Wednesday marked the first day that high school golfers from Colorado — and elsewhere — who are part of the class of 2019 could formalize their choice of college golf programs by signing national letters of intent.

As is often the case, an impressive number of Coloradans will be playing college golf starting next fall. And plenty of those will be headed to NCAA Division I programs. And to take it yet another step, quite a few Coloradans will be joining DI teams that are among the best in the country.

In fact, between 2019 and 2020 graduates, nine golfers from the Centennial State have either verbally committed to — or have signed with — college programs currently ranked among the top 100 in the nation in Division I:

— Dillon Stewart (left) of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year in 2018, signed on Wednesday with defending NCAA Division I champion Oklahoma State, the No. 1-ranked men’s team in the nation. The Cowboys have now won 11 NCAA titles in men’s golf.

— Two other high school seniors, Jack Hughes of Aspen and former Grand Junction resident Canon Olkowski, will be joining the University of Colorado men’s program, which won two tournaments in the fall and is ranked 73rd in the country, according to Golfstat. Olkowski, who now resides in Las Vegas, is the younger brother of current Buff Trevor Olkowski.

— Dawson Holmes of Aspen will be playing his college golf at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, a program ranked 44th in the nation among DI teams.

— Caroline Jordaan (left) of Lakewood and Colorado Academy, long one of the top girls players in the state, is becoming a University of Denver golfer. The Pioneers are currently slotted No. 79 in the country by Golfweek.

— Lauren Lehigh of Loveland High School, the JGAC’s Girls Player of the Year this past season, is headed to the University of New Mexico, the No. 85 women’s program in the country as of the end of the fall season.

As for high school juniors who recently made verbal commitments to play college golf, they add to the trend:

— Hailey Schalk of Erie and Holy Family High School, the 2017 JGAC Girls POY who won the 3A state high school titles as both a freshman and a sophomore, plans to play at CU, which is ranked No. 36 in the nation by Golfweek. Schalk has been receiving college scholarship offers since early in her eighth-grade year. Her dad, Matt Schalk, is the PGA general manager and director of golf at Colorado National Golf Club, the home course for the CU men’s and women’s golf teams.

— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village and Kent Denver, winner of two of the first three JGAC Tournament of Champions, has committed to Northwestern, the No. 15 women’s team in the nation, according to Golfstat.

— And Marie Jordaan of Lakewood, Caroline Jordaan’s younger sister, is headed to Santa Clara in California, which sits No. 95 in the country, according to Golfstat.

All told in just the Class of 2019, at least 10 Colorado residents and/or JGAC members have signed or will sign letters of intent for DI programs:

Besides the aformentioned six, there’s:

— Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora, who’s headed to the University of Northern Colorado.

— Morgan Ryan of Centennial and Jessica Zapf of Windsor will be teammates at the University of Wyoming.

— And TJ Shehee of Mead will play for the UNC men.

It isn’t often that a Coloradan signs a letter of intent to play golf for the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, but Stewart did just that on Wednesday afternoon.

“It means a lot with all the hard work I’ve put in through the years,” Stewart said recently. “Waking up early and going to play all day until the moon comes up (and) I’m still up there and have my flashlight on the range when I was little. I couldn’t get enough. It just shows that if you have a dream and you want to achieve it, you can put the work in and anything is possible.”

Signing a prestigious letter of intent on Wednesday caps a big year for Stewart, who will graduate from Fossil Ridge in December, though he won’t enroll in OSU until the fall semester. In 2018, he won the individual title in the boys Junior America’s Cup, which featured some of the top junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico, and led Colorado to its first team title ever in that event. Earlier, Stewart became the first Colorado boy to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior — one of two AJGA titles he claimed in 2018. In the fall, he captured the 5A state high school individual championship and led Fossil Ridge to its first team title in boys golf. Stewart also shared medalist honors in qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur.

And now, Stewart is going to Stillwater, Okla., to play his college golf.

“It is a dream of mine,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go there. When I was little I was a Rickie (Fowler) fan; that’s what sparked the whole idea. Being with that group of (top-level players) day in and day out as your family, you’re just going to get that much better. That’s what I’m really looking forward to. You’re practicing with some of the top players in the country and the world every day.”

