A field of 77 golfers will compete over 18 holes for two berths in the U.S. Senior Open, which is set for June 29-July 2 at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass. The 2018 U.S. Senior Open will be contested at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs.

Vlosich has qualified for the U.S. Senior Open five times, including last year. Rohrbaugh, who had conditional status on PGA Tour Champions in 2015, has gone to three U.S. Senior Opens, most recently two years ago.

Also in Thursday’s field are Utahn Steve Schneiter, who in the fall won the national Senior PGA Professional Championship; Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, who recently played in the Senior PGA Championship (along with Schneiter); Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Kent Moore, John Olive, Tom Woodard and Vlosich; three Coloradans who posted top-10 finishers at last week’s CoBank Colorado Senior Open (Rick Cole, Dale Smigelsky and Doug Wherry); three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk; and Wyoming resident John Hornbeck, who joined Vlosich in qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Senior Open.

For Thursday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
 

Danny Edwards will turn 66 in two weeks, so there are people in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open field who were just being born when he was starting to drive a car.

But that didn’t keep the five-time PGA Tour winner from finding a spot on the leaderboard after round 1 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

Edwards (pictured) shot a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 Wedneday to share sixth place with two rounds left at GVR. He sits just two strokes out of the lead.

“There’s a lot of difference between 50 and 66 (years old),” Edwards said. “You don’t hit it as far, your nerves aren’t as good. Name about anything, there’s a big difference. It’s hard to believe I’m that old, but I am. It’s definitely a challenge.

“But it’s nice to play well — whether I was 10th (place) or 30th. I hit some really good shots. That’s what you enjoy — hitting really good shots and making a few saves. I hit 16 greens in regulation, which isn’t bad.”

On a day that featured good scoring conditions — though there were two lightning suspensions in the afternoon lasting a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes — 22 players were under par Wednesday before play was suspended due to darkness at 8:15 p.m. A total of 30 players hadn’t yet completed round 1 and will do so on Thursday beginning at 7:30 a.m. Scheduled second-round tee times won’t be affected.

Leading the way when play concluded Wednesday night were Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah, the 2016 winner of the national Senior PGA Professional Championship, and a couple of Texans, Tim Thelen of College Station and Steve Jurgensen of The Woodlands. All three fired 5-under-par 67s.

“We had perfect conditions,” said Thelen, a two-time winner of the national PGA Professional Championship and a five-time champion on the European Senior Tour. “I guess it rained out here a little last night. It softened the course up a little so you could go after it.”

Edwards is no stranger to being in contention at the Colorado Senior Open. He finished second in the tournament in 2009, third in 2005 and fifth in 2011 at age 60.

On Wednesday, Edwards kept his bogey-free round intact by getting up and down from the front bunker on No. 18, sinking a 6-foot par putt.

Shooting rounds in the 60s is always a good thing, but especially when a player like Edwards isn’t competing nearly as much as he used to.

“I play maybe once a month” tournament-wise, he said. “If you’re playing the (PGA) Tour, you’re playing virtually every week. It’s a lot more difficult (now), there’s no question about it. You’re not playing as much. I’m just a part-time player and an older guy. But I can still play a little bit, so it’s nice to have a round like today.”

Thelen (left), a college teammate of Colin Montgomerie at Houston Baptist, made seven birdies in his round of 67 on Wednesday.

“I hit it well. I drove it well, hit my irons well and made a few putts,” said the 55-year-old Thelen, who placed fourth in the Senior Open in 2014, the only other year he’s competed in the event. “I played a practice round here yesterday and didn’t hit it very well. I was on the range this morning before we played and I just felt something. I went out there and did it. I haven’t been putting very well, and I guess the hole got in the way a few times today. Hopefully the next two days are good.”

Joining Thelen in the first-round lead was Schneiter, who in addition to winning the national Senior PGA Professional Championship in November has captured the PGA Professional Championship in 1995. Schneiter made six birdies on the day and played his final six holes in 4 under. Also sharing the lead was Jurgensen, a one-time winner on the Web.com Tour. The 55-year-old carded six birdies and a bogey on Wednesday.

Sharing fourth place at 68 were Jeff Gallagher of Henderson, Nev., who went bogey-free, and Robin Byrd of Satellite Beach, Fla., whose lone bogey came on his final hole of the day.

Notable: The low amateur after Wednesday’s action was Albert Johnson Jr., of Lawton, Okla., who carded a 2-under-par 70. … The field will be cut to the low 55 players and ties after Thursday’s second round. … Defending champion John Ross of Bramwell, W. Va., opened with a 73. … Mike Northern of Colorado Springs, who competed in the Senior PGA Championship last week, posted a 71 on Wednesday.

For scores from the Colorado Senior Open, CLICK HERE.
 

Two of those events are definitely in the cards, barring the unforeseen. And the third will depend on how this week’s tournament plays out.

