Also scheduled to compete are Broncos Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway, who will be making his fourth Senior Open appearance, and 10 former CSO champions.

Here’s the rundown of longtime tour players who have committed to the 19th Colorado Senior Open:

— Guy Boros (253 PGA Tour starts, with one win; 32 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Jim Carter (461 PGA Tour starts, with one win; 70 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Keith Clearwater (411 PGA Tour starts, with two wins; 36 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Former University of Northern Colorado athlete R.W. Eaks (77 PGA Tour starts; 176 PGA Tour Champions starts, with four wins)

— Donnie Hammond (497 PGA Tour stars, with two wins; 36 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— Skip Kendall (423 PGA Tour starts; 36 PGA Tour Champions starts)

— John Riegger (224 PGA Tour starts; 67 PGA Tour Champions starts, with one win)

— Larry Rinker (525 PGA Tour starts; 2 PGA Tour Champions starts)

Add it up and for those eight players, that’s 2,871 PGA Tour starts with six victories, and 419 PGA Tour Champions starts with five wins.

In addition, 2017 CSO winner Jeff Gallagher played in 134 PGA Tour events in his career, and many others in the field have competed in some major tour tournaments in their careers.

As for Elway, in addition to his Senior Open appearances, he’s competed in four CoBank Colorado Opens, making one cut.

His Senior Open finishes have been 52nd in 2010, 19th in 2014 and 29th in 2016. In those last two events, he placed second among amateurs.

A lifelong golf amateur, Elway has placed in the top 10 14 times in the nationally televised American Century Championships celebrity tournament in the Lake Tahoe area. He and Tom Hart won the 2009 Trans-Miss Four-Ball at Cherry Hills Country Club and tied for second in the 2010 CGA Four-Ball.

Elway is scheduled to tee off at 1 p.m. on Wednesday off No. 10 and at 8:05 a.m. on Thursday off No. 1. Fans are welcome and admission is free.

As for former CSO champions entered, besides Eaks and Gallagher, there’s Bill Loeffler, Doug Rohrbaugh, Mike Zaremba, Dave Arbuckle, Perry Arthur, Greg Bruckner (a two-time champ), John Ross and Ron Schroeder. Rohrbaugh played in last week’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and on Monday he earned medalist honors in U.S. Senior Open qualifying at The Broadmoor.

The low pro in this week’s tournament will earn $8,500.

For Wednesday and Thursday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.

For more information on the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE. 

Consider this an “on” year.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (pictured) is scheduled to be in the field for next week’s CoBank Colorado Senior Open, set for June 1-3 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).

It will be Elway’s third appearance in the Colorado Senior Open as he finished 52nd in 2010 and 19th (and second among amateurs) in 2014. He’s also competed in the now-CoBank Colorado Open four times.

But this time, of course, he’ll be coming off helping build the Broncos team that won the Super Bowl in February.

Elway, who will turn 56 next month, is certainly no stranger to competitive golf, having played in all 26 nationally televised American Century Championships held in Stateline, Nev. He’s finished in the top 10 there 13 times.

Elway will tee off at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1 and at 8:40 a.m. on Thursday, June 2.

Also signed up to play in the 17th Colorado Senior Open are five-time PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards, four-time PGA Tour Champions winner R.W. Eaks, a Colorado Springs native who won the Senior Open in 2011, and PGA Tour vetern Larry Rinker.

Likewise in the field are defending and two-time champion Greg Bruckner of Phoenix and 2013 CSO winner Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, the only Colorado resident to claim the title since 2009.

The Senior Open will feature a $50,000 purse, with $8,500 going to the winner (or the low pro). Admission to the tournament is free.

For tee times for the Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

The Champions Tour season begins on Friday, and never before have there been so many players with strong Colorado connections competing on the circuit as there will be in 2015.

Up first on the schedule is the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii, where the 40-player field will include Centennial State locals Hale Irwin, Craig Stadler, Mark Wiebe and Esteban Toledo.

All told, there’s a good chance that 10 competitors with major ties to Colorado will play at some point during the Champions Tour season, which ends in November. That number has been — or will be — bolstered by Doug Rohrbaugh (pictured above) of Carbondale earning conditional status through Q-school and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe becoming eligible for the tour on Aug. 1 when he turns 50.

The 10 locals account for a remarkable 68 Champions wins — with former University of Colorado athlete Irwin holding the tour’s all-time record with 45 — and 48 victories on the PGA Tour.

