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The September sun shined bright over The Ranch Country Club in Westminster, CO, setting the stage for another unforgettable day of golf, camaraderie, and giving back. On Tuesday, September 9, the Colorado PGA hosted the 2025 Play Yellow Birdie Bash, bringing together 36 PGA Professionals and Associates for a cause that matters far beyond the fairways.
This wasn’t just a golf marathon—it was a mission. Teams of two teed it up for 72 holes, chasing birdies and eagles with every swing, all in support of Children’s Hospital Coloado. By day’s end, the results were nothing short of extraordinary: 532 birdies, 48 eagles, and two remarkable holes-in-one, delivered by Jeff Carter, PGA, and Eli Mireles, PGA.
Fueled by the generosity of donors and supporters, the event netted $82,000, with proceeds benefiting both the PGA REACH Colorado Foundation and Children’s Hospital Colorado.
The day was made possible by the dedication of the 36 Colorado PGA Professionals and Associates who embraced the 72-hole challenge:
• Geoff Keffer, PGA & Jeff Carter, PGA
• Justin Vaughn, PGA & Jonah Purcell, PGA
• Will Veith, PGA & Keith Stilwell, PGA
• Rob Grall, PGA & Visanu Tongwarin, PGA
• Ashley Tait-Wengert, PGA & Kelli McKandless, PGA
• Eli Mireles, PGA & Rick Yeoman
• Theo Gregory Jr., PGA & Steven Bartkowski
• Brian Gott, PGA & Colton Strode
• Jeramy Curry, PGA & Ben Tremayne, PGA
• Cam Crabtree, PGA & Paul Young
• Zach Peck, PGA & Sam Veigele, PGA
• Sam Crawford & Sirene Blair-Wheeler
• Ryan Bakken, PGA & Alicia Bakken
• Philip Linares, PGA & Mark McCarthy, PGA
• Maggie Hartman, PGA & Ben Pennymon, PGA
• Holly Champion, PGA & Justin Limon, PGA
• Shane Fanning, PGA & James Graczyk, PGA
• Katie Milstead, PGA & Nikki Adams
As the final putts dropped, the feeling was clear: the 2025 Play Yellow Birdie Bash wasn’t just a success on the course—it was a victory for the children and families whose lives will be touched by its impact.
9/17/2025 - Colorado Springs, Colo. - The final round of the 68th Colorado PGA Professional Championship was pushed back two hours from the scheduled 7:30 am start time due to the second round not being completed the night before. The second round resumed at 7:30 am on Wednesday morning and concluded at 8:35 am. The cut was made at +9, and final round tee times were off and running at 9:30 am, with the leaders teeing off at 11:00 am. That final group included two-time Colorado PGA Professional Champion Geoff Keffer, PGA Assistant Professional at Lakewood Country Club. Keffer began the day with a one-shot lead and was determined to hoist the Ralph “Rip” Arnold Memorial Award Trophy for a third time. After birdies on one and four and an eagle on five, Keffer had jumped to 11-under-par and held a five-shot lead over his closest competitor.
Keffer had seven pars, two birdies, and two bogies over his next 11 holes. “Knowing where I was at, just tried to make low stress pars the whole way,” Keffer said. Then, after low-stress golf over the last 11-hole stretch, Keffer stood on the 17th tee with the golf tournament pretty much won. He could very easily lay up and secure his par, which he did the exact opposite of. Knocking a mini driver on the green to 30 feet and rolling in the eagle putt to jump to 13-under-par. “Getting that one to go in on 17 was just a bonus,” Keffer stated. After a par at the last, Keffer posted a final round 66 and an eight-shot victory in a truly dominant wire-to-wire finish.
Keffer captures his first section championship triumph since he won the trophy back in 2020 at Valley Country Club. “We have so many great players in this section that anytime I can be around the top, it is always great,” Keffer said. This win is Keffer’s seventh for the Colorado PGA tournament season, and extends his lead atop the Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year List to 1,548 points with only the Pro-Assistant, Masek Match Play Finals, and the West Chapter Championship left on the 2025 Colorado PGA tournament calendar.
