Playing in same group, Harrington and Cink join Hensby in sharing 36-hole lead at U.S. Senior Open at Broadmoor; ex-Aspen resident Leonard rallies to avoid cut line; Parker’s Bertsch & CO Golf Hall of Famer Jobe also advance to weekend; players missing cut include Langer, Cabrera
By Gary Baines – 6/27/2025
COLORADO SPRINGS — Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink have both won a major championship — in Harrington’s case three, plus a senior major. They’re both among the longest hitters on PGA Tour Champions — and are two of the best players in general. Heck, their respective families are even “very good friends,” according to Cink.
So it makes sense that the two were very comfortable in each other’s company as part of a threesome with Justin Leonard during the first round rounds of the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor.
How comfortable? The two share the lead — with Australian Mark Hensby — at the halfway point of arguably the most prestigious championship in senior golf. They all sit at 6 under par, with Harrington having gone 67-67 and Cink 68-66, with the latter being the low round of the tournament so far. Hensby matched Harrington’s 67-67.
“We’ve played together so many times,” Cink said of Harrington. “I would be shocked if there’s anybody I’ve played more golf with in major championships than Padraig Harrington over my career, and it’s probably by double (over) the next guy. I just get paired with him all the time. This goes way back — 20, 25 years.
“I’ve always respected his game, and we’re very good friends with their family. It’s a comfortable pairing. I love watching him play. I would hope that he probably feels similarly about me. We have mutual respect. He’s a world-class player and he’s been doing it a long time. I would love it if we could go the distance here.”
And, yes, the two will be paired together for at least a third straight day, on Saturday teeing off with Hensby at 10:55 a.m.
And, also yes, Harrington feels the same way about Cink.
“It is a benefit” being paired with Cink, said Harrington, winner of two British Opens, a PGA Championship and the 2022 U.S. Senior Open. “I’ve played with Stewart a lot over the years, and a lot of my good tournaments have been played with Stewart, so he’s a good partner for me always. I think on the Champions Tour, it’s a better partner because there’s a lot of similarities in our (club selection for shots).
“If anything, he’d be a little bit longer than me, but I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what’s happening as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with.”
U.S. Senior Open honorary chairman Hale Irwin, like Harrington a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, believes the USSO is shaping up very nicely.
“I think we’re going to have a heck of a race this weekend,” Irwin said.
Hensby, a first-round co-leader playing late into Friday evening after an hour-plus lightning delay earlier, joined the Cink-Harrington party at 6 under by two-putting for birdie on his final hole of the day, the par-5 ninth.
Oddly, though they ended up tied after two rounds, Harrington led Cink by five with six holes left on Friday. Cink, the 2009 British Open champion, made five birdies in his final seven holes to shoot 5-under 31 on that side (the front nine at The Broadmoor). And Harrington lost a stroke to par over the final half-dozen holes.
“I sensed that Padraig was starting to separate himself from all of us, especially me,” said Cink, winner of the 1996 Nike Colorado Classic at Riverdale Dunes in Brighton. “I was like five back of him. I didn’t want to be that far back. I just kept doing the same things I was doing and keeping the ball mostly in play, and if I was out of play, I was just in the rough. I never was in a lot of trouble.
“Then a couple putts went in, hit one close, two-putted two par-5s, and you look back and an hour and a half later you’ve got five birdies in the last seven holes or something. It was not like I dug deep and found anything. I just kept doing the same thing and patience was rewarded.”
Cink has been nearly flawless in hitting greens in regulation through two rounds, going 35 of 36 — and 18 of 18 on Friday.
“It’s a stat that shouldn’t be overvalued because these greens are pretty large and they’re fairly receptive right now,” he said. “They’re just not that hard to hit, to be fair. I have hit some pretty average shots that have ended up on the green, and that counts just as much as hitting it to 2 feet.”
Despite Cink downplaying the accomplishment, missing just one green in two rounds at The Broadmoor is no small feat, Irwin noted.
“That’s terrific,” Irwin said. “Stewart is a great player. Undoubtedly, he’s one of our better players now, and he drives the ball quite long. He drives it very straight. So I think with that length, and at altitude you get that much extra length. … He may downplay (hitting 35 greens so far), but I think that is unbelievably good — really, really good on this golf course to do that.”
Harrington, competing in Colorado for the first time, birdied three of his first four holes on Friday and was 4 under for the day through 12 holes, but he went 1 over the rest of the way despite a final-hole birdie from 20 feet.
