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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John Ross will be eligible for Medicare next April, but age is all a state of mind, right?

That certainly seemed to be the case this week for Ross at the CoBank Colorado Senior Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

By winning the tournament Friday, Ross not only earned the first-place check of $8,500, but the $1,000 payday for the top super-senior player (60 and older). In fact, the 64-year-old became the oldest champion in the 17-year history of the Colorado Senior Open.

And he did it while out-battling two-time PGA Tour winner Keith Clearwater head-to-head in Friday’s final round.

“I feel very good about this,” said the Bramwell, W.Va., resident. “Especially at 64 years of age, it’s not getting any easier. I think playing out here at this altitude where the ball goes further, it makes an old man feel a little bit better.”

A year after finishing second in his first Colorado Senior Open, Ross (left and above) landed the top prize Friday, when he was never overtaken. Ross, who has almost 100 starts between the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions to his credit, closed with a 2-under-par 70 to post a 10-under 206 total, good for a two-stroke victory.

Fifty-nine-year-old Chris Starkjohann of Oceanside, Calif., placed second and earned $5,000 after carding a final-round 68. Clearwater, a veteran of 408 PGA Tour events, finished third at 209, making $3,040 after shooting 72 on Friday.

Four Coloradans placed in the top 10: Doug Wherry of Lakewood (sixth, 213), Patrick Reidy of Lone Tree (eighth, 214), Jeff Hanson of Edwards (eighth, 214) and 2013 champion Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale (10th, 215).

Clearwater, who was paired with Ross, was the only player who caught the West Virginian on Friday. When Ross made his first bogey of the week on the sixth hole Friday, that put both players at 7 under par.

But holes 8 and 9 proved pivotal as Ross birdied 8 from 12 feet, then pulled off arguably the shot of the tournament on the par-5 ninth. There, he hit his second shot from 295 yards with a 3-wood to 3 feet, and sank the eagle putt. “Don’t ask me to do that again,” he later said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Clearwater (left) attempted to drive it over the hazard that traverses the ninth fairway, but failed to carry it and posted a bogey. That was a three-shot swing, and even though Clearwater made two strokes back on the next hole, Ross never relinquished sole possession of the lead on the back nine.

“I’m disappointed obviously, but I was grateful I was able to compete all week,” said Clearwater, who played the event without a practice round. “I’ve just got to solve the putting (problems). I played beautifully, but for three days I didn’t make a putt. I had six three-putts and 15 makeable birdie putts that I didn’t make. It would have been pretty fun — a pretty easy week — (because) I hit the ball really, really well — well enough to do about anything.”

But Ross, who estimates he’s won 30 tournaments in his professional career, didn’t show many chinks in the armor, making just two bogeys in 54 holes.

“I feel very fortunate,” said Ross, who also won the West Virginia Senior Open last month. “The golf course just suits my eye, although this was a test today. I have the utmost respect for Keith Clearwater and his track record. The battle I had all day was just making sure I was playing the golf course and didn’t get wrapped up in a match-play situation with Keith. Sometime the biggest battle is yourself rather than the golf course.

“After finishing second here last year, it feels good to break through to win.”

As for the matter of prevailing at age 64, this certainly isn’t the first time Ross hasn’t acted his age. When he first qualified for the PGA Tour in 1991, he was the oldest rookie to make it through Q-school, at age 39.

“If my health is decent, I feel like I can still compete with a 50-year-old,” he said. “But the older we get, that age difference seems to be more of an issue than when I was 39 playing against 25 year olds. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep doing this.”

Final-Hole Birdie Gives Krystyn Low-Am Honors: While the overall championship Friday didn’t have much final-hole drama, that certainly wasn’t the case for low-amateur honors. Tom Krystyn of Denver, competing in his first Colorado Senior Open, was struggling in Friday’s final round, but provided a highlight on the par-5 18th hole. There, after being in the green-front bunker in two, he hit a stellar sand shot from 35 yards, over a ridge, to within a foot of the hole. The subsequent birdie gave him a one-stroke victory in the amateur competition over Broncos general manager John Elway and 2006 and ’14 low am Kent Moore.

