Trans-Miss Four-Ball at Cherry Hills and tied for second in the 2010 CGA Four-Ball.

Also, a Drive Chip & Putt Local Qualifier is scheduled to be held at The Broadmoor on Tuesday of tournament week (June 26) and the hope is that Elway and/or some U.S. Senior Open competitors will drop by for the event.

In addition, a junior golf tent will be in place all week on The Broadmoor’s West Course. (The Senior Open is being played on the East Course.)

JGAC Plans: Mate gave G4 attendees an update on the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s addition of the Youth on Course initiative starting this year. Youth on Course makes golf more accessible to juniors by capping their cost for a round at $5 at participating facilities, possibly with some date/time restrictions. Then a subsidy of a similar amount ($6 in Colorado’s case) per round is paid to the participating course. (READ MORE)

“I really think this is a game-changing program,” Mate said.

Overall, the JGAC had 894 members in 2017 and 110 events were conducted by the alliance.

This year, the JGAC has a three-tier membership — Introductory, Series, and Tour for the advanced players. All come with Youth on Course benefits.
 

The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer tied for second on Sunday at the Constellation Senior Players Championship in Baltimore. The former Coloradan has clearly become one of the top players on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. In nine senior majors since turning 50 two years ago, Jobe owns five top-five performances and six top-10s. He was third two weeks ago in the U.S. Senior Open. Jobe captured his first Champions title last month in Des Moines, Iowa.

The oppotunity for a victory in a senior major was very much there down the stretch on Sunday in Baltimore. He shared the lead after the first hole of the final round and had chances late in the round to force a playoff.

On the 17th hole, trailing by one with leader Bernhard Langer in the water off the tee, Jobe was in the greenside bunker. But he left his sand shot in the rough short of the green, then hit his pitch 20 feet by the hole. He had to make a 20-foot putt to save a bogey, while Langer carded a double on the par-3.

Then on 18, trailing his former UCLA teammate Scott McCarron by one, Jobe gave himself a 20-foot birdie attempt to force sudden death, but he just missed. Langer did the same, giving McCarron the title.

After going 66-68-65 the first three rounds, Jobe (pictured) shot an even-par 72 on Sunday to finish with a 17-under 271 total.

The former Coloradan jumped into fifth place on the 2017 PGA Tour Champions money list with $1,064,585.

Elway Finishes 9th, Spiranac 14th in American Century Celebrity Tourney: Elsewhere on Sunday, Denver Broncos general manager John Elway finished in a familiar spot at the American Century Championship near Lake Tahoe, Nev. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback tied for ninth place, marking his 14th top-10 showing at the celebrity tournament. His best performance was a runner-up in 2010.

Elway racked up 52 points over three rounds in the modified Stableford format, ending up 21 behind winner Mark Mulder. He shot medal-play scores of 74-76-75, making four birdies on Sunday.

Former Coloradan Paige Spiranac, the 2015 CWGA Match Play champion and one of a handful of women competitors in the American Century Championship this year, placed 14th on Sunday following a final-round 71 that included four birdies. She posted 50 points after rounds of 76-80-71.