Justin Leonard didn’t seem like a man coming off a short night of sleep Monday afternoon as he walked briskly from the practice area to the first tee box at The Broadmoor. He didn’t seem like a man who had just finished four days of major championship golf in Akron, Ohio.

“It is what it is,” the 1997 British Open champion said matter-of-factly.

Leonard finished tied for 12th on Sunday at the Kaulig Companies Championship, the third of five major championships on the Champions Tour. Then he grabbed a quick bite to eat, went back to his hotel and strained for a few winks of sleep before packing up and leaving for the airport at 4:30 a.m.

Make that 2:30 a.m. mountain time because Leonard was heading to Colorado Springs, site of this week’s U.S. Senior Open, yet another major championship.

And while nearly 1,400 miles separate the South Course at Firestone Country Club and the East Course at The Broadmoor, it’s the single vertical mile difference between the sites that is dominating players’ minds. Akron sits at about 1,000 feet; Colorado Springs about 6,400.

The massive scoreboard adjacent to the 18th fairway read Welcome to Colorful Colorado on Monday. For Leonard, and dozens of other sleep-deprived players who made the long trek from Ohio, it likely served as a good reminder. Even though the lack of oxygen probably sent the same message.

“It is a quick turnaround, you know, and especially coming out here and playing at altitude,” Leonard said. “Good thing is we’re just coming off a very difficult golf course where you had to put the ball in the fairway, so stepping right into another one.”

Before Monday’s nine-hole practice round, Leonard never had played the venerable East Course so he wanted to “get a lay of the land.”

What he no doubt found was a pristine layout with quick, undulating greens that will leave even the best players of a generation scratching their heads during the Senior Open, which runs Thursday through Sunday.

“The greens are obviously the defense of the golf course, and they are perplexing at times,” said Todd White, who earned his spot in the field by winning last year’s R&A Senior Amateur Championship in England. “In terms of the movement, they’re very difficult. Getting the pace of the greens is going to be a huge key this week.”

Then, of course, there’s factoring in the extra distance the ball flies at higher elevation.

“There’s some formula to it; we’ll try and figure that out,” Leonard said. “Beyond that, it’s a bit of an educated guess just because we’re so used to the ball at sea level. You know, do some math and see how it goes.”

Consecutive weeks of championship golf. Four long days at altitude. And math.

Sounds like a full night of sleep is in order.

Note: Steve Stricker withdrew from the tournament Monday, joining a list that also includes Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie and Davis Love III.