That’s when the Arthur Schaupeter-designed Scottish links-style course will host its first big-time tournament. The 54-hole Colorado PGA Professional Championship is scheduled for Monday through Wednesday (Sept. 10-12). It’ll be a worthwhile preview for what’s planned for the course (left) starting next year — a stop on the Web.com Tour, which is just one step below the PGA Tour.

The Web.com Tour — then known as the Nike Tour — previously had a tournament in Colorado in 1996 and ’97, when Riverdale’s Dunes Course in Brighton hosted the Nike Colorado Classic. Stewart Cink, who has since won six times on the PGA Tour including the 2009 British Open, claimed the title in 1996.

(For more on TPC Colorado, CLICK HERE.)

The Colorado PGA Professional Championship will feature a formidable field of most of the top professionals from the Colorado Section. That includes Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, who won this event three straight years starting in 2013. Other winners of the event in the 21st century who are in the field next week include Caine Fitzgerald (2012), Rob Hunt (2009 and ’11), Chris Johnson (2010), Mike Northern (2006), Heikke Nielsen (2005), Bill Loeffler (2000, ’02 and ’04) and Micah Rudosky (2001). Loeffler and fellow participant Ron Vlosich are members of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

Others who are entered are 2017 runner-up Rick Cole, 2018 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Champion Mike Zaremba, Ari Papadopoulos, TPC Colorado host head pro Stephen Arendt and Eric Bradley. Among the female members competing are Alexandra Braga and Sherry Andonian-Smith. Braga won the first two Colorado PGA Women’s Championships and Andonian-Smith qualified for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open this year.

But the last two winners from the Colorado PGA Professional Championship aren’t in the field this time around — John Ogden (2017) and Geoff Keffer (2016). Ogden is injured and Keffer, a five-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year, didn’t enter.

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

For Monday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.

Life may not start at 50, but you wouldn’t know it from the case of Doug Rohrbaugh and his born-again golf career.

On Wednesday, the director of golf from Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs added another chapter to the stellar playing career he’s put together since reaching the big 5-0.

Not only did Rohrbaugh match a record by winning his third consecutive Colorado PGA Professional Championship, but he continues to break the standard he’s previously set by claiming the title at unprecedented ages.

The 53-year-old did it again Wednesday at Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, though this one was more of a challenge than the previous two victories in the event. This time around, he fended off a late charge from Valley Country Club head professional Barry Milstead by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to post a two-stroke victory.

The win, worth $8,000, made Rohrbaugh the first player since Ken Krieger (1996-98) to claim three straight Colorado PGA Professional Championships. Ron Vlosich (1991-93) is believed to be the only other player to three-peat in the 58-year history of the tournament. (Rohrbaugh is pictured at left and above with runner-up Milstead.)

“That was everything,” Rohrbaugh said of his quest for three straight victories. “To be honest, that was my goal coming in. Yes, you’re trying to win, but knowing the three-peat hadn’t been done much, I was definitely thinking about it. To want a three-peat and do it, that makes it sweeter. It means a lot. It was more than just a win.”

Besides claiming three straight Colorado PGA Professional Championships since turning 50, Rohrbaugh has also captured the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open title, finished third at the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Open as a 51-year-old, won the 2012 and ’13 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, and has earned conditional status on the 2015 Champions Tour.

“I don’t get it,” he admits of his status as a late bloomer. “I still can’t answer the question people ask me: Why? I think it’s a lot of things. I always thought I could play the Tour but I tried the regular Q-school twice and didn’t even get past first stage. It was a bit letdown. Then when 50 was coming it was like, ‘Here’s my second chance.’ So it got me excited, fired me up. That was a big part of it, knowing there was another chance.”

After winning the Colorado PGA Professional Championship by five each of the past two years, this one wasn’t settled until the final green. With Milstead one-putting for birdie and par, respectively on the final two par-3s (Nos. 15 and 17) while Rohrbaugh made bogeys, Milstead picked up three shots, leaving the margin at one going into the par-4 18th. There, both players had birdie putts of about 20 feet, and Milstead had his attempt online, but left it short.

“I did a lot of that today,” said Milstead (left and below). “I left a lot of putts short. (The one on 18) may or may not have gone in the hole, but I probably left four or five or six putts short and going in the right direction.”

Rohrbaugh, who said he hadn’t been nervous on his previous two shots on 18, got a few butterflies over his birdie putt.

