Mike Zaremba wasn’t far from shooting his age on Thursday afternoon, which would have been no small feat given how much the wind was blowing at the CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

As it was, the 64-year-old accomplished plenty as it was, shooting a 6-under-par 66 in difficult afternoon conditions at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. The score was the best of the day, leaving the Pueblo West resident at 8-under-par 136 and one shot behind leader Skip Kendall of Windermere, Fla.

“It was great, a good round, a real good round,” said Zaremba (left). “I was going along just OK. I had birdied my 11th and 12th holes, then I eagled 13 (the 318-yard fourth hole at GVR) and it changed everything. I hit a 3-wood in there about 20 feet and rolled it in.”

Zaremba two-putted for birdie on his 18th hole, No. 9, giving him an eagle, five birdies and a bogey for the day.

Zaremba is certainly no stranger to success in Colorado Open championships. He won the Colorado Open in 1995, the Colorado Senior Open in 2005 and has posted seven top-10 finishes in the Senior Open. But his only top-10 since 2009 came last year, when he ended up ninth.

“Obviously I haven’t been here (in contention) in a while,” he said. “It’s going to be a good experience tomorrow again. It’ll be fun.”

As for being in the hunt going into the final day at age 64, Zaremba said, “You’ve just got to fight it all the time. As we get a little bit older, we get a little more shaky. There’s no doubt about it.”

Zaremba is one of five Coloradans in the top 10 going into the final day. Jeff Hanson of Edwards, who was paired with John Elway the first two rounds, shares sixth place at 139 despite a double-hit chip on Wedneday; three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield is tied for eighth at 140 with Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale and Rick Cole of Eaton. Rohrbaugh was the last Coloradan to win the Colorado Senior Open, in 2013.

Hanson carded a 71 on Thurday, while Lindstrom had a 69, Rohrbaugh a 70 and Cole a 72.

But Kendall (left), a veteran who’s played in 423 PGA Tour events, is still at the top of the leaderboard going into Friday’s final round. The 53-year-old backed up his first-round 66 with a 3-under-par 69 on Thursday to check in at 9-under 135. He managed a four-birdie, one-bogey day, but played his last five holes in 1 over.

“I’m looking forward (to being in contention on the final day),” he said. “That was the whole idea in coming out here — to see if I could get in the thick of things again and kind of challenge myself. So far, so good. It’s been fun. I look forward to the challenge tomorrow.”

Kendall, who’s competing in his first Colorado Senior Open, has played in just one PGA Tour Champions event this year after being exempt in 2017. But he said the last time he was on the leaderboard in the final day of a tournament was in 2014. That year he finished third in the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and sixth at the Greater Hickory Kia Classic on the senior circuit.

“It’s been a while,” he said.

But Kendall has contended in Colorado before, at the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines. He finished third in 1997 and eighth in ’93, coincidentally the two years Phil Mickelson won.

“I had some nice tournaments there. I liked playing there,” said Kendall, who never won on the PGA Tour but claimed four titles on the Web.com Tour. “I’ve seemed to adjust OK to altitude. I won a Web.com event (in 2012) in Bogota, Colombia at 8,500 feet. For some reason I seem to guess right. I’m coming from Orlando where you hit it the shortest distance anywhere in the country because the air is really thick there. The ball just doesn’t go anywhere. It’s quite a difference here. But I’ve adjusted OK. It’s an educated guess — at least it is for me.”

Another former PGA Tour player, defending Colorado Senior Open champion Jeff Gallagher, was paired with Kendall the first two days and is also in the thick of the title hunt. Gallagher shot a 71 on Thursday and stands in third place at 137.

The group of Kendall, Gallagher and amateur Guy Mertz of Longmont (144) combined to make 33 birdies in two days.

Two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair of St. George, Utah, and former PGA Tour player John Riegger, of Henderson, Nev., share fourth place at 138.

At stake on Friday will be an $8,500 first prize for the low pro.

Elway Just Misses Cut Despite Late Rally: Things weren’t looking good for John Elway when he made the turn during Thursday’s second round. The Broncos general manager had shot a 6-over-par 42 on the front nine at GVR and was considerably on the wrong side of the cut line. A double bogey at No. 5 and a triple bogey at No. 8 (including a shank into the hazard and a three-putt) certainly didn’t help matters.