Rohrbaugh — the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion, and the winner of the last two Colorado PGA Professional Championships — will compete in a Champions Tour regional qualifying tournament this week in Murrieta, Calif. The event, one of three scheduled around the country, runs Tuesday through Friday and features a field of 51 competitors.

If Rohrbaugh, the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs, is among the top finishers (the exact number will be determined on Tuesday), he’ll earn a spot in the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying, set for Nov. 18-21 in Winter Garden, Fla. The top five finishers there will be fully exempt on the 2015 Champions Tour, with the next seven having conditional status.

And in between the regionals and finals of Champions Q-school, Rohrbaugh is scheduled to play in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship Nov. 13-16 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

That’s what you call cramming a lot of tournament golf into a short time frame.

Rohrbaugh made it to the final stage of Champions Q-school last year, but fell short of earning a card by placing 48th.

Rohrbaugh will be one of five Coloradans competing in Champions Tour regional qualifying this week. Tom Carricato of Highlands Ranch will also be in Murrieta, while Sam Chapman of Parker and Mike Musgrave of Fort Collins will play in Montgomery, Texas, where 53 are in the field, and Dean Sessions of Westminster will be in Winter Garden, Fla., where 75 are scheduled to play.

Among the others competing in regionals are former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien, who won the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship this year; five-time PGA Tour winner Blaine McCallister; two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair; and Steve Schneiter, who qualified for the 2014 U.S. Senior Open in Colorado this year.

A couple of players with strong Colorado ties are exempt into the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying — 1996 U.S. Open champion and Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Steve Jones, and onetime Champions Tour winner Gary Hallberg of Parker. Former Colorado Open champ Willie Wood also falls into that category.
 

Two players who are no strangers to golf’s major championships punched their tickets to another one on Tuesday.

Ron Vlosich of Lakewood and Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah earned the two qualifying spots available at Lakewood’s Fox Hollow Golf Course for the U.S. Senior Open. 

Schneiter, the 1995 PGA Professional National Champion, fired a 5-under-par 66 on Tuesday despite never having seen the course before, while Vlosich carded a 67. 

The Senior Open will be played July 10-13 at Oak Tree National Golf Club in Edmond, Okla.

Schneiter, 50, has competed in a dozen PGA Championships, plus last month’s Senior PGA Championship. 

Vlosich, 57, has qualified for a U.S. Open, a PGA Championship, three previous U.S. Senior Opens and two Senior PGAs. 

“It’s always special” playing in major championships, said Vlosich, a five-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year. “Those guys are just so good compared to what I am. So there’s no way to win the tournament, but to go is pretty cool. To participate is always nice. You hope you get a few good rounds in.

“I’m almost ready to quit trying to qualify for them just because I’ve done them. Let somebody else do them. I’m not trying to rack up 10 U.S. Senior Opens and make the cut three times in 10 years. That’s great you’re making it but …”

For the record, Vlosich (pictured above and at left with Schneiter) has made the cut in the 2007 U.S. Senior Open, and at the 2010 Senior PGA Colorado Golf Club hosted.

Vlosich, a former head professional at Green Gables Country Club who now teaches periodically at the Meadows Golf Club, recorded six birdies and two bogeys Tuesday at Fox Hollow. He qualified despite three-putting his 17th hole (for a par) and hitting into a hazard and needing to sink a 6-foot putt for a bogey on No. 18. On the other hand, he also drained a 60-foot birdie putt on No. 14.

“There are a lot of wedges (for approach shots at Fox Hollow), but you’ve got to get it in hole,” Vlosich said. “And everybody is over 50 and has a lot of those demons — not only the physical ailments but the mental demons. I’ve got them both. Everybody is fighting through those.”

Despite not seeing the course beforehand, Schneiter made nine birdies on Tuesday, offset by a double bogey and two bogeys. His flight from Salt Lake City on Monday was delayed by eight hours, so he didn’t arrive in Denver until 11:30 p.m.

Asked if he was surprised by shooting a 66 after going in “blind”, Schneiter said, “Not really. Sometimes that might be better.” Nevertheless, the double bogey he took — on No. 14, where his ball went left into an environmentally sensitive area — was a direct result of not knowing the course.

But the golfer who has won state opens in Arizona, Wyoming and Idaho bounced back nicely with birdies on his final two holes on Tuesday.

“I figured 5 under or better was what I needed to do,” Schneiter said. “But I wanted to go as low as I could go — 5 under or better. I try not to limit myself.”

Certainly the bottom line — qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open in his first attempt — was satisfying.

“It’s nice,” said Schneiter, runner-up in the 1991 Colorado Open. “I never played in a U.S. Open, so this will be fun.”

Amateur Brian Harris of Denver beat out Mike Zaremba of Pueblo West for the first alternate spot on Tuesday after both players shot 69.

A total of 77 players competed on Tuesday. Doug Rohrbaugh of Ironbridge Golf Club, who qualified for the U.S. Senior Open each of the last two years, shot a 73 at Fox Hollow. And Texan David Ogrin, winner of a PGA Tour event in 1996, carded a 77.

