The title will be settled over 36 holes in the event for players at least 62 years old. There will be a separate masters division for golfers 72 and older.

Past winners of the younger championship who are scheduled to compete at Perry Park include defending champion Gary Albrecht, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore (2016 champ), Robert Polk (2015), Kary Kaltenbacher (2014) and Jerry Kidney (2012).

Also planning to play are 2018 CGA Super-Senior Match Play champion Harry Johnson; Dave Brown, who finished runner-up to Johnson in that event; Robin Bradbury; Sean Forey; and Roger Gunderson.

Among the contestants in the masters division is Don Alley, a former pro who has won the last two titles in that tournament.

For Wednesday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
  

Fifty-five players will be in the field, with the top three finishers earning spots in the Senior Am, which will be contested Aug. 25-30 at Eugene Country Club in Oregon.

Of those 55, almost one-fifth have competed in the U.S. Senior Am just in the last five years.

The list includes Wyoming resident John Hornbeck, the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play champion who has played in three U.S. Senior Amateurs, going to the quarterfinals in 2016. Also, there’s three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk (round of 64 in 2017), Guy Mertz (2017), Robin Bradbury (round of 64 in 2016), Gary Albrecht (2016), Jim Reynolds (2016), Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore (2015), Thomas Roos (2015), and David Delich and Harry Johnson (both 2013 and ’14).

Also competing on Tuesday are Steve Ivan, winner of the 2017 CGA Senior Amateur and runner-up in the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play; Charlie Post, who played in the 2017 U.S. Senior Open; 2015 CGA Senior Amateur winner Bill Fowler; 2014 CGA Senior Match Play champ Tom Musselman and Sean Forey.

For Tuesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

Six of the seven remaining past winners of the championship lost in either the round of 32 or the round of 16 on Tuesday at Buffalo Run Golf Course in Commerce City.

Bob Chandler of Overland Park Golf Course won twice on Tuesday and defeated defending champion Pat Bucci of West Woods Golf Club in 19 holes in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Three other former champions also fell in the round of 16 on Tuesday — three-time winner David Delich of The Broadmoor (4 and 2 to 2017 CGA Senior Amateur champion Steve Ivan of Patty Jewett Golf Course), 2010 champ Guy Mertz of The Fox Hill Club (in 20 holes to Robin Bradbury of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve) and 2009 winner Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club (2 and 1 to Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore).

Past champions Ray Makloski of Pueblo Country Club and Jeff Oneth of Colorado Golf Club lost in Tuesday morning’s round of 32.

That makes Moore (pictured), the 2006 winner from Cherry Hills Country Club, as the only past champion to make the final eight.

Among those in the quarterfinals — in addition to Chandler, Ivan, Moore and Bradbury — are 2016 U.S. Senior Open qualifier John Hornbeck of Wyoming, Bill Irwin of Highlands Ranch Golf Club, Victor Minovich of Foothills Golf Course and 2017 CGA Senior Player of the Year Keith Atkins.

The Senior Match Play, limited to players 52 and older, will feature the quarterfinals and semifinals on Wednesday. The 18-hole championship match is set for next Thursday morning.

For results from Buffalo Run, 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.
 

Olive (pictured), who’s earned a record seven CGA Senior Player of the Year awards himself, won the Super-Senior Match Play in 2015.

On a day that saw five of the eight round-of-16 matches go to the 18th hole, defending champion and top seed Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club scored a 2-up victory over Gary Kephart of Patty Jewett Golf Course. And two-time Senior Player of the Year Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course, the fourth seed, slipped by Rick George of Castle Pines Golf Club, 1 up.

Also among those advancing to the quarterfinals were third-seeded Sean Forey of The Club at Rolling Hills (2 and 1) and fifth-seeded Jim Reynolds of Bear Creek Golf Club, the 2017 runner-up in this event (2 up).

Wednesday will feature both the quarterfinals and the semifinals, while the finals are set for Thursday morning.

