That “horses for courses” business proved true enough on Thursday in the first round of the HealthOne Colorado Open.
Three players who have accounted for a collective four victories in Colorado Open championships shot in the 60s on day 1 of the 2013 tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.
Though none of the three leads — that distinction belongs to former University of Northern Colorado golfer Stephen Bidne, who made eight birdies en route to a 7-under-par 64 — Coloradans Doug Rohrbaugh, Derek Tolan (pictured) and Ben Portie are right in the mix.
The 51-year-old Rohrbaugh, a Carbondale resident and head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club, more than held his own with the young guns. The 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open winner shot a 5-under-par 66 and shares second place.
Tolan, the defending champion seeking his third Colorado Open title in the last five years, posted a 67, good for seventh place.
And Portie, the 2011 Open winner and newly named Metro State women’s golf coach, fired a 69 and shares 14th place.
All told, they were three of the 38 players who broke par on a mostly benign scoring day at Green Valley Ranch. Joining Rohrbaugh in second place at 66 were former University of Denver golfer James Love, Dustin Mills of Arvada, Nathan Tyler of Tucson and Brad Besler of Blessing, Texas.
Especially in the morning wave, before some wind and rain moved in, red scores were plentiful.
“The course here is soft, so it’s there for the taking because you can throw darts in there (at the pins),” said Rohrbaugh, who welcomed that after facing very difficult conditions recently at the U.S. Senior Open. “Today was the day. The greens were perfect, they were soft, and we didn’t have (much) wind” in the morning.
Bidne, a 2011 UNC graduate who now plays on PGA Tour Canada, started his day with three consecutive birdies and made three more in his last five holes. His only bogey came on a three-putt. He’s shot 62 before, but Thursday marked one of perhaps his best six scores in a tournament.
“I definitely played really solid today,” Bidne said. “I missed three 6-footers, but I also made a couple of 30-footers so it all evened out. I’m happy with it. It was a fun day out there.
“I was the second group off this morning and the greens were pretty soft, so it was easy to get them close. I got pretty lucky with a good draw this week and a good tee time.”
Despite the fact that the course plays roughly 300 yards longer — and to a par-71 vs. a par-72 — than it does for the Colorado Senior Open, Rohrbaugh didn’t miss a beat on Thursday. His 66 Thursday was about as impressive as his first-round 65 in the Senior Open.
“With those tees and that set-up, it’s definitely my best round out here,” Rohrbaugh said. “I can almost say that’s every bit as good a round or better than I shot in the first round of the Senior because I’m playing it longer. I putted well today. If you’re going to be technical and counting only the putts that were on the green, it was in the low 20s; it had to be. I just made putts today. It was fun.”
And Rohrbaugh took advantage of a big break on No. 18 — his ninth hole — where he “thinned” his third shot (out of a fairway bunker), hit a small fence bordering cattails, and saw his ball carom completely across the fairway, stopping a foot short of the hazard. Because his swing was restricted by a small fence, he received a free drop and no longer had to deal with a bush that was in his way. He hit his fourth shot 12 feet from the cup and drained the par putt.
“It could have been a double (bogey),” he admitted. “There was my big break today. A routine par,” he said with a chuckle.
Tolan, winner of the Colorado Open in 2009 and 2012, carded five birdies and one bogey to begin his title defense.
“I felt real good about” about the round, the 27-year-old from Highlands Ranch said. “I wasn’t overly confident coming in here with my game. I’m not as tuned up as I’d like, but I played pretty solid. I hit it well and hit some good putts.
“I feel like it’s a good spot for me. I love the golf course, I love the area, love the way the tournament is run, love everything about it. I thought if I played solid and got off to a good start that I’d be able to make something happen.”
The 156-player field will be cut to the low 60 and ties after Friday’s second round. On the weekend, a $125,000 purse will be up for grabs, with $23,000 going to the top professional.
One player already out of the running is two-time champion Jim Blair, who withdrew mid-round.
For Colorado Open scores, CLICK HERE.
