Andrew Howe of Longmont admits he didn’t think he could win Tuesday’s CJGA Junior Series Championship, which brought together some of the best golfers in the state in the 11-13 age group.
Sydney Gillespie of Highlands Ranch (pictured) felt much the same way going into the girls tournament at The Homestead Golf Course. After all, she, like Howe, had never won a CJGA event, much less a Series Championship.
But Howe and Gillespie broke the ice in a big way Tuesday, overcoming the favorites to claim Junior Series Championships.
“It kind of surprised me,” said Gillespie, who finished a stroke ahead of Elizabeth Wang of Parker, a seven-time CJGA winner this year and the 10-and-under Junior Series champion in 2008. Calli Ringsby of Denver tied Wang for second place.
Gillespie, 12, posted a winning total of 6-over-par 71.
As for Howe, “I didn’t have a lot of confidence (I could win),” he said after coming in two strokes ahead of Jake Staiano of Englewood, a five-time CJGA champion in 2009.
Howe, 13, shot a 2-over-par 67 to fend off the CJGA 11-13 points leader. Jackson Burke of Centennial fired a 70 to finish third.
Howe, an eighth-grader at St. John the Baptist School in Longmont, came into Tuesday No. 12 on the CJGA points list for the boys 11-13 age group. But he chalked up three birdies and overcame a double bogey and three bogeys on Tuesday. Not a bad day for a player who came in thinking 6 over par would be a good round.
“It was the best round I’ve had in a tournament,” said Howe, who won a non-CJGA tournament in Grand Lake earlier this year. “I’m happy about what I shot. Winning this is really important to me. It’s almost a tournament of champions.”
Gillespie missed school Tuesday — she just began seventh grade at Mountain Ridge Middle School in Highlands Ranch — and she’s glad she did. All three of her birdies came from inside 3 feet — “after making those I was kind of thinking it might be my day,” she said — and not even a quadruple-bogey 7 on the sixth hole could derail her.
Tuesday marked Gillespie’s first tournament win on any level. She was No. 8 on the CJGA girls 11-13 points list entering the Junior Series Championship, but she came out No. 1 this particular week.
“It was the best I’ve played,” she said. “This is a real big deal for me. I gave it 110 percent every shot, and it feels real good.”
The Junior Series Championship is broken up into three age groups. An event for 14-18 year-olds was held last week at Green Gables Country Club in Denver, while the 10-and-under tournament is set for Thursday at the Boulder Country Club par-3 course.
CJGA JUNIOR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP (11-13 year-olds)
At Par-65 The Homestead Golf Course in Lakewood
Boys
Andrew Howe, Longmont, CO 34-33–67
Jake Staiano, Englewood, CO 37-32–69
Jackson Burke, Centennial, CO 36-34–70
Kevin Wohlfarth, Thornton, CO 35-36–71
Hunter Lee, Highlands Ranch, CO 34-38–72
Timothy Taylor, Fort Collins, CO 35-37–72
Hayden Nicholaides, Castle Rock, CO 37-35–72
Payton DeVencenty, Aurora, CO 41-33–74
Colton Jones, Aurora, CO 37-38–75
Glenn Workman, Pueblo West, CO 39-37–76
A J Ott, Fort Collins, CO 37-39–76
Ross Macdonald, Castle Rock, CO 38-38–76
Cole Anderson, Colorado Springs, CO 40-38–78
Clayton Crawford, Aspen, CO 40-38–78
Cole Bundy, Fort Collins, CO 39-40–79
Taylor Rodriguez, Pueblo, CO 37-42–79
Joshua Seiple, Castle Rock, CO 42-39–81
Kevin Shafer, Castle Rock, CO 39-43–82
Jackson Vacek, Lafayette, CO 41-41–82
Chase Federico, Pueblo, CO 39-47–86
Girls
Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch, CO 37-34–71
Calli Ringsby, Denver, CO 33-39–72
Elizabeth Wang, Parker, CO 35-37–72
Holly Schaefer, Greenwood Village, CO 35-38–73
Sydney Merchant, Morrison, CO 41-35–76
Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster, CO 39-38–77
Leah McGetrick, Highlands Ranch, CO 42-43–85
Jenni Chun, Lone Tree, CO 43-43–86
Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch, CO 41-48–89
Andrea Ballou, Larkspur, CO WD