But the Pro Football Hall of Famer (left) mustered some of the old comeback magic to give himself hope to make the 36-hole cut. Alas, even with an impressive final nine holes, he ended up missing the cut for the first time in four Colorado Senior Open appearances.

Elway played the back nine in 3-under-par 33 to shoot a 3-over-par 75. That left him at 4-over 148 overall and in 56th place out of the 150-man field. But only the top 55 players and ties after two rounds advanced to Friday.

“What seems to be happening more lately is the fact that I can only play about 14 (good) holes,” the 57-year-old said. “But I still enjoy competing. This is the one area where I can still compete. It’s fun to play in these situations because you’ve got to count every shot. I don’t like playing poorly, but I still enjoy playing.”

The bad stretch for Elway on Thursday came on holes 5-9, where he went a combined 7 over par. He was 1 under par through four, then a couple of bad shots on 5 led to a double bogey. His tee shot ended up in a deep divot in the sixth fairway, leading to a bogey, and the shank and three-putt on 8 resulted in a triple bogey. Another three-putt on No. 9 led to another bogey. He ended up going 5 over par on the par-3s on the front nine.

“Then I got it going on the back nine and hit some good shots,” Elway said after making birdies on 11, 12 and 17.

But it wasn’t quite enough to keep him around for the final round.

Elway’s previous Senior Open finishes have been 52nd in 2010, 19th in 2014 and 29th in 2016.

Notable: Friday’s final-round tee times will run from 8:20 to 9:55 a.m., with Kendall, Zaremba and Gallagher going off in the final group, off No. 1. … Lindstrom, playing in his first CSO at age 50, leads the amateur competition with a 140 total. In second place, at 144, is Mertz. … In the super-senior division for players over 60, Zaremba (136) leads by four over Cole. Two-time PGA Tour winner Donnie Hammond (141) is in third place. … Keith Clearwater, also owner of two PGA Tour wins, was disqualified on his final hole Thursday, though he was borderline to make the cut anyway despite going 7 under par in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of his round. Clearwater finished third in the CSO two years ago.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

The 2018 PGA of America All-Pro teams are made up of head professionals, directors of golf and general managers.

Included among Global Golf Post’s fourth annual PGA All-Pro teams were Eaton Country Club head professional Rick Cole; Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler, general manager at The Links Golf Course; Ironbridge Golf Club director of golf Doug Rohrbaugh; and Collindale Golf Club director of golf Dale Smigelsky. All four Coloradans were among the 55 honorable-mention selections.

Cole was the Colorado PGA’s Senior Player of the Year after finishing second in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship as a 64-year-old and placing sixth in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open. Rohrbaugh, Cole and Loeffler made the 54-hole cut in the national Senior PGA Professional Championship, finishing 43rd, 49th and 69th respectively. Rohrbaugh advanced to the final stage of PGA Tour Champions Q-school. Smigelsky qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, finished 27th in the national PGA Professional Championship and placed seventh in the Colorado Senior Open.

Eleven pros nationally were selected for Global Golf Post’s first team, and 11 more for the second.

Selection of the teams was based on 2017 tournament finishes in the PGA Championship, Senior PGA, PGA Professional Championship, Senior PGA Professional Championship, U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open, along with Section events. Section players of the year and senior players of the year who were head pros, directors of golf or GMs received at least honorable-mention status.
 

Tonight (Oct. 27), when the Colorado PGA holds its Special Awards Gala at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, the Lakewood resident will receive the Section’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Award for the fourth straight season and for the fifth time in six years.

To put that into perspective, only one player has been the Colorado PGA’s Finsterwald Player of the Year more times than Keffer, with two others matching his total. And all of the other three members of the five-timers club have all been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

Bob Hold owns the record for most CPGA Finsterwald Player of the Year Awards, with seven earned between 1966 and ’74, including six straight starting in ’66. Other five-time Players of the Year, in addition to Keffer, are Vic Kline (1975 to 1981) and Ron Vlosich (1986 to ’91).

Keffer (pictured), the Colorado PGA Professional Champion last year, was also the Section’s Apprentice Player of the Year three times from 2007 through ’11. He won or tied for the title in six Section tournaments in 2017 — the season-long Assistants Match Play and Four-Ball Match Play, a one-day pro-only event and three-pro-ams. He finished a stroke out of a playoff, in third place, at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship last month.