“I realized I just had to two-putt,” the Carbondale resident said. “I wasn’t even trying to make it. I was just trying to get it up as close as I could. When it was about 3 feet out, I started to walk because I had a feeling it had a chance. Sure enough (it went in), and that certainly makes it a little sweeter.”

Rohrbaugh, who took a two-stroke lead into the final round, shot a 1-over-par 73 on Wednesday, the same as Milstead. Rohrbaugh finished at 5-under-par 211 overall, while Milstead (213) was the only other player who ended up under par.

Those two, along with the next six finishers, qualified for the 2016 PGA Professional National Championship, set for June 26-29 in Verona, N.Y. The other PNC qualifiers were Ari Papadopoulos (216), two-time CPGA Professional Championship winner Rob Hunt (217), University of Denver men’s golf coach Erik Billinger (218), Jeff Hanson (218), 2013 PGA Championship competitor Caine Fitzgerald (219) and Doug Wherry (219). Fitzgerald and Wherry each birdied the second hole of a sudden-death qualifying playoff that featured six competitors.

The battle for the CPGA Professional Championship title was largely a two-man affair on Wednesday, though Papadoupolos was 3 under for the tournament through 51 holes before finishing with three consecutive bogeys.

After Rohrbaugh (left) began the day with a bogey, Milstead earned a tie for the lead with a birdie on No. 2. But after the pro from Valley went bogey-double bogey on Nos. 4 and 5, Rohrbaugh never lost the outright lead again.

Though Milstead hit a few errant tee shots on the back nine Wednesday, he scrambled well enough to leave himself just one down going into 18.

“Down the stretch, I figured if I could hang around and make a few putts or make a birdie or two to get closer to him, we’d see what happened,” Milstead said. “I got within one going into 18, but I couldn’t quite catch him. Doug played great and hung in there. He’s a deserving champion.

“I played really well yesterday (67), which got me into position. I wish I had hit the ball as well as I did the first two days because I hit it great. I couldn’t quite hit it as well today.”

But overall, while he was disappointed in not landing the win, Milstead took some satisfaction in his best finish ever at the CPGA Professional Championship.

“I haven’t played a whole lot this year, so it’s good to see I’ve still got a lot of good shots in me,” the 48-year-old said. “We’ll take a lot of good things out of this week.”

As for Rohrbaugh, he wasn’t at his best either on Wednesday, which he attributes to having three-peat-itis on his mind.

“My golf today reflected that,” he said. “I did not play well today. My irons were off. I was nervous; there’s no question I was nervous. This one was harder than the first two because of that, but I managed to scrape it in there.”

Rohrbaugh, whose best finish out of six Champions Tour events this year is a 15th place, will take some momentum into his last four attempts at Monday qualifying for tournaments. If he can climb from 103rd to inside the top 75 on the final 2015 money list, he’ll earn an automatic spot in the final stage of Champions Tour Q-school.

“This is exactly what I needed heading out to the next four qualifiers,” he said. “I’m certainly feeling more confident and more excited about these four coming up after the way I’ve played the last two weeks.”

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 14-16, 2015 (final) at Par-72 Meridian GC in Englewood

Top 10 Finishers (note: top eight qualify for 2016 PGA Professional National Championship) — 1. Doug Rohrbaugh 69-69-73–211; 2. Barry Milstead 73-67-73–213; 3. Ari Papadopoulos 72-72-72–216; 4. Rob Hunt 70-74-73–217; 5. (tie) Erik Billinger 73-74-71–218; Jeff Hanson 71-73-74–218; 7. (tie, with Fitzgerald and Wherry winning playoff) Caine Fitzgerald 69-75-75–219; Doug Wherry 75-73-71–219; Kyle Voska 74-76-69–219; Don Hurter 74-76-69–219; Mike Northern 74-74-71–219; Dustin Miller 75-73-71–219. For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Doug Rohrbaugh has made improbable accomplishments seem almost commonplace over the last couple of years.

And the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs did it again on Wednesday at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship.

This time around, these were the two new notches on Rohrbaugh’s belt:

— The Carbondale resident became the first player in the 21st century to win two consecutive CPGA Professional Championships. Ken Krieger was the last to manage the feat, winning three in a row from 1996 through ’98.

— At age 52, Rohrbaugh is believed to be the oldest winner of the Colorado PGA Section’s championship. In fact, he was thought to be the oldest last year when he won.

