The proverbial cream — which in this case refers to PGA Tour veterans — rose to the top Friday in the final round of the CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

On a day only three players shot in the 60s at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, two of them were guys who have played more than 200 PGA Tour events in their career. And of the top five finishers, three fall into the same category, including the champion.

John Riegger of Henderson, Nev., who has made 224 starts on the PGA Tour and has won once on PGA Tour Champions, rallied from three down going into the final round to score a one-stroke victory in his first time playing the Senior Open.

“Winning is winning,” said Riegger (left), a 54-year-old. “I’ve won on the Champions Tour. I’ve won everywhere in the world except for the PGA Tour. Winning is winning. It’s always good for the confidence.”

Another PGA Tour veteran, Skip Kendall, tied for second with 2017 Arizona Senior Open winner Brian Cooper of Pittsburgh, who’s qualified for this month’s U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor. And sharing fourth place was one-time PGA Tour winner Guy Boros and two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair.

Overall, Friday wasn’t a stellar day scoring-wise, despite the good weather aside from some wind. Cooper shot a Friday-best 4-under-par 68, though he left a 10-foot birdie attempt an inch or two agonizingly short. Had it dropped it would have forced a playoff. He’d birdied 15, 16 and 17 to make a run at the title.

The other two sub-70 rounds were 3-under-par 69s by Rieger and Boros. Guys like Mike Northern of Colorado Springs (two eagles on the front nine) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Loeffler (4 under through 12) surged before rough finishes.

Riegger’s 9-under-par 207 score was the highest by a CSO winner since 2014.

“It was probably just nerves,” Blair said of the relatively high final-day scores. “That always happens. I was surprised that 9 under won it. Our group, we weren’t very good. John (Riegger) just hung in there and made a couple of putts.”

Indeed, he did. Riegger ended up draining five putts between 10 and 20 feet on Friday and was especially on target during the back nine. He made a 12-footer for bogey on 10 after hitting his tee shot into the left hazard, sank a 15-foot birdie on 11, a 15-foot par on 13 and a 20-foot birdie on 15. But he did miss a 5-foot birdie try on No. 18, though he didn’t know exactly where he stood at the time — and it didn’t end up costing him.

“To be honest with you that one on 18 was the only putt I missed all day” that he’d regularly expect to make, Riegger said. “I made a lot of putts. This is the best I’ve putted in five years.”

Two groups in front of Riegger, Cooper could have gotten to 9 under by getting up and down for birdie from just off the green. But as noted earlier, he couldn’t believe it when he left his 10-foot birdie attempt just short (left).

Then 18- and 36-hole leader Kendall could have forced a playoff with a final-hole birdie after making one on 17. But his 35-foot attempt fell short.

That gave Riegger the $8,500 first prize, while Cooper and Kendall settled for $4,250 each for tying for second place a stroke back. Kendall was 1 under par for the day through 11 holes, but played his final seven in 2 over en route to a 73.

“I’m disappointed,” said Kendall, who was playing in just his second tournament of the year. “I had it. I really did. I just got into some bad spots on the back side and made some bogeys because of it. I made some errors in judgment. But you know what? It was great to be in the thick of things again and to feel that. I know it’s going to help me this year and in the long run. I’m going to take positives out of it.”

Boros and Blair checked in at 209, two back of Riegger, to tie for fourth place. With his best finish in a Colorado Senior Open, the 63-year-old Blair also had the top showing by a super-senior this week, adding a $1,000 prize to his $2,150 payday in the overall purse breakdown.

As for Riegger, he should give some credit for the victory to 2017 champion Jeff Gallagher, a fellow resident of Henderson, Nev., who told Riegger it would be worth his while to play in the CSO. And this week’s performance gave Riegger his first tournament victory since he won the 2013 Boeing Classic in his fifth start on PGA Tour Champions.

“When I won on the Champions Tour, I’d won twice on the Web Tour in my 40s,” he said. “I beat Bernhard Langer down the stretch to win when I won the Boeing Classic. You have the same emotions.”