Keffer is part owner of the Denver-based Greater Golfer Development Center.

Earning the Colorado PGA’s Senior Player of the Year honors was 64-year-old Rick Cole, the head professional at Eaton Country Club, who finished second in a playoff to John Ogden at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship. Cole also placed sixth in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, the best showing by a Coloradan this year.

Here are the other Colorado PGA award winners who will be honored tonight, including Golf Professional of the Year Mark Kelbel (READ MORE) from The Broadmoor Golf Club.

Golf Professional of the Year — Mark Kelbel, The Broadmoor Golf Club”¨”¨

Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year — Geoff Keffer, Greater Golf Development Center

Senior Player of the Year — Rick Cole, Eaton Country Club

Apprentice Player of the Year — Bryan Hackenberg, Riverdale GC

Teacher of the Year — Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy”¨”¨

Bill Strausbaugh Award (mentoring fellow PGA professionals) — Ty Walker, GolfTEC Denver Tech Center”¨”¨

Assistant Professional of the Year — Cy Twete, The Golf Club at Bear Dance”¨”¨

Horton Smith Award (exceptional contributions to promote and improve PGA educational programs) — Patrick Nuber, GolfTEC, national director of teaching quality and instruction”¨”¨

Player Development Award — Leighton Smith, The First Tee of Pikes Peak”¨”¨

Youth Player Development Award — Todd Laxson, Cherokee Ridge Golf Course”¨”¨

Warren Smith Award (special contributions to game of golf, the Colorado PGA, junior golf and their facility) — Barry Milstead, Valley Country Club”¨”¨

Private Merchandiser of the Year — Steve David, Denver Country Club”¨”¨

Resort Merchandiser of the Year — Phillip Tobias, River Course and Ranch Course at Keystone Resort”¨”¨

Public Merchandiser of the Year — Dale Smigelsky, Collindale Golf Course

Todd Phipers Media Award — Stan Fenn and Doug Perry (Morning Cup of Golf radio show)

President’s Award (promoting and enhancing PGA professionals, the PGA Section and the game of golf and contributing to the betterment of the golf professional vocation) — Eric Kenealy

(Updated Oct. 30) Vic Kline Award (to Section board of directors member for outstanding service and leadership for the Section) — Scott Erwin, Maroon Creek Club

Noble Chalfant Inductees (lifetime distinction for PGA members) — Don Fox, Lewis Lepore.

With the top 35 finishers out of the 264-person field at the national Senior PGA Professional Championship earning berths into next May’s Senior PGA, Chris Johnson of Castle Rock finished one stroke out of a playoff for the 35th spot, Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale two, and Rick Cole of Eaton three.

Johnson, the 2010 Colorado PGA Professional Champion, finished 38th on Sunday in Scottsdale after his only bogey of his final 13 holes came on the 16th hole at Desert Mountain. He posted a 4-over-par 292 total after carding rounds of 69-74-74-75.

Rohrbaugh, a former PGA Tour Champions competitor who has won three Colorado PGA Pro Championships, checked in at 293 — two out of a playoff — after making birdie on his final hole for a 74 on Sunday. A triple bogey on his eighth hole on Sunday was a big blow as he finished 43rd.

And Cole, who like Johnson was inside the top 35 going into the final round, shot a final-round 76 to tie for 49th at 294. For the second consecutive day, he double bogeyed his final hole. Cole made two double bogeys on Sunday to go with three birdies and three bogeys.

The fourth Coloradan to make the 54-hole cut, 2007 national champion Bill Loeffler of Castle Rock, placed 69th at 299 after a final-round 78.

Frank Esposito of Old Bridge, N.J. captured the title on Sunday by five with a 12-under 276 total.

