Westminster, CO – The final round of the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship certainly did not disappoint! With the final back nine being an intense back-and-forth battle between Micah Rudosky, PGA, Conquistador Golf Course, Barry Milstead, PGA, Valley Country Club, Ron Vlosich, PGA Life Member, and Doug Rohrbaugh, PGA, Snowmass Club. Rudosky walked off 18 green with his first Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship title. The Head Professional from Conquistador Golf Course posted back-to-back five-under-par rounds of 66 to take home the title of the 2021 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. Rudosky was sharp throughout the day, carding 6 birdies and an eagle on hole 12. This win will take Rudosky back to the Senior PGA Professional Championship, set to be played in Florida later this fall, for a back-to-back appearance in the Championship.

“I felt pretty confident going into round two, but you’ve got a lot of guys right in the area, so you can’t back off, because you won’t make it to the next stage, so it was a little stressful. I felt like if I just played my game, I’m going to have a chance to go to Florida for that Senior PGA Championship,” Rudosky noted after the round.

Rudosky had a strong field to battle against to claim his victory, as both Ron Vlosich, PGA and Doug Rohrbaugh, PGA, both previous Colorado Senior PGA Professional Champions, stayed close behind, tying for second, and both posting 66 for their second round. One of his closest competitors, entering the day also tied for first, was Barry Milstead, PGA. “I had one bad hole, plain and simple.” Milstead headed to the 12 tee-box with a one stroke lead but was unable to bounce back after his first shot took him out of bounds on the left side of the fairway, ultimately leading to card a triple-bogey. In all, 12 players finished the event in red numbers.

As the only female in the field this week, and today’s round marking her 9th round of golf in the last 8 days, the most amount of consecutive golf she’s ever played back-to-back-to-back, Sherry Andonian, PGA of Valley Country Club, remained resilient throughout the day, firing a 71 to follow up yesterday’s 69, with 4 birdies and 4 bogeys, finishing tied for 8th, and first on the alternative list. “It was a battle,” Sherry expressed following the completion of her round.

Another notable accomplishment from today, Kirk Rider, PGA, Bear Creek will attend his first PGA Senior Championship this year in Florida. “I had a number in my mind, and when my caddie (Ben Lanting, PGA, Bear Creek) shot 67 back-to-back in his rounds last week, I knew, 67 was my number today. I knew walking up 18, I had to make the birdie” and that’s just what he did. A “20-foot slider down the hill” and in the hole sealed Rider’s 67 for the afternoon, and his ticket to the Senior Championship. “I feel more comfortable right now than I did going into the National Assistant PGA Professional Championship back in 2009, and knowing that Ben will be coming with me, just to have him with me on the bag is going to give me the confidence I need” Kirk commented after his round today. Wildly enough, Lanting wasn’t even going to be on the bag for Rider, as he was supposed to fly to Utah on Sunday for the Korn Ferry qualifier, but due to flight cancelations, he was unable to make it to the qualifier after all. So as any good assistant professional would, he hopped on the bag for day two with Kirk at the drop of a dime.

With the conclusion of today’s round, and the tournament, congratulations are in order for the following members who qualified for the eight (8) spots in the 2021 Senior PGA Professional Championship, which is scheduled to be held at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, October 21-24, 2021.

1. Micah Rudosky, PGA, Conquistador – 66-66-132
T2. Ron Vlosich, PGA, Life Member – 69-66-135
T2. Doug Rohrbaugh, PGA, The Snowmass Club – 69-66-135
4. Barry Milstead, PGA, Valley Country Club – 66-70-136
T5. Kirk Rider, PGA, Bear Creek GC – 72-67-139
T5. Chris Johnson, PGA, CC at Woodmoor – 68-71-139
T5. Patrick Reidy, PGA, The Club at Inverness – 66-73-139
T8. Peter Mogg, PGA, Roaring Fork – 69-71-140

Filling the five (5) alternative slots, in order of selection, are:

1. Sherry Andonian, PGA, Valley Country Club – 69-71-140
2. Rick Cole, PGA Life Member – 69-72-141
3. David Arbuckle, PGA Life Member – 75-66-141
4. Doug Montgomery, PGA, Gott Golf – 71-70-141
5. Perry Holmes, PGA, Colorado National Golf Club – 74-69-143

The Ranch Country Club was in great shape, with the greens looking particularly pristine, although running a touch faster today, this course has played host to many Colorado Section events over the years. “It’s great to have all the Section Professionals out here for these events. The course is in great shape, the weather was great and the golf solid too. I love having the members out here to play our course and see our facility and look forward to hosting future Section events!” Mark Avery, PGA Head Professional at The Ranch Country Club, shared following the conclusion of the event.

The Colorado Section and the 54 participants of the Senior Championship would like to thank Avery and his staff for their warm welcome and for providing such great course accommodations. The Section would also like to thank the presenting sponsor, Cadillac, as well as the supporting sponsors, PGA TOUR, Golf Channel and John Deere for making this event the success that it was.

To see a full result of the 2021 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, click here.