“I was hoping I’d make more of it,” he said of his hot start Friday. “Most of Thursday and Friday is jockeying for position, keeping yourself in the tournament, trying not to lose the tournament. But after the start I had today, I could have gotten some daylight between myself and the field and got out there. I just have to go and do it all again the next two days.”
Cink is looking forward to some more high-level competition over the next two days — and perhaps even taking it up a notch or two.
“I think that Padraig is one of the class players here, and he probably thinks that of me,” Cink said. “We’re probably where we ought to be as far as competing for this win.
“I mean, we played against each other in the Ryder Cup. That’s like the pinnacle of competition. … All I know is I’ve watched him play a lot and I’ve listened to him talk a lot. He’s just a great character, and I have just the highest respect for his game. It’s going to be fun. I feel honored to be able to go up against him, and hopefully he feels the same way.
“I haven’t played great these first two days. I’ve played pretty good golf but nothing spectacular. But I’ve watched him play kind of the same way. He’s played very well, and he’s also made some mistakes that he probably would like to have back. Neither of us have hit our stride here, so I think … this could get a little bit better and turn the screws a little bit.”
Meanwhile, for the second straight day, Hensby took advantage of the front nine at The Broadmoor, though Friday it was his final nine of the day. After playing his first nine in even-par, Hensby went 3 under to close, and finished his second straight round of 67 at 7:40 p.m. Hensby has now played The Broadmoor’s front nine in a combined 9 under par for two days.
“I’m changing some things in my swing, and it seems like it just disappears at certain times,” Hensby said. “But overall I played pretty solid today. I’m making a lot of birdies, so that’s a good thing around here.
In all, just nine players are under par after two rounds, with Dane Thomas Bjorn (68-69) three back of the co-leaders and in fourth place.
Two-time senior major champ Angel Cabrera went 73-75 and missed the cut.
Several prominent names won’t be around for the weekend after missing the 36-hole cut as the 64 players at 5 over par or better advanced. Among those whose championship was limited to two rounds were Bernhard Langer, the career leader in PGA Tour Champions wins with 47 (71-77); and Angel Cabrera, a two-time senior major winner in 2025 (73-75).
David Toms, who won the 2018 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, needed a birdie on his 36th hole to play two more rounds at The Broadmoor, and he drained a 3-foot birdie on 18 to meet the challenge.
“I couldn’t ask for a better shot to end the day,” he said.
— Ex-Aspen Resident Justin Leonard Brings It Back from the Brink: Justin Leonard kind of was the odd man out in his pairing the first two days of the U.S. Senior Open. You see, the former Aspen resident was part of a threesome with Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink, who find themselves among three tied for the 36-hole lead at 6 under par.
Leonard, meanwhile, had to rally just to make sure he made the 36-hole cut with some cushion. The 1997 British Open champion played his first seven holes in 4 over par on Friday, and his last 10 in 3 under. Add it up and he shot a 1-over-par 71, leaving him at 3 over after two days and in 38th place.
“It was good to show a little life,” said Leonard, winner once on PGA Tour Champions and a dozen times on the PGA Tour. “I struggled yesterday, not being able to control the ball very well — mostly irons; I’ve been good off the tee. And I’ve struggled with matching up the speed to my line (on putts). I’ve had a bunch of three-putts.
“But I knew the front nine (at The Broadmoor, his back on Friday) was certainly more gettable. I was able to hit a couple close and make a couple of putts. It feels good to be here and at least playing on the weekend. Hopefully I can put something together and climb up the leaderboard a little bit.
“I’ve spent a lot of time this week trying to get in step with the greens. It was better on the last 10 or 11 holes or so. You try to find the positive and build on that.”
Parker’s Shane Bertsch two-putted for birdie on the third hole Friday.
Also standing at 3 over par overall is Shane Bertsch of Parker, who backed up his first-round 69 with a 74. Playing in the afternoon on Friday, the one-time PGA Tour Champions winner made two birdies and six bogeys en route to his 74.
“Once you start making some bogeys, you’re like, ‘I’ve got to get off this bogey train,’” Bertsch said. “It was just a tough day. You never want to think about the cut, but after six, seven holes I’m like, ‘I’ve got to get this together just to make the cut.’ It’s tough to play golf like that when you’re trying not to make mistakes.
But “I’m definitely proud of (making it to the weekend). I had a lot of people out (in the gallery). I don’t want to let all my friends down and stuff. You try not to think about that, but it is part of it. More than anything, in a U.S. Open if you make a cut, you still are right there with a chance to do something because it’s so severe. It can play so hard one day, and a 2-under, 3-under par round can really spring you up.