Here’s an alphabetical rundown on the “locals” on the Champions Tour.

R.W. Eaks (Colorado Springs native and attended UNC, 4 Champions Tour wins and 3 Web.com victories) — Eaks, now 62, only played in one Champions Tour event in 2014, finishing 64th in the Quebec Championship. But the 2011 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion has made a nice living on the Champions circuit, having won nearly $4.7 million.

Gary Hallberg (Castle Rock resident, 1 Champions Tour victory, 3 PGA Tour wins and 1 Web.com victory) — Hallberg hasn’t always been exempt on the Champions Tour — and he won’t be in 2015 either — but he’s managed to play in more than 20 events each of the last four years after winning his one and only Champions tournament in 2010. However, the $262,310 he earned in 2014 was his lowest total since 2009.

Hale Irwin (Grew up in Boulder and CU graduate and Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, 20 PGA Tour wins and record 45 Champions Tour victories) — The World Golf Hall of Famer will turn 70 years old in June, but he continues to have his moments on the Champions Tour. While Irwin hasn’t won since he captured the title in the 2007 MasterCard Championship in Hawaii, he’s recorded 15 top-10s in the last six seasons. The last of those came in August, when placed ninth in 3M Championship for his 210th Champions Tour top-10. He bettered his age in all three rounds at that event, marking the first time that’s happened for a Champions Tour player since 2009. (Irwin is pictured above with granddaughter Tatum.)

Brandt Jobe (Kent Denver High School graduate and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 0 PGA Tour wins) — Jobe hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since 2013 — having undergone shoulder surgery in November of that year — but that will probably change soon as he has 10 events remaining on a medical extension. And the four-time PGA Tour runner-up could get a new career start when he turns 50 on Aug. 1 and becomes eligible for the Champions circuit. Jobe did show he still has some talent by finishing second in a Web.com Tour event in August.

Steve Jones (Grew up in Yuma and former CU golfer and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 8 PGA Tour wins, 0 Champions Tour victories) — The 56-year-old Jones, who got a late start as a Champions Tour players because of major elbow problems, has yet to score a top-10 on the circuit in 48 starts. Without exempt status, he’s been limited to between 10-15 starts a year as a Champions player. A 40th-place showing was the 1996 U.S. Open champ’s best in 2014.

Mike Reid (former Cherry Creek High School golfer, 2 PGA Tour wins and 2 Champions Tour victories) — The 60-year-old played in 21 events last season, but managed just two top-30 showings in non-team events. Reid hasn’t surpassed $200,000 in season-long earnings since 2010.

Doug Rohrbaugh (Carbondale resident) — Rohrbaugh, the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion, will be a Champions Tour rookie in 2015. He earned the final conditional spot at the Q-school finals, meaning he probably won’t get a lot of starts. But it’s nevertheless a step up into the big time for Rohrbaugh, winner of the 2013 and ’14 Colorado PGA Professional Championships.

Craig Stadler (Evergreen resident, 13 PGA Tour wins and 9 Champions Tour victories) — Stadler had a rough season in 2014 after in 2013 winning on the Champions circuit for the first time in almost nine years — a record gap for the tour. His best showing last year in a non-team event as a 25th-place performance. The $156,137 Stadler won in 2014 was the second-lowest total of his 12-year Champions career.

Esteban Toledo (onetime Castle Rock resident, 2 Champions Tour victories and 1 Nationwide Tour win) — Toledo, who once lived in Castle Pines, had a very good 2014 after a stellar 2013, when he won twice as a Champions Tour rookie. He finished 27th on the season-long money list last year after placing 12th — with $1.27 million — in 2013. Toledo notched two top-four finishes in 2014.

Mark Wiebe (Aurora resident and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, 2 PGA Tour wins and 5 Champions Tour victories) — Wiebe’s performance level fell off in a major way in 2014 primarily due to injury/ailments. Wiebe won twice in 2013 — including the Senior British Open — compared to nothing better than 40th place in a non-team event in 2014. He went from $803,025 in earnings in 2013 to $62,189 last year. After having finished in the top 30 on the money list for six straight seasons, he dropped to 98th in 2014.
 

Champions have come from California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Arkansas, Minnesota and Texas.

There have been winners from Colorado, too, but perhaps not as many as you’d expect. Three professionals based in the state — Mike Zaremba (2005), Dave Arbuckle (2007) and Bill Loeffler (2009) — have earned the trophy, along with part-time Coloradan John Olive, an amateur who won in 1999.