Last year, Mike Northern of Colorado Springs finished fourth in the national Senior PGA Professional Championship and easily qualified for the Senior PGA.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed in Scottsdale:

38. Chris Johnson of Castle Rock, Life Member 69-74-74-75–292
43. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, Ironbridge GC 72-73-74-74–293
49. Rick Cole of Eaton, Eaton CC 73-70-75-76–294
69. Bill Loeffler of Castle Rock, The Links GC 75-73-73–221
MISSED 54-HOLE CUT
100. Barry Milstead of Castle Rock, Valley CC 73-74-86–233
MISSED 36-HOLE CUT
Bill Hancock of Highlands Ranch, Littleton GC 75-76–151
Ron Vlosich of Lakewood, Life Member 74-78–152
Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West, Desert Hawk at Pueblo West 80-74–154
Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, Life Member 77-79–156
Don Hurter of Sedalia, Castle Pines GC DQ

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Chris Johnson of Castle Rock, the 2010 Colorado PGA Professional Champion, will go into Sunday’s final round in 27th place. He shot a roller-coaster 2-over-par 74 Saturday at Desert Mountain, posting a 5-over-par 41 on the front nine, and 3-under 33 on the back. That leaves him at 1-over-par 217 after three days.

The top 35 finishers on Sunday will earn spots in the 2018 Senior PGA Championship, set for May 24-27 in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Rick Cole of Eaton, the runner-up in this month’s Colorado PGA Professional Championship, also remained inside the top 35 despite making a double-bogey 7 on his final hole and shooting 75 on Saturday. The 64-year-old is in 34th place, with a 2-over 218 total.

The two other Coloradans who made the 54-hole cut are also well within reach of the top 35. Three-time Colorado PGA Pro Champion Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale is at 219 following a third-round 74. And Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler, winner of the national Senior PGA Pro Championship in 2007, stands at 221 following a 73 on Saturday.

Overall, Frank Esposito of Old Bridge, N.J., holds the lead at 8-under 208.

 Here are the scores for all the Coloradans competing:

27. Chris Johnson of Castle Rock, Life Member 69-74-74–217
34. Rick Cole of Eaton, Eaton CC 73-70-75–218
44. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, Ironbridge GC 72-73-74–219
60. Bill Loeffler of Castle Rock, The Links GC 75-73-73–221
MISSED 54-HOLE CUT
100. Barry Milstead of Castle Rock, Valley CC 73-74-86–233
MISSED 36-HOLE CUT
Bill Hancock of Highlands Ranch, Littleton GC 75-76–151
Ron Vlosich of Lakewood, Life Member 74-78–152
Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West, Desert Hawk at Pueblo West 80-74–154
Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, Life Member 77-79–156
Don Hurter of Sedalia, Castle Pines GC DQ

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Cole (pictured), who lost in a playoff and finished second earlier this month at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship, shot a 2-under-par 70 on Friday, giving him a 1-under 143 total at the tournament’s halfway point. He made three birdies and a bogey in round 2 and played his final 15 holes in 3 under par.

Tied with Cole in 17th place is Chris Johnson of Castle Rock, who carded a 74 on Friday. Johnson made three birdies on the day, offset by three bogeys and a double bogey.

Also among those making the 36-hole cut to the low 90 players and ties was former PGA Tour Champions player Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, a three-time Colorado PGA Professional Champion who shot 73 on Friday and stands at 145, good for a tie for 34th place.

Likewise advancing to Saturday’s play were Barry Milstead of Castle Rock (147, 55th place) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler of Castle Rock, a past winner of this national championship (148, 69th place).

Defending champion Steve Schneiter of Utah leads the way at the halfway point with a 9-under 135 total.

The tournament will continue through Sunday. The field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 54 holes.

The top 35 finishers will earn spots in the 2018 Senior PGA Championship, set for May 24-27 in Benton Harbor, Mich.

 Here are the scores for all the Coloradans competing:

17. Rick Cole of Eaton, Eaton CC 73-70–143
17. Chris Johnson of Castle Rock, Life Member 69-74–143
34. Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, Ironbridge GC 72-73–145
55. Barry Milstead of Castle Rock, Valley CC 73-74–147
69. Bill Loeffler of Castle Rock, The Links GC 75-73–148
MISSED 36-HOLE CUT
Bill Hancock of Highlands Ranch, Littleton GC 75-76–151
Ron Vlosich of Lakewood, Life Member 74-78–152
Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West, Desert Hawk at Pueblo West 80-74–154
Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, Life Member 77-79–156
Don Hurter of Sedalia, Castle Pines GC DQ
 

When John Ogden shook hands with playoff opponent Rick Cole after winning the Colorado PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday, he did so gingerly with his left hand.

