Not only did a junior golfer from the Centennial State — Billy Howenstein (left in an AJGA photo) of Boulder — win the AJGA’s evian International & Senior Showcase in Vegas on Sunday, but the player he defeated in a playoff also was a Coloradan.

Howenstein and Connor Jones of Westminster, both high school seniors, tied at even-par 142 for two rounds at Angel Park Golf Club. Then Howenstein, competing in his ninth AJGA event, prevailed in the playoff by draining a 10-foot birdie putt for his first AJGA title.

“Thank you to everyone who has gotten me to this point,” Howenstein told the AJGA. “It has been a long road but I’m very lucky and thankful for my family. It feels great to finally grind out a win.”

For Jones, the runner-up showing was his best showing in three AJGA events.

Howenstein posted rounds of 72-70 in Vegas, while Jones went 69-73. Howenstein (Dawson School) finished sixth two months ago in the 3A state high school tournament, while Jones (Mountain Range) was the runner-up in 5A.

The 78-player field was for boys high school seniors who have not yet committed to a specific college golf program.

Other Coloradans competing in the event included TJ Shehee of Mead (32nd place at 151) and Christopher Kennedy of Aurora (39th at 153), both past U.S. Junior Amateur qualifiers.
 

The tournament drew 144 of the best junior golfers in the world — from 26 states and 16 countries.

Hillary (left), a two-time winner of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Tour Championship, posted one of just eight rounds in the 60s on Thursday, a 3-under-par 69 at the Fazio Course at PGA National Resort. The Kent Denver junior, who has verbally committed to play her college golf at Northwestern, made four birdies and one bogey in the final round.

Hillary finished with a four-day total of 7-over-par 295, which left her 10 strokes behind champion Amanda Sambach of Davidson, N.C.

Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, the JGAC Girls Player of the Year, also competed in the Tournament of Champions, finishing 47th with a 310 total.

Past winners of the Rolex Tournament of Champions include Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Inbee Park and Alison Lee. 
 

The trajectory of the three-year-old Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado is reminiscent of watching the ascendance of a tee shot hit by Dustin Johnson on Protracer.

A steady, impressive rise to the sky.

The JGAC, an organization founded and run by the CGA and the Colorado PGA, largely wrapped up its year with its Tour Championship and season-ending banquet on Oct. 7 at Denver Country Club. And it was an impressive season in numerous respects.

In fact, most of the numbers for Alliance-related events and programs were up substantially in 2018, year over year:

— Membership — which is now divided into three levels (Tour, Series and Introductory), depending on the skill and needs of given participants — hit 995 in 2018. That’s an 11 percent jump from 2018.

— At the various levels, there were 5,007 entries for JGAC events, up 12 percent form last year.

— This year, the JGAC oversaw 106 events, including 10 Drive, Chip & Putt qualifiers and the PGA Jr. League state championship.

— Speaking of Drive, Chip & Putt, there were 1,286 participants in 2018, up 18 percent from last year.

— In PGA Jr. League, 1,849 players competed, 29 percent more than in 2017. A total of 157 teams joined in, up 19 percent from last year.

— Fifteen courses in Colorado participated in the first year of Youth on Course in the state, with 658 rounds of subsidized golf (so far) on the books, and $3,864 in subsidies paid to the courses. Youth on Course makes golf more accessible to juniors by capping their cost for a round at $5 at participating facilities, possibly with some date/time restrictions. Then a subsidy of a similar amount per round is paid to the participating course.

— And funding has been approved for 10,053 kids to participate in the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools Program, which is supported by all the Allied Golf Associations in the state. The final number of participants for 2018 is to be determined as fall programming continues. Golf in Schools introduces kids to the game each school year through their P.E. classes at school.

“Our success is shown through our growth and our numbers and different things like that,” said Ashley Barnhart, the CGA’s director of junior competitions, who helps oversee the JGAC along with many other staffers and interns from the Colorado PGA and the CGA. “And I think people are becoming really familiar with our platform, which helps. There’s a lot of word of mouth. Coaches, instructors and people like that are becoming active in the program, which is what we really set out to do. I think we had a great year because of that.”

Beyond organizational success, JGAC members had some major individual and team accomplishments in 2018:

— For the first time in 44 years of competing in the boys Junior America’s Cup, the Colorado team won the competition against other squads from throughout the western U.S., as well as Canada and Mexico. Doubling the accomplishment, Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins claimed the individual title in the event. Also competing on the Colorado team (left) were Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, Davis Bryant of Aurora and Walker Franklin of Broomfield, Bryant is now a freshman on the Colorado State University golf team while McCoy is playing for the University of Denver. Stewart, who just won the 5A individual state high school title while his Fossil Ridge squad earned the team championship, is expected next month to sign a letter of intent to play college golf at perennial powerhouse Oklahoma State starting in the fall of 2019.