But given how the leaderboard stands going into the final round this year, there’s a good chance Colorado professionals will add to their victory total on Friday.

Out of the top six players after two rounds at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, four are Colorado PGA members. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club, maintained a large lead despite a very windy second day of the $50,000 tournament.

Despite making four bogeys in six holes on the back nine Thursday, Rohrbaugh (pictured) will take a four-stroke lead into Friday’s final round. He finished with a birdie Thursday to shoot a 2-over-par 74, good for a 5-under 139 total.

“There’s pride in (club professionals) winning because there’s guys here who only play full-time,” Rohrbaugh said. “That’s all they do. It would be nice if you can beat them. That feels pretty good for guys working. It’s hard for me. I haven’t played much competition this year at all. I’ve played two or three pro-ams. That’s it.”

Though Rohrbaugh’s closest pursuer is four back, he has a formidable resume. Colorado Springs native R.W. Eaks has won four Champions Tour events in his career and captured the 2011 Colorado Senior Open title.

Especially if there’s more wind on Friday, Rohrbaugh knows the final round will be anything but a walk in the park.

“You never feel comfortable,” said the 51-year-old, who qualified for the 2012 U.S. Senior Open. “If it were to blow like this tomorrow, nothing is safe. It’s just not.”

Eaks shot an even-par 72 on Thursday morning to stand at 143. If Rohrbaugh and/or Eaks plays well in the final round, it could be a two-man race on Friday, given that the next-best players are three behind Eaks.

Tied at 146 are Ron Vlosich of Lakewood (74 Thursday), Mike Northern of Colorado Springs (74), Doug Perry of Fort Collins (73) and Gary Rusnak of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. (78). Vlosich is a five-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year, while Northern has won that award four times. Rohrbaugh was the Section’s Senior Player of the Year in 2012.

Northern was making a run at Rohrbaugh despite winds in excess of 20 mph on Thursday afternoon. The head professional at Valley Hi Golf Course was 4 under par after sinking a 25-foot eagle putt on his 11th hole, but he went 6 over on his last seven, including a double bogey on his final hole.

“I made some bad decisions,” said Northern, who’s playing in his first Colorado Senior Open. “I was making good decisions for 11 holes, then the last seven it was just bad decision-making and I didn’t get her in the house quick enough.”

The flag-stretching wind certainly didn’t help matters. It wasn’t unusual for players hitting into the wind to be using three or four clubs more than on Wednesday.

The result was that 160 — 16 over par — made the cut into the final round. A total of 61 players advanced.

The average score for Thursday was 83.24, four strokes higher than on Wednesday.

“You were going to have to make some good shots or good putts to make pars, period,” Rohrbaugh said. “That’s the toughest I’ve ever had to play that golf course. It was brutal, just brutal. There’s just no two ways about it. … So to come out of the day 2 over, I’m happy. I can’t complain.

“It’s funny how I’ve always done well in tough conditions. I’ve been around a long time like all these guys and I realize par is a good score.”

The winner Friday will receive an $8,500 check.

In the competition for low amateur, Guy Mertz of Longmont (74-78–152) is two ahead of second-place Sean Forey of Morrison (75-79–154) and Michael Mercier of Jupiter, Fla. (76-78–154).

For Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.

The head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs played as if the conditions were perfect on Wednesday, shooting a 7-under-par 65 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club and building a three-stroke lead after the first round of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open.

The score was just one shot off the single-round record for the 14th annual event, set by Charley Yandell in 2004.

“If you go back to the last 12 months, that’s the best round I’ve played by far,” the 51-year-old Rohrbaugh said. “I hit it good, I putted good, I just did everything today.”

Rohrbaugh hit 16 greens in regulation, needed just 27 putts and went bogey-free for the round. He birdied his first three holes, making a 30-foot putt on No. 10 (his first hole) and a 20-footer on No. 11. And, after the weather delay, he drained a 15-foot birdie and an 11-footer with 2 1/2 feet of break.

(Pictured above, Rohrbaugh, right, confers with rules official Rich Langston during Wednesday’s round.)

Only one other player broke 70 on Wednesday as Gary Rusnak of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., carded five birdies and a bogey en route to a 68. Colorado Springs-based professional Gregg Jones posted a 70 to stand in third place alone in the $50,000 event.

Colorado Springs native R.W. Eaks, the 2011 Senior Open champion and a four-time winner on the Champions Tour, shares fourth place at 71 with Paul Nolen of Tucson, Ariz.

