The U.S. Senior Open begins Thursday at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and the field is packed with more than 150 golfers, not including John Daly, who withdrew Monday because he was denied use of his golf cart. Here are a few names to keep an eye on this weekend:
Hale Irwin. He’s 73 years old and is still a better golfer than you’ll ever be. The former CU Buff and Boulder Panther finished at 12-under (23rd place) in his latest Champions outing. His 45 PGA Tour Champions wins rank first all time.
John Smoltz. Rumor has it he was a pretty good pitcher for the Braves back in the 1990s and is now a broadcaster for MLB on Fox. Smoltz qualified by winning a three-man playoff for the final of three spots available out of Planterra Ridge Golf Club, located about 30 miles south of Atlanta.
Tom Lehman. Most well known for giving me my first appearance on ESPN by tossing his ball to me in the gallery after sinking the winning putt at the 1996 PGA Tour Championship at Southern Hills. What followed was a series of local Tulsa TV appearances as a third grader that somehow led me here.
Lee Janzen. Three-time U.S. Open champion and a collegiate national champion at Division II Florida Southern in the 1980s.
Tom Kite. Still swinging at 68 years old, Kite was the first golfer in PGA Tour history to reach the $6 million, $7 million, $8 million and $9 million marks in career earnings. (Purse money has increased since his heyday in the 1980s. Brooks Koepka’s purse for winning the U.S. Open was $2.16 million, and he’s made $4 million in earnings this year and $21.6 million in his six-year pro career.) Kite has won one major championship, the 1992 U.S. Open, and has 10 wins on the Champions tour.
Rocco Mediate. Never won a major, but constantly hovered near the top of the leaderboards in his prime, finishing second at the 2008 U.S. Open, sixth at the 2002 PGA Championship and tying for 15th at the 2001 Masters. Since joining the Champions tour in his modern life, he’s won thrice.
Davis Love III. Won 21 times on the PGA Tour, including one major (1997 PGA Championship) and The Players Championship twice.
Mark O’Meara. Was the biggest name in golf in 1998, winning the Masters and The Open Championship en route to being named the PGA and PGA Tour player of the year.
— , The Denver Post
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What’s on Tap?
- MLB: Rockies at Giants, 8:15 p.m. ATTRM | Pitching matchup |
- World Cup: Mexico vs. Sweden, 8 a.m., KDVR-31
- World Cup: South Korea vs. Germany, 8 a.m., FS1
- World Cup: Switzerland vs. Costa Rica, noon, FS1
- World Cup: Serbia vs. Brazil, noon, KDVR-31
TV/RADIO: Here’s what sports are airing today
Scoreboard
MLB: Giants 3, Rockies 2
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World Cup: Peru 2, Australia 0
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World Cup: Denmark 0, France 0
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World Cup: Argentina 2, Nigeria 1
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World Cup: Croatia 2, Iceland 1
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+ Rockies Mailbag form: Have a question about the Colorado Rockies or Major League Baseball? Patrick Saunders has some answers.
By The Numbers
5.2
Journal: Rockies remain lone National League team with only five starting pitchers this season, but rotation must improve to make a playoff run
The Rockies are averaging 5.2 innings per start, which ranks tied for third-best in the N.L., but they’ll have to do better. Read more…
Parting Shot
We’re giving away free tickets and VIP parking to the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor
Want to get an up-close view of the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor? Here’s your chance. Read more…
Get in Touch
If you see something thatap cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me .