Krystyn finished with a 4-over-par 220 total despite a final-round 77. He tied for 25th overall.

Krystyn’s not-so-secret weapon for the week was having Bill Loeffler — winner of three Colorado Opens and one Colorado Senior Open — as his caddie. Loeffler had to skip playing this week as he underwent back surgery earlier this year. (The two are pictured at left.)

“He’s a great friend (and) he knows the course probably better than anybody who’s playing in the field, and that was a huge help,” said Krystyn, a FootJoy representive in Colorado and nearby states. “When I read a putt and he sees the same (line), it gives you confidence you read it correctly, so it helps a lot. It was just fun to have him out there.”

And it was at Loeffler’s urging that Krystyn entered the Senior Open for the first time.

“I had been playing well. I won the Ute Creek Invitational in the senior division and the Twin Peaks Invitational,” noted Krystyn. “He said, ‘You’re playing good, why don’t you play in the Colorado Senior Open?’ I said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to sign up.’ He said, ‘If you sign up I’ll caddie for you.’ He was the one who pushed me to sign up.”

The 52-year-old Krystyn has had a strong amateur career, having qualified for four USGA championships — a U.S. Amateur, two U.S. Mid-Ams and a U.S. Amateur Public Links. And he won two college tournaments while at Florida State. But the one thing he failed at, golf-wise, was in a very brief stint as a professional golfer, in 1987.

“I turned pro for a couple of months,” he said. “I made $600 in six tournaments (cashing twice) and I said, ‘This isn’t for me.'”

Elway 2nd Among Ams Despite First-Hole Woes: There probably wasn’t a player in the field at the Colorado Senior Open who can’t point to a hole or two they wish they had the chance to player over. In John Elway’s case, he can point to at least four instances — a triple bogey and three doubles that made the difference between a 29th-place finish and perhaps something in the top 10.

Especially troublesome for the Pro Football Hall of Famer was the par-4 first hole, where he went double bogey, par, triple bogey. On both Wednesday and Friday, he hit low liners that didn’t clear the 230 yards necessary to avoid the hazard in front of the tee.

Bottom line: Elway (above) finished 5 over par for the week, and was 5 over par on the first hole.

“If it was 16 holes each day, I’d have been right in the hunt, but I had a couple of bad holes each day, which made it a little tougher,” he said. “I struggled with the driver getting it in the air all week.

“I played a lot of good holes; I played 16 holes a day, then had two bad holes each day. That’s the difference. You have to be able to eliminate the bad holes, and I wasn’t able to do that. But I was really happy with the way I putted. Coming back off the way I started each day, I was happy to be able to do that.”

Despite the occasional big numbers, Elway finished runner-up in the amateur competition for the second straight time (2014 and ’16).

Rules Official Langston Receives Kirchner Award: Rich Langston, a highly respected volunteer rules official who worked his craft for 23 years while based in Colorado before moving to Oklahoma in November, on Friday was surprised to receive a prestigious honor following the conclusion of the Colorado Senior Open.

Langston (left) earned the Robert M. Kirchner Award for contributing greatly to amateur golf, professional golf, and/or tournament golf in the state of Colorado. It is named for the founder of the Colorado Open.

Appropriately, Langston was serving as the chief rules official for the Colorado Senior Open.

“I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t enjoy it. I’ve had 25 seasons of a lot of fun,” he told the assembled crowd.

Later, Langston added, “(The award) was a total surprise. The Colorado Open Golf Foundation, the (Colorado PGA) Section, the state assocation (CGA), they’ve been great to me. They have really treated me so well. I just thank all of them.”

For more about Langston and all he has contributed, CLICK HERE.
 

For all the Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.

Coming into this week, Greg Bruckner had won two state opens or state senior opens in four different states — California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. The one state out of the norm was none other than Colorado, where he had just one victory.

“All of a sudden this was the one I hadn’t won twice,” he said.

But the Phoenix resident took care of that on Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

The 55-year-old became the first two-time winner of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, adding to the title he captured in 2012.

Bruckner (pictured above and below) backed up his 64 on Thursday — which matched an all-time tournament-best — with a 2-under-par 70 on Friday to cruise to a five-stroke victory. His 13-under-par 203 total tied for the second-best in tournament history, behind only his friend R.W. Eaks’ 201 in 2011.

