Hailey Schalk of Erie, who just a couple of weeks ago became the first freshman since 2002 to win a girls state high school championship in Colorado, didn’t take long to add another major accomplishment to her golf resume.
On Thursday, the 15-year-old not only notched her first American Junior Golf Association victory, but she became the first Coloradan to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica.
Schalk (pictured) came from four strokes behind entering the final round at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster to post a one-stroke victory in the girls division of the tournament.
“It’s really special,” said Schalk, who called it her biggest accomplishment in golf. “Just to win my first one in Colorado is cool. I’ve been playing really well this year so I thought it was a good tournament to try to win.”
Schalk, who just completed her freshman year at Holy Family High School, shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to finish at 4-under 212. She made five birdies on the final day, including an 8-footer on the 17th hole that put her ahead for good. Then she overcame a poor third shot on the 18th hole to get up and down for par.
“I just played aggressive today and I was making more putts,” said Schalk, the girls 2016 Colorado Junior Match Play champion. “I was making sure I got them to the hole even if they went 10 feet by. And I made three birdies in a row (4-5-6), which gave me confidence.”
Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village, who led after each of the first two rounds, missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have forced a playoff (left). Hillary, also 15, closed with a 74 after a 16-par, two-bogey day.
“I’m just super disappointed in myself,” said Hillary, who also was runner-up to Schalk in the 3A state tournament. “I had about five lip-outs so it was really hard because if at least one of them had dropped I would have been in a playoff or something. But that was the difference between today and yesterday and the day before when all of those dropped. Today not one did.
“I could have avoided the bogeys I had — just some mental errors. But bogeys happen and you need to have birdies to even those out and I couldn’t execute. That’s why the title goes to Hailey.”
Still, it was by far the best performance in an AJGA event by Hillary, the 2016 girls JGAC Tour Championship winner.
“My goal was top three (going into the week), but I had such an advantage going into today, it’s just really hard for me to give it up,” she said.
Trussi Li, a Chinese-born Californian, set the women’s course record with a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday to tie Hillary for second place at 213.
“That’s my best round ever,” said the 16-year-old Li. “My low was 68 before today. The front nine (a 6-under-par 30), I honestly didn’t expect that. Someone said I was bored and just throwing darts at the pin. And I made basically every putt today.” Indeed, she needed just 25 putts on the day.
In the boys tournament, Coloradans were 1-2 entering the final round, but Artem Yalovenko, a 15-year-old Russian who now lives in Florida, closed with a 67 to score his first AJGA victory.
Yalovenko made seven birdies in his final round to rally from five behind on Thursday to record a one-stroke win. He posted a 7-under-par 209 total.
Trevor Olkowski (left) of Grand Junction, a University of Colorado signee, finished second for the second straight year at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica. This time, he had an 18-foot birdie attempt on No. 18 that would have forced a playoff, but he left it 2 feet short. The 18-year-old, winner of the boys JGAC Tour Championship last fall, parred his final 15 holes for an even-par 72. His 210 total gave him a share of the runner-up spot with Carson Griggs of Sand Springs, Okla., who closed with a 67.
“I wanted to win. That’s why we play it,” Olkowski said. “Second place is just not the same. I don’t like losing.
“I’m kind of angry. I didn’t hit the ball well on the back nine today. And I missed every single putt that I looked at. It was just really frustrating.”
Second-round leader Griffin Barela of Lakewood, who’s signed to play college golf at the University of Wisconsin, placed fourth at 212 after a final-round 75.
As for Yalovenko (below left), who finished his round about 25 minutes before Olkowski and Barela, he could hardly believe that he came out on top.
“I’m speechless,” he said. “I’m so thankful for everything that happened. I didn’t really expect to win, to be honest. There’s no way that I thought the winning score would be 7 under. That’s for sure.
“This is by far the biggest win I’ve ever had in my life.”
For final results from the tournament, CLICK HERE.
