Pat Rea captured the title in Grand Junction each year from 1961 through ’64, and Skip Tredway went back-to-back in 1982 and ’83.
But on Sunday, those two had to make room in their elite club for former Brigham Young University golfer Justin Keiley.
The 2017 winner made it two straight at Tiara Rado Golf Course, but needed a playoff to do it. After tying former Montrose resident Brandon Bingaman at 21-under-par 192 for three rounds, Keiley birdied the first extra hole (No. 18) for the victory and the $10,000 that goes with it.
The result foiled the bid of Bingaman, who shot a course-record 11-under-par 60 in Sunday’s final round and eagled the 18th hole in regulation. Bingaman, a former Colorado Mesa University standout, won the National Car Rental Colorado PGA Assistants Championship in 2017. He went on to finish 28th in the national Assistant PGA Professional Championship in November.
Keiley shot rounds of 67-61-64, while Bingaman went 65-67-60.
Former Grand Junction resident Monte Montgomery (66-63-67), a three-time RMO winner, placed third at 196.
Taking low-amateur honors on Sunday was incoming University of Denver freshman Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, who went 68-68-71–207 to prevail by two in that division. Low senior am by two was Owen Ellis of Boulder (76-70-74–220).
Workman, who won both the CGA Amateur and Wyoming State Amateur in 2017, added low-amateur honors in the 79th RMO to being low-am in the Wyoming State Open last month.
Workman closed with a 3-under-par 68 on Sunday at Tiara Rado Golf Course, giving him an 8-under 205 total, which was one better than any other amateur in the field. He made seven birdies on Sunday, including ones on Nos. 16 and 18.
Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, who led the tournament overall after round 1, tied for second place among amateurs at 206. Also at that figure was Denver City Amateur champion Grant Olinger and Quintin Pope, a University of Wyoming teammate of Workman. Olinger fired a 65 on Sunday, while Pope had a 68 and Stewart a 72.
In the overal competition, Keiley earned the $10,000 first prize with his two-stroke victory. After taking a five-shot lead into the final round, the Hawaiian was 1 over par for the day through 12 holes. But he birdied 13 and 17 and didn’t make any more bogeys the rest of the way to post a 70. That left him at 15-under-par 198 overall.
Taylor Montgomery, a rookie pro after playing his college golf at Nevada-Las Vegas, tied for second at 200 after carding a final-round 64. He played his final six holes in 4 under par. Ryan Wallen, a former Wyoming teammate of Workman and Pope, also shared second place after closing with a bogey-free 63 that featured an eagle on the 300-yard par-4 seventh hole.
The top Colorado finisher was 2016 CGA Match Play champion Nathaniel Goddard of Fort Collins, who tied for fifth at 203 (66-71-66).
Owen Ellis of Boulder claimed senior amateur honors with a 5-over-par 218 total. He carded a 72 on Sunday.
For the final Rocky Mountain Open scores, CLICK HERE.
Keiley has yet to make a bogey through the first 36 holes, after which he owns a 14-under-par 128 total. On Saturday, he carded eight birdies, giving him 14 for two days.
Richard Gaona of Miami, Ariz., holds second place at 133 after shooting a bogey-free 65 on Saturday.
Amateur Dillon Stewart from Fort Collins, a junior golfer who led after Friday’s first-round 64, stands in third place at 8-under 134 following a 70 on Saturday. Stewart, a member of the Colorado Junior America’s Cup team this summer, leads CGA Amateur champion Glenn Workman by three in the low-amateur competition.
Play will concluded on Sunday at Tiara Rado. The winner — or low professional should an amateur prevail — will receive $10,000.
For Rocky Mountain Open scores, CLICK HERE.
Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, part of the Colorado Junior America’s Cup team that recently finished fourth out of an 18-team field last month in Washington state, shot a 7-under-par 64 at Tiara Rado Golf Course to grab a one-stroke lead in the tournament.
The runner-up to Davis Bryant of Aurora in the 2017 Colorado Junior PGA Championship, Stewart (pictured) made eight birdies and one bogey in the opening round.
Former Brigham Young University golfer Justin Keiley carded the best score among the professionals on Friday, a bogey-free 65. He played his first eight holes in 6 under, then parred his final 10 holes.
Tied for third place at 66 are 2016 CGA Match Play champion Nathaniel Goddard, who finished third last year in Grand Junction; three-time RMO winner Monte Montgomery; and 2017 CGA Amateur champion Glenn Workman. Montgomery made two eagles in Friday’s round.
The tournament will continue through Sunday, with all the action at Tiara Rado for the first time this year.
For Rocky Mountain Open scores, CLICK HERE.