— The JGAC hosted the Girls Junior Americas Cup for the first time in 18 years as Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen brought together some of the best girls players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. The team representing Colorado finished fifth out of 18 in the event, its best showing in five years.

— For just the second time in the short history of the Drive, Chip & Putt initiative, three Coloradans have qualified for the same National Championship. Three years after a trio of Coloradans competed in the national DCP event at Augusta National, Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, Chunya “Bead” Boonta of Centennial and Grady Ortiz of Colorado Springs will do so in the 2019 event that will be held April 7 on the eve of the Masters. Each advanced through three qualifying events in 2018. Chin, who was one of the three Coloradans who qualified for nationals in 2016, will return next spring, making her the first player from the Centennial State to competed in the finals twice.

— Stewart claimed two AJGA titles in 2018. In June, he became the first Coloradan to win the boys championship at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. Then in early September, he prevailed at the AJGA Junior at Big Sky in Montana, coincidentally the same state where he won the Junior America’s Cup title. Another Coloradan that scored an AJGA victory in 2018 was Sofia Choi of Littleton, who won the AJGA Preview at Waubeeka in Massachusetta in early May.

— Also winning a significant title on a larger stage in 2018 was Nicholas Pevny of Aspen, who took the top spot in the boys 12-13 division of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida in July.

— Another notable accomplishment came earlier this month when Lauren Lehigh of Loveland was among 12 girls — and 24 junior golfers overall — who were named to the 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the AJGA. The honor is given to a very select group of junior golfers from all over the country and the world who particularly excel on the golf course, in the classroom and in the community. Lehigh’s cumulative GPA for her first three years of high school is 4.116, and her best score on the SAT has been 1,430. She was later named the JGAC’s 2018 Girls Player of the Year, while Stewart took the honor on the boys side.

— Hadley Ashton of Erie had an outstanding showing at a prestigious international tournament as she finished fifth in the girls 9-10 division at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in the San Diego area.

— In May, Emma Bryant of Eaglecrest won the 5A girls state high school title as a freshman. The amazing thing about the accomplishment was that older brother Davis Bryant had won the 5A boys title last fall — in the same school year. It was the first time two players with the same surname have won the boys and girls state individual prep championships in one school year. (The Bryants are pictured at left.)

— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village and Hailey Schalk of Erie, both high school sophomores at the time, made match play but lost in the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in late April.

(All the award winners recognized at the JGAC’s recent banquet are listed below.)

While the junior golf season is nearly over in Colorado, there are some events held in mid and late October. For instance, the JGAC Parent/Child tournaments are scheduled for Oct. 27-28 at Indian Tree Golf Course in Arvada. And last Saturday, an Optimist Junior Tour event was held at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver, where 23 qualifying spots for the 2019 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at Trump National Doral Resort in Miami were at stake.

The age-group winners included three Coloradans: Brandon Bervig of Colorado Springs (boys 16-18), Morgan Ryan of Centennial (girls 14-18) and Tyler Tyson of Arvada (boys 14-15).

2018 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Award Winners

Boys Player of the Year
Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins — Won individual title in Junior America’s Cup, which featured some of the top junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. … Led Colorado to its first team title ever in the boys Junior America’s Cup. … Became the first Colorado boy to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. … As a senior, won the 5A state high school individual championship and led Fossil Ridge to its first team title in boys golf. … Notched his second AJGA title of 2018 at the AJGA Junior at Big Sky in Montana. … Shared medalist honors in qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur. … Finished second at the Colorado Junior Amateur. … Has verbally committed to play college golf at Oklahoma State

Girls Player of the Year
Lauren Lehigh of Loveland — One of 24 players (12 girls) worldwide to be named to the Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the AJGA. The Loveland High School senior earned that honor by placing in the top five in an AJGA open or invitational, then based on the following criteria: standardized test scores, grade-point average, school leadership and community service. … Won the girls division of the Colorado Junior Match Play, one of four JGAC majors. … During the course of 2018 at JGAC events, won three times, placed second seven times and third three times. … One of the runner-ups was in her title defense at the 4A state high school tournament. … Finished third among girls at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. … Helped lead Colorado to a fifth-place finish at the Girls Junior Americas Cup competition at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, where Lehigh tied for 14th place individually. … Finished 13th nationally in Big I National Championship. … Has verbally committed to play in college at the University of New Mexico. … Has been a member of the Hale Irwin Player Program for three years.
 
Girls Most Improved Player
Ashley Kozlowski of Littleton — Sixteen-year-old JGAC Tour player saw her scoring average decrease 16 strokes compared to 2017.

Boys Most Improved Player
Will Balliet of Thornton — Scoring average for the 12-year-old in 2018 was 11.9 strokes better than in 2017.
 
Award of Excellence (based on community service, character, overcoming hardship and showing spirit of the game of golf)
Max Heupel (left) — The multi-sport athlete and dedicated golfer started a non-profit called “Bagging Homelessness”, raising money and buying supplies to create daily care packages for people living on the street.
 