“I’m going to go for it tomorrow because today I was a little tentative.”
Brandt Jobe managed to make it to the weekend.
— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe Makes Cut on the Number: After qualifying earlier this month for a U.S. Senior Open being contested in the state where he grew up, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe called it “one last hurrah” competing in a big-time tournament in the Centennial State. With four surgeries in recent years and him on the verge of turning 60, the thinking certainly was understandable.
When Jobe, who lived in Colorado from 1970 to ’99, finished his second round of the USSO on Friday, the main question was, was that a wrap for him this week, or would he play the weekend to extend what might be his Colorado farewell tournament? He stood at 5 over par after posting scores of 73-72.
“This was important to me to be playing in this one,” he said. “As I said earlier, I don’t know how many more I’ll play in. If this was the last one I play in, it’s a great place to be the last one.”
As it turned out, after a long wait, Jobe did indeed advance to the weekend, but barely. With the top 60 and ties making the 36-hole cut, Jobe ended up in 56th place.
Still, the last two rounds have been frustrating for Jobe. On Thursday, he made a birdie and four bogeys. On Friday, it was up, down and all around — four birdies and six bogeys, including on each of his first three holes.
“I struggled,” he said. “The ball-striking was pretty poor, especially with the irons, the last two days. I just didn’t hit it well. It seemed like I was playing defense. I was 30-40 feet (away from the hole for a lot of first putts).
“I bet I’ve only hit it in the rough four or five times, and three of them I haven’t been able to hit (my next one) 80 yards. I keep missing the fairway by 2-3 inches. That’s not how you want to do it out here.”
His final hole on Friday — the dogleg-left par-5 ninth — was particularly aggravating. With him perhaps needed a birdie to make the cut, Jobe recalled, “I hit it about 350 (yards) right down the left center with a draw. How did that ball go” into the right rough? “Two inches (in) and you’re just dead. When you’re playing in a U.S. or a Senior Open, that one or two inches is huge. You’ve got to have a little luck, and I didn’t have a lot of luck today.”
As it was, instead of having a relatively straightforward shot at hitting the green in two, Jobe had to lay up, and after leaving his approach 12 feet from the hole, he lipped out his birdie attempt.
The course “drives you nuts out there,” he noted.
Which made Jobe take a philosophical approach to it all.
“You know what? It is what it is,” he said. “I didn’t play well. It’s kind of how my year has been going since all of these injuries. I haven’t been striking the ball how I (normally) do. The body doesn’t work the same way. That’s kind of what I’m trying to figure out. That’s part of getting old and having four surgeries in two years. It is what it is.”
As for the other players with significant Colorado ties, Denver resident Chris DiMarco was in decent shape through 28 holes, standing at 2 over par overall. But he played his final eight holes on Friday in 5 over, making a double bogey on No. 18. A 76 led to a missed cut by two.
Matt Schalk, the PGA general manager at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, began the championship by playing his first nine holes in even par, but he went 6 over on the back Thursday for a 76. And on Friday, he was 6 over for his first 6 holes en route to a 79 and a 15-over-par total, resulting in a missed cut in his second straight year competing in the U.S. Senior Open.
Also missing the weekend was former Colorado State University golfer Darrin Overson (80-73).
How players with strong Colorado ties fared in Thursday’s first round of the U.S. Senior Open:
38. Shane Bertsch of Parker 69-74—143
38. Former Aspen resident Justin Leonard 72-71–143
56. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe 73-72–145
Missed 36-Hole Cut
72. Chris DiMarco of Denver 71-76—147
117. Former CSU golfer Darrin Overson 80-73–157
129. Matt Schalk of Erie 76-79—155
For all of the scores from the U.S. Senior Open, CLICK HERE.
For Saturday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
Honorary chairman Hale Irwin chats with the media on Friday.
— Irwin Has Come to Terms With New Role in Golf: Seven years ago at The Broadmoor, Hale Irwin played the last of his 23 U.S. Senior Opens, a number that trails only fellow former University of Colorado golfer Dale Douglass (26) and Arnold Palmer (25) for the most ever.
The run included two USSO victories (to go with his three U.S. Open wins). Less than three years later — in January 2021 — he competed in his final PGA Tour Champions event, ending that chapter with 20 PGA Tour victories and 45 more on the Champions circuit.
After a professional golf career that spanned more than a half-century, Irwin is playing a behind-the-scenes role at the 2025 U.S. Senior Open — that of honorary chairman. But Irwin, a former standout CU football player in addition to all his golf accolades, was well known for his competitiveness. So he was asked Friday if he misses the competitive side of things — even after turning 80 years old earlier this month.