The Super-Senior Match Play is limited to competitors at least 62 years old.

For results from the Super-Senior Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Moore (pictured), a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer and the No. 1 seed this week, scored a 7-and-5 victory over Carl Peters of Twin Peaks Golf Course in the round of 32 in this event for competitors 62 and older.

Second-seeded Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club, a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year, was even more dominant on Monday, posting an 8-and-6 win over Richard Pober of the Club at Pradera.

Other top seeds who won on Monday were No. 3 Sean Forey of the Club at Rolling Hills (5 and 4), No. 4 Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course (6 and 5) and 2017 runner-up Jim Reynolds of Bear Creek Golf Club, the fifth seed (2 and 1).

The only top-10 seeds to lose on Monday were No. 6 Steve Bell of CommonGround Golf Course (falling 1 up to Patrick Mooney of Colorado Golf Club) and No. 10 Frank Wilkinson of Lincoln Park Golf Course (5 and 3 to Dave Brown of Highlands Ranch Golf Club).

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer John Olive, the 2015 champion, defeated Mark Barkley of Clubcorp Colorado, 4 and 3, and will face Polk in Tuesday’s round of 16.

Play at the Super-Senior Match Play will continue through Thursday, with Wednesday featuring quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

For results from the Super-Senior Match Play, CLICK HERE.

With play beginning on Monday, Moore will defend his title in the event for players 62 and older after defeating Jim Reynolds 1 up in last year’s title match at Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville. Moore will be the No. 1 seed as the defending champ. Reynolds also is scheduled to be in the field.

Olive, meanwhile, won the Super-Senior Match Play title in 2015 and is seeded 18th this time.

Also set to compete at Black Bear are three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk, who recently paired with Bill Fowler to win the CGA Senior Four-Ball; and Harry Johnson, winner of both the CGA Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play in 2013.

Play at the Super-Senior Match Play will continue through Thursday, with Wednesday featuring quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

For Monday’s round-of-32 pairings, CLICK HERE.
 

It’s the year-ending holiday season, which means different things to different people.

One of the things that comes with this time of year here at coloradogolf.org and coloradowomensgolf.org is a reflection on the past 12 months and compilation of the top stories of the year in Colorado golf. We’ve been doing it annually since 2009, and we’re not about to stop now.

There’s no lack of worthwhile candidates, so in recent years we’ve broken up the list into a two-part series. We go in reverse order, for the sake of preserving some suspense, and add an honorable-mention list that will be included with Part II, which will be published in the coming days.

Today, we’ll cover Nos. 25-13, so without further ado …:

25. Year 2 for Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado: The JGAC, which made quite a splash upon debuting in 2016, continued a significant upward trajectory in 2017. The Alliance — a joint effort of the CGA, Colorado PGA and CWGA — further expanded its reach by creating more tournaments, including several in western Colorado, and adding services. Junior players of all abilities can benefit from JGAC-related programs, including anything from the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy to Colorado PGA Golf in Schools to the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program to Drive Chip & Putt and PGA Junior League competitions.

24. Three Victories by DU Women’s Team: The University of Denver women’s golf team has compiled quite a record from late last season to early this one. In late April, the Pioneers won their 14th straight conference championship, an eye-opening run even if their conference isn’t particularly strong in women’s golf. Then this fall, DU won two tournaments in 11 days — both in Colorado, at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott and the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch. For the record, that made for three wins in the course of five tournaments spanning two seasons. Denver, ranked among the top 25 women’s teams in the nation to complete the fall (along with the University of Colorado), was given a boost in the offseason when 2017 CWGA Player of the Year Mary Weinstein transferred in from the Regis University.

23. Eaton’s March Toward CWGA Record: This year, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton reached 24 CWGA championship victories by sweeping the Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play titles. That leaves her just one shy of Carol Flenniken’s career-record total of 25. After her third sweep of the Senior Match and Senior Stroke in the same year, Eaton earned the CWGA Senior Player of the Year honor for the eighth time. She’s also been the overall CWGA Player of the Year four times since 2004.