Rohrbaugh, who qualified for the U.S. Senior Open last year, recently switched to a blade putter after using mallets for the last six years or so. The result was the 27-putt round, and on the two greens he missed, he sunk 4-foot par putts.

“I played at my course two days ago and from the tips I shot 69,” he said. “That’s what the doctor ordered. That’s what I needed. That was a good warmup. It gave me confidence, especially the putter. I rolled it good today.”

And Rohrbaugh said he caught a break when the rain delay came, which for him fell during his sixth hole. He had left much of his cold-weather gear in his car to start the round, and was regretting it by the time tournament officials blew the horn. But the delay gave him a chance to bring the heavy-duty stuff out for when play resumed.

“I brought it all,” he said. “I kept the mittens on — and that’s key for me. If I keep my hands warm, I can still putt.”

Rohrbaugh turned 50 — and thus became eligible for the Colorado Senior Open — not long before the 2012 tournament. But the result of his Senior Open debut wasn’t what he wanted — 15th place — which just made him all the hungrier for this year’s tournament.

“I did not play well last year so that was disappointing,” he said. “So obviously this was a goal this year. I want to play well in this.”

The top 55 golfers and ties after Thursday’s second round will make the cut and play in Friday’s final round.

For scores from the Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

“Good shot, Gramps,” University of Denver men’s golf coach Eric Hoos said after R.W. Eaks’ pitch finished within a few feet of the cup on their final hole Wednesday.

Though “Gramps” has been Eaks’ nickname for a long time, it seemed particularly appropriate in a general sense during the first round of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open.

The players at the top of the leaderboard in the 50-and-older tournament are veterans even by that age standard. Leader Jim Carson of Anaheim Hills, Calif., is 57, but second-place Tom Storey of Mesquite, Nev., is 70, and third-place R.W. Eaks (pictured) is 60.

Storey, winner of the PGA Tour’s Oklahoma City Open in 1977, shot three strokes under his age (67) Wednesday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. And Colorado Springs native Eaks, the defending champion and a winner of four Champions Tour events, posted a 68.

Carson, winner of 55 mini-tour events in his career, made seven birdies in relatively windless afternoon conditions en route to a 6-under-par 66, which gave him a one-stroke edge over Storey.

“I feel blessed to have played in such benign conditions, for sure,” said Carson, who birdied four of his first five holes. “It helped without question.”

As for Storey, shooting under his age was hardly a new experience.

“I do it every time I play unless it’s a junior event from the back tees in a tournament,” said Storey, who has finished in the top five in three Colorado Senior Opens, besides placing third twice in the Colorado Open. “If it’s just regular tees, I always break my age.”

As far as Eaks goes, after winning the Colorado Senior Open last year at age 59, he finished 11th in the Colorado Open at age 60 this summer.

“I love this golf course,” said Eaks, fresh off a 28th-place finish last week in the Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic. “It fits my eye. How can you not try to play good here? The people are so nice, it’s unbelievable.

“The Colorado Open and the Colorado Senior Open are the best state opens in the country. They’re run the best, and the golf course is great. Sure, this is a big deal to me. It’d be nice to win this again.”

After getting into just one Champions Tour event in 2011, Eaks has competed in four Champions tournaments this year. The former University of Northern Colorado basketball player and golfer hopes to get in a couple of more, then plans to go to Champions qualifying in the fall.

“I’m pretty excited about playing again,” he said. “I feel a little bit better (physically). I still can’t walk, but I feel better.”

Better, but certainly not perfect. Eaks’ knees have been a chronic problem, and he suffered a pulled groin this week. “It’s always something new — always,” he said.

Only three players joined Carson, Storey and Eaks in breaking 70 on Wednesday. Bob Niger of El Dorado Hills, Calif., Mark Balen of Orchard Park, N.Y., and Brad Britton of Fountain Hills, Ariz., fired 69s. Niger has finished second and third in the last two Colorado Senior Opens.

For Storey, Wednesday was quite a round. He holed a 5-iron from 172 yards for eagle on No. 1 — his 10th hole — and another approach shot hit the pin and yet another lipped out.

On the down side, he missed a 30-inch birdie putt on his final hole.

“The fact that one of (the long approach shots) went in made up for my three-putt and a couple others,” the three-time Nevada Open champion said. “I pretty much had an easy birdie putt on every hole. I shot pretty much what I should have shot. There wasn’t much lucky crap going on.”