“Absolutely, there’s no doubt about it,” the Boulder High School and CU graduate said. “(Like going) into the locker room here and seeing the guys and their clubs. Yes, there’s no doubt.
“But realistically, it’s a dream. But like in 1974 (when he won his first U.S. Open), dreams come true. But I’m not fooling myself. I might have fooled myself five, six, seven years ago, but not anymore. I enjoy it for what it is, and my contribution now is from back here, not out there.”
Besides attending various functions and doing some honorary chairman duties for the USGA this week, Irwin is also spending time with his family. This week, that includes, at various times, his wife, brother, daughter, son, son-in-law, several grandchildren and a cousin or two.
“Have I missed anybody?,” the World Golf Hall of Famer — and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer — asked youngest grandson Tyler, who attended the press conference.
“It’s not been the entire family, but it’s been great fun,” Irwin said. “It’s also a lot of moving parts.”
Former DU golfer Kimberly Kim caddying for contestant Channing Tam on Friday.
— Former DU Golfer Kimberly Kim Loops at Senior Open: Kimberly, a onetime junior golf phenom who played college golf at the University of Denver for one season, returned to Colorado this week — as a caddie.
Kim, still the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur — age 14 in 2006 — looped during the first two rounds for fellow Hawaiian Channing Tam. But the amateur missed the cut by 16 strokes (83-78).
Kim not only won the 2006 U.S. Women’s Am, but she finished runner-up in USGA championships three times — twice in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and once in the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
After leaving DU following the 2009-10 season, she made her pro debut at the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open — following qualifying at The Broadmoor, we might add — and then played on the LPGA Tour in 2011 before losing her card.
A young deer was making the rounds in front of The Broadmoor on Friday.
Notable: The average scores through two rounds at the East Course is 73.98. … Play was delayed for 67 minutes, starting around 1 p.m., due to lightning in the area. … Two players who would have missed the cut withdrew during round 2 due to injury — Scott Verplank and Stuart Smith.
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U.S. Senior Open: The Essentials
What: 45th U.S. Senior Open.
When: Championship rounds June 26-29.
Where: East Course at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. 7,247 yards, par-70.
Hole By Hole Set-Up:
Hole 1: 429 yards (Par 4)
Hole 2: 339 yards (Par 4)
Hole 3: 601 yards (Par 5)
Hole 4: 165 yards (Par 3)
Hole 5: 433 yards (Par 4)
Hole 6: 402 yards (Par 4)
Hole 7: 426 yards (Par 4)
Hole 8: 178 yards (Par 3)
Hole 9: 535 yards (Par 5)
OUT: 3,508 yards (Par 36)
Hole 10: 501 yards (Par 4)
Hole 11: 478 yards (Par 4)
Hole 12: 223 yards (Par 3)
Hole 13: 493 yards (Par 4)
Hole 14: 427 yards (Par 4)
Hole 15: 459 yards (Par 4)
Hole 16: 180 yards (Par 3)
Hole 17: 545 yards (Par 4)
Hole 18: 433 yards (Par 4)
IN: 3,739 yards (Par 34)
TOTAL: 7,247 yards (Par 70)
Field Size: 156 players, all age 50 as of June 26.
Cut: After 36 holes, the field was cut to the low 60 scorers and ties.
Potential Playoff: Two-hole aggregate.
TV Broadcast (All times MT):
Saturday and Sunday: NBC, noon-4 p.m.
Purse: $4 million, with $800,000 going to the winner.
Ticket Info: Kids 17 and under will be admitted free to the U.S. Senior Open when accompanied by a ticketed adult. For U.S. Senior Open ticket information and packages, CLICK HERE.
More Information: For more general information about the U.S. Senior Open, CLICK HERE.
(NOTE: Some of the previously published stories related to the 2025 U.S. Senior Open:
— Matt Schalk of Erie a U.S. Senior Open qualifying medalist for 2nd straight year; Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe, Denver resident Chris DiMarco, former CSU golfer Darrin Overson and Utahn Steve Schneiter also headed to USSO at The Broadmoor
— As U.S. Senior Open approaches, The Broadmoor is set to once again present one of the toughest tests in senior golf
— Ranking of the previous 8 USGA championships held at The Broadmoor
— U.S. Senior Open record book brimming with Colorado-related superlatives
— Fully exempt players for 2025 U.S. Senior Open
— 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)
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