Here are the Colorado residents and JGAC members who have signed letters of intent or have verbally committed to a college program:

CLASS OF 2019
Boys
— Brandon Bervig of Colorado Springs (Liberty HS) — University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
— Jonas Graham of Parker (Chaparral HS) — Colorado Mesa
— Peter Grossenbacher of Eaton (Eaton HS) — Colorado Mesa
— Dawson Holmes of Aspen (Aspen HS) — College of Charleston (S.C.)
— Jack Hughes of Aspen (Aspen HS) — University of Colorado
— Tyler Mulligan of Parker (Chaparral HS) — Oregon Tech
— Former Grand Junction resident Canon Olkowski, now of Las Vegas — University of Colorado
— Riley Rottschafer of Centennial (Arapahoe HS) — Fort Lewis
— TJ Shehee of Mead (Mead HS) — University of Northern Colorado
— Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins (Fossil Ridge HS) — Oklahoma State
— Jack Tickle (Arapahoe HS) — University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
— Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch (Valor Christian HS) — Colorado School of Mines
— Colter Zwieg of Aspen (Aspen HS) — Methodist University (N.C.)

Girls
— Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora (Grandview HS) — University of Northern Colorado
— Sydney Eye of Golden (Ralston Valley HS) — Metropolitan State University of Denver
— Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood (Colorado Academy) — University of Denver
— Brooke Kramer of Aurora (Cherokee Trail HS) — Chadron State (Neb.)
— Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (Loveland HS) — University of New Mexico
— Morgan Ryan of Centennial (Grandview HS) — University of Wyoming
— Kinsey Smith of Windsor (Windsor HS) — Chadron State (Neb.)
— Jessica Zapf of Windsor (Windsor HS) — University of Wyoming

Out-of-State Signees for Colorado-Based Schools
Boys
— Spencer Adam of San Diego — Air Force Academy
— Brady Arnett of Woodbury, Minn. — University of Denver
— Blake Danni of Cheyenne, Wyo. — Northern Colorado
— Logan Hensley of Casper, Wyo. — Northern Colorado
— Aidan Mann of Elmhurst, Ill. — Colorado Mesa
— Andrew Ni of Edinburgh, Scotland (junior from New Mexico Junior College) — CSU-Pueblo
— Jamie Roberts of Perth, Scotland — CSU-Pueblo
— Zachary Slayton of Austin, Texas — Colorado Christian

Girls
— Andrea Bergsdottir of Gothenburg, Sweden — Colorado State University
— Tomine Bjerkelo of Sandnes, Norway — Colorado State University
— Thea Bjekelo of Sandnes, Norway — Colorado State University
— Erika Danielsson of Finland — University of Denver
— Abbi Fleiner of Reno, Nev. — University of Northern Colorado
— Sophie Johnson of Telford, Shropshire, England — University of Colorado
— Anna Krekling of Oslo, Norway — University of Denver
— Mattie Millwee of Fresno, Calif. — CSU-Pueblo
— Gabby Minier of Goleta, Calif. — Colorado State University
— Rileigh Vojta of St Francis, Minn. — CSU-Pueblo
— Anna Zanusso of Venice, Italy — University of Denver

CLASS OF 2020 VERBAL COMMITMENTS
— Hailey Schalk of Erie (Holy Family HS) — University of Colorado
— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village (Kent Denver HS) — Northwestern
— Marie Jordaan of Lakewood (Colorado Academy) — Santa Clara

(Note: This story will be updated as more signees/commitments are publicized. Please let us know additional signees by emailing golfjournal@coloradogolf.org) 

One thing she hasn’t yet done is qualify for the U.S. Girls’ Junior. But next week will present a great opportunity to rectify that situation.

When the qualifying tournament is held on Tuesday (June 26), it will take place at Schalk’s home course, Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, where her dad Matt is the PGA general manager.

The 2017 JGAC Girls Player of the Year will be one of 33 competitors in the field competing for three spots in the national championship, set for Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach, Calif., July 16-21.

Two JGAC members who played in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior will also be vying for spots — Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village and Nebraskan Shelby Poynter.

Among the other players seeking national spots are University of Colorado-bound Kelsey Webster of Boulder, who just finished third in the CGA Women’s Stroke Play; past girls state high school champs Emma Bryant of Aurora, Lauren Lehigh of Loveland and Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora; and Kaylee Chen of Denver, winner of the Big I Junior Classic state title.

For Tuesday’s tee times at Colorado National, CLICK HERE.
 

In the second season for three separate classifications, all three events are set for Monday and Tuesday (May 21-22), with the 5A tournament at Boulder Country Club, 4A at the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs, and 3A at Elmwood Golf Course in Pueblo.

Here are some things worth noting for next week:

— Last year, Hailey Schalk of Holy Family became the first freshman to win a Colorado girls state high school individual title since Ashley Tait managed the feat in 2002 en route to a record-tying three state prep championships.