“I was so thrilled last year,” he said. “Now to do it again — man! It feels good, boy. It really feels good.”

Rohrbaugh made it all look relatively easy on Wednesday, cruising to a five-stroke victory at Todd Creek Golf Club in Thornton. He shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round, giving him a 12-under 204 total. The victory was worth $8,000 out of the $55,000 purse.

Matt Schalk (pictured above in green congratulating Rohrbaugh) finished runner-up for the second time in three years. This time, the director of golf at Colorado National Golf Club and the Fox Hill Club closed with a 72 for a 209 total. Mike Zaremba of Desert Hawk, winner of the 1987 and ’99 championships, ended with a 68 to place third at 211.

Those three, along with the next five on the leaderboard, qualified for the 2015 PGA Professional National Championship, scheduled for June 28-July 1 in Philadelphia. Joining Rohrbaugh, Schalk and Zaremba in earning those berths were Geoff Keffer of Murphy Creek (212), Rob Hunt of The Links (213), Kyle Voska of The Links (214), three-time HealthOne Colorado Open champion Bill Loeffler of The Links (214) and Doug Wherry of Jake’s Academy (214).

This week’s performance was an extension of the stellar play demonstrated by Rohrbaugh (left) since 2012. In that two-plus year period, he’s won the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, the Colorado PGA Professional Championship and the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship (all in 2013), qualified for the U.S. Senior Open in both 2012 and ’13, and then won the Section title again on Wednesday.

“It’s amazing what the confidence level has been after the (2013) Colorado Senior Open. That just changed everything,” he said.

At Todd Creek, while the battle for the national tournament spots went on throughout the day, it quickly became a two-man competition for the championship between Rohrbaugh and Schalk.

Twice — after a Schalk birdie on the first hole and after a two-shot swing on No. 8 where Schalk birdied and Rohrbaugh made his only bogey — Schalk (left) crept within a stroke. But that was as close as it got.

“I was playing well, but I just couldn’t get any putts to fall,” said Schalk, who has posted top-eight finishes in this event for three straight years. “I had a ton of putts on the edge. And he played the same as he did the last two days — real consistent. He wasn’t going to make any mistakes. You definitely had to go win this tournament; he wasn’t going to give it to you.”

The turning point came on the stretch from holes 9 through 12. After seeing his lead dwindle to one, Rohrbaugh picked up a shot on each one of those four holes to increase his lead to five and basically put the tournament on ice. Schalk bogeyed 9, 10 and 11, then Rohrbaugh knocked in a 6-foot birdie on 12. On No. 13, Schalk made a 5-foot birdie, but only after Rohrbaugh drained a 25-footer for birdie.

“That stretch was huge,” Rohrbaugh said. “It just relaxed me a lot from that point. I didn’t have to take any chances or go pin-seeking.”

The overall key, Rohrbaugh (below) said, was a putter he only put into play during a practice round on Sunday. He had used it for the second half of last season, but it fell out of favor this year — until this week.

“This one I can definitely pin on one club — and it was the putter,” he said. “On Sunday I brought it with me for a practice round. Oh my, was that a good decision. The first day I had 24 putts. Yesterday had to be similar. And today I still putted good.

“I felt like I could make everything I looked at all week. That’s a good feeling. I putted so good the first day and it carried over every day. The 3-footer I missed on 8 today was my only missed putt inside 10 feet for the week.”

Though Schalk obviously was looking to win, he was happy with his performance under the circumstances.

“This is my first stroke-play tournament in probably 10 months, so I was a little bit uncomfortable at times,” he said. “But I was happy with how I played. My goal was to get to 12 under — that was the ultimate number — but I just didn’t get there.

“Doug is a good player. He manages the courses very well. He’s not overly long, but he hits it in the right places and he has a great short game.”

Rohrbaugh plans again this year to go through the Champions Tour qualifying process. He made it to the final stage last year, but fell short of earning any status.

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 8-10, 2014 (final) at Par-72 Todd Creek GC in Thornton

Top 10 Finishers — 1. Doug Rohrbaugh 67-68-69–204; 2. Matt Schalk 68-69-72–209; 3. Mike Zaremba 72-71-68–211; 4. Geoff Keffer 70-71-71–212; 5. Rob Hunt 66-78-69–213; 6. (tie) Kyle Voska 72-73-69–214; Bill Loeffler 70-70-74–214; Doug Wherry 69-70-75–214; 9. Bobby Quaratino 76-69-71–216; 10. (tie) Travis Morton 71-77-70–218; Ari Papadopoulos 67-78-73–218. For complete results, CLICK HERE.