10 & Under All-Stars
Taylor Wilson
Addison Hines
Maddie Makino
Livia Pett
Taylor Hale
Andre Dumonteil
Brayden Destefano
Clint Summers III
Sean Cary
Miles Kuhl

11-13 All-Stars
Charlie Flaxbeard
Matai Naqica
Wes Erling
Blake Sullivan
Nicholas Pevny
Hadley Ashton
Caitlyn Chin
Ashleigh Wilson
Emily Cheng
Kaitlin Zingler

14-18 All-Stars
Hunter Swanson
Maxwell Lange
Traejan Andrews
Tyler Tyson
Quinton Mosch
Amira Badruddin
Clara Hosman
Kaylee Jacobs
Jessica Mason
Elan Fleetwod

Tour All-Stars
Connor Jones
Emma Bryant
Walker Franklin
Charlotte Hillary
TJ Shehee
Caroline Jordaan
Davis Bryant
Hailey Schalk
Dillon Stewart
Lauren Lehigh

Points Chase Champions
Andre Dumonteil — 10 & Under Boys
Taylor Wilson — 10 & Under Girls
Charlie Flaxbeard –11 – 13 Boys
Hadley Ashton — 11 – 13 Girls
Hunter Swanson — 14 – 18 Boys
Amira Badruddin — 14 – 18 Girls
Dillon Stewart — JGAC Tour Boys
Lauren Lehigh — JGAC Tour Girls
 
