In the last several years, more players from out of state have won the CoBank Colorado Open than in-staters have.

And don’t think that’s gone unnoticed.

In 2014, Ian Davis of Edmond, Okla., prevailed. In 2015, it was Scotland’s Jimmy Gunn. Two years ago, it was Neil Johnson of Phoenix/River Falls, Wis. In 2017, part-time Boulder resident Jonathan Kaye scored one for the home team with his victory at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

And now, Coloradans have a good chance to make it two in a row.

Not only do local residents hold down the top two places after Saturday’s second round, but they have some cushion over the player in third place heading into Sunday’s final 18.

Shane Bertsch of Parker, winner of the 1998 Colorado Open and a veteran of 193 PGA Tour starts, leads going into the final round. And Riley Arp of Fort Collins, a former Colorado State University golfer who has had plenty of success on mini tours over the years, stands in second place, just a stroke behind Bertsch. (Bertsch is pictured chatting with a young fan after Saturday’s round.)

Arp finds himself where he is thanks to a bogey-free 10-under-par 62 on Saturday that matched the course record at GVR. It was the sixth time that score has been shot at the course in the Colorado Open.

Arp, for one, likes to see Coloradans excel at the Colorado Open.

“It’s our state open,” the 30-year-old (left) said. “It’s nice to come in and kind of protect your state. It’s like, ‘Everybody can show up but this is the Colorado Open.’

“The guys who play here a lot, we do have a pretty good advantage because the ball flies a long way. And if you’re not used to really knowing your distances … you can catch a flyer” that will go an unexpectedly long distance.

Through two days, Bertsch is atop the leaderboard with a 15-under-par 129 total, while Arp is at 130. The next best on the leaderboard are Chris Petefish of Cumming, Ga., a rookie pro who recently graduated from Georgia Tech (64-68–132); Dru Love, son of World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III (68-65); and Patrick Stolpe of Scottsdale, Ariz. (64-69).

Bertsch had only one blemish in his second-round 64 on Saturday, a bogey on his final hole, the par-5 ninth. Ironically, he had a wedge from the middle of the fairway into the green, but pushed it a bit, hit a poor chip and missed an 8-foot par putt.

But through two rounds, the 48-year-old has made an eagle and 15 birdies at GVR.

“I’m playing good,” he said. “I’m in that aggressive mindset. I was in good position for birdie (on Saturday’s final hole) and all of a sudden I walked off with a bogey. That’s how golf is. But there were a lot of good things today.

“It’s been a long year and a half. I had (left) shoulder surgery in April of ’16 and I’ve been back playing on the two tours (PGA and Web.com) without much success. But about a month ago, I started to figure out some stuff. I had lost my iron game basically — the consistency of it. But I found some stuff that’s making a big difference and has gotten me back on track.”

Indeed, Bertsch has missed the cut in his one PGA Tour appearance this season and has made just two cuts in nine events on the Web.com Tour in 2018. But he’s certainly in the groove this week at the Colorado Open.

His wedge game has been particularly sharp at GVR, where he’s competing for the first time in three years.

“I’ve hit a lot of wedges close this week — some really good ones for kick-ins,” said Bertsch, who owns three Web.com Tour victories and five PGA Tour top-10s in his career. “I hadn’t been doing that. That was the part of the game I had to excel at because I’m not the longest (hitter) so I need to take advantage of those situations. I’m starting to again.”

It’s been a while since Bertsch’s last significant victory — he won the on the Web.com Tour in 2015 — but he’s looking forward to a crack at another title.

“It’s going to be pedal to the medal” on Sunday, he said. “There’s going to be scores to be had assuming we have a typical Colorado morning with not much wind. You’re going to have to be going for it when you can and playing away from certain pins. But you’re not going to be able to just protect. I’ll be trying to go as low as I can.

“I can’t wait. It’s going to be fun.”

