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.

Jeff Gallagher may owe Denver resident Tom Krystyn a dinner for inadvertently jogging Gallagher’s memory about a month ago.

Gallagher, a former PGA Tour player who’s now a golf instructor in Henderson, Nev., had meant to enter the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, but put it off because he wasn’t sure how the tournament would fit in with his schedule.

But it was a phone call with Krystyn that reminded Gallagher to sign up on May 3, just a couple hours before the entry deadline.

“I’m good friends with Tom Krystyn, who lives here, and we were on the phone,” Gallagher explained on Friday afternoon. “I’m like, ‘Dang, that reminds me, I’ve got to register for the tournament.’ I think I did it about two hours before the deadline, and I’m sure glad I did. I nearly air-balled it.”

Gallagher, a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, parlayed that entry into a victory Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. The younger brother of five-time PGA Tour champion Jim Gallagher Jr., Jeff fended off Steve Jurgensen of The Woodlands, Texas, to earn the Senior Open title, the $8,500 that goes with it, and a berth into next month’s $250,000 CoBank Colorado Open.

The 52-year-old took a two-stroke lead into the final hole, then had to sweat out a nail-biting finish. After Jurgensen was on the front fringe in two on the par-5 18th, Gallagher put his third shot about 35 feet behind the flagstick. After Jurgensen putted up to about 6 feet from the hole, Gallagher could clinch the win with a two-putt par. But his birdie putt ran past the hole and over a ridge, leaving him about 20 feet for par. He left that one short, meaning he had three-putted for bogey. Jurgensen, who plays right-handed but putts left, had a 6-foot birdie attempt to force a playoff, but pushed it a bit, assuring Gallagher (above and left) of the victory.

“I played for a little bit of break,” noted Jurgensen (pictured below in green), himself a former PGA Tour player who has won on the Web.com Tour. “I thought there was some slope off there, but there was nothing there.”

That let Gallagher off the hook for a final-hole three-putt.

“It was the weirdist thing. (My first putt) was uphill and a little downhill, and I’d been leaving everything short,” Gallagher said. “I probably got a little too aggressive. So I was thinking, ‘Playoff. Let’s go do it.’ I didn’t think he’d miss the putt. It all worked out. I played really well and Steve played really well as well. I hate to see him miss that putt, but I hate to see myself three-putt the last hole, too, to give him a chance. But I hit a lot of good shots over the course of the round and it was fun to do it.”

Gallagher closed with a 1-under-par 71 on Friday, leaving him with a winning total of 11-under 205. Jurgensen, who held a one-stroke lead after the 13th hole, came in at 206 after a final-round 73. Robin Byrd of Satellite Beach, Fla., was another stroke back, in third place, after a 72.

Four Coloradans posted top-10 finishes, but they were all in the six-to-10 range. Rick Cole of Eaton posted his best showing ever in a Colorado Senior Open — or a Colorado Open — by placing sixth at 212 (72-69-71), earning a grand total of $2,700 in the process. Dale Smigelsky of Fort Collins (213) tied for seventh, and Doug Wherry of Lakewood and former champion Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West (214) were among the seven players who shared ninth place.

At 63, Cole not only finished sixth overall but was the low super-senior (60-plus) player.

“My goal at this time in my life is just trying to make the cut,” said Cole, who played his final 10 holes in 3 under par. “So I was very happy with the way I played. It feels really good.”

But it was Gallagher, playing in the Colorado Senior Open for the first time, and Jurgensen who would battle it out of the title on the back nine on Friday.

Gallagher was two ahead after 10 holes, but his bogey on No. 11 combined with Jurgensen’s 12-foot birdie made them all square. And Jurgensen two-putted the par-5 12th for a second straight birdie, taking the lead outright.

Gallagher evened it up again by sinking a 3 1/2-foot birdie on the 14th after driving it over the green on the short par-4.

But it was the 15th hole that proved pivotal. There, from ideal position in the middle of the fairway, Jurgensen left his approach in the front bunker, where the ball buried. His next shot stayed in the bunker and he then missed a 6-foot putt to take a double bogey, leaving him two behind with three holes left.

“I was in between clubs,” Jurgensen said. “I was trying to hit the longer club softer to the left of the bunker. I knew you couldn’t aim at that flag. I should have hit the shorter club hard. For us sea-level guys (playing at altitude), when you don’t hit the ball up in the air, it’ll fall out of the sky a little bit quicker than what we’re used to. It was a bad mistake. In hindsight I would have played way left and get my two-putt and get out of there and still be even.”

Said Gallagher, who’s known Jurgensen for more than 20 years: “In this game anything can happen. He was playing great, then all of a sudden, ‘Boom’. It could have happened to me just as easy. I’m glad it didn’t. But it was definitely a big turning point.”

From there, Gallagher and Jurgensen parred 16 and 17, then the Nevadan prevailed despite his 18th-hole three-putt bogey.

Gallagher said the win is his biggest since his second Web.com Tour victory, in the 2000 South Carolina Classic.

“It’s been a long time,” said Gallagher, who competed in 134 PGA Tour events, mostly between 1996 and 2003. “It’s nice to be able to hit the shots under the pressure. I’m nervous. Everybody’s nervous. Obviously it’s not a PGA Tour event, but it’s competition. And it doesn’t matter if you’re playing for $1,000, $500 or $100,000,000. The competition gets me doing. I don’t enjoy playing golf unless I’m playing in competition. Competition just does something to me. It’s satisfying if you can perform under the heat.”

Gallagher, who has played very little Tour golf since 2010, attributed his success this week to a different mindset than he had during his Tour days.

“I don’t take it as serious as I used to,” he said. “I just have fun. I could have shot 80-80-80 and been just as happy as shooting 11 under this week. There’s a lot of worse things in this world than bad golf or losing a tournament. I’ve kind of changed my outlook on life as far as golf goes. I think that’s why I play so well now. When I played, I made it a job. It shouldn’t be a job. I wish I had that attitude for 20 years playing because I’d probably still be playing.”

Former Military Champion Takes Low-Am Honors: Albert Johnson Jr., of Lawton, Okla., has won several notable titles in golf, including three All-Army Championships and the Armed Forces Golf Championship in 2007 shortly before retiring from the military.

On Friday, he added low-amateur honors in the Colorado Senior Open to his list of golf accomplishments.

But it wasn’t easy, despite going into the final round seven strokes ahead of the next-lowest amateur. Johnson (left) struggled to a 7-over-par 79 in the final round to post a 4-over 220 total (70-71-79), prevailing by one over Ray Makloski of Pueblo, the 2012 CGA Senior Match Play champion.

“It’s always good to win, wherever you can win, by whatever means you can win. I’m excited about that,” said the 59-year-old Johnson, who was competing in the Senior Open for the first time.

“My goal today wasn’t to be low amateur; my goal was to play well. Unfortunately, I didn’t, but there’s some consolation in a gift certificate and a trophy, so I’m happy for that.”

Aces High: The last two rounds of the Colorado Senior Open each featured a hole-in one. A day after Duane Lorio of Luling, La., aced the fifth hole, Mike Grob of Billings, Mont., did the honors on Friday. Grob used a hole-in-one on the 13th hole — 8-iron from 172 yards — to shoot a 3-under-par 69 and finish fifth despite closing with a double bogey.

 
For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.