22. Variety is Spice of Life for Moore: Another Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, Kent Moore, added to a rather remarkable feat that likely will never be matched. With his victory in the Super-Senior Match Play, Moore (pictured above) now has claimed titles in eight different CGA individual championships. Over the last 44 years, he’s won the 1973 Junior Match Play, the 1986 Amateur, the 1989 Match Play, the 1995 Mid-Amateur, the 2006 Senior Match Play, the 2014 Senior Stroke Play, the 2016 Super-Senior Stroke Play and the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play. READ MORE

21. Longmont’s Nygren Inaugural Putting Champ: Longmont’s Cole Nygren, a pro for just a couple of months, earned a nice paycheck ($15,000) and plenty of publicity with his Halloween victory in the All Pro Championship at the inaugural Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas. The most eye-catching part of the win was the fact that it came against a field that featured PGA Tour veterans Brad Faxon, John Cook, Tommy Armour III and Colt Knost. Nygren, who placed fourth in the CGA Amateur in August to conclude his amateur career, beat Knost, the 2007 U.S. Amateur champion, 3 and 2 in the match-play finale. READ MORE

20. Major Changes for Colorado Cup Matches: The Colorado Cup Matches, a Ryder Cup-style competition between CGA/CWGA amateurs and Colorado PGA professionals, have been held annually since 1971. But there were many significant changes implemented in 2017, which will be the last time the matches are conducted until 2019. With no college golfers playing for the amateur team for the first time, the Colorado PGA (left) prevailed 26-14 in the event, which now features open, senior and women players competing for a single Cup. That result came a year after the pros were swept by the ams. READ MORE

19. More National Recognition for Colorado PGA: Mark Pfingston, the PGA head professional at The Golf Club at Bear Dance, this year was named the PGA of America’s national Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities. With Pfingston’s accomplishment, Colorado PGA members continued their roll of the last decade-plus in receiving national recogntion for their work. In the last 11 years (2007 through ’17), CPGA members — or the Section as a whole — have earned nine national awards from the PGA of America. READ MORE

18. Chalk Up Another Honor for Keffer: In the last decade, Geoff Keffer has become one of the most awarded players from the Colorado PGA in the Section’s history. This year, the Lakewood resident received the Section’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Award for the fourth straight season and for the fifth time in six years. To put that into perspective, only one player has been the Colorado PGA’s Finsterwald Player of the Year more times than Keffer, with two others matching his total. And all of the other three members of the five-timers club have all been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Bob Hold owns the record for most CPGA Finsterwald Player of the Year Awards, with seven earned between 1966 and ’74, including six straight starting in ’66. Other five-time Players of the Year, in addition to Keffer, are Vic Kline (1975 to 1981) and Ron Vlosich (1986 to ’91). READ MORE

17. Back to North Dakota for CGA’s Jensen: Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s highly regarded and well-liked managing director of operations, recently accepted a job as associate dean of student engagement at his alma mater, the University of Jamestown in his hometown of Jamestown, North Dakota. Jensen was a key administrator in Colorado golf, particularly playing a pivotal role in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado getting up and running during its initial years. READ MORE

16. Age No Problem for Schalk: Hailey Schalk (left) of Erie was only 15 years old during the 2017 golf season, but that didn’t keep her from becoming the girls Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Player of the Year. In 2017, Schalk was the first Coloradan to win a title at the prestigious AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. And in May, she was the first freshman since 2002 to win a girls state high school individual championship in Colorado. In addition, she captured the titles at both of the JGAC majors in which she competed. She also placed 14th individually while playing for Colorado at the Girls Junior America’s Cup. She and Davis Bryant were recently named “Future Famers” by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