Arp, who Monday qualified for last week’s Web.com Tour event in Omaha, matched his career tournament low score relative to par on Saturday. He shot a 62 last year in a Monday qualifier to earn a spot in the field for the PGA Tour’s Shell Houston Open.

On Saturday, the 2010 CGA Public Links champion did the trick with 10 birdies and no bogeys.

“It has nothing to do with my golf game at all. It all has to do with me controlling myself,” Arp said of his impressive play this week. “My golf game has been fine the last month, but I haven’t been able to score and I couldn’t figure out why. I realized I was a head case and need to figure that out. I’ve been focused on that the last two weeks and trying to come up with solutions. I found one and it’s working so far and we’ll see if it keeps working.

“A buddy of my turned me onto a book — it’s called, ‘On Combat’. I just read it and was kind of thinking about (how) it has to do with heart rate and how you can calm yourself down when you start to get a little edgy or whatever It’s been working. And it helps to make a few putts here or there.”

As good as Arp’s round was, he said it easily could have been better. But he missed three putts inside 10 feet.

“I feel like I’m in a pretty good place and hopefully I’ll keep myself there tomorrow,” he said. “I think I’ve got a pretty good chance. I’m hitting it pretty good and rolling it well.”

Arp made his professional debut at the Colorado Open in 2010 and is looking for his first top-10 finish in the event.

“The Colorado Open has always meant quite a lot to me,” said Arp, who is now a full-time resident of Fort Collins again. “And now I feel like I have my head in the right place, so it’s time to play some golf.”

Two Days and Out: Two of the biggest names in the 2018 CoBank Colorado Open field, including the defending champion, bowed out after Saturday, having missed the cut.

Part-time Colorado residents and PGA Tour winners Jonathan Kaye and Kevin Stadler finished at identical 3-over-par 147 totals, which left them six strokes shy of advancing to Sunday’s final round.

“It’s kind of expected,” said Kaye (left), who finished with a 23-under-par total for four rounds at GVR in winning last year. “I’ve just been playing (poorly). It wasn’t really out of the realm for me to play (poorly).”

Though it may have been just in the heat of the moment following rounds of 76-71, Kaye said this in response to a question if he was going to play any more tournaments this year: “Nope. Done. I might not ever play again in a tournament. I just don’t like golf. I don’t enjoy the pace of play and waiting around so much. Everybody is just dinking around. No one is playing. …. I don’t get it. I can’t play like that. I don’t have the patience for it anymore.”

As for Stadler, the 2002 Colorado Open champion and winner of the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open is continuing the road back to the PGA Tour after first feeling the effects of a left hand injury while playing in China in November of 2014. After not receiving the correct diagnosis for more than 18 months, he underwent surgery on what was a broken hamate bone last August, and is now pain-free. But while he has made two starts on the Web.com Tour this year, he hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since 2015. He plans to change that this fall.

In the meantime, he’s trying to shake some poor habits in his game, and he shot 78-69 at GVR this week.

“It was a lot of rust and a lot of lack of ability these days,” he said with a chuckle. “Yesterday (the 78) was kind of a perfect storm getting caught in the wind and I didn’t have control of my ball, (and I) three-putted a couple of times early. Basically I made every error I could possibly make. It was pretty pathetic shooting what I shot. I played bad but I didn’t feel I played that bad. It was just a combination of everything.

“I played all right today. It’s just a lot of rusty, silly mistakes.

“The scores don’t really mean a whole lot for me right now. As poor as it was, it’s actually getting better. I’ve shot better scores in events I’ve played the last 6-8 weeks, but I can tell the motion is better and I’m starting to play a little better. Yesterday was just a disaster. All in all I was pretty happy with the way I hit it today. It’s nowhere near where it needs to be and where it used to be, but it’s going in the right direction.”

Remarkable Recovery for GVR: After a day of playing lift, clean and place on Friday after severe storms and flooding on Wednesday evening led to a cancelation of Thursday’s scheduled opening round, it was back to playing the ball down on Saturday at the Colorado Open.

