He’s beaten senior players, junior players, mid-amateurs and everything in between.
In short, it’s been a rip-roaring good year for Doug Rohrbaugh, the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club.
Already the winner of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open and the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, co-champion of the U.S. Senior Open qualifier in Colorado, and a third-place finisher in the HealthOne Colorado Open, Rohrbaugh added the Colorado PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday.
As Barry Milstead of Valley Country Club, president of the Colorado PGA, noted, “I’ve signed a lot of checks for you this year.”
And at 51, Rohrbaugh became one of the oldest winners — and perhaps the oldest — of the Colorado PGA’s top tournament. Fred Wampler, for one, also won the title after turning 50, doing so in 1974.
“The only thing I keep saying is, ‘Why did it take me 50 years to figure this out?'” said Rohrbaugh (pictured above and below). “There’s definitely something to be said for older and wiser, but who knows?”
After taking a four-stroke lead into the final round, the Carbondale resident shot a second consecutive 1-under-par 71 and won by five shots at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott. He didn’t lose the lead all day and finished at 6-under-par 210. The victory — Rohrbaugh’s first in the event after competing in it for two decades — was worth $7,500.
Rob Hunt of The Links Golf Course, winner of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship in both 2009 and ’11, tied for second at 215 Wednesday after a final-round 69. Micah Rudosky of Conquistador (72 Wednesday) and Jerry Smith of Three Crowns Golf Club in Casper, Wyo. (70) also shared second place. Rudosky won the title in 2001.
“Without Doug, it was a close race,” Hunt said with a laugh.
The top eight finishers, plus PGA Championship qualifier Caine Fitzgerald, earned spots in the 2014 PGA Professional National Championship, which will be played June 22-25 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Besides the aforementioned, advancing were Ari Papadopoulos of Red Sky, Milstead, University of Denver women’s assistant coach Erik Billinger, and Matt Schalk of Colorado National.
Schalk landed the final national berth when he prevailed over John Ogden of Cherry Hills on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.
But the main story Wednesday was Rohrbaugh and the continuation of his sensational summer.
“It’s incredible,” Hunt said. “I don’t know what the records would show, but I don’t know if (what he’s done in all those tournaments) has ever happened. It certainly hasn’t happened very often.”
Even Rohrbaugh himself is a little dumbfounded at the success he’s enjoyed in 2013.
“Oh my gosh, what can you say, other than ‘wow’,” he said. “I’m blown away. I’m obviously thrilled. You dream about every tournament you play in you want to win, but God, I’ve never had a year remotely like this.”
On Wednesday, while Rohrbaugh never relinquished the lead, Rudosky (pictured at left) moved within two strokes when Rohrbaugh bogeyed No. 8. And he was still within three after Rohrbaugh made his second bogey, at No. 14.
But the par-5 15th proved pivotal. There, Rohrbaugh pushed his tee shot and it ended up in a bush. Though he had to take an unplayable lie penalty, he was able to drop in a spot that gave him a chance to advance his ball a considerable distance.
After Rudosky elected to lay up from the fairway — which surprised Rohrbaugh — the latter took a 3-wood from the rough, 280 yards from the pin, and faded his ball around some tree limbs. It hit in front of the green and rolled to within 30 feet of the cup. Despite taking the unplayable, Rohrbaugh two-putted for par. Rudosky, meanwhile, missed his 7-foot birdie attempt, meaning there was no blood on the hole.
“I couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Rohrbaugh said. “That was the shot of the day for me. If I had made bogey and he made birdie (it’s down to a one-stroke difference). My whole attitude changed the rest of the way. Not that I wasn’t feeling confident before that, but I had a lot more.”
Rohrbaugh played the last three holes in 1 under par, not giving his closest competitors any openings.
And now, like last year, Rohrbaugh has his sights set on his big goal for the fall — trying to qualify for the Champions Tour. Time will tell how he fares, but the roll he’s on has him thinking big.
“I feel confident. This just keeps building the confidence,” he said.
Here are the top 10 finishers from the Colorado PGA Professional Championship: 1. Doug Rohrbaugh 68-71-71–210; 2. (tie) Rob Hunt 72-74-69–215; Jerry Smith 74-71-70–215; Micah Rudosky 70-73-72–215; 5. Ari Papadopoulos 71-75-70–216; 6. (tie) Barry Milstead 75-73-69–217; Erik Billinger 74-71-72–217; 8. (tie) Matt Schalk 73-77-69–219; John Ogden 78-68-73–219; 10. (tie) Eric Bradley 73-80-67–220; Mike Northern 77-70-73–220.
For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
