U.S. SENIOR OPEN COMES TO THE BROADMOOR
By 1993, Jack Nicklaus had long cemented his stature as the greatest golfer in the history of the game. He was seven years removed from his 18th and final major championship, a one-stroke win at the 1986 Masters, his sixth title at Augusta.
But Nicklaus’ victory at the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver was not without drama. He held off Chi Chi Rodriguez and Tom Weiskopf, who had opened the final round by carding a Senior Open-record 30 on the front nine. It was Nicklaus’ second Senior Open crown.
On Thursday, 15 years after Nicklaus’ triumph, the Senior Open returns to Colorado, this time at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. And with a field full of legends — including Coloradans Hale Irwin, Dale Douglass and Craig Stadler — the drama from 1993 could easily reoccur.
The East Course at The Broadmoor will be the longest Senior Open track since the tournament debuted in 1980. At 7,254 yards, it’s no leisurely municipal course, stretching longer than the previous longest course, 7,177-yard Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis in 2004.
The Senior Open is the second leg in a marathon run of Champions Tour majors. The Senior British Open, which ended Sunday, opened the string, followed by the U.S. Senior Open and, after a week off, The Tradition in Sunriver, Ore., on Aug. 14-17.
The peak tournament on the senior tour, the Open at The Broadmoor will have a formidable field, including 53-year-old Greg Norman, who two weeks ago shocked the world with his strong performance in the British Open at Royal Birkdale.
Nicklaus looms large in major golf tournaments in Colorado. His second- place finish as a 20-year-old amateur in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills was an epic achievement.
But it’s time for new legends. Or, in the case of the Senior Open this week, the solidifying of legends.
Nick Groke: 303-954-1015 or ngroke@denverpost.com
Where the legends come out to play
What: U.S. Senior Open
Where: The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs
When: Thursday-Sunday
Who: 127 members of the Champions Tour
TV: Thursday-Friday, ESPN, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, KCNC-4 (NBC), 1-4 p.m.
Champions Tour leaders
Points:
1. Bernhard Langer 1,743
2. Jay Haas 1,671
3. John Cook 1,072
4. Loren Roberts 1,049
5. Scott Hoch 1,026
Money:
1. Bernhard Langer $1,499,428
2. Jay Haas $1,352,055
3. Loren Roberts $1,196,593
4. Scott Hoch $1,124,316
5. John Cook $991,580
GIVE BLOOD, PLAY RUGBY
Scrumming in Glendale.
The month-long North American 4 tournament, hosted by the International Rugby Board, is a kind of continental championship, determining the best teams and the best individual ruggers in the U.S. and Canada. The four-team tournament already swept through British Columbia and Oregon for early rounds and concludes this week in Glendale, with semifinal, consolation and championship matches at Infinity Park.
Two American teams — the Western region U.S. Falcons and the East Coast-filled U.S. Hawks — will go against Canada West and Canada East. Undefeated Canada East and the one-loss Falcons will be on opposite sides of the bracket as favorites to meet in the final.
Seven Colorado-area players will help lead the Hawks: Michael Graham and Taylor Howden of the Glendale Raptors; the Denver Barbarians’ Nicholas Johnson, Travis Meidinger, Patrick Quinn and John Van der Giessen; and former Air Force player Josh Dean. The Barbarians’ Tyson Meek will play for the Falcons.
Semifinals are Tuesday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The championship game is Saturday at 8 p.m. immediately after the consolation. Check or for info.
TV GAME OF THE WEEK
Short-order Cook.
The definition of pitching efficiency can be found somewhere inside Aaron Cook’s breezy performance Friday in the Rockies’ 7-2 victory over the Reds in Cincinnati. In allowing only one run and five hits over eight innings, Cook threw just 93 pitches and got 13 groundball outs.
That Cook struck out only four batters illustrates how effective a groundball can be — grounders net easy outs and uneasy outs, as witnessed by Ian Stewart’s great seat-of- his-pants play from third base.
Cook (13-6, 3.46 ERA) will be back on the bump Wednesday at Pittsburgh against the Pirates. The game airs at 5 p.m. on FSN.
NO HORSING AROUND
Equestrians saddle up.
Young Olympic equestrian hopefuls will consider the Colorado Horse Park in Parker the center of the universe this week when the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships descend upon Colorado to determine winners in dressage, eventing, jumping and reining.
The NAJYR is a proven steppingstone. McLain Ward, who helped America win team gold in Athens four years ago and will be in Beijing next month, is a former NAJYR champion. Locally, sisters Anisa and Kendyl Tracy of Parker will seek to defend their 2007 team eventing gold, and Sarah Tredennick of Greenwood Village will be trying to better her fifth-place finish last year in show jumping.
Competition runs Wednesday through Sunday. Check for more info.
SAILOR’S DELIGHT
Yachting with an altitude.
At more than 9,000 feet above sea level, the Dillon Yacht Club claims to host the highest sailing regatta in America. A bold and highly likely claim. Racing Saturday and Sunday at Dillon Lake, some 70 miles west of Denver, the 35th Dillon Open Regatta will take over Lake Dillon with more than 100 keel and centerboard boats.
Skippers will have boats going four times daily in midday races. The regatta doubles as a benefit for the DYC Junior Sailing Program in the Western Slope. It’s all a sight to see, yachts careening through a chilly lake in the mountains so near the Continental Divide. Check for more info.
