PARKER — A long, long time ago, a golf tour for the over-50 set was created, based on the premise of giving fans a chance to see the old, familiar faces — an Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player — play the game a bit longer.
Somewhere along the line, the Champions Tour lost that flavor, in part because after the Big Three exited, there wasn’t exactly an abundance of charismatic stars to fill the void and also because there just happened to be players who may not have had a name but were certainly good enough to win in any given week.
Which brings us to this week’s Senior PGA Championship at Colorado Golf Club. There were more than 150 players who teed it up in Thursday’s opening round on the longest, perhaps most challenging course in Champions Tour history, but by sunset Friday, it seemed fairly clear where the tournament was heading — and who was behind the steering wheel.
Atop the leaderboard stood Fred Couples, winner of the 1992 Masters, his 7-under-par 137 for the opening two rounds putting him one shot ahead of Tom Kite, who just happened to win the ’92 U.S. Open. In third place stood Tom Lehman, winner of the 1997 British Open, and lurking two shots behind him was a group that included Nick Price, who has, among his three major victories, a PGA Championship won in 1992, and Bernhard Langer, a two- time Masters winner.
That’s not to say that golf is devoid of “Any Given Sunday” stories, and perhaps there may indeed be a fairy-tale finish in the works for Robin Freeman or Chien Soon Lu of Taiwan, who played five rounds here long before the tournament began in order to acclimate himself to the daunting challenge that is CGC.
But. according to Kite, you shouldn’t really count on it.
“I don’t think you’re surprised to see those names up there, are you?” Kite asked. “For the most part, when you get on a golf course that’s difficult like this and under the conditions that’s tough like this, you’re going to see a lot of the name players come up there.”
According to Couples, as far as hard golf courses are concerned, CGC “is a 10.” It hasn’t necessarily looked like it, particularly on the opening nine holes — Couples’ 7-under total has been built on the front side.
This event is Couples’ first senior major, and he admits that he doesn’t know whether every one will be like this. But should that be the case, there will be a lot of smiling faces, not only here, but throughout the sport. It is Couples, after all, who is quickly emerging as the poster child for the Champions Tour, the player with the potential to put the organization on his sometimes-balky back, drawing eyeballs that may have been tempted to dismiss the over-50 set as a bunch of fogies trading in on days gone by.
But Couples didn’t win every tournament that he entered during his days on the PGA Tour, and chances are he’s not going to be able to waltz through now — especially when golf’s biggest titles are being contested.
“Majors are majors,” Lehman said. “I don’t think that the Champions Tour is any different.”
As a defending champion, Couples will be welcome at Augusta National for as long as he cares to play there, and the same is true for Langer; meanwhile, Lehman has peppered his name on a handful of leaderboards on the PGA Tour this season.
But for the players in this week’s field who don’t put Augusta National on their schedules in ink, or aren’t really certain when or where that next/last shot of glory may come from, one could argue that winning a major now just might mean a little bit more.
“I’m to the point now where . . . there’s going to be more space between the wins,” said Kite, 60. “I think that at some point in time, I will win in my 60s, and I look forward to that day. I hope it’s this week.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
BESTS
Lag putt for birdie:
After opening with two bogeys, Tom Lehman, right, got on track with a 60-foot birdie putt on No. 12. Lehman, who started on the back nine, hit a 5-iron second shot through the green past the front-left pin.
Birdie stretch:
In back-to-back groups, five of six players birdied No. 10. When Fred Couples lipped out his birdie putt, the streak was over.
Heading backward:
Joey Sindelar’s drive on the par-4 third hole went into the wash area on the dogleg-left hole. He had to hit backward to get into the fairway on his second shot, behind the drives of his playing partners. He took double-bogey.
David Krause, The Denver Post
WORSTS
Wrong side:
Tommy Armour III put his shot on the 154-yard second hole behind the green and had to hit left-handed with the club turned around. He hit through the green and into a bunker.
Fall from leaderboard:
Kirk Hanefeld dropped 74 spots after his 10-over 82 on Friday. After shooting even-par 72 in the first round, Hanefeld had seven bogeys and two double-bogeys and just one birdie to finish tied for 95th. “Worst round in probably 20 years,” Hanefeld said.
Eagle to par:
Michael Allen was putting from the fringe for eagle at No. 16 but left it short and missed the birdie putt. He need a little body English to coax in his par putt.
Tom Kensler and David Krause, The Denver Post
Fan guide
What you need to know at the Senior PGA Championship this weekend at Colorado Golf Club:
SCHEDULE
Today-Sunday
Gates: 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tee times: 7 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
Completion of rounds: 4 p.m.
TICKETS
Daily pass: $35 (one adult can bring up to four children 17 or younger free each day)
PARKING
The V Lot is for fans, costs $5 and has shuttle service to the course.
From E-470, Parker Road (exit 5) and go south 5 1/2 miles to Stroh Road, west to Crowfoot Valley Road.
From I-25 southbound, Lincoln Avenue (exit 193) east to Parker Road, then south to Stroh.
I-25 northbound, Founders Parkway (exit 184) east to Crowfoot Valley Road, north to the lot.
TV
NBC (KUSA-9), 1-4 p.m. each day
Hole of the day
197-yard, par-3 11th.
The downhill hole played the second-toughest of the day with a tight pin placement and wind blowing from left to right. With the hole cut at the front right of the giant two-tiered green, there were just nine birdies and 85 pars, to go with 49 bogeys and seven double-bogeys.