Keffer’s win qualifies him for the 2026 PGA Professional Championship, his seventh consecutive PPC. Along with Keffer, seven others will join him at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on April 26-29, 2026. Finishing in a four-way tie for second place, with a 54-hole total of 211, 5-under-par, were Henry Bernard, PGA Assistant Professional at TPC Colorado; Matt Schalk, PGA General Manager at Colorado National Golf Club; Caine Fitzgerald, PGA Head Professional at Meadow Hills Golf Course, and Ben Lanting, PGA Assistant Professional at Bear Creek Golf Club.
Joining those five at Bandon Dunes next April will be solo sixth finisher and four-time section champion, Micah Rudosky, PGA Head Professional at Conquistador Golf Course, who fired rounds of 71-69-72 for a three-day total of 212, 5-under-par.
In the solo seventh position was Chris Hyten, PGA Assistant Professional at Castle Pines Golf Club. Hyten shot rounds of 71-67-75 for a three-day total of 213, 4-under-par. Hyten qualified for his fourth PGA Professional Championship and first since 2022 at Todd Creek.
The eighth and final qualifier for Bandon Dunes is Bill Hancock, PGA Assistant Professional at Meadow Hills Golf Course. Hancock defeated Dan Sniffin in a one-hole playoff after making a birdie on the par-5 5th hole. Hancock fired a final round of 75 after rounds of 71 and 68 on days one and two.
A huge thanks to all of our partners of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship. Tom Bauerle, Drew Hunter, and Reed Tomlinson of Colorado Golf & Turf and Club Car, Chris McCallum of Titleist, and Adam Boland of Footjoy, Steven Vigil of Nike Golf, Shaun Haberstroh, Chris Brown, Sam Marley, and Chris Kurth of Taylormade Golf, and Mike Marsilli and Marcus Gregory of Callaway Golf. To our local partners, Chase & Derby McGee of Links & Peaks, Dr. Little of The Golf Clinic, Erin Bates of Liquid Death, Taylor Erkman of Strackaline, Samantha Masciarelli of 1st and 10th tee bars, Zach Ledvina of Maui Jim, and Kelly Jobe of Sterling Cut Glass, for their support of this championship and the Colorado PGA.
Last but certainly not least is our fantastic host facility, Flying Horse North, and its dedicated staff. PGA General Manager, Glenn Wallace, PGA Director of Golf, Jacob O’Dell, PGA Head Golf Professional, Mack Borowicz, and Golf Course Superintendent, John Doncilovich, and his entire grounds staff for having the golf course in peak championship condition for the entire week.
68th Colorado PGA Professional Championship - Final Leaderboard
1. Geoff Keffer, PGA | Lakewood Country Club | 68-69-66 | 203 | -13
T2. Henry Bernard, PGA | TPC Colorado | 71-70-70 | 211 | -5
T2. Matt Schalk, PGA | Colorado National Golf Club | 71-70-70 | 211 | -5
T2. Caine Fitzgerald, PGA | Meadow Hills Golf Course | 70-71-70 | 211 | -5
T2. Ben Lanting, PGA | Bear Creek Golf Club | 69-71-71 | 211 | -5
6. Micah Rudosky, PGA | Conquistador Golf Course | 71-69-72 | 212 | -4
7. Chris Hyten, PGA | Castle Pines Golf Club | 71-67-75 | 213 | -3
8. Bill Hancock, PGA | Meadow Hills Golf Course | 71-68-75 | 214 | -2
1st Alt. Dan Sniffin, PGA | Omin Interlocken Golf Club | 73-75-66 | 214 | -2
2nd Alt. Kirk Trowbridge, PGA | MetaGolf Learning Center | 74-73-68 | 215 | -1
3rd Alt. Mike Weingartner, PGA | Colorado Golf Academy | 73-73-69 | 215 | -1
4th Alt. Doug Rohrbaugh, PGA | River Valley Ranch GC | 72-74-70 | 216 | E
5th Alt. Dustin Miller, PGA | The Swing Bays | 69-69-78 | 216 | E