Ironically, though Carson made seven birdies Wednesday, he saw his only bogey as the highlight of his round. On the par-3 17th (his eighth hole), his tee shot buried under the lip of the bunker. In fact, he had to rake the sand just to find his ball, then he had to recreate the lie.

Despite having to hit the ball almost vertical, he got it out onto the fringe, then two-putted from 60 feet for bogey.

“I was delighted with that,” Carson said. “I was pleased with the outcome because it could have been nasty. It was very daunting, but we got it done.”

Notable: Eric Hoos, the low amateur in last year’s Colorado Senior Open, is still battling shoulder problems and struggled to an 80 on Wednesday. … Another player dealing with ailments — in his case neck-related — 2009 Senior Open champion Bill Loeffler, managed a 74 after starting bogey-double bogey. … After Day 1, David Delich of Colorado Springs leads the competition for low-amateur following an even-par 72. … The field will be cut to the top 55 players and ties after Thursday’s second round.

For scores, CLICK HERE.

But R.W. Eaks (pictured) isn’t your typical 60-year-old golfer.

Despite his age, the former longtime Colorado Springs resident could very well be in the hunt at the 48th Colorado Open, which runs Thursday through Sunday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

Eaks, in the field after winning the 2011 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open at GVR, has the most impressive golf resume of anyone competing in the Colorado Open this week.

The former University of Northern Colorado athlete owns four victories on the Champions Tour — all coming in 2007 and 2008 — and three more on what is now known as the Web.com Tour.

Eaks still plays occasionally on the Champions circuit — three times this year so far and once in 2011 — but he has very limited status. That’s why he played in the Colorado Senior Open last year. And even though he spent much of his life in Colorado, his six-stroke victory in the senior tournament marked his first professional win in the Centennial State.

The set-up for the Senior Open at Green Valley Ranch isn’t what it is for the Colorado Open, but Eaks’ record 15-under-par performance over three rounds proved he certainly could be a contender this week. Because of longtime back problems, Eaks will be allowed to ride in a cart at GVR.

Meanwhile, a prominent player who missed last year’s Colorado Open is back in the field this year. Coloradan Derek Tolan, who won the Open in 2009 and was a regular participant for a decade, skipped last year’s event because he played in a conflicting tournament on the Web.com Tour.

In all, nine former Colorado Open champions are expected to play this week, including defending champ Ben Portie and former PGA Tour player Wil Collins.

The winner this week will receive an exemption in the Canadian Tour’s Great Waterway Classic in Ontario Sept. 6-9, along with the Texas State Open.

Colorado Open: All the Essentials

What: 48th annual HealthOne Colorado Open.

When: Thursday through Sunday (July 26-29).

Where: Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).

Prize Money: $125,000, with $23,000 going to the low professional.

Field Size: 156 players, with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes.

Defending Champion: Ben Portie.

Other Former Champions in Field: Nathan Lashley (2010), Derek Tolan (2009), John Douma (2007), Dustin White (2006), Wil Collins (2005), Scott Petersen (2000), Mike Zaremba (1995), Jim Blair (1983 and 1987).

Attendance: Free.

You’ve heard of win-win situations. Well, June 12 was Wiebe’s variation on that theme.

The Aurora resident and longtime tour player had the honor of being inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame on that day. But because he was competing in the final round of a Champions Tour event in Conover, N.C., that Sunday, he couldn’t attend the induction ceremonies, sending son Gunner to accept the honor on his behalf.

Not going to his Hall of Fame enshrinement at Denver Country Club turned out to be very fortuitous for Wiebe as, on the day of his induction, he won the Greater Hickory Classic, marking his first Champions Tour victory since April 2008.

Wiebe (pictured) out-dueled James Mason in a three-hole playoff to earn his third Champions win overall. It was the highlight of a year in which Wiebe finished a career-best 16th on the Champions money list.

“It’s crazy how things work,” Gunner Wiebe noted. “Being inducted and winning on the same day is pretty special.”

Mark Wiebe’s “win-win” leads our list of 2011 highlights for tour players with major Colorado ties.

Here’s the rest of the rundown:

2. Martin Laird had won a PGA Tour event before, but claiming the title in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March put the former Colorado State University golfer in a different league.

Since his first Tour win, in October 2009, Laird had had trouble adding to his title total, finishing second twice — both in playoffs — as well as third, fourth and fifth. But in the Palmer Invite, Laird closed the deal, making birdie on two of the last four holes and earning $1.08 million for the victory.