That seemed only fitting given that the two professionals who squared off for the title are seniors by PGA tournament standards, with many of the ailments and maladies that come with age.

In Ogden’s case, his right elbow has been giving him fits, so he had to improvise — both with the handshake and with his swing at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott.

But in spite of their age — Ogden is 50 and Cole 64 — the two finished atop the leaderboard at the Colorado PGA’s biggest tournament of the year, ahead of a field that included plenty of guys in their 20s and 30s. In fact, had Cole won, Colorado PGA records indicate he would have been the oldest champion in this event, by far, and the tournament dates back to 1958.

“The gray-haired guys, that was pretty good,” Ogden said with a smile afterward. “But Rick’s got a few more years than me on the gray hairs.”

But the “seniors make good” theme didn’t stop with Ogden and Cole. The top dozen finishers included seven pros who are 50 and older. Besides Ogden and Cole, there was three-time champion Doug Rohrbaugh (55), Barry Milstead (50), former PGA Tour player Larry Rinker (60), Paul Lobato (54) and three-time winner Bill Loeffler (61).

“I think the seniors definitely had the advantage in the tournament,” Cole said. “We’re hitting drivers on some of the holes (where younger players) are hitting 4-irons and 5-irons and 3-woods. I think that was an equalizer on this golf course, to be honest with you.”

Appropriately enough, being the PGA head professional at Cherry Hills Country Club for the last decade, Ogden (above and left) earned a trophy on Wednesday that bears the name of Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Ralph “Rip” Arnold, who himself served as the head pro at Cherry Hills. Also for being the best of the bunch this week at the Fazio Course at Red Sky, Ogden received the $8,000 first prize — and promptly announced that he was donating half of that total to the Colorado PGA REACH Foundation.

“That’s such a great foundation,” he said. “I’ve sat on that foundation board in years past. I think it’s the right thing to do. Money is money. It’s nice, but I just like to compete. I’ve never been about winning money or anything like that. I’ve been very blessed in my life and my profession, so anything I can do to help out, I’m happy to help out.”

Despite his right elbow issues — which he said might eventually require surgery — Ogden had what it took to claim this title for the first time. But, again, he had to improvise.

“I usually play right-hand (dominant), and I played left-armed this week,” he said.

“When you play left-armed, it’s kind of like old school. When I was a kid I took some lessons from Stan Thirsk, who was Tom Watson’s instructor. I kind of went back to some of those thoughts and had some of those images of those lessons with Stan. All I was doing was letting my arm get up vertical and letting my left arm pass. I kind of had an image of Tom Watson in my head too.”

And that did the job for Ogden. He hit a 400-yard drive on the downhill par-5 final hole in regulation and two-putted from 20 feet for birdie to force a playoff with Cole, then won in sudden death on the same hole with a bogey.

Ogden shot a 2-under-par 70 on Wednesday to post a 4-under 212 total.

Cole, the PGA head pro at Eaton Country Club for the last 32 years, also checked in at that figure after finishing birdie-birdie. He nearly aced the 156-yard 17th hole, then two-putted from 30 feet to close out regulation. His 67 was Wednesday’s best round by two strokes.

Kirk Trowbridge of the MetaGolf Learning Center finished tied for third at 213 after leading early on the back nine on Wednesday. After making an eagle and two birdies on the front side and shooting a 4-under 32, his Waterloo came on the par-4 13th hole. There, he lost two balls — one right off his tee shot and one over the green when the wind shifted as he was hitting his approach — and he had to sink a 6-foot putt for a triple bogey.

Still, Trowbridge would have been part of the playoff had he sunk his 6-foot eagle putt on 18, but he missed and settle for birdie. His 70 put him at 213, one back of Ogden and Cole.

Asked if he was playing “what-if” after what happened on the 13th hole, Trowbridge said no. “I also made an eagle and a couple of birdies early on, so that’s golf, right? I’m happy. I probably managed my game this week better than maybe ever.”

Sharing third place at 213 with Trowbridge was 2016 champion Geoff Keffer from the Greater Golfer Development Center at Park Hill. Keffer had a one-birdie, one-bogey final day and shot 72.

