The Colorado State University signee holed out from 138 yards for eagle on his final shot of the day and tied a course record at Indian Tree Golf Club with a 7-under-par 63 Thursday during the second round of the Colorado Junior PGA Championship.

That stellar performance gave Ott (pictured) a nine-stroke lead heading into the final round of the second major in the inaugural season of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.

Meanwhile, in a tightly packed girls tournament, Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction, a member of the CWGA’s 2016 Junior Americas Cup team, grabbed a one-stroke lead heading into the final round. The 17-year-old from Regis Jesuit High School, who finished second in last year’s CWGA Junior Match Play, made two birdies Thursday and shot a 4-over-par 74, leaving her at 7-over 147 overall.

Ott, who recently finished second in both the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior and the national PGA Junior Series event at the Air Force Academy, closed his bogey-free round with a 138-yard eagle on the 452-yard par-4 18th hole. That gave him five birdies and an eagle on the day.

Overall, Ott will go into Friday’s final round with an 11-under-par 129 total. That’s nine shots better than 2015 CGA Junior Player of the Year Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch (67 Thursday) and 2015 4A state high school champion Jackson Solem of Longmont (71). Three players share fourth place at 139: Andrew McCormick of Denver (66 Thursday), David Leede of Greenwood Village (70) and Tyler Zhang of Lone Tree (70).

The girls tournament is a far different affair, with six players trailing Murray by five strokes or fewer. Delaney Elliott of Superior, who has signed to play college golf at Montana State, is one out of the lead after a second-round 75. Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch, winner of both the 5A state high school tournament and the Colorado Junior Amateur this year, shares third place at 149 with Charlotte Hillary of Englewood. Weinstein carded a 72, while Hillary’s 71 was the best girls score on Friday.

Also within a handful of the lead are Sarah Hwang of Monument (151), Hannah More of Littleton (152) and 2015 CWGA Junior Match Play winner Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora (152).

After 36 holes, the girls’ field was cut down to 15 players and the boys’ to 31.

For interactive scores, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS

Colorado Junior PGA Championship
At Par-70 Indian Tree GC in Arvada

BOYS
1. AJ Ott, Fort Collins, CO, 2016, 66-63-129 -11
2. Coby Welch, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2016, 71-67-138 -2
2. Jackson Solem, Longmont, CO, 2017, 67-71-138 -2
4. Andrew McCormick, Denver, CO, 2016, 73-66-139 -1
4. David Leede, Greenwood Village, CO, 2016, 69-70-139 -1
4. Tyler Zhang, Lone Tree, CO, 2017, 69-70-139 -1
7. Freddie Gluck, Boulder, CO, 2018, 72-70-142 +2
7. Reese Leiker, Littleton, CO, 2016, 69-73-142 +2
9. Peter Grossenbacher, Eaton, CO, 2019, 72-71-143 +3
9. Hunter Tuite, Englewood, CO, 2017, 72-71-143 +3
9. Davis Bryant, Aurora, CO, 2018, 72-71-143 +3
12. Coleson Krantz, Windsor, CO, 2017, 76-68-144 +4
12. Calvin McCoy, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2018, 72-72-144 +4
12. Jake Welch, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2019, 71-73-144 +4
15. Alec Poorman, Boulder, CO, 2016, 75-70-145 +5
15. Brittain Walton, Steamboat Springs, CO, 2016, 74-71-145 +5
17. Dallas Millin, Wright, WY, 2017, 77-69-146 +6
17. Timothy Amundson, Littleton, CO, 2016, 76-70-146 +6
17. Darren Edwards, Loveland, CO, 2018, 75-71-146 +6
17. Dillon Baker, Castle Rock, CO, 2018, 72-74-146 +6
17. Ethan Alexander, Louisville, CO, 2017, 71-75-146 +6
22. Arik Roberts, Colorado Springs, CO, 2017, 74-73-147 +7
22. Kyle Pearson, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2017, 73-74-147 +7
24. Sam Taylor, Nederland, CO, 2017, 73-75-148 +8
25. Tj Shehee, Longmont, CO, 2019, 76-73-149 +9
25. Marcus Tait, Littleton, CO, 2017, 75-74-149 +9
25. Ian Thorpe, Superior, CO, 2018, 75-74-149 +9
28. Sam Blackwood, Littleton, CO, 2018, 78-72-150 +10
28. Luke Travins, Colorado Springs, CO, 2017, 75-75-150 +10
28. Tyler Severin, Johnstown, CO, 2018, 74-76-150 +10
28. Jaxon Franklin, Broomfield, CO, 2018, 73-77-150 +10
Missed Cut
Ji Jang, Aurora, CO, 2016, 78-73-151 +11
Ethan Tartaglia, Lafayette, CO, 2018, 77-74-151 +11
Jackson Crist, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2018, 76-75-151 +11
Jack Tickle, Centennial, CO, 2019, 75-76-151 +11
Austin Hardman, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2016, 75-76-151 +11
Ryan Pearson, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2017, 74-77-151 +11
Gabe Goodman, Lakewood, CO, 2018, 73-78-151 +11
Matthew Heesemann, Johnstown, CO, 2016, 80-72-152 +12
John McGinley, Casper, WY, 2018, 79-73-152 +12
Roger Nakagawa, Denver, CO, 2018, 81-72-153 +13
Evan Kalac, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2019, 80-74-154 +14
Nishant Datta, Broomfield, CO, 2018, 81-73-154 +14
Walker Franklin, Broomfield, CO, 2020, 79-75-154 +14
Brayden Lambrecht, Sterling, CO, 2018, 79-75-154 +14
Bridger Tenney, Evergreen, CO, 2018, 77-77-154 +14
Garret Phillips, Rock Springs, WY, 2017, 74-80-154 +14
Nolan Miller, Evergreen, CO, 2019, 77-78-155 +15
Cameron Kirke, Greenwood Village, CO, 2018, 78-78-156 +16
Christian Agelopoulos, Denver, CO, 2020, 84-75-159 +19
Cameron Nagel, Fort Collins, CO, 2017, 80-80-160 +20
Christopher Kennedy, Aurora, CO, 2019, 76-84-160 +20
Drew Anderson, Aurora, CO, 2018, 82-79-161 +21
Riley Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 2019, 90-73-163 +23
Matthew LeFebre, Centennial, CO, 2017, 84-80-164 +24
Jackson Zinn, Westminster, CO, 2018, 83-84-167 +27
Chris Jonell, Centennial, CO, 2019, 84-90-174 +34
 
