COLORADO SPRINGS — One of the biggest winners at the 2025 U.S. Senior Open? The Broadmoor.
All week, players raved about the resort, the challenging East Course, and the trademark Centennial State surroundings. The USGA also announced earlier in the week that the U.S. Senior Open will return here in 2031 and 2037.
“It’s been fantastic,” said Stewart Cink, who finished second in a four-day duel with champion Padraig Harrington by one stroke. “The Broadmoor has been great to us. It’s been a great place to stay. The golf course is so fun. Highly recommend the golf course to anybody who’s looking for a golf trip. It was just a lot of fun out there trying to figure this place out.”
The two biggest topics with the players over the course of the week were the extremely tough greens and the altitude adjustments. While the USGA had no official attendance figures for the event, there was plenty of praise for the lively crowds and how well the course held up despite near-daily afternoon storms, including hail on Tuesday.
“I love the area. We’ve had a blast since we’ve been here,” said Steven Alker, who finished seventh. “The golf course itself it’s just tricky. The greens, probably the toughest green complexes I’ve ever putted, to be honest.”
Club pro goes low: Before Miguel Angel Jimenez went wild with eight birdies, Jason Caron set the tone for a low-scoring day with a 5-under 65. It was the best round of the tournament until Jimenez carded a 64 a few hours later.
“I thought I played pretty good most of the week,” Caron said. “I think I made some … not the best decision-making was my downfall for the week. Then today I hit it close a bunch, which I didn’t have to rely on thinking about where the mountain is, just kind of like only the two-, three-, four-footers. That was nice.”
A 52-year-old club pro at Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, N.Y., Caron entered the final day at 4-over, but his 65 pushed him all the way up to ninth place. Finishing in the top 15 at this event guarantees him a spot in the 2026 U.S. Senior Open.
“I’ll be back to work on Tuesday,” Caron said. “We have Monday off. Splitting time out here on the PGA Tour Champions and working at Mill River.”
Hensby’s rough finish: Unfortunately, Mark Hensby wasn’t lying Thursday when he called himself “hot or cold.”
Sunday’s championship was set up as a three-horse race, with Hensby matching Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink step-for-step despite a smaller career resume. Hensby’s appearance in the final group wasn’t a surprise, Cink noted Saturday, saying he thought the three then-leaders had all played “really similar.”
Within a few holes Sunday, though, it was clear Hensby had fallen back, the Australian finishing tied for fourth in the field after shooting a 73. On hole after hole, his putts stopped an inch short or veered an inch left. Hensby’s only reaction was to simply wince and look to the heavens. His score of 5-under, though, still would’ve won the Senior Open in 2018.
“I’m going to be honest, today I just got off to a bad start,” Hensby said. “We just hit a few clubs that probably weren’t the right clubs and hit it in some bad spots where it’s hard to two-putt. Just couldn’t get any momentum going. Just couldn’t get the putter right today.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