Suffice it to say it was quite a task to get GVR back in playable shape after the storm on Wednesday evening, which brough heavy rain, hail and winds estimated at 60 mph.

That weather event dumped at least 1.1 inches of rain on the course, leading to the Colorado Open being reduced to 54 holes for the first time since 1981.

There were standing “lakes” on the course were there was previously fairway, and newly created pools of water where fish and frogs were stranded and sometimes died (see photos at left and below, courtesy of Kevin Laura).

On Thursday, superintendent Barry Kendall had a crew of 10 working 11 straight hours pumping the water off the course and from the bunkers. Kendall has worked at GVR since 2007 — since 2009 as head superintendent — having prepared the course for 35 Colorado Opens/Colorado Women’s Opens/Colorado Senior Opens during that 11-plus-year period.

But the bottom line was, the course was ready to play on Friday, although it was certainly still wet in spots.

Noted two-time Colorado Open champion Derek Tolan about the course on Saturday: “It’s in phenomal shape, unbelievable.”

Notable: Kyler Dunkle of Parker, the 2016 CGA Player of the Year, remains in the lead for low-amateur honors after 36 holes. Dunkle, a University of Utah golfer after transferring from Colorado State, has posted rounds of 66-70 for an 8-under-par 136 total. He played his final 10 holes in 4 under par on Saturday. Dunkle is one stroke ahead of AJ Ott of Fort Collins, the 2018 CGA Match Play champion who carded a 69 on Friday. Both Dunkle and Ott have qualified for next month’s U.S. Amateur. Sam Marley of Centennial and Griffin Barela of Lakewood share third place among amateurs at 138. … The 62 players who were at 3-under 141 or better made the 36-hole cut on Saturday. Among those who didn’t advance to Sunday — besides Kaye and Stadler — were former champions Zahkai Brown (142), Scott Petersen (142) and Ben Portie (145), 2017 runner-up Jacob Lestishen (147) and five-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year Geoff Keffer (150). … Chris DiMarco, a three-time PGA Tour winner, caddied for his son Cristian on Friday and Saturday, but the younger DiMarco missed the cut (75-74). The DiMarcos recently moved to Colorado. … Notah Begay, winner of four events on the PGA Tour, shares 44th place after rounds of 69-72. He birdied his final hole Friday to make the cut. … The leading threesome after 36 holes — Bertsch, Arp and Petefish — will tee off at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday for the final round.

For scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.

For Sunday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.

And the trend will continue this week when the 54th Open is held at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. The $250,000 championship runs Thursday through Sunday.

Between players with plenty of experience on the PGA Tour — and some with famous surnames — the Colorado Open won’t be lacking for names recognizable to golf fans.

Here’s a rundown of some of the entrants that fall into that category:

— Jonathan Kaye (left), a part-time resident of Boulder, former University of Colorado golfer, and a two-time Colorado Open champion, having won last year and in 1996. Owns two PGA Tour victories. Has competed in 320 PGA Tour events in his career, including last week’s Barbasol Championship, where he missed the cut.

— Kevin Stadler, a part-time resident of Denver, Kent Denver High School graduate and the winner of the 2002 Colorado Open and two CGA Match Plays. Won the 2014 Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour, one of 264 PGA Tour events in which he’s competed in his career. (He’s also won four Web.com Tour tournaments.) He hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since 2015 due to a stress fracture in his left hand, but has competed in two Web events this year. He has 26 events left on a major medical extension, needing to earn $717,890 in those events to keep his exempt status on the PGA Tour. Stadler last played in the Colorado Open in 2016, when he finished 41st.

— Notah Begay. Winner of four PGA Tour events in 217 starts. Previously played in the Colorado Open in 2015, missing the 36-hole cut by one stroke. Begay called the British Open for NBC/Golf Channel last week.