 
GIRLS
1. Jaclyn Murray, Grand Junction, CO, 2017, 73-74-147 +7
2. Delaney Elliott, Superior, CO, 2016, 73-75-148 +8
3. Charlotte Hillary, Englewood, CO, 2020, 78-71-149 +9
3. Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2016, 77-72-149 +9
5. Sarah Hwang, Monument, CO, 2017, 79-72-151 +11
6. Hannah More, Littleton, CO, 2016, 79-73-152 +12
6. Amy Chitkoksoong, Aurora, CO, 2019, 73-79-152 +12
8. Amelia Lee, Castle Rock, CO, 2017, 77-77-154 +14
9. Payton Canon, Englewood, CO, 2018, 79-76-155 +15
9. Erin Sargent, Longmont, CO, 2016, 77-78-155 +15
11. Sarah Hunt, Parker, CO, 2017, 77-79-156 +16
12. Reagan Robinson, Golden, CO, 2018, 80-77-157 +17
13. Amisha Singh, Greenwood Village, CO, 2019, 81-77-158 +18
13. Tabitha Diehl, Highlands Ranch, CO, 2017, 79-79-158 +18
13. Julia Baroth, Denver, CO, 2017, 79-79-158 +18
Missed Cut
Kacey Godwin, Denver, CO, 2016, +19
Kelsey Webster, Boulder, CO, 2018, +19
Shelby Poynter, Scottsbluff, NE, 2018, +20
Sydney Eye, Golden, CO, 2019, +22
Arielle Keating, Colorado Springs, CO, 2018, +24
Anju Ogi, Arvada, CO, 2021, +24
Riley McKibbon, Arvada, CO, 2017, +26
Katie Berrian, Castle Rock, CO, 2020, +26
Lauren Murphy, Carbondale, CO, 2018, +26
Carly Gallant, Louisville, CO, 2017, +29
Jenna Chun, Englewood, CO, 2018, +32
Eva Pett, Denver, CO, 2022, +37
Jihyun Roh, Broomfield, CO, 2018, +40
Isabell Deak, Colorado Springs, CO, 2018, +41
Andrea Hoos, Thornton, CO, 2016, +18 WD
 

What is it about Texas A&M recruits and shooting extremely low final rounds to win major Colorado-based junior tournaments?

Last year, A&M recruit Reese Ramsey set the course record with a 10-under-par 61 at CommonGround in the last round to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior.

And on Friday, Aggie recruit Walker Lee fired a bogey-free 9-under-par 63 at Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy to rally to win a national PGA Junior Series event. Lee and Ramsey will be freshman teammates at Texas A&M in the fall of 2017.

“That’s crazy good,” Lee (pictured) said of the 63. “But I feel like I should be much closer to that more often. But everything was going great. Everything was going my way.

“The first day (of the 54-hole tournament) my putting was good but my ball-striking wasn’t. The second day it was vice-versa. And I knew if I could get both those to click I’d be in pretty good shape.”

The 63 Friday for Lee was the lowest tournament round in the life of the golfer from Houston, which came at an ideal time for him.