Lindstrom Posts Best Overall Finish by Am in CSO Since 2014: At age 50, Broomfield resident Jon Lindstrom is a rookie in senior golf. But he adapted quickly this week in his first CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

Not only did the three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion earn low-amateur honors by 10 shots, but he tied for the best finish overall by a Coloradan, sharing sixth place. And that sixth-place showing was the best by an amateur in this event since Kent Moore did the same in 2014.

Lindstrom went 71-69-70 for a 6-under-par 210 total, leaving him just three strokes behind overall champion John Riegger.

“Being low amateur is a nice way to start,” Lindstrom said. “I hit it pretty good and made some putts, but I felt like I left a bunch out there.

“It’s fun being low amateur. I don’t want to say that’s my goal, but it’s probably one of them.”

On Friday, Lindstrom played his front nine in 2 under, but he double bogeyed No. 10. Then he rebounded with birdies on 14 and 15.

“I really did” think about getting in contention for the overall title “because I was surprised that scores weren’t lower,” Lindstrom said.

Finishing second in the amateur competition on Friday was reigning CGA Senior Amateur champion Steve Ivan of Colorado Springs, who posted a 220 total.

As for the best finish by a Coloradan, regardless of pro or amateur, Lindstrom shared that honor by tying for sixth place with Jeff Hanson (left) of Edwards, the PGA director of golf at Red Sky Golf Club. Hanson went 68-71-71 for his 210 total. Like Lindstrom, Hanson double bogeyed the 10th hole on Friday, but he added four birdies and one bogey.

Four Coloradans were among those who tied for 10th place at 211: 2013 champion Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, Rick Cole of Eaton, Mike Northern of Colorado Springs and Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West. Zaremba, the 2005 CSO champion, was near the top of the leaderboard through 11 holes, but played his final eight in 4 over en route to a 75.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

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.

Jeff Gallagher hadn’t played in a multi-day tournament yet in 2018, but you’d never have known it by the way the former PGA Tour player opened his title defense Wednesday at the CoBank Colorado Senior Open.

Gallagher, 53, made seven birdies and one bogey in a round of 6-under-par 66 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club to share the lead with two rounds remaining.

“I haven’t played in anything since Champions Tour Q-school in December except for two Monday qualifiers,” the resident of Henderson, Nev., said on Wednesday. “My competitiveness is not around. But it was today. You’ve got to figure out what you’re doing quickly, and I got off to a good start. That made it easier.”

Perhaps not coindentally, a fellow former PGA Tour veteran who was paired with Gallagher (left) on Wednesday also shares the lead at 66. That’s Skip Kendall, who has played in 423 PGA Tour events in his career.

“It was great,” Kendall (below) said of the pairing. “I was just trying to hold on to Jeff’s shirttails. He got off to a good start (with three birdies in his first four holes), and we ended up kind of feeding off each other. And we both played very well.”

Also at 66 after the first round is Mike Grob of Billings, Mont., a former PGA Tour player who surprised himself after waking up Wednesday feeling less than optimal.

“It felt great because this morning I woke up and I felt swollen and sore and stiff,” said the 54-year-old, who placed fifth in last year’s CSO. “I think it was a good thing because I wouldn’t swing too fast. It kept me slow.”

On a day when scoring conditions were near ideal, 31 players broke par on Wednesday.

Former Broncos quarterback John Elway was 2 under par through 14 holes, but bogeyed three of his last four to shoot 73. (See below for more details.)

Bill Breen of Nashville, Tenn., opened with a 67 to stand in fourth place.

Three Coloradans are in the top 10 through the first day. Rick Cole of Eaton, the runner-up in the 2017 Colorado PGA Professional Championship, had a bogey-free 68, good for a share of fifth place. Eaton finished sixth at last year’s Senior Open.

Also at 68 is Jeff Hanson of Edwards, who was part of Elway’s threesome, along with Paul Lobato. Doug Wherry of Lakewood posted a 69, leaving him in eighth place.

Gallagher shot 66 despite missing three putts of 5 feet or less, including a 2-foot birdie attempt on his first hole.