Academic All-Stars
Emaan Adil – Greenwood Village
Christian Agelopoulos – Denver
Ewan Albright – Boulder
Gavin Amella – Pueblo
Elisandro Aragon – Highlands Ranch
Brendan Archer – Vail
Amira Badruddin – Parker
Savannah Balint – Grand Junction
Brynn Balliet – Thornton
Jamie Banghart – Fort Collins
Parker Beasley – Denver
Katie Berrian – Castle Rock
Liam Beshoar – Montrose
Pierce Bickerton – Windsor
Logan Biggerstaff – Cherry Hills Village
Andrew Blair – Denver
Christian Blair – Denver
Emmett Bleem – Windsor
Caroline Brandon – Denver
Davis Bryant – Aurora
Emma Bryant – Aurora
Dylan Bundy – Lone Tree
Caleb Busta – Centennial
Logan Byler – Parker
Qwenton Caldwell – Littleton
Cody Caldwell – Woodland Park
Paige Carlson – Parker
Owen Casey – Denver
William Chadwick – Boulder
Kaylee Chen – Denver
Christina Cheng – Colorado Springs
Emily Cheng – Colorado Springs
Benjamin Chin – Greenwood Village
Caitlyn Chin – Greenwood Village
Alyssa Chin – Greenwood Village
Ella Chism – Centennial
Sofia Choi – Littleton
Noah Clough – Fort Morgan
Christian Cohan – Golden
Alex Colby – Castle Rock
Jax Collins – Golden
Alexis Cunningham – Denver
Benjamin Daane – Rapid City, S.D.
Garrett Dalton – Parker
Mitchell Davis – Strasburg
Mario Dino – Denver
Dakota Dolph – Pine
Jake Dost – Parker
Drex Duffy – Littleton
Raven DuKane – Broomfield
Graham Dzengelewski – Highlands Ranch
Sydney Elder – Centennial
Wesley Erling – Castle Rock
Dylan Everett – Highlands Ranch
Ryan Falender – Colorado Springs
Nick Fallin – Highlands Ranch
Nolan Farrar – Larkspur
Nicole Fatovic – Broomfield
Jack Finch – Centennial
Tyler Findlow – Lone Tree
Jack Flaherty – Broomfield
Bobby Flaherty – Broomfield
Charlie Flaxbeard – Greenwood Village
James Flaxbeard – Greenwood Village
Jeth Fogg – Colorado Springs
Oscar Ford – Centennial
Kaden Ford – Colorado Springs
Nick Formby – Frederick
Jaxon Franklin – Broomfield
Walker Franklin – Broomfield
John Fredericks – Denver
Brendan Fricke – Highlands Ranch
Oliver Gibbons – Lakewood
Jacob Gilbert – Watkins
Devin Gilbreath – Aurora
Anthony Giordano – Denver
Alexander Goeltl – Fort Collins
Jonas Graham – Parker
Christopher Gunlikson – Longmont
Taylor Hale – Eagle
Logan Hale – Eagle
Kalai Hamlin – Monument
Sam Hammock – Fort Collins
Ben Harding – Longmont
Maryn Harlow – Fort Collins
Corbin Harris – Littleton
Booth Hayes – Frederick
Allie Henson – Windsor
Max Heupel – Littleton
Thomas Hicks – Greenwood Village
Charlotte Hillary – Englewood
Carter Hinkle – Windsor
Clara Hosman – Parker
Landon Houska – Fort Collins
Kylee Hughes – Aspen
Freddie Ingham – Lone Tree
Kaylee Jacobs – Denver
Jack Jacobsen – Englewood
Jordan Jennings – Montrose
Clara Jeon – Centennial
Rhett Johnson – Littleton
Hadley Johnson – Thermopolis, Wyo.
Hardy Johnson – Thermopolis, Wyo
Connor Jones – Westminster
Trey Jones – Colorado Springs
Caroline Jordaan – Lakewood
Marie Jordaan – Lakewood
Nathan Kim – Castle Pines
Holden Kleager – Glenwood Springs
Carter Kovarik – Englewood
Ashley Kozlowski – Littleton
Brooke Kramer – Aurora
Benjamin Kriech – Parker
Drew Laake – Colorado Springs
Gisella Lagrimas – Castle Rock
Amalei Lagrimas – Castle Rock
Noah Larchick – Aurora
Will Leary – Fort Collins
Jake Legg – Montrose
Katelyn Lehigh – Loveland
Lauren Lehigh – Loveland
Jack Leibold – Littleton
Emily Kate Lisle – Evergreen
Frank Lockwood – Englewood
Davis Long – Lafayette
Josh Lowrey – Highlands Ranch
Josee Lurcott – Englewood
Macallister Lurcott – Englewood
Mason Magley – Loveland
Katherine Malcolm – Parker
Aidan Mann – Boulder
Natasha McClain – Denver
Cole McCoy – Highlands Ranch
Cal McCoy – Highlands Ranch
Sarah McDevitt – Elizabeth
Campbell McFadden – Denver
Piper McFadden – Denver
Gavin McWhorter – Loveland
Benjamin Medina – Denver
Andrew Merz – Colorado Springs
Grant Meyers – Brighton
Bennett Meyers – Brighton
William Mitchell – Lafayette
Jessica Morrissey – Golden
Tyler Mulligan – Parker
Roger Nakagawa – Denver
Zach Nehm – Grand Junction
Max Noffsinger – Greeley
Brittlynn O’Dell – Grand Junction
Yusuke Ogi – Arvada
Kota Ogi – Arvada
Liam O’Halloran – Colorado Springs
Finn Olson – Castle Pines
Eshaan Palanati – Aurora
Sam Patrick – Highlands Ranch
Will Perez – Denver
Eva Pett – Denver
Livia Pett – Denver
Elaina Phiel – Denver
Carlo Pine – Telluride
Dylan Pyle – Boulder
Nathan Rabuck – Denver
Keaton Rich – Arvada
Maya Romero – Aurora
Kailer Rundiks – Denver
Ryan Sangchompuphen – Denver
Spencer Schlagel – Parker
Jack Schubert – Highlands Ranch
Isabella Scott – Castle Rock
Travis Seitz – Steamboat Springs
Suchit Sharma – Thornton
Brady Shaw – Pueblo
TJ Shehee – Mead
Timbre Shehee – Mead
Isabella Short – Evergreen
Jack Siler – Aurora
Aidan Sim – Parker
Windrem Smith – Fort Collins
Mena Song – Lew – Colorado Springs
Jack Stafford – Parker
John Stevens – Green Mountain Falls
Peter Stinar – Colorado Springs
Molly Stratton – Centennial
Blake Sullivan – Castle Pines
Carter Surofchek – Colorado Springs
Hunter Swanson – Denver
Sydney Taylor – Fort Collins
Leanne Telle – Colorado Springs
Conner Thomas – Frederick
Dawson Thulin – Denver
Jack Tickle – Centennial
Collen Todd – Golden
Jack Tourault – Broomfield
Lauren Tucker – Lone Tree
Taylor Tucker – Lone Tree
Charlie Tucker – Castle Pines
Zach Tyson – Arvada
Tyler Tyson – Arvada
James Wagner – Erie
Sean Wallace – Denver
Kelsey Webster – Boulder
Max Weisser – Denver
Jake Welch – Highlands Ranch
Gabrielle Werst – Fort Collins
Jacob Whelan – Highlands Ranch
Matthew Wilkinson – Centennial
Blake Williams – Lone Tree
Blake Williams – Lone Tree
Jadie Wilson – Denver
Ashleigh Wilson – Highlands Ranch
Taylor Wilson – Highlands Ranch
Liam Wood – Boulder
Garrett Wood – Centennial
Colin Young – Highlands Ranch
Grace Young – Highlands Ranch
Max Zadvorny – Centennial
Jessica Zapf – Windsor
Ian Zweifel – Orlando, Fla.
 

The golfer from Loveland was among 12 girls — and 24 junior golfers overall — to be named to the 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the AJGA. Since 1988, the honor has been given out to junior golfers who particularly excel on the golf course, in the classroom and in the community.

“These 24 exceptional young men and women are impressive on so many levels,” said Brian Forbes, director of sponsorships for Transamerica. “They exemplify sportsmanship on the golf course and citizenship in their schools and in their communities.”