But it wasn’t so ideal for AJ Ott of Fort Collins, who led after the first and second rounds. Despite being up by three going into Friday and shooting an even-par 72, Ott amazingly finished six shots behind the champion.

The result was yet another runner-up finish for the Colorado State University-bound golfer, who also placed second in the 2015 CGA Junior Stroke Play, the 2015 5A state high school meet and the 2016 AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior.

“I’ve just got to learn how to finish,” said Ott (left), the 2015 CJGA Tournament of Champions winner. “There really isn’t any other answer to it. Second place is fine, but it’s not really going to go anywhere. It’s been solid, but I think I need to learn how to finish off a little better.”

But even if Ott had played better on Friday, it would have been difficult to keep up with Lee. The champion’s closing 63 gave him a three-round total of 14-under-par 202. To put that into perspective, the record-low 54-hole total for the winner of the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational college tournament that’s held annually at Eisenhower Golf Club is 203.

“It was fun to watch,” said Ott, who was paired with Lee all three days. “I was kind of rooting him on there toward the end.”

Ott, like Lee a left-hander, checked in at 208 for second place, while 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier Davis Bryant of Aurora came in third at 212 after carding a bogey-free 68 in round 3. Oliver Jack of Denver placed fourth at 214.

Lee, a past winner of an AJGA tournament in Texas, made nine birdies Friday and played his final 11 holes in 7 under par.

“I haven’t won in a long time,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s good to get that off my back. I’ll take some confidence from this.

“My goal today was 4 under on the front nine (which he shot) just in case the rain came and they cut it down to nine holes. I wanted to get at least tied with (Ott) after nine. I did that, and put some pressure on.”

Lee said this was his first time playing golf in Colorado — or anywhere with significant altitude.

“I like it,” he said with a smile. “I talked to a bunch of friends who have played up here and they said, ‘Turn your range finder to meters and it’s about the same’. It worked pretty well.”

After Ott went 67-69 the first two rounds, making two eagles on Thursday, Friday wasn’t as good, though he was steady, with two birdies and two bogeys.

“I didn’t hit the ball as well today and I didn’t putt as well,” said the 18-year-old Ott. “I had six three-putts this week so that cost me a little bit.”

In the girls tournament, Thai national team member Tunrada Piddon (left) also posted a stellar final-round score — in her case, a 66 — to win by four strokes. The 15-year-old, who had never before carded a 6-under-par round, finished at 1-under-par 215.

Dominique Galloway of Rio Rancho, N.M. was second at 219 while Sophie Guo of China ended up third at 224. The top Coloradan in the girls 15-18 division was Sarah Hwang of Monument, who placed sixth at 232.

“She’s happy,” Piddon said through a translator. “Today everything just came together. She drove the ball really well and putted really well.”

With their victories on Friday, Lee and Piddon qualified for the Junior PGA Championship, set for Aug. 9-12 in Rumford, R.I.

Marie Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village was best among the four players in the girls 12-14 division. She carded an 83 Friday for a 244 total, good for a one-stroke victory over Amisha Singh of Greenwood Village.

Aaron Kuznik of Orono, Minn., went wire-to-wire to win the boys 12-14 division. His final-round 78 gave him a 19-over-par 235 total. Carson Hackmann of Laurel, Mont., came in second at 245, while Supawich Boonta of Aurora placed third at 246.

For scores: boys 15-18, girls 15-18, boys 12-14, girls 12-14
 

Colorado State men’s golf coach Christian Newton called it an “outlier” — in this case a very positive outlier that paved the way for the Rams’ second team victory of the young season.

Kyler Dunkle, a redshirt freshman from Larkspur, shot a competitive course-record 7-under-par 63 Monday at Fort Collins Country Club that set the tone for the Rams’ second consecuctive victory in the Ram Masters Invitational event they host.

To put the performance into perspective, the 63 was the lowest single-round score at this week’s tournament — by three strokes.

“I can’t say enough about the 63 yesterday,” Newton said on Tuesday. “Sometimes when you shoot such an outlier of a round, you give yourself a five- or six-shot (team) cushion before the thing even starts. There’s so much parity in these things; it’s going to be close no matter what. We were able to ride (that cushion) the whole time. It was awesome, one of the best rounds I’ve ever seen.”

In finishing fourth on Tuesday, Dunkle, a former Colorado 5A state high school champion, posted his second individual top-10 in two events this season. He was seventh on Sept. 13 at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.

“I was in about as good of a rhythm as I can find that first round (at Fort Collins CC),” he said. “It was really cool. During a tournament setting, this is a hard course to play.”

But sometimes not so much for Dunkle (left). In July, he shot consecutive rounds of 69 at FCCC to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. And in intra-team qualifiers held leading up to the season, he went 65-67-64 in three straight rounds at the club for a 14-under par total.

