Schultz wins second Inspirato Colorado Senior Open in three years

Jason Schultz of Texas and Brian Cooper of Pennsylvania leave the field behind in 2025 Inspirato Colorado Senior Open title

By Jim Bebbington

For the second time in three years Jason Schultz of Texas won the Inspirato Colorado Senior Open, besting a competitive field and shooting a tournament record low score Friday of 64.

Schultz, 52, started his final round hot – five birdies in the first eight holes. Once he reached 17-under for the tournament and was up 2-strokes on Thursday night leader Brian Cooper he parred out the final six holes for a tournament record 64 final round.

Overnight rains had softened Green Valley Ranch Golf Course, dumping an inch of water and delaying Friday’s final round several hours. Players were forced to weave over and around low-level flooded parts of the course.

“My goal was to get to 15-under and to see what happens,” Schultz said. “And then I got off to that hot start.”

Schultz played nearly flawlessly. After his flurry of birdies he unromantically split fairways, put approach shots within 15 feet, and rolled putts close.

“The greens were spectacular and soft, so I know we got to tackle a bit more of it,” he said.

A former Nike and Korn Ferry Tour member, he’s played in four PGA Tour Champions events since turning 50 in 2023 and made the cut in all four. He works in synthetic turf in the Dallas area.

He plans to be back. Playing in Colorado in late August – where the Green Valley Ranch grasses are typically lush – reminds him of the courses he grew up on in Missouri, he said.

“I love it here,” he said. “I don’t know what it is.”

Schultz won $15,000 along with the first-place trophy.

Cooper, a teaching pro from the Pittsburgh area who is moving to the Denver area next year to take a teaching professional role, held the Thursday night lead but surrendered it almost immediately when he hit his drive off the first tee out of bounds. He double-bogeyed the hole, but rallied with six birdies in the rest of his round.

“If somebody would have told me that I would shoot 15-under and lose…” Cooper said afterward. “What can I say? That’s good playing and you take your hat off to Jason. He played stellar today in the final round.”

Cooper said his opening drive was exactly where he wanted it but his adrenaline was so high he hit it farther than he expected and the ball rolled out of bounds.

“Considering hitting it out of bounds in the first hole, coming back strong the rest of the day and playing 6-under from that point, it’s pretty cool,” he said.

Schultz, 52, won the 2023 Senior Open by four strokes over Matt Schalk, the director of golf at Colorado National Golf Club.

The low amateur this year was Brian Geutz of Littleton who finished at 9-under. He and Schalk, both at 9-under for the tournament, were the highest finishing Coloradans in this year’s Senior Open, finishing tied for eighth.