Lehigh, a senior at Loveland High School, earned the honor by placing in the top five in an AJGA open or invitational, then based on the following criteria: standardized test scores, grade-point average, school leadership and community service.

The 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America team has an average AJGA-adjusted GPA of 4.6, an average SAT score of 1,493.64 and an average ACT score of 34.62. Lehigh’s cumulative GPA for her first three years of high school is 4.116, and her best score on the SAT has been 1,430.

The honorees hail from California to Massachusetts and from Texas and Florida to Ontario, Canada — in addition to two from China.

The Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet on Nov. 18 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Those named to the team earn a spot in the prestigious Rolex Tournament of Champions, which will be contested at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens Nov. 17-22.

Golfers who have been named to the Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team in the past include Matt Kuchar (1994), Casey Martin (1989) and Cristie Kerr (1994).

Lehigh finished third — the best showing by any Colorado girl — in June at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.

Lehigh sits atop the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 2018 points standings for the Girls Junior Tour. A verbal commitment to the University of New Mexico, Lehigh won the girls division of the Colorado Junior Match Play, one of the four JGAC majors. During the course of 2018 at JGAC-related events, she’s won three times, placed second seven times and third three times. One of the runner-ups was in her title defense at the 4A state high school tournament.

Lehigh, a member of the Hale Irwin Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course for three years, helped lead Colorado to a fifth-place finish as a team at the Girls Junior Americas Cup competition at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, where Lehigh tied for 14th place individually. She finished 13th nationally in Big I National Championship.
 

But a Coloradan drew some attention on Sunday by posting a victory in an AJGA event in Williamstown, Mass.

Sofia Choi of Littleton, a 14-year-old who’s in her first year as a member of the Hale Irwin Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course, claimed the girls title against a 15-player field at the AJGA Preview at Waubeeka.

According to the AJGA, Choi set a competitive course record for Waubeeka Golf Links with a 2-over-par 73 in Sunday’s final round. Choi, who counted the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado 11-13 Junior Series Championship among her five wins last year, finished with a 7-over 149 total for two days, good for a nine-stroke victory.
 

Webster, the Fairview High School junior who just clinched the season-long Front Range League individual title, shot rounds of 83-82 for a 21-over-par 165 in tough weather conditions at Meadowbrook Country Club.

Competing in a 21-player field, Webster held off Elyse Emerzian of Deerfield, Ill. (166), Rose Bundy of West Chicago, Ill. (167) and Nina Hecht of Carmel, Ind. (168).

Webster overcame a quadruple bogey and a triple bogey in round 2 and made two birdies on the day.

Meadowbrook CC is partly owned by Ramiro Romo, father of retired NFL quarterback Tony Romo.

For complete tournament scores from the AJGA Preview at Meadowbrook, CLICK HERE.
 

Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch capped off the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships with another top-10 showing by a Coloradan in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

And Davis Bryant (pictured) of Aurora, a U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier in 2015, finished second Thursday in the AJGA Bass Pro Shops/Payne Stewart Junior Championship in Hollister, Mo. Bryant went 68-70-73 for a 2-under-par 211 total, which left him two strokes behind champion Cullan Brown of Eddyville, Ky.

Weinstein, winner of two Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors and the 5A state high school title this year, placed fifth on Thursday in the girls 15-18 division of the highly-regarded Optimist tournament.

Weinstein shot rounds of 77-72-75-69 for a 5-over-par 293 total. The Regis University-bound golfer finished four strokes behind winner Amy Matsuoka of Newport Beach, Calif.

Other Coloradans who posted top-10 showings at the Optimist International over the last couple of weeks were Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins (eighth in boys 14-15 division) and Jordan Jennings of Montrose (third in boys 12-13 division).

Here are the scores of Coloradans this week at the Optimist International Junior and the Big I National Championship:

Optimist International Junior Championships in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Girls 15-18
5. Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch 77-72-75-69–293
24. Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction 76-76-77-74–303
MC. Julia Baroth of Denver 82-74-80-MC
MC. Alexis Chan of Highlands Ranch 80-82-84-MC
MC. Tabitha Diehl of Highlands Ranch 84-81-84-MC
MC. Carly Gallant of Louisville 90-79-86-MC

Boys 16-18
27. Timothy Amundson of Littleton 74-84-73-73–304
MC. Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch 78-79-76-MC
MC. Marcus Tait of Littleton 81-85-79-MC
MC. Cameron Nagel of Fort Collins 97-87-88-MC
MC. Daniel Pearson of Longmont 78-79-MC

Big I National Championship in Sacramento, Calif.
Girls
16. Erin Sargent of Longmont 72-75-75-76–298
MC. Jennifer Hankins of Thornton 80-75-MC

Boys
31. Jackson Solem of Longmont 74-73-73-70–290
MC. Kyle Pearson of Highlands Ranch 74-78-MC
 

Rich Langston has lived in Colorado for about 45 years now, but there’s no mistaking his West Texas roots.