— Shane Bertsch of Parker. Won the Colorado Open in 1998 and finished 10th in 2015. Has played in 193 PGA Tour events in his career, with five top-10 finishes. He has one PGA Tour event left on his medical extension, needing to earn $597,069 to keep his card.

— Jeff Gallagher, the 2017 CoBank Colorado Senior Open champion. Has played in 134 PGA Tour events in his career, recording six top-10 finishes.

— John Riegger, the 2018 CoBank Colorado Senior Open champion. Has played in 224 PGA Tour events in his career, earning three top-10 finishes. Also has won once on the PGA Tour Champions, in 2013.

And, for the record, four sons of former prominent PGA Tour players are in the Colorado Open field — Dru Love (son of Davis), Sean Jacklin (son of Tony), Cristian DiMarco (son of Chris) and Stadler (son of Craig).

Beyond the PGA Tour flavor, the Colorado Open will have plenty of big-name local competitors. That includes — besides Kaye, Stadler and Bertsch — Colorado-based former champions Derek Tolan (a two-time winner), Zahkai Brown, Ben Portie and Scott Petersen, along with former Pueblo resident Dustin White.

Also among the entrants are five-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year Geoff Keffer,;U.S. Amateur qualifiers AJ Ott, Coby Welch and Kyler Dunkle; 2018 U.S. Senior Open competitor Doug Rohrbaugh; Michael Schoolcraft and James Love, Coloradans who just finished in the top 20 at a PGA Tour Canada event; Coloradan Nick Mason, who qualified for the 2014 U.S. Open; and several players with strong local ties who finished top 10 at the 2017 Colorado Open (besides Kaye): Jacob Lestishen (second), former Colorado State player Blake Cannon (seventh) and Steven Kupcho (eighth).

The field at GVR will be cut to the low 60 players and ties after Friday’s second round.

Tournament organizers are having some fun with the pairings for the first two rounds. For example, paired together are Dru Love, James Love and Samuel Love. Then there’s one for three of the competitors with PGA Tour event-winning dads: Kevin Stadler, Sean Jacklin and Cristian DiMarco.

Meanwhile, 15 more players qualified for the Colorado Open Monday at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster. That includes four Coloradans: amateurs David Leede of Greenwood Village (4-under-par 67 on Monday), Tyler Zhang of Lone Tree (70) and Tyler Severin of Johnstown (70), and pro Neil Tillman of Arvada (70).

Stuart Thomas of Knoxville, Tenn., shot a 7-under-par 64 to earn medalist honors at Legacy Ridge. For all the scores from Monday’s qualifier, CLICK HERE.

For Thursday’s first-round pairings at the CoBank Colorado Open itself, CLICK HERE.
 

It’s still almost five months before the Colorado Open Championship is contested under the banner of its new title sponsor, but big changes are already in place.

On Tuesday at Topgolf Centennial, tournament organizers announced that the purse for this year’s CoBank Colorado Open will double from 2015, with the winner taking home a record $100,000, more than quadruple the $23,000 check Jimmy Gunn claimed for winning last summer’s tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

The $250,000 purse this year far exceeds the previous record for the Colorado Open — the $180,000 the tournament paid out in 2000 and 2001. The winners those years, Scott Petersen and Brett Wayment, respectively, each made $32,400. In fact, the CoBank Colorado Open now has the distinction of having the largest purse among all the state opens, according to Kevin Laura, CEO of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation. Some of the highest purses in comparable events are $190,000 for the Waterloo Open, $165,000 for the Long Beach Open and about $151,000 for the Texas State Open.

“Players are going to view (the Colorado Open) as one of the best — if not the best — state opens in the country,” said Petersen (left), who has a Web.com Tour victory to go with his Colorado Open win. “With the purse increase … everybody’s going to want to come now.

“Growing up here, the tournament had all these great players — Senior Tour players, PGA Tour players (including World Golf Hall of Famers Sam Snead, Phil Mickelson, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin and Fred Couples). We’re going to start to get back to that.”