Schalk, the 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Girls Player of the Year, has won every high school tournament in which she’s competed so far in her career. She’ll put that record on the line at the 3A meet in Pueblo.

— This year will mark the first time since 2007 that all of the individual state champions will be back to defend their titles. That includes Grandview junior Amy Chitkoksoong (5A), Loveland junior Lauren Lehigh (4A) and Holy Family sophomore Schalk (3A). Lehigh has verbally committed to play her college golf at the University of New Mexico.

— Fairview senior Kelsey Webster, who will play golf for the University of Colorado beginning in the fall, will compete in her final state tournament on her home course, Boulder Country Club. Webster, who won the 5A Central Regional with a 3-under-par 69 at South Suburban earlier this month, finished ninth at state last year. Webster’s 69 was one of two scores in the 60s at the regional state qualifying tournaments. Caroline Jordaan of Colorado Academy, who tied for third in last year’s 3A state meet, fired a regional-best 67 at the 3A Region 2 tournament at CommonGround this month. Webster shot a 66 in a March tournament at Harmony Club.

— Two players who teamed up in the recent U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship — and advanced to the match play round of 32 — will compete against one another in the 3A tournament in Pueblo. That would be Schalk and Charlotte Hillary of Kent Denver, both sophomores who finished 1-2 in last year’s 3A meet.

Both players won regional tournaments, and earlier this week Hillary finished seventh out of 48 players in the 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying at The Ranch Country Club.

— Two other regional champions will similarly square off in the 5A tournament in Boulder after meeting in last year’s Colorado Junior Match Play final. Eaglecrest freshman Emma Bryant defeated Chitkoksoong 1 up in that match to claim the title.

— In Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Tour events held so far this spring, girls champions have included Chitkoksoong (twice) and Marie Jordaan of Colorado Academy. Chitkoksoong defeated Jenna Chun of Highlands Ranch in a 5A playoff last year and was runner-up at the state tournament as a freshman. Chun will play her college golf at the University of Northern Colorado beginning in the fall.

— Speaking of Colorado Academy, it’s won four state team titles since 2007, including last year’s 3A crown. CA and 4A Windsor posted the lowest team scores at regionals this month, 227. In 5A, Ralston Valley will defend its title after winning a girls golf state championship last year for the first time. Also back to defend after winning its first girls golf state title last year is Loveland in 4A.

For Monday’s state tournament tee times, CLICK HERE.

Here are the teams and players that won regional tournaments earlier this month to qualify for state:

5A Northern Regional at Collindale GC — Team: Fossil Ridge 242; Individual: Emma Bryant, Eaglecrest, 75.

5A Southern Regional at Colorado Springs CC — Team: Grandview 240; Individual: Amy Chitkoksoong, Grandview, and Morgan Ryan, Grandview, 79.

5A Central Regional at South Suburban GC — Team: Highlands Ranch 236; Individual: Kelsey Webster, Fairview, 69.

5A Western Regional at Fox Hollow GC — Team: Cherry Creek 229; Individual: Brooke Kramer, Cherokee Trail, 73.

4A Region 1 at Garden of the Gods Club — Team: Coronado 254; Individual: Zoey Rodriguez, Pueblo South, and Maxine Choi, Cheyenne Mountain, 78.

4A Region 2 at Eisenhower GC’s Silver Course — Team: Valor Christian 277; Individual: Isabell Deak, Air Academy, 84.

4A Region 3 at Pelican Lakes GC — Team: Windsor 227; Individual: Jessica Zapf, Windsor, and Kinsey Smith, Windsor, 74.

4A Region 4 at Highland Hills GC — Team: Loveland 254; Individual: Lauren Lehigh, Loveland, 74.

3A Region 1 at Hollydot GC — Team: The Classical Academy 271; Individual: Hailey Schalk, Holy Family, 70.

3A Region 2 at CommonGround GC — Team: Colorado Academy 227; Individual: Caroline Jordaan, Colorado Academy, 67.

3A Region 3 at Olde Course at Loveland — Team: Jefferson Academy 240; Individual: Charlotte Hillary, Kent Denver, 70.

3A Region 4 at Rifle Creek GC — Team: Rifle 242; Individual: Masi Smith, Rifle, 72.
 

Meanwhile, in the girls tournament, top-seeded Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora, the 2017 girls 5A state high school champ, chalked up two victories on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals.