He can regale anyone within earshot with mesmerizing tales or anecdotes, complete with that distinctive West Texas twang. And, after 23 seasons as a highly-regarded volunteer rules official in Colorado, he certainly has plenty of material.

For instance, ask him about his most unusual ruling, and he’ll recount a story from the final round of a CGA Public Links Championship in the mid-1990s. That was when he was stationed at the par-3 16th hole at Hyland Hills Golf Course.

He noted how a competitor hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker, and when he took his stance, the ball moved. The player asked Langston how to proceed, and Langston told him to replace the ball and add a stroke. The golfer replaced the ball, took his stance and … once again his ball moved.

“He turned around and I looked at him and he said, ‘What the hell?'” Langston remembers. “At that time, probably a 2-foot-diameter big greenback turtle raises up out of the bunker (from beneath the surface of the sand). Part of his stance was probably mashing that turtle and underneath the sand she was moving around and raised up out of there. I said, ‘Go to a different part of the bunker, drop your ball and forget about that one stroke we talked about.’ We got to looking and I raked some sand and I saw some eggs. I called the golf shop. Eventually 74-75 (turtle) eggs were pulled out of there.

“It was funny as could be. … And by this time there were about three groups backed up on the 16th tee. But it’s sort of like when you make a birdie putt on 18 — something always keeps you coming back. Well, that’s what always kept me coming back.”

But after being a mainstay as a rules official in Colorado since 1993, Langston won’t be coming back in that role — at least not on a regular basis. Langston, who turns 75 years old this week, recently sold his house in Lakewood and will be relocating on Nov. 2 or 3 with his life partner Janet to Bartlesville, Okla., just north of Tulsa.

Though he plans to return next year to work the Colorado PGA Professional Championship and possibly the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, he’ll no longer be the fixture in Colorado golf he has been. That will leave a big void, considering that he estimates he’s devoted about 1,250 tournament days over his lifetime as a rules official — not counting travel days.

“Rich is a workhorse. He carries a lot of the load,” said Mike Boster, a fellow prominent chief rules official. “It’s not going to be easy to make it up. Losing Joe (Salvo, the CGA Rules Commitee chairman who passed away) in April and Rich in the fall, we’re going to be looking for talent. Rich has just been a mainstay of our rules group. Nobody is irreplaceable but it’s not going to be easy.”

How important has Langston been to Colorado golf? Important enough that the Colorado PGA granted him honorary membership, which Langston calls “the coolest, neatest, nicest thing that I’ve ever had in my life.” (At left, Langston was presented with a flag, signed by the players, at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship by executive director Eddie Ainsworth.) And important enough that the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame gave Langston its distinguished service award.

“I’m not sure how you say thank you for all the stuff he’s done for the CGA,” executive director Ed Mate said after Langston worked his final event for the association, the Mid-Amateur, early this month at Lakewood Country Club. “It’s incredible. I’ve never met somebody who loves golf as much. What he does as a rules official is his outlet for that love of the game. He’s just as good as they come.”

Langston has run the gamut with his golf volunteerism as a rules official over the years, working events run by the CGA, CJGA, Colorado PGA, AJGA, USGA, Colorado Open championships, Colorado High School Activities Association, Junior America’s Cup, Kansas Golf Association and college events. He plans to look into helping out with selected Oklahoma Golf Association tournaments, but no longer will work anywhere close to the 70-some tournament days — with the accompanying 30-some travel days — he’s worked this year.

“Even if I didn’t have this move being planned, I would still cut back this coming year,” he said. “And it’s not because I’m an old guy. I’m still 10 foot tall and bullet-proof (said with a smile). But it’s time. When I shut my business down 11 years ago, it was time to do it. There was no other reason.”

Langston admits that his hectic rules official schedule has taken its toll.

“This last year, I think in the month of May and into June I was on the golf course or traveling to and from a golf course 26 out of 34 days,” he said. “I was tired. There were a couple of days I really wasn’t ready to be on the golf course. It wasn’t because of the event or the people or the players; it was me. I was tired. And one time during that stretch there was 13 straight days. Maybe I’d have liked to play a round or two of golf in the springtime. I mean, sometime you’ve got to take your laundry to the cleaners. Sometimes you’re hard-pressed to find time to go get the oil changed in your car.”

But there’s also a care-free reason for cutting back.

“I’m going to be 75. If you hit ‘three-quarters’, what you ought to do is just go play like Lewis and Clark,” Langston said. “You just start a brand-new adventure. And Janet is game for it. I’ve been in Denver for 45 or 47 years, and she’s been here for 24 years. Denver has been good to us, but I’m not going to miss certain things about Denver, and there’s going to be things that I will miss. But as far as taking an hour and 15 minutes to drive crosstown at 6 in the morning because of traffic, I can live without that.”

