As she accepted her glass trophy after winning the CWGA Brassie Championship for the fourth time, Janet Moore noted that the trick to winning team titles is “picking good partners.”

While the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer from Cherry Hills Country Club meant that as a compliment to her teammate this weekend — Metro State University of Denver golfer Allie Johnston — picking good partners certainly works both ways.

With Saturday’s victory at Spring Valley Golf Club in Elizabeth, Moore claimed her 19th CWGA championship. And while she’s best known for winning the CWGA Stroke Play a remarkable five times in the 1990s, also impressive is that she has 14 CWGA two-person team titles to her credit. Besides her four Brassie championships, she’s claimed seven wins in the CWGA Mashie, and three in the now-defunct CGA/CWGA Mixed Championship.

The bottom line is, a golfer could do a heck of a lot worse than partnering with Moore in a team event.

No doubt Johnston, a former CWGA Match Play champ, foresaw the possibilities because it was her idea to email Moore asking if she was available for the Brassie. (Moore missed last year’s tournament.) And with Moore’s longtime tournament partner and fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, Christie Austin, defending her Brassie title this year with University of Colorado golfer Tori Glenn, Moore took Johnston up on her offer. (The two are pictured above and at left.)

And, predictably, the top of the Brassie leaderboard had the names Janet Moore and Christie Austin right at or near the top, though this time not together. After having paired up for nine CWGA titles — six Mashies and three Brassies — these last two years each has won the Brassie with other partners.

“It does feel different but it’s fun,” said the 51-year-old Moore, who coached the Wheaton College women’s golf team in Illinois the last four seasons before departing in the spring. “I love playing with different people. But it is a little bit awkward just because (Christie and I) have played so many times together. But I love playing with Allie. It was so much fun and she hits such a nice ball and she’s such a great player.”

On Saturday, after outstanding rounds by both teams, Moore and Johnson prevailed by two over runners-up Austin and Glenn (left). With each team recording six best-ball birdies on the day, Moore and Johnston closed with a 5-under-par 67 in the four-ball stroke-play event, while Austin and Glenn carded a 66 — 10 strokes better than their first-round total.

“We had a good day and they had a good day,” said Austin, winner of five Brassies overall. “We just had too bad of a day yesterday.”

With Moore making four birdies en route to a 70 on her own ball Saturday and Johnston carding three birdies — including a 4-footer on No. 18 — they finished with a 4-under-par 140 total.

“It was fun. We had a great time,” said Johnston, who won her fourth CWGA title, having previously captured the 2011 Junior Stroke Play, 2012 Match Play and the 2012 Mashie with Claudia Davis.

Runners-up Austin and Glenn checked in at 142 on Saturday, with CU golfers Gillian Vance and Allie Zech, the first-round leaders, placing third at 143 after a 71 on Saturday.

For Johnston (left), she is starting to return to form after a tough couple of years health-wise. The Castle Rock resident said she was sick much of 2013 and didn’t compete in any tournaments. Then last year, she underwent gall bladder surgery, hernia surgery and foot surgery all within a period of about eight months.

But, as was the case in the 2012 Mashie, Johnston won the Brassie in her first time playing the event.

“It’s really impressive how she’s playing after being injured,” Moore said.

As for Austin and Glenn, they turned things around in a big way on Saturday after putting themselves behind the 8 ball with Friday’s 76. In round 2, Glenn made six birdies on her own ball, and Austin carded pars on the three holes Glenn was over par.

“(Tori) was a birdie machine,” Austin said. “And whenever she was in trouble, I made par. It was pretty easy today. We were happy to be in the hunt.”

Said Glenn: “It was fun. This tournament is always fun.”

For the scores from all seven flights, CLICK HERE.
 

While playing for Arapahoe High School, she lost in a playoff at this year’s 5A state meet and previously placed third twice in that same tournament. She also finished second in the CWGA Junior Stroke Play in both 2012 and ’14.