That thought was seconded by another former University of Colorado golfer, current Metropolitan State University of Denver women’s coach Ben Portie, who won the Colorado Open in 2011. Portie sees just about anyone who isn’t exempt on the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour or PGA Tour Champions as a possibility for the Colorado Open. 

“Every good professional golfer will want to come here the end of July,” said Portie (left). “And if they’re not in the event, they’ll want to qualify. I always thought this was my major, being from Colorado. But this will make it even better.”

Last year, after four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay and other prominent PGA Tour veterans such as Shane Bertsch and Chris Riley noted how well the tournament was run and that the event could draw an even stronger field with a larger purse, his words weren’t lost on Colorado Open Golf Foundation founder Pat Hamill.

“Pat challenged me when he said he wanted to double the purse,” Laura said. “I swallowed hard. And when he said he was thinking about $100,000 for the winner, I swallowed even harder.”

But Laura put together a plan that’s become a reality.

“Getting first place to $100,000, it makes me want to go work on my golf game,” joked Hamill (left). “$100,000 is significant. There’s no other open in the country that has that amount. I think we’re going to get a lot of Web.com players.”

And how will Colorado Open organizers come up with the additional prize money?

Laura said two-thirds of the increase will come through new sponsorship deals with eight companies — including Oakwood Homes, where Hamill is CEO — and the remaining third through increased entry fees. The professional entry fee for the championship will increase to $600 from $400, and the fee for entering the qualfiers will jump to $250 from $175. More than a third of the 156-person field is filled through qualifying tournaments. This year’s qualifying events for the July 21-24 Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club are scheduled for July 6 at Inverness Golf Club in Englewood, July 12 at Eagle Ranch Golf Club in Eagle, and July 14 and 18 at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster.

This year’s Colorado Open will be the 52nd. It debuted in 1964 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen and has been held every year but one since (2003).

Since the Colorado Open Golf Foundation was formed and started running the event in 2004, the tournament has consistently featured a $125,000 purse. Now the winner alone will earn six figures.

“That first place of 100 grand — that in itself is going to grab people’s attention,” Petersen said. “That can do a lot of things for you. That’s a lot of money.”

Given the dramatic increases in the purse and the winner’s portion, suffice it to say that Colorado Open officials expect some notable names to compete in July at Green Valley Ranch. More than 60 percent of the hike in the purse will go to the champion that week.

“I think we’ll be creating a lot of buzz,” Laura said.

Registration for the 2016 Colorado Open and its four qualifiers opened on Tuesday — as did registration for the CoBank Senior Open (June 1-3) and the CoBank Women’s Open (Aug. 31-Sept. 2). For more information, CLICK HERE.

Speaking of the Women’s Open, Hamill said one of the next priorities for tournament organizers will be to increase the purse for that event, which currently stands at $60,000, plus $15,000 for the pro-am.

It’s been 13 years since Shane Bertsch of Parker last played in the HealthOne Colorado Open, a tournament he won in 1998.

And there’s a reason he’s back this week after his extended absence. A month ago, the 45-year-old virtually assured himself of returning to the PGA Tour for the 2015-16 wraparound season.

Bertsch (left) won the Rust-Oleum Championship on the Web.com Tour in June and currently stands in seventh place on the 2015 money list. That means he’s basically a lock to finish in the top 25 on the Web.com regular-season money list, which assures him of a PGA Tour exemption for 2015-16.

So ironically, while the two players in this week’s Colorado Open field that have PGA Tour wins to their credit — Notah Begay and Chris Riley — received more attention at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, Bertsch is the only Colorado Open competitor who is virtually certain to have fully-exempt status on the world’s premier golf tour next year.

“That’s what I’ve always been striving for,” Bertsch said after shooting a 3-under-par 69 Friday at the Colorado Open. “I’ve been out there a few different years, but it’s been a while.”