Langston, who retired 11 years ago after owning a construction business, took a shine to Bartlesville a number of years ago when he was visiting Bryan Heim, a former Cherry Hills Country Club assistant professional who had taken a job as PGA head professional at Hillcrest Country Club in the Oklahoma town. Heim has since returned to Colorado as PGA head professional at Columbine Country Club.

Langston was working the Ping Junior Invitational in Oklahoma when he made the side trip to visit with Heim and his family.

“I just really liked what I saw in Bartlesville,” he said. “It’s a town of 35,000 but the feel of the town is more like a town of 300,000 or 400,000. … They’ve always taken care of the town. So many smaller communities anymore — especially those outside a metro area — have experienced some decay. I hate it; it’s not what I grew up with. In Bartlesville, they’ve taken care of it nicely. And it’s an affordable town.

“Bartlesville felt right. (But) I don’t know anybody there; I don’t know a soul.”

After getting in only four rounds of golf so far in 2015, Langston is looking forward to playing more, rather than just observing others playing. (Though he didn’t do it this year, Langston has shot his age — or better — about a half-dozen times.) And Hillcrest CC in Bartlesville is a Perry Maxwell design, and Langston loves courses designed by Maxwell.

Without a doubt, though, many golfers in Colorado will miss the thin Texan who has long made the Centennial state his home. That’s especially true for the thousands of junior players — and former junior players — Langston has impacted over the years.

“If you find (tournament players) who are in their 20s, 30s, even 40s, they know Rich from being a rules official and being so personal and personable,” said fellow chief rules official Greg With. “He knows every one of them.”

Langston (left, filling divots at Lakewood Country Club during the recent CGA Mid-Amateur) remembers silencing the room at a pre-tournament banquet for the 1999 Junior America’s Cup held at Perry Park Country Club.

“I said I do not enjoy being on the golf course with a bunch of kids,” he recalled. “But I love being out there with young players — and there is a difference.

“I don’t in any way, shape, fashion or form think that I have helped ‘sculpt their youth’. Hey, that’s for their mom and dad to do. But I enjoy being around young people. What I’ve always found is, you treat them with respect, and it comes right straight back to you.”

One of those instances came at the 2013 Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins Country Club, where a one-stroke penalty incurred on the final hole by freshman Jimmy Makloski, who was making his college debut, made the difference between host Colorado State finishing second or forcing a playoff for the team title. Langston was the rules official who dealt with the matter, one in which Makloski addressed his ball on the green and the ball subsequently changed position. When Makloski and then-assistant coach Bret Guetz acknowledged that Makloski had addressed the ball, Langston informed them it would be a one-stroke penalty.

“About two weeks later and I saw Ray (Makloski), Jimmy’s dad,” Langston said. “I said that was probably one of the toughest decisions I ever got brought into. Ray looked at me and said, ‘We were glad it was you.’ That was as big a compliment as a person could ever have. In all likelihood Jimmy would have been able to secure the (team) victory for CSU (if not for the penalty). You’ve got to remember this was his freshman year and his first (college) tournament. There’s not many people around that exhibited the class that Jimmy showed and that Bret showed. But you know what? In this business that’s what I’ve grown to expect.”

And people in Colorado golf have known what to expect from Langston (left) — nothing less than his all.

“I remember once I teed off (for a round of golf) and my phone rang,” he recalled. “I’m walking down the fairway talking to a member of the (Colorado PGA) who was on the Western Slope and he had a member-guest four-ball going on (and had a rules issue). It was important to him that he get it right. For God’s sake, if you can get something right by making a telephone call … it takes more maturity to do that than it does to make a wrong decision. I’ve always told every pro I’ve dealt with, ‘Don’t ever hesitate to call me.’ I don’t care what day of the week it is; that’s why I gave you my cell number. You owe it to your constituency: Get it right.”

And Langston can be assured as he leaves Colorado that he got it right.
 

Of course, there’s the mastery of the game, especially at age 22.

There’s his consistently personable manner, whether dealing with fans, fellow competitors, the media, or whomever.

And there’s the “wiseness beyond his years” that he exhibits.

But, with him ascending to the No. 1 spot in the world rankings with his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship on Sunday, it brought to mind yet another reason to take a shine to the young Texan.

Hale Irwin, the World Golf Hall of Famer who grew up in Boulder and went on to win three U.S. Opens and a record 45 Champions Tour events, covered a wide range of topics when he put on a short-game clinic and answered questions from AJGA players and others in early June at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

One of the things Irwin touched on is pace of play, and how being too deliberate can hurt your game. That’s where Spieth’s name came up, unsolicited. More on that in a moment.

Irwin noted that, unlike most top players you see nowadays, he personally doesn’t use a line on his golf ball to line up his putts. In fact, Irwin said he tries to have as much of the blank side of his ball facing him as possible when he strokes his putt.