“That was a hell of a day,” Laird said afterward. “That was a tough fight out there, a battle out there, but you know, it makes it even sweeter at the end when I got this trophy.”

Laird finished 2011 a career-best 23rd on the PGA Tour money list.

3. Former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin didn’t add to his record 45 Champions Tour victories in 2011, but rarely in golf history has a player over 65 years old performed so well on one of the top tours.

Irwin, who turned 66 in early June, finished in the top 10 seven times on the Champions Tour in 2011, a record for a player his age. And his best finishes of the year — two fourth-place showings — came in Champions majors, the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championship.

The three-time U.S. Open champion shot his age twice and placed 27th on the 2011 money list, marking his best season-long performance since 2007.

4. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe lost his PGA Tour card early in 2009 and didn’t regain it until he finished sixth in Tour qualifying at the end of last year.

That time off the big Tour apparently made the Kent Denver High School graduate extra determined once he regained his card. The result was Jobe, who turned 46 this year, earned more than $1.6 million — the second-best season of his career.

Jobe’s best performance of the year came at the prestigious Memorial, where he posted the fourth runner-up finish of his Tour career, which has yet to include any wins.

5. Former CU golfer Matt Zions only recorded one top-10 finish on the European Tour this year, but he made the best of that one.

In mid-June at the Saint-Omer Open in France, the Denver resident won the tournament by seven strokes. The victory was worth 100,000 euros for the native of Australia.

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” Zions said afterward. “The last four holes I was wondering when I could start thinking about winning, and when would be too soon that it tempted fate. I had a lump in my throat a couple of times. This is a huge day. It’s hard to believe.”

6. Steve Jones didn’t win on the Champions Tour this year — in fact, he didn’t even come very close — but the fact that the former CU golfer finally returned to competitive golf was a big feat in and of itself.

The oft-sidelined 1996 U.S. Open champion hadn’t competed in a Tour-sanctioned event since August 2007, in large part because a severe case of tennis elbow. But at age 52 he rejoined the PGA Tour at the Bob Hope Classic in January. The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer missed the cut there, but made his Champions Tour debut in the spring and eventually competed in 10 official-money Champions events in 2011.

Jones’ best finish came in one of the major championships as he placed 16th in the Senior British Open.

7. Longtime Coloradan Kelly Jacques made her first cut ever on the LPGA Futures Tour in 2011 — she made three, in fact — but that wasn’t the main reason the year was memorable in a professional sense.

The two-time Colorado state high school champion will remember 2011 as the year she was chosen to compete on Golf Channel’s “Big Break Ireland”, where $50,000 in cash and a couple of significant tournament exemptions were on the line for the winner among the 12 contestants.

Alas, Jacques was eliminated in episode 4 of the show, in an “elimination challenge” against Mallory Blackwelder, daughter of former LPGA Rookie of the Year Myra Blackwelder.

“I had a great run here,” Jacques said of the popular Golf Channel program. “I had an absolute blast.”

8. Colorado Springs native R.W. Eaks has won four Champions Tour events over the years, but managed to get in just one Champions tournament in 2011.

That wasn’t the highlight of his year, but his victory in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open probably was. Though he lived in the state for decades and is an outstanding player, the Senior Open marked Eaks’ first professional victory in Colorado.

And for good measure, Eaks set the Colorado Senior Open scoring record in the process with a 15-under-par 201 total. It marked his first tournament victory of any sort since 2008.

9. Former University of Denver golfer Stephanie Sherlock posted one top-20 finish and ended up 101st on the money list in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour.

But just as important, Sherlock didn’t end up being a one-and-done player on the LPGA Tour. Though she didn’t finish high enough on the money list to keep her card, she regained her playing privileges by finishing 20th in the finals of LPGA qualifying earlier this month.

This week proved to be a blast from the past for R.W. Eaks and Eric Hoos.

From the mid-1980s to the mid-90s, the two traveled together regularly as mini-tour players, then on the Ben Hogan and Nike Tours, the predecessors of the current-day Nationwide Tour. And both enjoyed some success on that circuit in the 1990s, with Eaks winning three times and Hoos once.

Lots of water has passed under the bridge since then, but on Friday, they competed in the same tournament, and both earned trophies.

Eaks, a Colorado Springs native, captured the overall title at the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, marking his first professional victory in Colorado. And Hoos, a reinstated amateur and the longtime men’s golf coach at the University of Denver, grabbed low-amateur honors and finished seventh overall at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

“When I heard (Eaks) was playing, I came out Tuesday after work and played about seven holes (in a practice round) with him,” said Hoos (pictured above at left with Eaks). “It was kind of like old times. It was fun. It showed me how much I miss playing, seeing Bobby and playing in a tournament and that kind of stuff.”