15. Seniors Rule at CPGA Professional Championship: The Colorado PGA Professional Championship is the top tournament of the year for the Section. But this year’s event, held at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, turned into a showcase for the 50-and-over set as 50-year-old John Ogden prevailed in a playoff over 64-year-old Rick Cole, who was ever so close to becoming the oldest winner of this event — by far. As it was, Ogden earned the $8,000 first prize, then promptly donated half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation. READ MORE


14. Timely 59 for Sam Saunders: Former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders picked a good time for his career round. Saunders, grandson of the late Arnold Palmer, opened the Web.com Tour Championship with a 12-under-par 59 in Atlantic Beach, Fla., where he moved from Fort Collins last year. It was just the seventh round under 60 in the history of the Web.com circuit. More importantly, it led to a second-place finish in the Web Tour Championship, which secured Saunders’ fully-exempt PGA Tour card for 2017-18 after he had lost that status late in the summer.


13. Bunch, Harvanek Voted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: Two Coloradans whose service in golf has made an indelible impact were voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Jim Bunch of Denver and Danny Harvanek of Littleton will make up the 46th class of the Hall of Fame and will be inducted on May 20 at Sanctuary golf course in Sedalia. Bunch has served in high-powered volunteer roles at the USGA and with the Western Golf Association, including as the chairman of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, of the WGA and of the Evans Scholars Foundation that awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. Harvanek, a longtime PGA Master Professional in Colorado, has long been touted for his highly-effective instruction work with junior golfers, which helped lay the groundwork for the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program. READ MORE
   

The CGA recently named its 2017 players of the year, and the honors were split between first-time winners and a couple of golfers who have earned season-long awards at least twice before.

Jake Staiano (left) of Glenmoor Country Club (the Les Fowler Player of the Year) and Keith Atkins of Highland Meadows Golf Course (Senior Player of the Year) captured CGA POY awards for the first time, while Chris Thayer of Walnut Creek Golf Preseve (Mid-Amateur Player of the Year) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club (Super-Senior POY) have landed similar honors from the CGA in the past.

Thayer was named the Mid-Am Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, joining Keith Humerickhouse (2010, ’12 and ’13) as the only three-time winners of the award, which was first given in 2008. And while the CGA Super-Senior POY honor is new this year, Moore has previously been named the Les Fowler Player of the Year (1989) and the Senior Player of the Year (2006 and ’14).

Another honoree being saluted by the CGA is Tom Kennedy, who receives the Jim Topliff Award as on-course official of the year. The now-retired District Court Judge has volunteered for the CGA for the last five years, and in 2017 he served as chief rules official at several tournaments, including the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational that the University of Colorado hosts annually.

As for the players of the year, here’s a recap of some of their 2017 highlights:

— Jake Staiano, Les Fowler Player of the Year: The CGA’s top annual award for players has gone to first-time winners for the last nine years, since Pat Grady won in both 2007 and ’08. And Staiano, a Colorado State University golfer, is the 10th college-age player in the last 11 years to earn the overall POY honor, with the lone exception over that time being Michael Harrington of Colorado Springs in 2014.

“Being named player of the year definitely means a lot,” Staiano said in a recent email. “Just to be in the category with some of the best players to come out of Colorado shows a lot about how far I have come in the past few years with my game. I definitely went through some hard times, but to get this award really shows my maturity through it all and how I was able to get through those times.”

As CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year, Staiano joins a list of past honorees that includes 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones (1980 and ’81); Brandt Jobe, who has won more than $11.1 million combined on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions (1985); Kevin Stadler, winner of the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour (2002); and three-time Colorado Open winner and 1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Bill Loeffler (1986). (The CGA Player of the Year award debuted in 1978, after golfers such as Hale Irwin and Bob Byman had starred as amateurs in Colorado.)

Staiano was in the hunt for the title this year in the biggest tournament held annually in the state, the CoBank Colorado Open. He shared the lead after three holes of the final round, which is no small feat considering only two players (Gary Longfellow and Brian Guetz) have won the Colorado Open as amateurs.