In contrast, many high-level players now obsess over making sure that the line on their ball is pointed exactly in the right place when preparing to putt. Several years ago at the CGA Match Play, a contestant who advanced deep into the bracket was so carried away with the process that it wasn’t at all unusual for him to slightly adjust his ball — while marked — up to five times for a single putt. Put down the ball and carefully align it, back off to check the line, adjust the ball, back off to check it again, adjust the ball again, check it from the other side of the cup, adjust the ball again, check it one last time from behind the ball, and possibly tweak the ball alignment yet again. And then, on top of that, he was deliberate — to put it nicely — once he actually got over the ball to take a stroke. It was all spectators could do not to out and out yell, “PUTT IT ALREADY.”

Irwin, with little question the most successful tour player to be produced by Colorado, recalled that during his teenage years he experienced something that led to him to become a quicker player, most notably when putting.

“I felt I was taking too much time,” he said. “And I felt like I was losing my feel for that putt. So I told myself, ‘Look up twice on every shot, on every putt, and go.'”

Irwin knows full well that young aspiring athletes tend to emulate the best players, no matter what the sport may be. And with what Spieth has accomplished this year — two wins, a second and a fourth in the major championships, matching Tiger Woods’ 2005 performance for best major season by a player since Woods’ three-win year in 2000 — he’s the man for the time being.

And Irwin likes something about Spieth besides his playing ability, per se.

“Jordan Spieth — he’s a nice young man to copy what he’s doing — he gets right up (to the ball) and goes at it,” Irwin said. “Sometimes the longer you take, the more doubt that can creep in, the more negative thoughts that can creep in. If you’ve got that line and you’ve got that feel, get after it.”

Here’s a video of Spieth’s routine over putts: CLICK HERE.

Maybe, just maybe, the approach of Irwin, Spieth and other players who don’t dilly-dally will catch on, and we’ll have fewer of the five-hour-plus rounds that drive many golfers nuts. And players who seem to think slower is better might find a slightly quicker, more committed rhythm would actually serve their golf game best.

You shouldn’t hold your breath, of course, but at the very least it’s encouraging that Spieth sets a better example than many tour players and other elite-level golfers.
  

Now it’s the CJGA’s turn.

Starting this year, 14-18-year-old golfers will be permitted to use distance-only measuring devices in CJGA tournaments, as well as in the CGA and CWGA Junior Stroke Play and Junior Match Play Championships.

In other words, many of the state’s top events for junior players will feature a lot more golfers lasering the distances of their shots, and a lot fewer pacing off the yardages from sprinkler heads and the like.

“We traditionally follow the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) lead on policy changes, and they’re allowing (distance-only range-finders) in all their events in 2013,” said Eric Wilkinson, the CGA’s director of junior competitions. “We want to stay consistent with national junior tours and other (golf organizations) around us. A lot of other state and regional junior golf associations are allowing them, and we didn’t want to be in a position where players in our events weren’t allowed to use them.”

Added Kelley Mawhinney, tournament and junior golf operations manager for the CWGA: “We wanted to be on the same page (as the AJGA). We don’t want to confuse players” with varying rules.

The AJGA allowed range-finders on a trial basis in four tournaments in 2012. Distance-measure devices are already permitted in college events, but the USGA doesn’t allow them in its national championships or its qualifiers.

Wilkinson was quick to note that the CJGA allowance applies only to 14-18-year-olds in the association’s tournaments, and not to younger players. Also, devices measuring only distance will be permitted; those that gauge such things as slope, wind speed, elevation, temperature, etc., are forbidden, even if such functions are turned off or ignored. So are the use of smart phone apps.

“It’s up to fellow competitors to police it themselves, but we’re trying to educate players in advance,” Wilkinson said. “We know we’ll get a lot of questions at our first event, so we want to be proactive.”

The first tournament in which the distance measuring devices will be allowed is the CJGA Spring Series event this weekend (April 27-28) at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.

While the increased affordability of the devices have made the Colorado associations amenable to permitting them for juniors, the organizations are still sensitive that some teenagers may not be able to afford range-finders. For that reason, distance information can be shared among players. For example, a competitor without a range-finder can get the distance to the pin from a fellow player, or can borrow such a device.

The approval of the use of such devices — which came from the CGA Junior Tournament Committee and the CWGA Rules and Tournament Committees — will affect many events, but most notably the CGA and CWGA junior state championships. Those tournaments are among the most prestigious in Colorado, with both the CGA and CWGA Junior Match Play dating back to the early 1950s, and the boys and girls Junior Stroke Play originating in the late 1970s.

Although CJGA officials discussed the possibility of the use of distance measuring devices speeding up play — especially among players with a higher handicap — Wilkinson said that wasn’t a major reason the association’s policy was changed.

Indeed, Pete Lis, who just left his job as CGA director of rules and competitions to become an LPGA Tour rules official, said he isn’t convinced that range-finders speed up play.

“At the end of the day, I don’t think it makes any difference,” Lis said recently. “I’ve seen some players pace off the yardage and shoot it too, so I think an argument can be made that it worsens pace of play. But I don’t think it makes that much difference.”