Both golfers are at far different times in their lives nowadays, but they proved this week that they’ve still got some game.

Eaks, who won four Champions Tour events in 2007 and 2008, not only captured the Senior Open title, but he broke the tournament’s scoring record.

The former University of Northern Colorado basketball and golf standout shot his second consecutive 6-under-par 66 and finished at 15-under 201 on Friday. That was two strokes better than the previous record for the tournament, a 13-under 203 set by Dave Arbuckle in 2007. And Eaks’ six-stroke victory matched the largest margin in Senior Open history.

Jim Kane of Edmond, Okla., holed out a 192-yard shot for eagle on the par-4 11th hole Friday, but couldn’t get any closer to Eaks than three shots on the back nine. His final-round 70 left him a distant second at 207. Perry Holmes of Denver (70-209) and Bob Niger of El Dorado Hills, Calif. (67-209) tied for third place.

The 59-year-old Eaks (pictured at left), who now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., earned $8,500 for the victory.

“This is my first professional win in Colorado, so it’s huge for me,” said Eaks, who lived in the state until 1990. “But I haven’t played in that much stuff here.”

When Eaks was playing full-time on the Nationwide or Champions Tour, he intentionally avoided competing in events such as the Colorado Open or Colorado Senior Open because he didn’t think it was fair to the regulars in such tournaments. But now that he is no longer playing regularly on the Champions circuit — and is trying to see if he can get his game ready for another possible run at Champions qualifying school — the Colorado Senior Open was a good spot to test himself.

And Eaks took that more seriously than you might imagine. He certainly was trying to win the Colorado Senior Open, but he wanted to be challenged in the process. And the fact that he was six strokes ahead with nine holes left wasn’t ideal in that regard, but what happened at the beginning of the back nine changed that a little.

Eaks bogeyed No. 10 after hitting his tee shot into a divot, then Kane drained his 192-yard approach on No. 11 with a 6-iron, quickly cutting the margin to three shots.

On Kane’s eagle, “You can’t see (the pin where it was situated) from the fairway,” the Oklahoman said. Playing partner Mark Balen “and I were right next to each other, and when I hit it, I said, ‘That’s as good as I’ve got.’ Unbeknownst, it went it. That was fun.”

And it was fun for Eaks in a different respect.

“I kind of fell asleep because I had a six-shot lead,” he said. “When (Kane) made that eagle it kind of woke me up a little bit because I was kind of coasting. It helped me more than you probably realize. I was kind of loafing. The whole idea of me playing is to get my game back in shape. I really needed the pressure back on me to see how well I could play coming in. So it worked out more for my benefit than it would if I would have (kept winning) by six or seven or something.”

After both Eaks and Kane birdied No. 12, Kane missed a 5-foot birdie putt on 13 and a 7-footer on 14, “and that was kind of it right there,” he said.

Eaks pulled away with birdies on Nos. 14, 17 and 18 — three of his eight birdies on the day.

“It was great playing with R.W.; he’s a fantastic player, a great guy,” Kane said. “He’s a well-deserving champion. He played awesome.”

The win was Eaks’ first since his last Champions Tour victory in 2008.

“I think there’s more pressure on me to win this thing than anyone else,” he said. “So that helps, knowing that I can do it again. It’s hard to come back and win. I still kind of feel funny coming back and playing, but I haven’t been doing anything, so what the heck.”

Meanwhile, five-time PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards (pictured at left) captured the super-senior title for players 60 and older as his final-day 70 left him at 211.

For his part, Hoos, competing in his first Colorado Senior Open, earned low-amateur honors at 212 after making five consecutive birdies en route to a 68 Friday. Considering it’s been a very long while since he played three straight days of tournament golf — mainly due to a bad back — it was a very satisfying result. Hoos finished 11 strokes ahead of second-place amateur Harry Johnson of Vail.

“It’s the first (multi-day) tournament I’ve played in a long time,” Hoos said. “So it means a lot. (Low amateur) was all I was thinking about. I couldn’t catch Eaks, so I had to look for something else to keep me going — and that was being low amateur. So I’m very proud of it.”

A year after Colorado players were completely shut out of the top 10 in the Senior Open, Holmes (third) and Hoos (seventh) made the grade this time.