He’s beaten senior players, junior players, mid-amateurs and everything in between.

In short, it’s been a rip-roaring good year for Doug Rohrbaugh, the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club.

Already the winner of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open and the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, co-champion of the U.S. Senior Open qualifier in Colorado, and a third-place finisher in the HealthOne Colorado Open, Rohrbaugh added the Colorado PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday.

As Barry Milstead of Valley Country Club, president of the Colorado PGA, noted, “I’ve signed a lot of checks for you this year.”

And at 51, Rohrbaugh became one of the oldest winners — and perhaps the oldest — of the Colorado PGA’s top tournament. Fred Wampler, for one, also won the title after turning 50, doing so in 1974.

“The only thing I keep saying is, ‘Why did it take me 50 years to figure this out?'” said Rohrbaugh (pictured above and below). “There’s definitely something to be said for older and wiser, but who knows?”

After taking a four-stroke lead into the final round, the Carbondale resident shot a second consecutive 1-under-par 71 and won by five shots at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott. He didn’t lose the lead all day and finished at 6-under-par 210. The victory — Rohrbaugh’s first in the event after competing in it for two decades — was worth $7,500.

Rob Hunt of The Links Golf Course, winner of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship in both 2009 and ’11, tied for second at 215 Wednesday after a final-round 69. Micah Rudosky of Conquistador (72 Wednesday) and Jerry Smith of Three Crowns Golf Club in Casper, Wyo. (70) also shared second place. Rudosky won the title in 2001.

“Without Doug, it was a close race,” Hunt said with a laugh.

The top eight finishers, plus PGA Championship qualifier Caine Fitzgerald, earned spots in the 2014 PGA Professional National Championship, which will be played June 22-25 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Besides the aforementioned, advancing were Ari Papadopoulos of Red Sky, Milstead, University of Denver women’s assistant coach Erik Billinger, and Matt Schalk of Colorado National.

Schalk landed the final national berth when he prevailed over John Ogden of Cherry Hills on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.

But the main story Wednesday was Rohrbaugh and the continuation of his sensational summer.

“It’s incredible,” Hunt said. “I don’t know what the records would show, but I don’t know if (what he’s done in all those tournaments) has ever happened. It certainly hasn’t happened very often.”

Even Rohrbaugh himself is a little dumbfounded at the success he’s enjoyed in 2013.

“Oh my gosh, what can you say, other than ‘wow’,” he said. “I’m blown away. I’m obviously thrilled. You dream about every tournament you play in you want to win, but God, I’ve never had a year remotely like this.”

On Wednesday, while Rohrbaugh never relinquished the lead, Rudosky (pictured at left) moved within two strokes when Rohrbaugh bogeyed No. 8. And he was still within three after Rohrbaugh made his second bogey, at No. 14.

But the par-5 15th proved pivotal. There, Rohrbaugh pushed his tee shot and it ended up in a bush. Though he had to take an unplayable lie penalty, he was able to drop in a spot that gave him a chance to advance his ball a considerable distance.

After Rudosky elected to lay up from the fairway — which surprised Rohrbaugh — the latter took a 3-wood from the rough, 280 yards from the pin, and faded his ball around some tree limbs. It hit in front of the green and rolled to within 30 feet of the cup. Despite taking the unplayable, Rohrbaugh two-putted for par. Rudosky, meanwhile, missed his 7-foot birdie attempt, meaning there was no blood on the hole.

“I couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Rohrbaugh said. “That was the shot of the day for me. If I had made bogey and he made birdie (it’s down to a one-stroke difference). My whole attitude changed the rest of the way. Not that I wasn’t feeling confident before that, but I had a lot more.”

Rohrbaugh played the last three holes in 1 under par, not giving his closest competitors any openings.

And now, like last year, Rohrbaugh has his sights set on his big goal for the fall — trying to qualify for the Champions Tour. Time will tell how he fares, but the roll he’s on has him thinking big.

“I feel confident. This just keeps building the confidence,” he said.