With his situation largely settled, Bertsch felt comfortable returning to the Colorado Open instead of needing to grind out his status down the home stretch of the Web.com Tour. The Denver native last played in the event in 2002, when he finished fifth, behind champion Kevin Stadler and runner-up Gary Hallberg — two players who now have PGA Tour victories — among others. That means that Bertsch hasn’t ever competed in the Open since it moved to Green Valley Ranch in 2004.

“Fortunately, a month ago I won and put myself in good shape,” he said. “I haven’t had the opportunity to stick around Colorado for more than a week at a time in the summer for a long time. But I’ve spent the last three weeks here, and I’m using this week as a refreshing time to stay at home, play in a tournament, and keep my game sharp. Then I’ll be heading out on the road again next week.”

So far this week, Bertsch has posted rounds of 70-69 for a 5-under-par 139 total, leaving him six shots out of the lead that’s held by defending champion Ian Davis of Edmond, Okla.

“I feel like I’ve played pretty solid,” he said. “I don’t think this course is playing too easy, and we’ve got 36 holes left. I feel good about it.

“This is a good track. I’m good buddies with Derek Tolan and Nick Mason, and they both said how good a shape it gets as far as firmness and the greens getting quick. It really is a good test. It’s no pushover.”

Bertsch has played full schedules on the PGA Tour six years between 1996 and 2012, but hasn’t been able to regain his card since — until now. He has five top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour to his credit, and has won $2.45 million on that circuit, in addition to the $1.28 million he’s earned on the Web.com Tour, where he’s won three times.

“I’ve been close (to regaining his PGA Tour card) the last couple of years but I haven’t done it,” he said. “It’s tough playing the Web. I’ve got no problems doing it but you always want to be up at the next level. That’s the only thing you really play for is to be up there. But the win really helps. I’m really looking forward to going back.

“And it’s nice to get it done early this year so I didn’t have to sweat it all the way through the year.”

Davis Ahead in Title Defense: The Colorado Open hasn’t crowned back-to-back champions since Dave Hill took home the trophy in both 1976 and ’77, but Ian Davis of Edmond, Okla., will try to change that this week.

The former Oklahoma State golfer shot an 8-under-par 64 on Friday — the low round this week — to reach the halfway point at 11-under 133, good for a two-stroke lead.

It’s as if he’s picking up right where he left off last year at Green Valley Ranch. On Friday, he racked up nine birdies, offset by one bogey.

“You have some good memories already around this place,” said the 23-year-old, who’s playing primarily this year on PGA Tour Latinoamerica, where he stands 23rd on the money list. “I came out a couple of days early and saw the course and everything. Those memories kind of come back to you and you can draw on those.”

The 64 Davis shot Friday was his best at GVR by two strokes.

The four players who share second place — two strokes behind Davis — include two other former champions, Zahkai Brown (left) of Arvada (2013 winner) and Wil Collins of Rapid City, S.D. (2005). Brown, the first-round leader, carded a 70 on Friday, while Collins had a 65.

Also at 9-under-par 135 are John Hurley of Spring, Texas (66 Friday) and Kurt Kitayama of Chico, Calif. (69).

Brown birdied his final hole of the day — No. 9 — but lamented going 2 over par through the first eight holes of his back nine — which is normally a good stretch for scoring.

“I hit it just as good today as yesterday (when he shot 65), but there were a couple of mental errors where I made a bogey,” he said. “I just wasn’t thinking very well on the back nine and made some dumb bogeys. I was kind of rushing it. I don’t know why. I just wish I could have gotten three or four more (under par).”

Among those another shot back, at 136, are Parker Edens of Greeley, who bogeyed his last three holes for a 70, and former Air Force Academy golfer Kyle Westmoreland (65).

