Back in the Big Leagues

Shane Bertsch of Parker will compete in a PGA Tour event this weekend for the first time in almost 15 months as he’s in the field for the Wells Fargo Championship, which begins Thursday in Wilmington, N.C.

The 1998 Colorado Open champion spent much of last year recovering from a shoulder injury. Ironically, in his last PGA Tour event before the long layoff, Bertsch posted his best finish on that circuit since January 2013 by placing 35th in the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

This year, Bertsch (pictured) has been playing on the Web.com Tour, where he’s a three-time winner. He’s made one cut in five tournaments, finishing 20th on April 23 at the United Leasing & Finance Championship.

Bertsch, 47, is on a medical extension from the PGA Tour and has 11 events to earn at least $612,397 in order to keep his PGA Tour playing privileges.

(May 6 Update: Bertsch shot 75-75 for a 6-over-par 150 total and missed the cut by five strokes in Wilmington.)

Another Coloradan, Mark Wiebe of Aurora, also will return to major golf action this week as he’s competing in the PGA Tour Champions Insperity Invitational starting Friday in The Woodlands, Texas. Wiebe has won five times on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, including the 2013 Senior British Open.