Here are the top 10 finishers from the Colorado PGA Professional Championship: 1. Doug Rohrbaugh 68-71-71–210; 2. (tie) Rob Hunt 72-74-69–215; Jerry Smith 74-71-70–215; Micah Rudosky 70-73-72–215; 5. Ari Papadopoulos 71-75-70–216; 6. (tie) Barry Milstead 75-73-69–217; Erik Billinger 74-71-72–217; 8. (tie) Matt Schalk 73-77-69–219; John Ogden 78-68-73–219; 10. (tie) Eric Bradley 73-80-67–220; Mike Northern 77-70-73–220.

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Though there have certainly been significant golf tournaments already held in Colorado in 2013 — including many involving girls high school golfers — the ball really gets rolling in the coming few weeks.

The CJGA tournament season begins this weekend (April 27-28) in Pueblo and the CGA championship campaign starts with the Four-Ball and Senior Four-Ball next weekend (May 3-5).

But by far the most notable tournaments in Colorado over the next few weeks are the three Local Qualifying stops for the U.S. Open. “Locals” are the first of two qualifying stages for the second major championship of the year. After the top Local finishers advance to Sectionals, the best performers at 13 36-hole Sectional tournaments earn spots in the Open itself, which is set for June 13-16 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.

The application process for the U.S. Open closed on Wednesday (April 24) and the USGA announced on Thursday that it received a record 9,860 entrants. Most will compete at one of 111 Local Qualifying sites in the U.S. between May 3 and 16.

A total of 228 entrants are scheduled to tee it up at one of the three Colorado-based Local qualifiers: May 6 at the West Course at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs (60 players), and May 13 at the Heritage at Westmoor in Westminster (84) and Collindale in Fort Collins (84). Collindale has hosted U.S. Open Local Qualifying for more than a decade, according to the USGA.

The fields in Colorado include numerous former U.S. Open contestants, HealthOne Colorado Open champions, and former PGA and Web.com Tour regulars.

For instance, at the Broadmoor on May 6, two Coloradans who competed in consecutive U.S. Opens (2002 and 2003) as 16-year-olds, Derek Tolan (pictured) and Tom Glissmeyer, are in the field. Tolan has won two of the last four Colorado Opens. Also playing at the same site will be 2011 U.S. Open qualifier Steve Irwin, and former Web.com Tour players James Love and Dustin White, winner of the 2006 Colorado Open.

At Collindale, former PGA Tour player Leif Olson is scheduled to play, along with Jason Preeo, who made the cut in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and Wyndham Clark, who won the 2010 CGA Stroke Play Championship as a 16-year-old.

At the Heritage at Westmoor, the field includes 2011 Colorado Open champion Ben Portie, who played in the 2002 U.S. Open along with Tolan. Also planning to compete are former Asian Tour event champion Kane Webber and Rob Hunt, winner of two of the last four Colorado PGA Professional Championships.
 

“All too familiar,” Caine Fitzgerald said to a bystander Wednesday after completing the first playoff hole in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship at Cherry Creek Country Club.

Indeed, Fitzgerald had to be experiencing a little deja vu. Two years ago at Meridian Golf Club, he likewise was in a playoff in the same tournament. And like this year, that one had the participants play the 18th hole over and over until a winner was decided. Also, as with 2010, sudden death lasted longer than one hole.

But, fortunately for Fitzgerald, that’s where the similarities between 2010 and 2012 ended. Wednesday’s playoff went two holes, not three. And, most importantly, Fitzgerald won this time, unlike in 2010 when Chris Johnson prevailed.

After being runner-up in this event each of the last two years, the assistant professional at Murphy Creek claimed his first Colorado PGA Professional Championship title, defeating Matt Schalk on the second hole of sudden death when Schalk missed a 2-foot par putt. Ironically, Schalk had forced the playoff on the same hole about a half-hour earlier by making a 20-foot birdie putt, his third birdie in the last four holes of regulation.

“This feels good,” said Fitzgerald, a 38-year-old left-hander. “A lot of friends have won the tournament, so I’m really proud to get one for myself. I’ve been trying hard for a few years.

“For us (club professionals), this is our biggest event. I won the Iowa Open in 1997, but I was 23 years old and too young to know better basically. This is the first really big thing I’ve won since then, so I’m really proud of it.”