Staiano ended up finishing eighth at 15-under-par for 72 holes, taking low-amateur honors by seven strokes. It was the best overall showing by an amateur at the Colorado Open since Cameron Harrell placed fifth in 2014.

Elsewhere, Staiano qualified for the U.S. Amateur for the second time and advanced to Sectionals at U.S. Open qualifying. In the biggest CGA championships, Staiano placed second at the CGA Amateur and fell in the semifinals of the CGA Match Play to eventual champion Chris Korte.

— Chris Thayer, Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: In capturing this award for the third straight year, Thayer (left) edged out Jon Lindstrom, winner of the 2008, ’15 and ’16 CGA Mid-Amateurs. This time around in the Mid-Am, which is limited to players 25 and older, Thayer prevailed by one stroke for his second victory in the state championship, having previously won in 2014. He placed second to Lindstrom in both 2015 and ’16.

Also in 2017, Thayer made the cut and finished 44th in the CoBank Colorado Open, tying for third among amateurs. He also advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying, but subsequently withdrew from that second and final stage of qualifying. Thayer made the round of 16 at the CGA Match Play.

— Keith Atkins, Senior Player of the Year: Atkins won three tournaments in the senior division during the course of the year, at the Aurora Senior Amateur, the Collindale Invitational and the Estes Park Labor Day tournament.

In CGA championships, Atkins placed fourth in the CGA Senior Amateur and second in the senior division of the Western Chapter Championship. In the CGA Senior Am, he ended up two strokes behind winner Steve Ivan.

CGA senior championships were limited to players 51 and older in 2017.

— Kent Moore, Super-Senior Player of the Year: When Moore (left) won the title in the Super-Senior Match Play in late May, it gave the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer victories in an amazing eight different CGA championships in his career. Over the last 44 years, he’s won the 1973 Junior Match Play, the 1986 Amateur, the 1989 Match Play, the 1995 Mid-Amateur, the 2006 Senior Match Play, the 2014 Senior Stroke Play, the 2016 Super-Senior Stroke Play and the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play.

Moore was also in the hunt for the championship at the 2017 CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play, but Gary Albrecht edged him by one shot.

And in the Super-Senior Four-Ball tournament, Moore and partner Stephen Bell finished second in a playoff.

CGA super-senior championships were limited to players 61 and older in 2017.
  

On Wednesday, Gary Albrecht capped off a 72-hour stretch of golf that he won’t soon forget.

On Sunday, the Denver resident won the open-division club championship at CommonGround Golf Course, which is no small feat for a 61-year-old.

Three days later, Albrecht fended off a stiff challenge by Colorado Golf Hall of Famer — and defending champion — Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club to earn a title in a CGA championship for the first time.

Albrecht (left and below), who’s a member at Ballyneal as well as CommonGround, shot a 3-under-par 33 on his final nine holes — and a 3-under 69 for the day — to edge Moore in the CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play at Buffalo Run Golf Course in Commerce City.

“It feels awesome,” said Albrecht, a private-practice attorney. “It feels great. It’s a very competitive group of super-senior players. I’m proud to come out in first. It’s been amazing.”

Albrecht, who qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur last year, sank a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to go ahead by two, then made a knee-knocker for par — and the win — on the 18th after Moore had drained a 10-foot birdie.

In the cases of both of his wins in recent days, Albrecht had in mind the memory of a longtime friend, Tom Collins, who died early this year. They met as members at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen in the late 1990s. Two months ago, Albrecht also participated in the Hundred Hole Hike at Ballyneal, playing 128 holes in a single day — all walking, covering about 38 miles in the process. In Albrecht’s case, the effort raised funds for the New York-based Double H Ranch, where Collins’ sons had attended Cindy’s Comfort Camp for kids with terminally ill parents.

“I played today with a golf ball with a logo on it in (Collins’) honor,” Albrecht noted. “I had (also) done it at CommonGround for the club championship. He’s been with me.”

