With U.S. Senior Open returning to The Broadmoor, we find the championship’s record book brimming with Colorado-related superlatives
By Gary Baines – 3/24/2025
(Note: This article is one in a periodic series leading up to the U.S. Senior Open as the championship will be held at The Broadmoor’s East Course in Colorado Springs June 26-29. Previously published: Highlights of the three previous times Colorado has hosted the U.S. Senior Open; Hale Irwin named honorary chair for 2025 Senior Open; Senior Open going to a 2-stage qualifying process in 2025)
Colorado has a unique — and indelible — place in U.S. Senior Open history.
After all, three times a graduate of a Colorado high school has won the championship — Boulder High and University of Colorado alum Hale Irwin twice and Fort Morgan High and CU grad Dale Douglass once. Also, Orville Moody, who once was stationed at Fitzsimons in Aurora during his Army career, also claimed a USSO title.
CU alum Hale Irwin won the U.S. Senior Open twice and was a regular contender during his first decade as a senior golfer. (Photo: USGA)
In addition, when the 45th U.S. Senior Open is held at The Broadmoor June 26-29, the Colorado Springs resort will join Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., as the clubs to host the most Senior Opens, with three each. The Broadmoor did the honors previously in 2008 and ’18.
With the 1993 U.S. Senior Open conducted at Cherry Hills Country Club, once the 2025 event is completed, only one state will have hosted the USSO more than Colorado. Six Senior Opens have been contested in Ohio, while Pennsylvania joins Colorado with four.
With that abundant Colorado history for arguably the top senior tournament in golf, it shouldn’t be surprising that the U.S. Senior Open record books are brimming with references to players with strong Colorado ties and to the venues in the Centennial State that have hosted the championship.
With that in mind, we decided to go through and pick and choose some notable USSO records that are Colorado-related — besides the aforementioned:
Longtime Colorado resident Dale Douglass remains the youngest winner of the U.S. Senior Open after taking home the title in 1986. (Photo: USGA)
Youngest champion — Dale Douglass, 50 years, 3 months, 24 days in 1986. The late Colorado Sports Hall of Famer — who lived part-time in Boulder, then at Castle Pines, as an adult — played in a remarkable 600 PGA Tour Champions events, winning 11 times, as well as 531 tournaments on the PGA Tour (with three victories there). His first three senior starts went playoff loss, win and win. All told, he won four times as a senior tour rookie, with the highlight of them all being his 1986 U.S. Senior Open victory, where he beat World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player by a stroke.
Most appearances — Dale Douglass with 26 (1986-2011) leads the way with Hale Irwin (23, 1995-2018) tied for third, behind Arnold Palmer (25 from 1981-2005).
Most victories — Hale Irwin (two) tied for second behind Miller Barber, who won the event three times.
Start-to-finish winner (no ties) — The only player to fall into this category over the first 44 U.S. Senior Opens is Dale Douglass in 1986.
Winners in their first U.S. Senior Open — Dale Douglass (1986) is one of a dozen to have pulled off this feat.
Consecutive top-5 finishes — Hale Irwin (six from 1995-2000) holds the record by two.
Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe (pictured at the 2018 U.S. Senior Open) shot a 62 in the 2017 USSO.
Lowest single-round score in USSO history — Kent Denver graduate and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe tied for the lowest ever in the championship with an 8-under-par 62 in the third round of the 2017 USSO in Peabody, Mass.
Players who led the first three rounds but didn’t win — Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Craig Stadler (2005) is among 10 who fall into this category.
Largest 18-hole lead — R.W. Eaks, a Colorado Springs native and former University of Northern Colorado athlete, shares the record with his three-stroke advantage in Baltimore in 2002. Also holding three-stroke leads after round 1 were Tom Watson (2003) and Bob Charles (1996). None of the three went on to win.
Longest U.S. Senior Open courses — The Broadmoor falls second and third on this list: 7,249 yards in the first round in 2018 and 7,248 in the final round in 2008. The record is 7,269 yards in 2009 at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind. Note: The Broadmoor in 2008 and 2018 make up eight of the 13 longest USSO setups ever. According to the 2025 USSO website supported by the USGA, the yardage for this year’s championship will be 7,246 yards (par-70), though that’s subject to change. The Broadmoor sits at more than 6,300 feet elevation, which means the ball may fly 10 percent further or more, than at sea level.
The Broadmoor has featured some of the longest holes in U.S. Senior Open history, including a 559-yard par-4.
Longest par-4 holes — The top eight spots in this category have come at The Broadmoor, with the top seven being the 17th hole, which was played at a record 559 yards for the first round in 2018.
Longest par-3 holes — The Broadmoor’s 12th hole of the final round in 2008 played 244 yards, which ties for second place, behind the 250-yard fifth hole at Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., in 2019 being No. 1 on the list.
Longest par-5 holes — Of the 15 holes that have played at 600 yards or more for a USSO, three involve the third hole at The Broadmoor, which was maxed out at 608 yards for the first and final rounds in 2018.
Winners of U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open — Eight total, including Hale Irwin (three U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens. Others with eight: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Jim Furyk and Orville Moody, the Fitzsimons veteran.
Winners of U.S. Senior Open and Senior PGA Championship, arguably the top two tournaments in senior golf, in the same year — Hale Irwin, who won two U.S. Senior Opens and four Senior PGAs, claimed both titles in 1998. He’s one of five people who have won both events in the same year. The others: Jack Nicklaus, Colin Montgomerie, Roger Chapman and Richard Bland.
Most consecutive birdies — Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe (third round in 2017), and Dale Douglass (first round in 1986), with five each, share second place behind Ken Tanigawa (six in 2022)
Most strokes total under par for 72 holes — Hale Irwin’s 17-under-par total in 2000 (66-71-65-65 at Saucon Valley CC) is third-most in USSO history, behind Fred Funk (20 under in 2009) and Steve Stricker (19 under in 2019). Funk, by the way, designed the RainDance National Golf Course in Windsor.
Highest first-round score by a winner — Hale Irwin (77 in 1998 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.), holds the record by three strokes.
Biggest comeback over final 54 holes by winner — Hale Irwin (1998, seven strokes) shares the record with Jim Furyk (2021), Don Pooley (2002) and Allen Doyle (2005).
Mosts U.S. Senior Opens made cuts — Hale Irwin (16) trails only Jay Haas (18) and Tom Watson (17) for most in this category.
Most U.S. Senior Open rounds — Dale Douglass (80) and Hale Irwin (78) are second and third, respectively, behind Arnold Palmer (83).
Most top-5 finishes — Hale Irwin owns the record with eight.
Most top-3 finishes — Hale Irwin (five) shares the record with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
Most top-10 finishes — Hale Irwin (eight) shares the record with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Bernhard Lander and Miller Barber.
Most runner-up finishes — Hale Irwin (two) shares third place in this category behind Tom Watson (three) and Fred Funk (three).
For the USGA’s fast facts regarding the 2025 U.S. Senior Open, CLICK HERE.
For ticket information regarding the 2025 U.S. Senior Open, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com