In a final round that was played for the most part in miserable conditions — drenching rain, casual water commonplace, standing water in bunkers, etc. — Fitzgerald closed with a 2-over-par 74, which left him at 4-under 212 along with Schalk, the general manager and director of golf at Colorado National Golf Club and The Fox Hill Club. Schalk (pictured at left) tied Doug Rohrbaugh of Ironbridge Golf Club for the day’s low round with a 72.

But after making three birdies in the last four holes to get into a playoff, Schalk let his shot at the title get away with the three-putt on the second playoff hole.

“You don’t want to miss a short putt like that, but I didn’t really feel like I did anything wrong,” said Schalk, who hit his ball into the nearby lake after the crucial 2-foot miss. “I must have decelerated and pulled it a little bit. It happens. It’s disappointing, but that’s the way it goes.”

The win was worth $7,500 to Fitzgerald, while Schalk settled for $5,000.

Rohrbaugh tied 36-hole co-leader Micah Rudosky of Conquistador for third place, three strokes back of Fitzgerald and Schalk. Rudosky closed with a 77. Defending champion Rob Hunt of The Links claimed fifth place at 217 after a final-round 76.

Those five — along with sixth-place finishers John Ogden of Cherry Hills, Bill Loeffler of Highlands Ranch and Mike Northern of Valley Hi — qualified for the PGA Professional National Championship that will be held June 23-26 in Sunriver, Ore.

While the weather cleared enough Wednesday afternoon for the leaders to play the last four or five holes of regulation without rain, it was so bad earlier in the day that there were understandably a lot of unhappy campers out on the course.

Even though Schalk tied for the day’s best round, he was among them.

“We shouldn’t have been on this golf course today,” he said. “Guys are squeegeeing greens, but they’re squeegeeing for one group but not the next group. You get to the point you’re changing the integrity of the golf course.”

With casual water — or outright puddles — the norm rather than the exception, lift, clean and place rules were in effect. But beyond the golf course conditions, it was a constant battle for players to keep their equipment dry.

“It was difficult out there,” Fitzgerald said. “It was challenging for sure. All day my mentality was, ‘OK, let’s make 18 pars.’ I just wanted to make it as stress-free as possible. I felt like I was pretty dialed in with my approach — how I wanted to handle it — but making sure I had a good grip on every shot, and executing what I wanted to do, was the key.”

And Fitzgerald was remarkably consistent given the conditions. He made a double bogey on No. 2, but from then on he carded one birdie, one bogey and 14 pars.

Rudosky, not Schalk, was Fitzgerald’s main competition most of the final day. In fact, the 2001 Section champion led the tournament by a stroke with nine holes left. But a 41 on the back side Wednesday derailed Rudosky’s chances.

Then Schalk, the Section championship runner-up in 2005, kicked it into high gear on the final four holes, making birdie putts of 8, 25 and 20 feet and Nos. 15, 16 and 18. And he left an 8-footer on No. 17 short.

Schalk almost won the tournament outright in regulation. Playing a group ahead of Fitzgerald, he made his closing birdie. Then Fitzgerald (pictured hitting at left with Rudosky watching) missed the green on 18 and had to drain an 8-foot par putt to keep his hopes alive.

In the playoff, Fitzgerald and Schalk made routine pars on the first playoff hole, and looked like they’d do the same on the second. After Schalk stroked his 25-foot birdie attempt 2 feet past the cup, Fitzgerald two-putted from 20 feet for par. Schalk’s par try then hit the left lip and trickled by the hole.

“I’ve been in contention quite a few times and just didn’t get it done,” Fitzgerald said regarding this tournament. “Somebody always played a little bit better. Honestly, I thought today that was going to be Matty (Schalk) the way he finished. I never dreamed he would have missed that putt. I felt awful for him.”

Fitzgerald estimates he’s finished in the top seven of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship six times — including those second-place showings in both 2010 and 2011 — but he finally claimed the big prize on Wednesday.

“I’m the bridesmaid of this (PGA) Section,” the resident of Parker said. “I’ve never won our player of the year. I’ve been the runner-up player of the year the last three years to three different people, and I’m working on it again this year.”

For scores, CLICK HERE.

When it comes down to the stretch run of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship, nothing has been simple the last two years.

Late last summer, the top two contestants played the 18th hole four times, including three in a riveting sudden-death playoff, before Chris Johnson prevailed for the title.

This year, it looked like the quest for the trophy would be relatively uneventful as Rob Hunt (pictured) held a four-stroke lead on the 17th hole of the final round.