“I’m real pleased with third; I’ll certainly take it,” said Holmes, winner of the 2008 Colorado PGA Professional Championship. Holmes made just one bogey in the last two rounds in posting his first Colorado Senior Open top 10.

For HealthOne Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.

He has a state title to his credit — but in basketball, not golf, as he helped Mitchell claim a 1971 Colorado high school championship on the hardwood. He went on to score more than 1,000 points in his UNC basketball career in the early and mid-1970s, and he’s now a member of the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

It was long after Eaks’ days of living in Colorado that he made a big-time name for himself in golf. He won three times in the 1990s on what is now known as the Nationwide Tour and four times on the Champions Tour in 2007 and 2008.

But this week, at age 59, Eaks (pictured) may be on the verge of his big Colorado golf breakthrough. He shot a 6-under-par 66 Thursday and will take a two-stroke lead into Friday’s final round of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

“Oh yeah, I’d like to win this thing,” said Eaks, who stands at 9-under-par 135. “It would be nice to finally win something in Colorado. I don’t think I’ve ever won anything in Colorado before.”

First-round leader Jim Kane of Edmond, Okla., fresh off a top-10 finish in the open division of the Oklahoma Open, birdied four of his last seven holes on Thursday — making five straight 3s in the process — to card a 69, which leaves him at 137 overall. Perry Holmes of Denver (67-139), who eagled a par-4 Thursday, and Mark Balen of Orchard Park, N.Y. (65-139) are third, while 2001 champion Greg Harmon of Mesa, Ariz. (71-140) is fifth.

Danny Edwards, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, remained on the leaderboard as a 71 on Thursday put him at 141.

Eaks, who now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., made seven birdies while his only bogey came on a three-putt on his 17th hole Thursday.

“I was very happy with my round,” he said. “I made a few more putts today. It’s probably one of my better rounds (in competition this year). I shot in the 60s a couple of days (last week also), so it’s coming around.”

Holmes, winner of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship in 2008, knows it won’t be easy to make up four shots or more on a veteran tour player like Eaks, but he certainly hasn’t given up hope.

“He’s probably not going to choke it up,” Holmes said of Eaks. “But it could be more pressure on him.”

Eaks, winner of more than $4.6 million in his Champions Tour career, is using the Colorado Senior Open and other late-summer tournaments to help determine whether he’ll return to the Champions Tour qualifying event this fall.

One of the reasons Eaks hasn’t had much golf success in Colorado is that he’s seldom competed in the state since hitting the peak years of his career.

“I never played in any of these (state open-type tournaments) when I was on the Champions Tour or the regular tour because I didn’t think it was right,” he said. “I didn’t like it when the big boys would come down when I was playing, so I tried to stay away while I was playing full-time.”

Eaks is looking for his first tournament victory since his last Champions Tour win in 2008.

“Everything seems to be pretty well in order, but we’ll see how it goes tomorrow,” he said. “You never know how the nerves and stuff are going to be, no matter what you’re playing in.”

A year after no Coloradans finished in the top 10 in the Senior Open, Holmes still has a shot at the title. The highlight of his bogey-free round Thursday was an eagle on the par-4 fourth hole, where he holed a wedge shot from 50 yards. He followed that with a near-gimme birdie on No. 7, and added birdies on 9 and 11. All told, he hit 17 greens in regulation and got up and down on the one he missed.

“I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing — fairways and greens,” said Holmes, a 52-year-old teaching professional at the soon-to-close Green Gables Country Club as well as at Coal Creek Golf Course.

Other Coloradans in the top 10 are Eric Hoos of Denver, David Brown of Lafayette and Rick DeWitt of Arvada, all of whom share ninth place at even-par 144.

Notable: University of Denver men’s golf coach Eric Hoos and David Brown remain tied for low-amateur honors as each has fired 71-73 for even-par 144 totals. … A total of 56 players made the cut by being 8 over par or better after 36 holes. … Greg Harmon, the 2001 Senior Open champion, is the leader of the super-senior division for players 60 and older. He’s at 4-under-par 140, one stroke ahead of fellow 60-year-old Danny Edwards, a five-time PGA Tour champion. Harmon is the Colorado Senior Open’s all-time money leader with $24,582. … The total purse up for grabs Friday will be $50,000, with $8,500 going to the low professional. … Tee times for Friday’s final round will start at 7:30 a.m., with the leaders starting at 10:30 a.m.

For HealthOne Colorado Senior Open scores, CLICK HERE.