Blows were struck for senior golfers — once again — and for women on Wednesday in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship.

In the first major tournament hosted by TPC Colorado in Berthoud, a player in his 50s won the Section title for an amazing fifth time in the last six years.

And for the first time in the history of the event, a woman — actually two of them in this case — qualified for the national PGA Professional Championship.

Yes, it was an eventful day at the Colorado PGA’s biggest tournament of the year.

Patrick Reidy, a 52-year-old who has worked at Inverness Golf Club since he was 14, rebounded from a triple-bogey 8 on the 722-yard 13th hole — yes, you read that right — by playing his final five holes in 1 under par. That earned him the biggest victory of his career, and the $8,500 that goes with it.

“Other than playing golf at (the University of Colorado in the mid-1980s), this is hands down the greatest thing I’ve ever accomplished in my golfing career,” the left-hander said. “It’s great, seriously. It’s unexpected to be even having this conversation to be honest with you.

“To actually hold this (trophy) right now is absolutely crazy. It’s bringing tears to my eyes.”

Reidy (above and left) is just the most recent of the senior set to claim this title in recent years. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale won three straight from 2013 through ’15 — when he was 51, 52 and 53 years old — and John Ogden prevailed last year at age 50. That means that Geoff Keffer (2016) is the only player under 50 to win the Colorado PGA Professional Championship in the last six times the tournament has been contested.

“It shows how strong our seniors are in this Section,” said Rohrbaugh, who tied for second on Wednesday with, among others, 55-year-old Sherry Andonian-Smith of Valley Country Club. “I’d take our top 10 seniors against the top 10 of any Section in the country. The results speak to that.”

The women competing this week made a statement as well. As noted, Andonian-Smith shared second place overall, while two-time Colorado PGA Women’s Champion Alexandra Braga of Denver Country Club tied for sixth place despite playing her last three holes in 3 over par.

With the top eight finishers on Wednesday earning spots in the national PGA Professional Championship, set for April 28-May 1 in Bluffton, S.C., both Andonian-Smith and Braga will be packing their bags. According to Colorado PGA executive director Eddie Ainsworth, it’ll be the first time a woman from the Colorado Section has advanced to the national tournament.

“I’ve been trying to do it since I’ve been a Colorado PGA member — so eight years — and I’ve been close a couple of times, so it’s great to get it done,” said Andonian-Smith, (left) who earlier this year qualified and played in the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

Joining Andonian-Smith and Braga (below) in earning berths to the national event were Reidy, Rohrbaugh, Dustin Miller and Eric Bradley from Black Bear Golf Club, Remington Post of Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks and 2012 Section champion Caine Fitzgerald of Meadow Hills.

Reidy birdied the final hole from 5 feet on Wednesday to give himself a two-stroke victory in the Section championship with a 1-over-par 217 total for three rounds. Sharing runner-up honors at 219 with Andonian-Smith (73 Wednesday) and Rohrbaugh (74) were Miller (75) and Post (80).

Braga, Fitzgerald and Bradley tied for sixth place at 221.

That Reidy ended up with the title left him a bit dumbfounded.

“I don’t know what to tell you honestly,” said Reidy, who has spent all 27 years of his PGA professional career at Inverness. “This is a complete shock.

“I win a pro-am here and there, but I don’t win anything big. Things were going well this week. A couple of putts went in. I don’t putt great, but putts went in this week. It was fun.”

As for extending that remarkable streak of 50-somethings winning this event, Reidy said, “John Ogden inspired me last year. To see Doug Rohrbaugh do what he does, that’s inspiring. It’s so comforting to see guys that can sustain their career and compete at this level. It’s such a great Section to be part of.”

Aside from his snowman on the 722-yard 13th hole, Reidy played a very strong final round on a course that measured 7,437 yards for the male competitors. On that 13th hole, he put his third shot in the bunker, failed to get it out, then after he did, he three-putt for triple bogey.

But Reidy birdied the previous hole from 5 feet and No. 18 from the same distance. And he missed three other birdie attempts inside of 15 feet in the final five holes. In the end, he seemed to hit it better than his 74 indicated.

“I could have given up right there (after No. 13),” he said. “But I came off that hole and I said, ‘Let’s man up and see what you’ve got and go do it.’ I hit great shots all the way coming in.

“I can do more mental damage to myself than anybody on the planet. Today I got out of my own way.”

However it happened, the victory left a big smile on the face of a guy who endured more than his share of adversity at a young age. His dad died when Patrick was 16, and the younger Reidy lost sight in his left eye for several years after a racquetball accident during his college days.

But Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tom Babb, a fixture as the director of golf at Inverness from 1973 to 2000, hired Reidy at the club when he was 14 and mentored him throughout his younger days.

“My dad passed away when I was 16 years old and Tom Babb was there more for me more than any other person on the planet,” Reidy said. “At 16 years old, you’re going through a tough time. I started working for Tom when I was 14. It changed my life and my golfing career.

“Tom is rolling over in his grave right now, laughing his (butt) off.”