But Mother Nature had other ideas. Lightning descended on Eisenhower Golf Club before the leaders could finish, and it took 3 1/2 hours between the final threesome’s approach shots on the 17th hole and their final putt on the 18th. When play did resume about three hours after it was halted, there was a lot of squeegee work done just to make the final two greens puttable as a deluge had pushed things beyond the saturation point. In addition, the last hole-plus was played in a drenching rain.

But for Hunt, an assistant professional at The Links Golf Course in Highlands Ranch, it was all worth the wait.

Hunt claimed the title for the second time in three years, becoming the sixth player to win more than one CPGA Professional Championship. The others are Bill Loeffler (three titles), Ken Krieger (three), Ron Vlosich (three), Mike Zaremba (two) and Jack Sommers (two).

“That’s pretty neat,” Hunt said. “I heard a couple of guys being called to the tee who had multiple wins in this event, and to be included in that list is pretty awesome, pretty cool.”

The 32-year-old closed with a 1-under-par 71 Wednesday to post an 11-under 205 total on the Blue Course, good for a three-stroke victory and the $7,000 first prize. Caine Fitzgerald of Murphy Creek Golf Course took second place for the second straight year, sharing the runner-up spot this time with John Ogden of Cherry Hills Country Club. Fitzgerald carded a nifty 65 on Wednesday, while Ogden had a 70.

The top seven finishers in this week’s tournament qualified for the 2012 PGA Professional National Championship, which will take place June 24-27 in Seaside, Calif. Those qualifiers were Hunt, Fitzgerald, Ogden, Micah Rudosky of Conquistador (209), Johnson (212), Shawn Wills of Lakewood Country Club (213) and Barry Milstead of Valley Country Club (213). Mike Northern of Valley Hi Golf Course (213), who competed in this year’s PGA Championship, was already in the national field.

Earning spots in the national tournament is no small matter because the top 20 finishers there land berths in the 2012 PGA Championship.

But for Hunt, who held at least a share of the lead each day, by far the biggest priority was the overall championship in the $50,000 tournament.

“It’s always hard to win a tournament for the second time,” the Highlands Ranch resident said. “But it’s hard to win the first one, too. Regardless of when you win, it’s fun.”

Ogden (pictured at left) was in second place for much of the day on Wednesday, but he couldn’t cut his deficit to fewer than three strokes.

Hunt “is a fine player and even a better young man,” Ogden said. “I told him, ‘I’m not in your class.’ He’s a cool customer and a fine player. He’s a well deserved two-time champion.”

Hunt, who entered the day with a four-shot lead, never was seriously challenged on Wednesday. On the final nine holes — the front nine at the Blue Course — a birdie by Ogden followed shortly thereafter by a three-putt bogey by Hunt narrowed the margin to three with six holes left. But the par-5 14th hole — No. 5 — effectively ended what suspense there was. There, Hunt hit a 4-hybrid from 237 yards to just in front of the green, and he chipped in for eagle from 25 feet. And with Ogden scrambling for par, the margin went from three to five.

“That deflated me because that’s a hole I can get on the green (in two),” Ogden said. “I didn’t hit a good tee shot there and I was lucky to make 5.”

Said Hunt: “Knowing that I had five shots to work with and four holes to go made it a little more comfortable. From that point, it was, ‘Stay out of trouble, get the ball in the fairway, get it on the green and don’t beat myself.'”

Fitzgerald, who started the day in ninth place, steadily moved up the leaderboard with an eight-birdie day, and he was one ahead of Ogden when the last two groups had to wait out the weather delay. But despite dealing with drenched greens and a constant soaking rain, Ogden finished par-birdie, draining a 25-foot birdie from behind the green on the final hole.

“That could be some of the worst conditions I’ve ever had to play in,” he said. “I wanted to win, and at that point I didn’t have a chance to win the golf tournament. I let that get away in the early and middle parts of the round. But it was a nice way to finish. It’s better to finish tied for second than third, that’s for sure.”

Hunt, meanwhile, overcame a missed 2-foot par putt on the 17th hole following the weather delay to make a routine par to close the tournament.

“The lead was comfortable enough, (so) I just wanted to get done — get it over with,” he said. “It was tough, pretty nasty.”

But soon after, he had another trophy to show for it all (pictured at left).

For scores from the Colorado PGA Professional Championship, CLICK HERE.