The staff at The Broadmoor Golf Club will have a bear of a time trying to recreate the excitement of the 2008 U.S. Senior Open Championship, but they say they’re up to the task.

The U.S. Golf Association will announce Tuesday that The Broadmoor’s East Course will host the 2018 Senior Open from June 28 through July 1. It will be the eighth USGA championship held at the club.

“The Broadmoor is a wonderful place,” USGA director Matt Sawicki said Monday. “Anyone who’s been there knows that the second they see the property. Every one of our championships there has been outstanding.”

Eduardo Romero of Argentina posted a 6-under-par 274 for a four-shot victory over American Fred Funk in the 2008 Senior Open, a win overshadowed by a large black bear wandering across the fairway during the second round.

“More people talk about that moment than the championship itself,” Sawicki said. “I still meet people across the country who remember that.”

More recently, The Broadmoor hosted the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open, won by So Yeon Ryu of the Republic of Korea. She birdied the last two holes of a three-hole aggregate playoff to defeat fellow Korean Hee Kyung Seo by three strokes.

Jack Nicklaus defeated Charles Coe, 1 up, on the East Course in 1959 to win the first of his two U.S. Amateur Championships and the first USGA event at The Broadmoor.

The Broadmoor hotel and course opened in 1918, and the upcoming tournament corresponds with the resort’s centennial celebration. After receiving an invitation from the club, Sawicki said it was a matter of picking the right event.

“Everyone from the USGA believes it’s a special place and a special opportunity for us to be a part of the celebration of their centennial,” Sawicki said. “For us to be a part of that, it’s as meaningful for us as I’m sure it is for them.”

The Broadmoor is owned by the Denver-based Anschutz Corp., whose Clarity Media Group owns The Gazette.

Broadmoor golf director Russ Miller said the announcement was 2 1/2 years in the making.

“This city’s ready for another golf championship,” Miller said.

The 2011 Senior Open drew crowds of nearly 130,000 spectators. Organization and planning will begin in earnest soon.

“The first thing we had to do is make sure the city, county and state is on board to support the thing,” Miller said.

“It’s a big undertaking for a lot of people, not just The Broadmoor. It’s a team effort.”

The Broadmoor made an effort to expand the course and attract a U.S. Open. Since the East Course is too short to host a PGA tournament, that would have required closing a portion of Cheyenne Boulevard, which dissects the course. Nearby residents opposed the change, citing emergency evacuation concerns, and the project was shelved in 2013.

By 2018, however, several PGA Tour mainstays will have turned 50 and are eligible to compete, including PGA Championship and British Open winner John Daly, two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, Steve Stricker and David Toms.

“(The fans) will be supportive and excited, as they were with the two previous Opens we’ve had,” Miller said.

Fans are also encouraged to be cautious, and not just of wayward tee shots.

“I think the bigger issue wasn’t the bear on the fairway,” Sawicki said. “It was when we arrived at 4 in the morning and discovered that they had broken into the hot dog and concession stands.

“But wildlife adds to the ambiance and charm of The Broadmoor.”