The Centennial resident did win the last two CJGA Tournament of Champions, and last year she scored a big victory in Texas at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational junior tournament.

But on Wednesday, in her final in-state tournament before departing for the University of Oklahoma in the middle of next month, Wood put her name on the trophy for one of the most prestigious women’s amateur events in Colorado.

The 18-year-old rallied from a stroke behind going into Wednesday’s final round and claimed the title in the 67th CWGA Stroke Play Championship at Valley Country Club in her hometown of Centennial. It was the first CWGA championship for Wood.

“It’s great,” she said. “This summer has been very up and down. I wanted to do something big. I wanted to do something for myself to build some confidence going into college. Now I feel prepared. A lot of hard work has paid off. I’m just really happy right now.”

Indeed, with Wood planning to head to Oklahoma on Aug. 12 to start her college golf career, she notched one of her top accomplishments in the sport.

“This is high up there. This is the state Am. It’s a pretty big accomplishment,” she said. “You didn’t have your typical Jennifer Kupcho or Calli Ringsby or Somin Lee (in the field), but it was still stiff competition out there. I’m still proud of myself. It is the state Am. I played my heart out and it was a good tournament.”

Wood, a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course for the last two years, came into the final round one stroke behind leader Mikayla Tatman, who plays golf for Colorado State University. But Wood shot an even-par 72 on Wednesday — the best score of the day in the championship flight — to overtake Tatman. Wood finished with a 3-over-par 219 total for three days.

Tatman (left) missed four putts inside of 8 feet in the final seven holes, leaving her a stroke back after a closing 74. University of Colorado golfer Allie Zech placed third at 222. Janet Moore of Cherry Hills Village, a five-time Stroke Play champion, led outright after a birdie on the first hole, but struggled to a 79 on Wednesday and shared fourth place at 226 with Samantha Stancato of Patty Jewett Golf Course.

Tatman, the runner-up in the 2011 CWGA Junior Match Play, pulled even with Wood thanks to a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 11 and a bogey by Wood. But after being 18 feet from the cup on No. 12, on the fringe, the CSU golfer took four to get down, three-putting from 5 feet. That put her behind for good.

“I’m really proud of myself for putting myself in this situation,” the 21-year-old Tatman said. “Hannah played great today and I just couldn’t hang with her. It’s disappointing but I’m just happy to be where I’m at.

“The putter let me down a little bit today. But you’ve got to find a way to get it around even if your putter is not hot.”

Wood gave herself the cushion she needed by going birdie-par-birdie on Nos. 14-16. The par-4 14th was a key juncture as Tatman got up and down from a bunker, making a 25-foot par putt. But Wood followed that up by draining a 20-foot birdie.

Tatman pulled within one again with a 4-foot birdie on No. 15, where Wood just missed an 8-footer. Wood made up for that by holing a 6-foot birdie on No. 16, but gave the stroke back with a bogey on 17 after being under a tree with her tee shot.

That left Wood one ahead going into the par-3 18th. After Tatman recorded a routine par, Wood ran her 20-foot birdie attempt 3 feet past, but calmly made the par putt for the victory.

Wood credited her brother/caddie, Emerson (left, behind Hannah), for making sure she was in a good frame of mind during the final round.

“He was keeping me relaxed and kept making me laugh the entire round,” Wood said. “It was so much fun.”

But Tatman (below) figured she had a shot at the title right up until the very end.

“I thought I had a chance all the way up until the 18th hole,” she said. “I’m proud of myself this whole week for hanging in there. This is the best golf I’ve ever played. I’m really playing good golf, and I thought I had it, but I came up a shot short.”

Coincidentally, both Wood and Tatman competed in last week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in Dupont, Wash.

But after a busy summer of tournaments, Wood plans to take it easy for the next three weeks before heading off to college.

“I’m going to enjoy some summer,” she said. “I’m going to enjoy my summer now — a little late.”

For scores from the championship and first through fifth flights, CLICK HERE.