“Always when you can win something for the second time, it’s so much better,” said Bruckner, who earned $8,500 on Friday. “It’s not a fluke. I’m honored. I didn’t know (I was the first) but it’s great.”

Bruckner went into the final round with a six-stroke lead, and the closest things got on Friday was three, when former PGA Tour and Champions Tour player John Ross of Bramwell, W.Va., birdied No. 12 from 10 feet. But Bruckner responded with a 15-foot birdie on the par-3 13th, while Ross three-putted for bogey, and the margin was back to five. A three-putt bogey by Bruckner at No. 16 returned the lead to three, but Ross bogeyed 17 and Bruckner closed things out with a 9-foot birdie on 18.

“I knew (a comeback) could be done, but I figured it would take 64 or better,” said Ross (below), who like Bruckner recently qualified for the U.S. Senior Open. “I’ve known Greg for years. I know how consistent and solid a player he is. I know it’s never over until it’s over, but Greg is just not going to beat himself. He knows how to play with the lead.”

Ross’ final-round 69 left him at 208 and in solo second in his first Colorado Senior Open — and in first place in the super-senior division as he’s 63 years old. Mike Northern of Colorado Springs tied for third with Chris Starkjohann of Oceanside, Calif., at 210.

For Northern, a four-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year, it was his second straight top-3 finish in the Colorado Senior Open as he was runner-up last year. This time, he rebounded from a first-round 76 to shoot 66-68.

“After the first round I’m looking at, ‘Am I going to make the cut?’, then things went well yesterday and I played pretty good today too,” Northern said. “It feels good. And if I get that putter figured out, who knows what will happen?”

After taking a six-shot lead into Friday, Bruckner seemed to show a little chink in the armor when he double bogeyed No. 1. He hit the green in regulation, but had to pitch the ball because there was rough between himself and the hole. He ended up taking four shots from the front of the green to find the cup.

“This might sound funny, but thank goodness I made double on the first hole because it kind of woke me up,” said Bruckner, who has conditional status on the Champions Tour this year. “There’s no more nerves. That double was a really good wake-up call. It was so frazzling that it almost put me into a nice focus.”

Indeed, Bruckner rebounded from the poor start to birdie the next three holes — from 3 feet, 15 feet, and gimme range, respectively. From there, he had a nice cushion for the rest of the day.

Mercier Outduels Bradbury for Low-Am Honors: Michael Mercier from Jupiter, Fla., edged Robin Bradbury of Superior to take low amateur honors on Friday.

Mercier (left), the No. 3-ranked senior amateur in the country according to amateurgolf.com, closed with a 1-over-par 73 to post a 4-over 220 total. Bradbury likewise carded a 73 on Friday to end up at 221.

It was Mercier’s third “victory” in three weeks as he won tournaments in Gainesville, Fla., and Chattanooga, Tenn., leading up to this.

“It was a goal of mine, obviously, to win it,” said the 57-year-old, who placed 20th overall. “This is probably the strongest field of players overall — with the pros — that I’ll play in all year. I look forward to that.”

High Praise: Ross, who has played a combined five years on the PGA and Champions Tour, raved about the Colorado Senior Open following his first time playing the tournament.

“Everything they’ve done here is far beyond what I was told it was going to be like,” Ross said. “I think they should have a representative from every state — from their golf associations — to be here and witness what goes on here. They put on a first-class event. It’s the little extras that they do that make you feel wanted and appreciated — on top of having a golf course groomed and maintained the way it is, and the caliber of the field.”

Chip Shots: Longtime PGA Tour player Larry Rinker finished 45th this week after rounds of 76-75-78 for a 229 total. … Vance Pollock of Westminster, who made a hole-in-one at No. 5 on Thursday, tied Rinker for 45th. … Contestants played lift, clean and place on Friday after heavy overnight rains soaked the course and left some areas near the wetlands under standing water (left). … Jenny Siegle, an associate producer at Altitude Sports & Entertainment, on Friday received the Ralph Moore Golf Journalism Award from the Colorado Open Golf Foundation Board of Trustees.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.