Notable: The field was cut to the low 60 players and ties after Friday’s second round, with all competitors at 1 over par or better advancing to the weekend. Both of the PGA Tour winners in the field — Notah Begay and Chris Riley — posted 2-over-par 146 totals and missed the cut by one. … Amateur Robb Bierbaum of Arvada made the second hole-in-one of the week, acing the 182-yard fifth hole with a 5-iron. Bierbaum shot a 77 for a 157 total and missed the cut. On Thursday, Barry Milstead of Castle Rock made a hole-in-one on No. 13. It’s the first time since 1998 that two aces have been recorded in the same Colorado Open. … Tee times, off both the first and 10th holes, will run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. on Saturday.

For scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.

For Saturday tee times, CLICK HERE.

The former Colorado State University golfer won the HealthOne Colorado Open at GVR in 2013 and finished second in 2012. And after missing the cut last year, he grabbed the lead Thursday after the first round of the 2015 event, shooting a 7-under-par 65.

That brings Brown’s average score in his last 11 Colorado Open rounds — since the beginning of the 2012 tournament — to 68.3.

On Thursday, Brown made eight birdies to go along with a three-putt bogey on No. 16 en route to his 65.

In an ideal day for scoring, 28 players shot in the 60s on Thursday.

And Brown wasn’t the only former CSU golfer among the leaders. Parker Edens of Greeley, twice a CGA Match Play runner-up, carded a 66 and shares second place with Kurt Kitayama of Chico, Calif. Zahkai’s older brother, former Ram Zen Brown, posted a 68. And Riley Arp carded a 69.

Other Coloradans who joined the Browns and Edens in shooting 68 or better were former University of Colorado golfers David Oraee of Greeley and Derek Fribbs of Castle Rock (68), current Buff Ethan Freeman of Denver (68), incoming Buff Ross Macdonald of Castle Rock (68), Tom Whitney of Fort Collins (68), and amateurs Connor Klein of Lone Tree and Tanner Jenson of Parker (68).

“The golf course was there for the taking in terms of rewarding quality shots,” said Notah Begay, the biggest name in the field, having won four times on the PGA Tour. “You had to be in the fairway to get close to the hole, and that’s the way it should be. You want to identify a champion who’s hitting good shots and making putts and scrambling when they need to.”

Begay, competing in his first multi-day tournament in “over a year,” opened with a 73.

“I played rusty,” said the NBC/Golf Channel analyst. “I made a couple of careless mistakes. You make mistakes every day, but it was just stuff if I had a few tournaments under my belt I definitely wouldn’t have made.”

So why did Begay pick the Colorado Open as a tournament in which to knock off the rust?

“This fit really well in the calendar,” he said. “I know they run a great event. And I’m kind of partial to supporting organizations such as HealthOne. I’ve had a heart attack (last year) and I know the importance of some of the cardiac treatment protocols that these hospitals are developing. (HealthOne has) been identified as one of the top facilities in America. There were a lot of positives to be here.”

And Tiger Woods, Begay’s friend and former Stanford teammate, recommended it after the two were playing golf together on a semi-regular basis in the spring.

“Tiger is part of the reason why I’m here,” Begay said. “He encouraged me to play a little this summer because I was playing OK. You can thank Tiger Woods for me being here.”

Notable: Barry Milstead of Castle Rock made a hole-in-one with a 9-iron at the 172-yard 13th hole on Sunday. It was the fourth ace for the Valley Country Club head professional, who shot a 76. … Champions Tour player Doug Rohrbaugh, winner of the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, caddied for son Tristan on Thursday, having landed just 90 minutes before Tristan’s tee time after returning from Great Britain after trying to qualifying for this week’s Senior British Open. Tristan Rohrbaugh, winner of the CGA Western Chapter Championship on Sunday, shot a 74 on Thursday. … Coloradan Steve “Pepsi” Hale, regular PGA Tour caddie for Keegan Bradley, is caddying at the Colorado Open for Scotland’s Jimmy Gunn, who finished 27th in this year’s U.S. Open. Gunn fired a 69 on Thursday.

For scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.