Brandt Jobe lived in Colorado for 29 years, so it’s little wonder why he’s had to corral plenty of tickets for family and friends now that he’s playing his first golf tournament in the state in a dozen years.
“Everyone is coming down,” the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer said on Tuesday regarding the U.S. Senior Open, which begins on Thursday at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. “They’re getting me a bunch (of tickets). They were very nice. I walked in and they handed me all (the usual allotment). Then they said, ‘What do you need?’ And I said, ‘Here’s who I’ve got coming.’ I’ve got everyone coming. They’re going to accommodate me, which is nice.”
And if Tuesday’s practice round is any indication, Jobe’s followers might have plenty for which to cheer this week.
According to playing partner Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, Jobe shot a cool 7-under-par 29 on the front nine (their back) of Tuesday’s practice round. (Rohrbaugh and Jobe are pictured at left.)
“It was a practice round. You can’t really count that,” Jobe said, trying to downplay the matter. “You’re never supposed to say that.”
It’ll be a hectic week for Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99 and won a Colorado Open, three CGA Match Plays, one CGA Amateur, one CGA Junior Amateur and one CGA Junior Match Play. He also finished second in The International at Castle Pines in 2005. His mom, dad, brother, sister and brother-in-law still live in Colorado.
“There’s a bunch of people I ran into today wishing me good luck. It’s cool,” said the 52-year-old Jobe. “This has always been home so it’s nice to come back.
“I’ve got nephews and nieces (that will be at The Broadmoor this week) that have never even seen me play golf. That will be kind of cool. We don’t come back to Colorado (for a regular tour stop anymore), and half of them weren’t born in 2005. That will be fun to have some family here. We’ll have a bunch. It’ll be a busy week for me — which can go good or bad. You never know how that goes.”
Jobe never won on the PGA Tour, though he was runner-up four times. But he won last year at the PGA Tour Champions Principal Charity Classic. And he has an aptitude for being in contention in senior majors, which might put him in the mix this week.
He’s posted six top-10 finishes in senior majors, which is pretty remarkable considering he didn’t play in his first one until 2016. He’s been second and fourth in the Senior Players, third in the 2017 U.S. Senior Open where he shot 62 in the third round, third and eighth in the Senior PGA, and fifth in the Senior British Open.
“The courses are more difficult when we play in the majors, and that would be to my advantage,” he said. “Length is my advantage. The harder the golf course, the more it’s going to be to my advantage. That’s the only thing I can figure out.”
Jobe (left) is just starting to get back in a groove after suffering an equipment setback in January. On his way back from his first tournament of the year — in Hawaii — an airlines truck ran over his golf bag, virtually destroying his whole set of clubs.
After some mediocre play by his standards during the winter and early spring, Jobe has been better in recent months, posting two top-10 finishes and a couple of other top-20s.
“Everything is starting to come together,” he said. “This is a harder week to judge because there’s so much that matters (in majors). In these, you just don’t know. If I go out and drive it well and it’s a normal tournament, I like my chances. I’m starting to play better. Last week (28th at the American Family Insurance Championship) was probably the best I’ve hit it this year, but I putted horrible — which hasn’t been the problem at all. It’s been getting my clubs and ball-striking together.
“This week (at The Broadmoor), hey, I remember where the bell is (the Will Rogers Shrine, off which players often refer to read putts). I know what the greens do. You’re going to get some horrible lies you can’t advance. This is a week of patience and having a good bit of luck. When you do hit it in rough, can you get a lie you can advance it 150 yards vs. 100? And you’ve got to make putts.”
Jobe leads the PGA Tour Champions circuit in driving distance this year with an average of 297.1 yards. And even though this week marks his first trip back to The Broadmoor in roughly a quarter-century, that might be a big plus for him at the East Course.
“It’s kind of funny today because I’m trying to synch my yardages because I can still remember what I (used to) hit (in Colorado),” said Jobe, who’s lived in Texas since 1999. “Even back then, I was doing adjustments. I know maybe a little bit more than everyone else does in terms of adjustments and when to do it and how. But that’s minimal. I think the biggest advantages are if play here and you pull out a 7-iron and you know it goes 195 or 190 or whatever — that’s the advantage. I’m not there. I’m close because I remember a lot but it’s a different game from back then.
“But it’s like anything. It’s fun to come back to a place I’ve had success. I have good memories here so it’s nice to come back.”
Though Jobe has lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for his entire time in Texas, he’s just about to move to Oklahoma, the state he was born in. It’s mainly to accommodate his son, who’s a promising baseball player. Jobe, who also has a daugher who will be going to Auburn, will be playing out of Oak Tree and Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.
“It’s getting better for me. I’m getting an upgrade,” he said.
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For all the essentials regarding this week’s U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, CLICK HERE.