“That stretch of three days was the best I’ve ever played in my life,” said Dunkle, who also this summer shot a 59 in a casual round at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Silver Course. “For me this course sets up really well. I love this place.”

Dunkle, who posted an even-par 210 total for three rounds, is one of three Coloradans on the CSU roster, and all three of them placed in the top 20 Tuesday out of a field of 88. Jake Staiano (left), a true freshman from Cherry Hills Village, ended up eighth (212) and junior Jimmy Makloski from Pueblo checked in at 19th (218).

“When I got here it really was a priority to recruit those guys and feel like you get the best one (in the state) every year,” said Newton, now in his fourth season at CSU. “I feel like we’ve done that and are continuing to do that. It’s great to see them play like I thought they could when I recruited them. It’s really awesome.”

Another Coloradan, sophomore Chris Korte from the University of Denver, who last month won the CGA Stroke Play Championship, also cracked the top 20 on Tuesday, finishing 12th at 216.

Ben Welle, who plays at Kansas for former CSU head coach Jamie Bermel, claimed the individual title at 4-under-par 206.

All told, Colorado State not only won the team title but put seven of its nine players in the top 20 individually. Senior Dominic Kieffer (left) and sophomore teammate Max Oelfke (below) tied for second place at 208. A week after finishing third at the Falcon Invitational at Eisenhower Golf Club, Kieffer notched another top-three showing on Tuesday.

Staiano, who advanced to match play last month at the U.S. Amateur, was playing strictly as an individual at the Ram Masters Invitational, but had a strong showing in just his second college event, going 75-68-69–212. He made 11 birdies combined in the last two rounds.

“Obviously I had a good showing at the (U.S.) Am and I came up here and I think I put a little too much pressure on myself,” he said. “I haven’t been playing my best golf since I’ve been up here, but I finally got it going the last two rounds. I was really happy with how I fought back. I played my game for once, which felt good.”

As a team, the Rams fended off Kansas and finished at 1-under-par 839 for three rounds, winning by 10. DU (890) placed eighth, Air Force (894) 10th and Northern Colorado (899) 13th.

This after CSU won the Falcon Invitational by three over the University of Colorado on Sept. 13.

“To start out back-to-back is awesome,” said Newton, who this month has notched his third and fourth victories as a head coach, with three of the four having come in Colorado. “We’re in a good place right now.”

Staiano noted that he hasn’t shot higher than 74 in qualifying, but still hasn’t cracked CSU’s top five, which shows the Rams’ depth.

“I think we have something pretty special,” he said. “It’s just fun to be around a winning atmosphere. Our first qualifier, (Dunkle) shot 14 under (for three rounds). Obviously that’s going to make me a better player too. That’s the best part.”

Added Dunkle: “All of us are working our tails off and it’s finally starting to show. This week was really a testament to what we’ve been doing. Starting out with two wins doesn’t happen very often, especially with the competition we play against. It was really cool.”

And, not be lost in the big week for the Rams, one of the players who competed only as an individual at Fort Collins CC made a hole-in-one on Tuesday, as Alec Bone aced the 250-yard 17th hole.

Ram Masters Invitational
Sept. 21-22, 2015 (final) at Par-70 Fort Collins CC

1. (out of 15 teams) Colorado State 277-283-279–839
2. Max Oelfke 73-66-69–208; 2. Dominic Kieffer 68-72-68–208; 4. Kyler Dunkle 63-74-73–210; 19. Colton Yates 73-73-72–218; 19. Jimmy Makloski 76-72-70–218. Competing as individuals: 8. Jake Staiano 75-68-69–212; 14. Blake Cannon 71-71-75–217; 38. Alec Bone 77-73-73–223; 58. Logan Iverson 75-78-74–227.

8. Denver 304-295-291–890
12. Chris Korte 73-71-72–216; 19. Adam Ruben 69-75-74–218; 58. Arti Edelman 80-76-71–227; 66. Jake Kelley 82-73-74–229; 84. Petter Mikalsen 84-80-80–244. Competing as individuals: 58. Michael Boylan 79-72-76–227; 88. Johan Werge 81-92-84–257.

10. Air Force 303-296-295–894
19. Sunwoo Choi 74-73-71–218; 29. Brenden Bone 78-69-73–220; 52. Bryant Falconello 74-78-74–226; 70. Michael Fan 77-76-77–230; 84. Tate Tatom 84-78-82–244. Competing as individual: 62. Kyle Fuller 74-80-74–228.

13. Northern Colorado 291-311-297–899
35. Conner Barr 70-77-75–222; 35. Steven Kupcho 73-77-72–222; 58. Julian Woodfork 76-78-73–227; 62. Joshua Matz 72-79-77–228; 82. Sam Marley 77-85-78–240.

Also
19. Kade Crossland, Colorado 71-76-71–218
38. Wilson Belk, Colorado 74-73-76–223
66. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 76-75-78–229