At Buffalo Run, Albrecht finished with a 5-under-par 139 total, one ahead of Moore, who likewise closed with a 69 after birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 on Wednesday.

“He played great,” Moore said of Albrecht. “He almost never missed a shot. He missed one drive on the front and it cost him a bogey. Other than that, he was putting for birdie on every hole. He just played so steady and putted good. That was a delightful round to watch.

“(For me), it was a really good score for the way I hit it on the back. I’m disappointed to lose, but not disappointed in the scoring. Normally (Moore’s total) would win by two or three.”

In the three CGA super-senior individual championships in which Moore (below) has participated, he’s now finished first and second in the Super-Senior Stroke Play and first in the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play.

Although Albrecht was ahead most of the way on Wednesday, the long birdie putt he sank on 17 proved pivotal. Playing partner Sean Forey was on a similar line and putted first, just missing. Then Albrecht was dead-on.

“I know how great a player Kent is and he was right there,” Albrecht said. I hit a lot of good shots. I was a little disappointed in some of the putts I hit because I didn’t really have the pace. But the birdie putt on 17 was a huge one. I knew I needed to make it. I just saw the line and knocked it in.

“Yesterday I was trying to find break in putts and most of them were straight. That putt really was straight. I said, ‘You just have to trust that.’ I did, and it went right in the middle.”

This was the first time Albrecht had played in a CGA super-senior championship, but probably not the last.

“Maybe I just didn’t want to enter a super-senior event,” he said. “Maybe I was in denial a little bit. But these guys can golf. There’s a lot of really good golfers. Beating guys like Kent Moore and Robert Polk, that’s tough to do. They’ve won a lot of these events and they’re tournament-tested-tough players.”

Polk a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year from Colorado Golf Club, placed third on Wednesday at 142 after finishing with a 68, the low round of the 61-plus championship. That means that members of the CGA’s volunteer Board of Governors went 1-2-3 in the association’s Super-Senior Stroke Play.

“We have a strong (board),” Albrecht noted. “We should have a Board of Governors golf event.”

Dave Runberg of CommonGround placed fourth in the 61-and-older division at 144 after a 71 on Wednesday.

In the 71-plus division, Don Alley (left) of Antler Creek Golf Course won for the second consecutive year. Alley, a former Colorado PGA professional who has had his amateur status reinstated, put together a stellar finish, playing his final eight holes in 6 under par. The 72-year-old from Colorado Springs made an eagle and four birdies during that stretch to shoot a 68, giving him a 3-under-par 141 total and a two-stroke victory.

“It feels wonderful, very surprising,” Alley said. “I came in here not playing well. I had a real rough winter. I got sick. I lost a lot of weight and a lot of stength, so I just haven’t been playing very well. I came in here with very low expectations. I didn’t play really well until the last nine. I got things going on the last nine and made some putts. I’m happy.”

As for the final-nine 31, Alley said, “It’s been a while since I’ve done that in a competitive event.”

It was the second CGA title for Alley, who served as a Colorado PGA professional for about two decades — including as general manager at the now-defunct Gleneagle Golf Club — and was president of the Section in the mid-1980s. He left the golf business and didn’t play the game for about a dozen years. But he received his amateur status back in the 1990s and now is going strong again.

Bob Sims of Clubcorp Colorado, who took a three-stroke lead into the final round, tied for second at 143 with Roger Gunderson of Aurora Hills Golf Course, a past winner of both the CGA Senior Amateur and Senior Match Play. Gunderson closed with a 69 and Sims with a 73.

(FYI: Starting in 2017, the age requirement for each CGA super-senior championship will go up by one year each year through 2021, when no one younger than 65 will be allowed to compete. Similarly, the minimum age for the older division will rise annually, with 75 and older being the criteria in 2021 and beyond.)

For Super-Senior Stroke Play scores, CLICK HERE.