Meanwhile, some of the runner-ups on Wednesday were left wondering, “What if?”

Miller, who eagled two of his first three holes, was in great shape to win until playing his first five holes of the back nine in 6 over par. Post, meanwhile, was riding high until playing his final 10 holes in 7 over. And Rohrbaugh (left), the Colorado PGA Player of the Year points leader, had his sights set on his fourth title until making double bogeys on 14 and 18. On the par-4 final hole, he was 40 yards from the hole in two, but caught his wedge thin and his ball flew into the back bunker and he couldn’t get it up and down.

“It’s just disappointing, very disappointing,” he said. “I played really solid all day until (the two doubles). … I just had one goal: Win. It’s real disappointing because usually when I’m in the hunt, that’s when I’m at my best. I don’t really fold typically.”

TPC Colorado, which just within the last couple of weeks started allowing some public play, is expected to host a Web.com Tour event next summer as part of a five-year contract. But the 2019 Web.com Tour schedule has yet to be released.

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 10-12, 2018 (final) at Par-72 TPC Colorado in Berthoud
ADVANCE TO NATIONAL PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Patrick Reidy, Inverness 71-72-74–217
T2. Sherry Andonian-Smith, Valley 78-68-73–219
T2. Doug Rohrbaugh, Carbondale 75-70-74–219
T2. Dustin Miller, Black Bear 71-73-75–219
T2. Remington Post, Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks 70-69-80–219
T6. Alexandra Braga, Denver CC 69-75-77–221
T6. Eric Bradley, Black Bear 72-74-75–221
T6. Caine Fitzgerald, Meado Hills 72-74-75–221
ALSO
T9. Mike Zaremba, Desert Hawk 74-73-75–222
T9. Doug Wherry, Jake’s Academy 76-74-72–222
T9. Jordan Gibbs, Denver CC 73-71-78–222

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Though he completed just 15 holes on Tuesday before play was suspended due to darkness following weather delays, Remington Post of Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks held a four-stroke lead and is one of just two players under par through two days.

Post, a 33-year-old from Dillon, carded a 4-under 32 on the front nine and was 3 under through 15. That left him at 5 under par overall with 21 holes left to play in the tournament.

Patrick Reidy of Inverness Golf Club, a 52-year-old from Littleton, holds second place after rounds of 71-72 left him with a 1-under 143 total. He made three birdies and three bogeys in Tuesday’s second round.

First-round leader Alexandra Braga of Denver Country Club, winner of two Colorado PGA Women’s Championships, trails by five after a 75 on Tuesday. She was even-par for the day through 10 holes, but bogeyed three of her final eight. Joining her at 144 were fellow Denver Country Club professional Jordan Gibbs and Dustin Miller of Black Bear Golf Club, who carded a 71 and a 73 on Tuesday, respectively.

Meanwhile, three-time champion Doug Rohrbaugh eagled the par-4 sixth hole and posted a 2-under 70 on Tuesday to move into sixth place at 145. Also 1 over par overall is Vince Buelk of Collindale — in his case through 33 holes.

Braga isn’t the only prominent women’s player from the Section on the leaderboard. Sherry Andonian-Smith shares eighth place at 146 total after a 68 on Tuesday, which is the lowest round so far in the championship.

Joining Andonian-Smith in a tie for eighth place are past champions Caine Fitzgerald (74) and Chris Johnson (73), along with Eric Bradley (74).

TPC Colorado, a new Arthur Schaupeter-designed Scottish links-style course, is hosting its first major tournament this week.

After the final four groups complete round 2 on Wednesday morning, the field will be cut roughly in half after 36 holes, then pairings will be set for Wednesday’s final round.

The top eight finishers on Wednesday will advance to the 2019 PGA Professional Championship, set for April 28-May 1 in Bluffton, S.C.

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 10-12, 2018 at Par-72 TPC Colorado in Berthoud
Leaders
Remington Post 70-(-3 through 15 holes in round 2)
Patrick Reidy 71-72–143
Alexandra Braga 69-75–144
Dustin Miller 71-73–144
Jordan Gibbs 73-71–144
Doug Rohrbaugh 75-70–145
Vince Buelk 75-(-2 through 15 holes of round 2)
Sherry Andonian-Smith 78-68–146
Eric Bradley 72-74–146
Caine Fitzgerald 72-74–146
Chris Johnson 73-73–146

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Northern, a PGA Life Member from Colorado Springs, made six birdies and one bogey on Monday, while Lobato (pictured) eagled the 17th hole to go with four birdies and a bogey.

On a day when 15 players posted sub-par rounds — including defending champion Dale Smigelsky of Collindale Golf Club (71) — Patrick Reidy of Inverness Golf Club holds third place at 68 in a round which featured both an eagle and a double bogey.

The top seven finishers, plus 2007 national champion Bill Loeffler, will earn spots in the 2016 Senior PGA Professional Championship, set for Nov. 17- 20 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

The Colorado championship will conclude after Tuesday’s second round.

Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship
Aug. 15-16, 2016 at Par-72 Indian Peaks GC in Lafayette
Top 10 on Leaderboard — 1. (tie) Mike Northern and Paul Lobato 67; 3. Patrick Reidy 68; 4. (tie) Steve Crane, Vance Pollock, Ken Krieger and Jeff Hanson 69; 8. Doug Wherry 70; 9. (tie) Craig Stephens, Rick Cole, Dale Smigelsky, Gregg Jones, David Arbuckle, Bill Hancock and Shawn Wilcox 71. For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

It was an eventful opening round Wednesday in the Colorado Senior Open, the first day of competition with CoBank as the the title sponsor of the Colorado Open championships:

— Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway (left) was known as the king of the comebacks during his playing days, and Wednesday apparently that carried over to his golf. The Broncos general manager hit a low liner into a hazard off the heel of his driver on his first tee shot at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club and needed to make a 7-foot putt for a double bogey.

“I don’t know what happened there. I haven’t done that for a while,” he said later.

But he immediately bounced back with two consecutive birdies and ended up shooting an even-par 72. He received a very good break on the 18th hole when his second shot on the par-5 hit a 6-inch-wide wooden crossbar bordering a hazard and his ball stayed in play. After a stellar third shot off an awkward lie, he left his 12-foot birdie attempt just short, making par.

“I haven’t been playing as much as I’d like, so the expectations weren’t real high,” said Elway, who placed 19th in the Colorado Senior Open two years ago. “I haven’t played as much as normal. The weather hasn’t been great, so I haven’t been able to practice, and I like to practice. So I was really happy to get in at even.”

— Three players who between them have competed in 1,349 PGA Tour events were in the field, with 58-year-old Larry Rinker gaining a share of the lead at 5-under-par 67. Two-time PGA Tour winner Keith Clearwater posted a 69 in his first round at GVR, and five-time PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards shot a 75.

Rinker serves as the director of instruction at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott during the summer, hosts a Sirius XM radio show on weekends, and said this will be his only three-day (or more) tournament this year.

“It’s fun to do what I did today,” he said of the bogey-free round. “It’s been a while since I’ve done something like this. If I do what I did today more often, I might be tempted (to compete more).”

Rinker finished 45th at the Senior Open last year.

— A winner of three Colorado Opens and the 2009 Colorado Senior Open was on the golf course Wednesday — but just as a caddie. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler (left) looped for amateur Tom Krystyn of Denver, who shot a 72. Loeffler underwent back surgery earlier this year and thus couldn’t compete. He anticipates being able to play again sometime next month.

— Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, who finished first and second in his last two Colorado Senior Opens before skipping last year’s tournament to compete in a PGA Tour Champions event, picked up pretty much where he left off, shooting a 3-under-par 69 on Wednesday.

“You always miss playing in tournaments where you know everybody and all your friends,” said Rohrbaugh, winner of the last three Colorado PGA Professional Championships. “I like this golf course. I’ve been looking forward to this. This is my first event of the year — not (counting) a one-day pro-am or something. I’ve been anxious. I’ve been practicing getting ready for this because I want to do it again (win). I’m hitting it good right now.”

— Then, of course, there were the guys who vaulted to the top of the leaderboard after Wednesday. Sharing the top spot with Rinker at 67 after round 1 was Ben Sauls of Austin, Texas, who said he’s won more than 100 titles on various mini-tours during his career.

“I’ve had a lot of success on mini-tours, but I’m ready to graduate. I would like to,” said the 56-year-old Sauls, who played his first competitive round at GVR on Wednesday.

Patrick Reidy (left) of Lone Tree, fresh off becoming eligible by turning 50 in March, shot a 68 in the first group off Wednesday morning and is tied for third place with Steve Jurgensen of Houston, who played on the PGA Tour for three years and is a newcomer to GVR.

Reidy admitted he hadn’t been playing well, but he posted the 68 despite taking a double bogey on arguably the easiest hole on the course, the 326-yard, par-4 fourth.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “I’m a box of chocolates. I don’t know who’s showing up (day to day), so we’ll see tomorrow. I have the capability; it’s just a matter of getting it done. That’s all it is. It’s just about confidence.”

Reidy, who instructs at Inverness Golf Club and does some technology consulting, finished the day with seven birdies, including one at the 18th hole, where he drained a 22-foot putt.

On a day that lift, clean and place rules were in effect after about a half-inch of rain fell very early Wednesday morning at GVR, 24 players broke par.

Notable: Former champion R.W. Eaks, a four-time winner on PGA Tour Champions, withdrew on Tuesday, citing an injury. … The chief rules official for the Colorado Senior Open is a familiar face to many in Colorado golf: Rich Langston. Langston moved to Bartlesville, Okla., late last year after a 23-year run as a highly respected volunteer rules official based in Colorado. Langston also plans to officiate at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship in September. … The field will be cut to the low 55 players and ties after 36 holes on Thursday. … The low amateur after the first round is Randy Reeves of Lubbock, Texas, who carded a 2-under-par 70. Elway shares second place among the amateurs at 72.

For all the Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.