“The course kinds of suits me,” said Gallagher, who went 68-66-71 to win last year. “I drove it really well and hit some good shots at times. The golf course is nice. It’s fun to play.

“It’s so much different than when I played on Tour and on the Web.com. I have a mindset (now) that I’m going to go out and have fun. Whatever happens, happens. I think that mindset makes it a lot easier to play. It took a long time to figure that out — 53 years old and you finally figure out that this game actually is a lot of fun to play. And I still hit it really well, and that makes it a lot more fun to play.”

Gallagher and Kendall have known each other almost 30 years, back to their mini-tour days, which made for an ideal pairing on Wednesday, with Colorado amateur Guy Mertz (72 in round 1) being the third player.

“We had a good group,” Gallagher said. “It was fun. A lot of birdies.”

Kendall, who finished third at The International at Castle Pines in 1997, played his final 10 holes in 6 under par on Wednesday.

“I putted pretty well. I made eight birdies. I can’t remember the last time I did that,” said Kendall, who is playing in his first Colorado Senior Open. “Obviously I didn’t really expect to. I didn’t know what to expect because I haven’t been playing that much (one PGA Tour Champions start this year after a full schedule in 2017 but losing his card). So we’ll see what happens the next couple of days, but today was a nice day. I kept the ball in play, hit some decent irons shots and made some putts.

“It’s a good course. I’m enjoying it. It’s fun competing again.”

Elway Falters at End, Shoots 73: As for Elway, on Wednesday he made another one of those comebacks he’s famous for — only this one came on the golf course rather than the football field. Unfortunately for the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, he couldn’t close the deal on Wednesday.

Starting on his ninth hole (No. 18 at GVR), the Broncos general manager went birdie-par-birdie-birdie to get to 2 under, which put him in the top 15 overall. And he drove it over the green on the 318-yard fourth hole, but settled for a par. Then a couple of missed short putts and a ball that plugged in the bunker on his 17th hole resulted in three bogeys in his final four holes.

The 1-over-par 73 left Elway (left) in 44th place after the first round.

“I’m getting old. I can’t finish rounds,” said Elway, who has finished as high as 19th in the CSO. “I had it going so it was great, then … I don’t know if it’s age and I lack concentration late or what. But that’s golf.

“I played as good as I could play (for much of the round). I had a lot of good shots and made some good putts. For me it was a good round. You’re always disappointed if you miss a little putt or whatnot. But I hit the ball pretty well today.

“It’s always a crash course for me once the (NFL) draft is over. We’re about a month out, so it’s starting to get a little better. But I always enjoy playing out here. This is really a fun golf course to play. It’s in great shape.”

Elway was paired with Lobato, a PGA professional at Meridian Golf Club who has served as Elway’s instructor for many years.

“He can’t help you (during a tournament round),” Elway noted. “But it’s always good to play with guys you’re comfortable with. We kind of root for each other, but obviously we’re still playing in the tournament.”

Elway ranks fourth among amateurs after one round. Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield, a three-time CGA Mid-Amateur champion, leads the amateur ranks after shooting a 1-under-par 71.

The top 55 players and ties after Thursday’s second round will advance to Friday’s final round.

Hamill Surprised, Humbled by Honor: Pat Hamill, the founder of Oakwood Homes, is credited by many for bringing the Colorado Open back from the brink during tough times 15 years ago and re-establishing it as one of the top state opens in the country.

Hamill is the founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and the owner of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club — where the CoBank Colorado Open, CoBank Colorado Women’s Open and the CoBank Colorado Senior Open are held. It’s also the home of The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, a program which helps shape and impact the lives of kids.

Given the impact Hamill has had with The First Tee of GVR and with the CoBank Colorado Open championships, he recently received an unexpected honor when The First Tee Learning Center/Colorado Open Golf Foundation building at GVR was renamed the Patrick H. Hamill Learning Center.

“I was very surprised,” he said Wednesday at the Colorado Senior Open. “Had they asked for permission, I wouldn’t have let it happen. But I’m very humbled.”

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.

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.