U.S. Senior Open Qualifying

At Par-71 Fox Hollow GC (Canyon/Meadow) in Lakewood

ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Steve Schneiter, Sandy, Utah, 32-34–66
Ron Vlosich, Lakewood, Colo., 34-33–67

ALTERNATES (In Order)
Brian Harris, Denver, Colo., 34-35–69
Michael Zaremba, Pueblo West, Colo., 35-34–69

FAILED TO QUALIFY
Michael Grob, Billings, Mont., 33-37–70
Ken Cosper, Fort Collins, Colo., 40-31–71
Rick Dewitt, Arvada, Colo., 35-36–71
Mike Northern, Colorado Springs, Colo., 36-35–71
Robert Polk, Parker, Colo., 38-34–72
Tom Krystyn, Denver, Colo., 39-33–72
Patrick Murphy, Broomfield, Colo., 37-35–72
Audie Dean, Centennial, Colo., 36-36–72
Dale Smigelsky, Fort Collins, Colo., 37-35–72
Kenneth Krieger, Cheyenne, Wyo., 37-35–72
Thomas Roos, Centennial, Colo., 38-35–73
David Delich, Colorado Springs, Colo., 37-36–73
Sean Forey, Morrison, Colo., 37-36–73
Doug Rohrbaugh, Carbondale, Colo., 37-36–73
Gregg Jones, Colorado Springs, Colo., 37-36–73
Tom Nosewicz, Aurora, Colo., 36-37–73
Marshall Clark, Denver, Colo., 35-39–74
James Reynolds, Centennial, Colo., 37-37–74
Steve Norman, Colorado Springs, Colo., 38-36–74
Mike Musgrave, Fort Collins, Colo., 40-34–74
Tom Krause, Centennial, Colo., 38-36–74
Matt Hall, Grand Junction, Colo., 38-37–75
Charlie Post, Castle Rock, Co., 41-34–75
Mark Bassett, Colorado Springs, Colo., 39-36–75
Mark Armistead, Lone Tree, Colo., 38-37–75
Quentin Sasser, Salt Lake City, Utah, 38-37–75
Thomas Carricato, Highlands Ranch, Colo., 37-38–75
John Hull, Clayton, Mo., 38-37–75
James Lemar, Littleton, Colo., 37-38–75
Grant Porter, Castle Pines, Colo., 37-39–76
Zane Zwemke, Aurora, Colo., 35-41–76
John Ward, Denver, Colo., 36-40–76
Rob McLelland, Aurora, Colo., 39-37–76
Mark Crabtree, Lakewood, Colo., 37-39–76
Richard Kelly, Golden, Colo., 39-37–76
Thomas Walter, Franktown, Colo., 37-39–76
John Karamigios, Lakewood, Colo., 39-37–76
Glen Barrett, Colorado Springs, Colo., 41-35–76
Thomas White, Bozeman, Mont., 38-38–76
Robert Cloud, Denver, Colo., 41-35–76
John Sostmann, Littleton, Colo., 39-38–77
David Ogrin, New Braunfels, Texas, 39-38–77
Ron Stelten, Palm Desert, Calif., 39-38–77
William Oshields, Aurora, Colo., 41-37–78
Owen Ellis, Boulder, Colo., 40-39–79
Bruce Hogg, Colorado Springs, Colo., 40-39–79
Dean Sessions, Westminster, Colo., 38-41–79
Jeff Seltz, Arvada, Colo., 40-39–79
Tom Schultz, Trinidad, Colo., 39-41–80
Paul Lobato, Denver, Colo., 38-42–80
Van McCarlie, Provo, Utah, 40-40–80
Mr. Harry Johnson, Edwards, Colo., 42-39–81
Mark Runyan, Centennial, Colo., 41-40–81
Rick Ellefson, Castle Rock, Colo., 42-39–81
Thomas Taylor, Steamboat Springs, Colo., 40-41–81
Rustin Triplette, Holyoke, Colo., 41-40–81
Perry Holmes, Denver, Colo., 40-42–82
Eric Hoos, Denver, Colo., 38-45–83
Leonard Zeggert, Morrison, Colo., 42-42–84
Jack Rule, Lone Tree, Colo., 43-42–85
Chuck Fisher, Westminster, Colo., 42-44–86
Robert Beiersdorf, Castle Rock, Colo., 46-41–87
Greg Parson, Littleton, Colo., 40-50–90
John Henderson, Colorado Springs, Colo., DQ
Mark Barkley, Highlands Ranch, Colo., WD
Kary Kaltenbacher, Englewood, Colo., NS
Robert Cooley, Parker, Colo., WD
Stephen Bell, Denver, Colo., WD
John Hoge, Parker, Colo., NC
Greg Hall, Wichita, Kan., NC
John Bevere, Colorado Springs, Colo., NS
Bob Kearney, Houston, Texas, NS
Michael Prostrollo, Aurora, Colo., NC