Three past champions share the lead at the halfway point of the $250,000 CoBank Colorado Open, and, amazingly enough, one of them is competing in his first tournament in two years.
Former University of Colorado golfer Jonathan Kaye, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour whose last tournament was the 2014 Colorado Open, shot a 7-under-par 65 on Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club to vault into a tie for first place with Zahkai Brown of Arvada and Wil Collins of Albuquerque, N.M.
“For not having played in a long time, I can’t complain,” said Kaye (pictured), the 1996 Colorado Open champ who now resides in Boulder during the summer.
Kaye, who will turn 46 on Aug. 2, won PGA Tour events in 2003 and 2004, and has earned more than $10.5 million on that circuit, but he last competed in 2014. That year, he played three Web.com Tour events and the Colorado Open, where he shot 78-77 and missed the cut.
But this week is a totally different matter as Kaye has carded an eagle, 13 birdies and just three bogeys in two days at GVR. He’s posted scores of 67-65 for a 12-under-par total.
“I’ve hit it really good,” he said. “I’m just cruising along. We’ll see tomorrow, right? But I’m swinging nice and I’m hitting my irons good. I seem to be pulling the right clubs and have my yardages down. If everything holds, just keep doing the same thing.”
All in all, it’s been pretty impressive for a guy who plays golf casually two or three times a week.
“What I don’t do is practice — and it really shows,” Kaye said. “I go out there and I play OK, but you can see on my short game and stuff, I haven’t been practicing. But I tried to make a commitment to myself to try to get out to work on my short game just a little bit before this so I didn’t look like a complete moron, and it seems to be going pretty good.”
Kaye finds himself at the top of the leaderboard with two guys who compete nearly week in and week out on mini tours, state opens and the like. Collins, winner of the Colorado Open in 2005, backed up his course-record-tying 62 Thursday with a 70 on Friday. And Brown, the champion three years ago, has gone 67-65 like Kaye.
This has become the routine in recent years for Brown (left), the former Colorado State University golfer who has recorded three top-two finishes in the last four Colorado Opens. In addition to his win in 2013, the former CGA Player of the Year placed second in 2012 and last year.
“I’ve been playing really well this year. I’ve been hitting it really well,” said Brown, who’s captured four mini-tour titles in 2016 and gotten his Web.com Tour qualifying entry fees paid. “I love this golf course and it suits my game. I was excited coming into this event.”
The long-hitting Brown hit each of the four par-5s in two on Friday and two-putted for four birdies there. On the 635-yard 18th hole, he smacked a drive 435 yards, leaving him with just a 200-yard approach to the green.
With being in contention three of the last four years, Brown has no doubt formulated an effective game plan for GVR.
“I’ve been hitting my driver really well, so obviously I’ll try to hit the par-5s in two again (and) drive 4 and 14 (two sub-350-yard par-4s). If I play those holes solid and birdie a few others, it should be tough to beat if you go out there and shoot a 64 or whatnot. (Great scores are) out there; the greens are perfect.”
Collins, who played regularly on the PGA Tour in 2009 and has qualified for two U.S. Opens, picked up Friday where he left off Thursday as he started birdie-eagle in round 2. But three bogeys in the stretch from holes 6 through 9 set him back a little before he birdied each of the par-5s on the back nine.
“I came out sharp, then I paid the price for some sloppy routines,” the 37-year-old said. “That put me back on my heels a bit, but I told myself to stay positive. The course is in such great shape and the weather has been perfect. I knew there would be some birdies. At least I got the two par-5s on the back side to get in red numbers for the day.
“I hate to say it’s never easy to follow up a great round, but there were some positives out there again today.”
And Kaye, Brown and Collins have plenty of players right on their heels as scoring conditions continued to be ideal at GVR. Neil Johnson of Phoenix (69 Friday), Grant Doverspike of Bakersfield, Calif. (66) and Martin Trainer of Palo Alto, Calif. (69) share fourth place one back of the leaders.
Two-time champion Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch checked in at 10-under 134 after a 68 Friday. Also at that figure is one-time PGA Tour winner Parker McLachlin and German Max Rottluff, each of whom shot a second-round 64.
With little wind and true-rolling greens, it’s no great surprise that a record-low score was necessary to make the 36-hole cut. Three-under-par, three better than the next-lowest cut figure in tournament history, was the standard for this year, with 64 players advancing to the weekend.
Among those who will be around for Saturday and Sunday is part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler, winner of the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour. Stadler, competing in his first tournament in over a year, shot a 5-under-par 67 and stands at 4-under 140.
Notable: Five amateurs made the cut on Friday. Setting the standard are Colorado State University golfer Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village and University of Colorado golfer John Souza of Phoenix, who checked in at 8-under-par 136, good for a share of 12th place overall. Staiano shot a 68 Friday and Souza a 67. … Derek Barron of Tacoma, Wash., was disqualied after Friday’s round because he failed to sign his scorecard. Barron was 9 under par — just three behind the leaders. … Keith Clearwater, one of four winners of PGA Tour events in the field, withdrew during Friday’s second round due to a foot injury. He was 4 over par through 30 holes. … Sherry Andonian-Smith of Denver, the first female competitor in the history of the Colorado Open, carded rounds of 86-85 for a 27-over-par 171 total. … The leaders will tee off at 9:25 a.m. for Saturday’s third round.
For scores from the Colorado Open CLICK HERE.
For Saturday tee times, CLICK HERE.
For a story on Gunner Wiebe’s return from a freak accident two months ago, CLICK HERE.