Rohrbaugh, who’s believed to be the oldest winner of the tournament when he claimed the title in 2015 at age 53, placed fifth on Wednesday at 215 after carding a final-round 71.

The playoff on the 18th hole wasn’t pretty — as both participants readily admitted — but Ogden posted a bogey to win, while Cole made a double bogey. It was a far cry from their birdies in regulation, but both players paid the price for their tee shots.

Ogden thought his drive was as good as the one he hit in regulation on the hole, but it bounced into the environmentally sensitive area right of the rough and he was forced to take a penalty. Cole (left), usually a fixture in the fairway off the tee, double-crossed his drive and his ball shot left and “onto somebody’s back patio, but there’s no out of bounds stakes,” he noted. If Cole’s memory serves, it was just his second missed fairway of the entire tournament, though he hadn’t seen the course before Monday’s first round.

After the awry drive, “I thought I hit a perfect shot out of there,” Cole said. “I see a ball down there in the middle of the fairway — which was my provisional; I forgot I hit a provisional because I’m kind of old — so I’m thinking, ‘What a shot.’ But somebody comes down and says, ‘Rick, your ball went into a hazard’ (on the right side, where Ogden had hit his tee shot). I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Really?’ It hit really, really hard and bounced into the hazard. So I took a drop, and it was (all but done) at that point because John was greenside in three.”

Ogden was indeed laying 3 in a greenside bunker. And after Cole hit a 7-iron to just short of the green and a pitch that ended up 18 feet shy of the cup, Ogden blasted to about 20 feet. He two-putted for bogey and Cole did likewise for double bogey and that was the tournament.

“I didn’t see this one coming,” Ogden said of the victory. “I’ve got a messed-up right elbow. And I haven’t played very good in the last month. I didn’t play good last week at the Smith-Cole (at Cherry Hills). And at 50, I thought my days of (possibly) winning this, those times were past. But you just never know.

“This means the world. It’s probably the biggest victory of my professional career, that’s for sure,” added the former University of Kansas golfer, who once beat John Daly to win the Missouri Open. “I don’t win much, so this might be No. 1 (of his career overall). Who knows? It’ll mean a lot to my family and to my club and my staff.

“Winning is hard to do, especially in our Section where we have great players. At the (Colorado PGA) Senior Championship a few weeks ago, I shot 3 under and just got it handed to me.”

Meanwhile, Cole came ever so close to winning the Section’s top championship as a 64-year-old, which would have set the new age standard in the event by 11 years.

“I don’t even think about it to be honest with you,” he said of the age factor. “I’m just happy with the way I played, happy with the way I putted.

“I’ve got the points lead (among seniors in the Section). I thought if I could just make a good showing in this tournament I might win the points championship on the senior end of it. My goal honestly was to make the cut and get some more points on (his senior challengers). I really accomplished my goal in that regard. And I managed my game probably as well as I have all year.”

Thanks to their performances at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship, eight players qualified for the 2018 national PGA Professional Championship, set for June 17-20 at Bayonet Black Horse in Seaside, Calif.

Advancing to that event were Ogden, Cole, Trowbridge (left), Keffer, Rohrbaugh, Jack Allen of Heritage Eagle Bend, Micah Rudosky of Conquistador and Barry Milstead of Valley. Allen, Rudosky and Milstead tied for sixth place on Wednesday along with Rinker, the director of instruction at Red Sky who isn’t eligible to compete at the national championship.

For Cole, it will be the first national PGA Professional Championship he’s qualified for since 1987.

“I figured there was no chance,” he said. “So to go out there is an awesome privilege.”

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 11-13, 2017 (final) at Par-72 Fazio Course at Red Sky GC in Wolcott
Top Finishers
1. John Ogden (won playoff on first extra hole) 72-70-70–212
2. Rick Cole 70-75-67–212
T3. Kirk Trowbridge 74-69-70–213
T3. Geoff Keffer 70-71-72–213
5. Doug Rohrbaugh 72-72-71–215
T6. Jack Allen 75-72-69–216
T6. Micah Rudosky 77-69-70–216
T6. Barry Milstead 71-72-73–216
T6. Larry Rinker 71-70-75–216
10. Paul Lobato 76-70-72–218

For complete results, 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.