COLORADO SPRINGS — If you've been somewhere before, you know just what to expect.
Carbondale golfer Doug Rohrbaugh has qualified for the U.S. Senior Open Championship four times and finally, it's really starting to feel like home.
"It's a much more relaxed situation, definitely," he said.
Rohrbaugh is one of two local golfers to qualify for this year's competition. With this year's tournament basically in his backyard, and at the Broadmoor -- a course he's played more times than he can count -- everything from the flags to the greens is familiar. And that includes the guy on the bag.
"He understands my game, he knows my game," Rohrbaugh said of his caddie. "He knows my game as well as any other caddie that's with a player on tour."
But Rohrbaugh's relationship with his caddie is more than just a bond -- they're blood. Son Tristan -- a golfer in his own right -- will once again be his father's caddie on the biggest stage. Doug Rohrbaugh introduced his son to the sport at the ripe age of four. From there, it was up to Tristan to pursue it.
"He didn't force me into it at all," Tristan said. "I grew up watching [my dad] do it. Probably by the time I was 12, I wanted to get into it."
With his father's guidance, Tristan went on to accomplish great feats. As a senior at Basalt High School, he clinched the school's first ever boys' golf state championship in 2013 -- in come-from-behind fashion.
"It was really cool because my dad got to stay by my side the whole time," Tristan said. "I think [my state title] meant more to him than it did to me."
"[The state title] was one of the proudest moments for him I've ever had," Doug added. "I got pretty emotional as you can imagine."
Doug Rohrbaugh would go on to win two Colorado PGA championships while Tristan spent the last four years with the Boise State men's golf team. He's now looking to follow his dad -- by trading in his professional caddie status for that of a professional golfer.
"I think he's seen what I've done and now he wants a shot at it, and I'm right behind him on it," Doug said. "You don't want to be going through life wondering what if? He's got to try."
For Tristan, watching his father compete is a reminder of what his career could become. For Doug, the U.S. Senior Open is a way to create a different ending on a familiar journey.
"I'm here to try to win like anyone else, and I believe I can," Rohrbaugh said.