Also making the girls semis were Emma Bryant of Aurora, Sydney Eye of Golden and Josie Baker of Sherman Oaks, Calif. In Wednesday morning’s final four, Chitkoksoong will face Baker and Bryant will square off with Eye. Chitkoksoong won this title in 2015 at age 14. Bryant has been the most dominant player so far, winning her matches 5 and 3, 8 and 6, and 6 and 5.

Joining Pearson, a finalist in the CGA Match Play earlier this year, as semifinalists on the boys side are top-seeded Jack Castiglia of Lakewood, Luke Travins of Colorado Springs and Ty Findlow of Lone Tree. In the semis, Castiglia will play Travins and Pearson will face Findlow.

In Tuesday’s quarterfinals, Trujillo birdied the 15th and 16th holes for wins to square the match, but Pearson parred No. 17 to win the hole and he and Trujillo halved 18 with pars.

In his quarterfinal, Castiglia was 2 down through 12 to Kirby Coe-Kirkham of Sheridan, Wyo., but squared things with an eagle on the 15th, then went 1 up with a birdie on the 17th before halving No. 18 with a par.

And Findlow beat Tyler Severin of Johnstown with a birdie on the 19th hole after being 2 down through 15 holes.

The winners of this morning’s semifinal matches will meet in the finals on Wednesday afternoon.

For the brackets for each tournament, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.

Out of the top 10 seeds in each event — 20 players total — only one lost in Monday’s round-of-32 matches. That one came on the boys side, where 25th-seeded Bo Wardynski of Parker defeated eighth seed Freddie Gluck of Boulder, 1 up. Wardynski won the 18th hole with a bogey to advance.

Jack Castiglia of Lakewood and Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora, the respective No. 1 seeds, led the way in advancing to the Sweet 16 in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado major. Castiglia beat 32nd-seeded Davis Long of Lafayette, 6 and 5. And Chitkoksoong, the 2017 5A state high school champion, moved on thanks to a bye.

Among the boys into the round of 16 were 2016 state high school tournament winners Kyle Pearson of Highlands Ranch and Luke Trujillo of Colorado Springs. Pearson, seeded second, finished second in the CGA Match Play in June.

On the girls side, among the winners Monday were Natasha Brandy McClain of Denver (the No. 2 seed), Sydney Eye of Golden (3), Josie Baker of Sherman Oaks, Calif. (4) and Meghan Vogt of Broomfield (5).

Two rounds of matches — the round of 16 and the quarterfinals — will be held Tuesday for both boys and girls. Then the semifinals and finals are scheduled for Wednesday.

For the brackets for each tournament, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.

Among the 33 players entered are Hailey Schalk, who just completed her freshman year at Holy Family High School (3A winner); Lauren Lehigh, a junior-to-be at Loveland High School (4A); and Amy Chitkoksoong, a junior-to-be at Grandview (5A).

Since claiming the 3A state title, Schalk has won the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica, and the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. And Lehigh just won the state Big I Junior Classic.

At stake on Tuesday will be three berths into the national championship, set for July 24-29 at Boone Valley Country Club in Augusta, Mo.

Also in Tuesday’s qualifying field are Jaclyn Murray, the 2017 Colorado Junior PGA runner-up and a 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifier; and Caroline Jordaan, winner of the North American Junior Amateur in January.

Starting this year, the maximum age for the U.S. Girls’ Junior has been raised from 17 to 18, and the maximum Handicap Index for competitors has been lowered from 18.4 to 9.4.

For Tuesday’s qualifying tournament pairings at Valley CC, CLICK HERE.

Holy Family’s Hailey Schalk has attracted plenty of attention in the world of junior golf for a while now, even though she’s just 15 years old.

She was promising enough to receive college golf scholarship offers early in her eighth-grade school year. Even though she won’t graduate from high school until 2020, she’s ranked No. 235 among the world’s female junior golfers by Junior Golf Scoreboard.

And this week, she showed again what the buzz is all about by becoming the first freshman in 15 years to win a Colorado girls state high school individual title. Schalk prevailed by seven strokes Tuesday in the inaugural 3A state tournament at The Broadlands in Broomfield.

“You have four years of high school, so to start off with a win is really cool,” she said. “This is big. And to have my best round ever (a 6-under-par 65 on Monday) set the bar higher. Winning this is pretty cool.” (Schalk is pictured celebrating Tuesday’s win as a very happy father Matt looks on.)

Schalk, who won the girls championship in the Colorado Junior Match Play last summer, backed up her career-best 65 on Monday with a 3-over-par 74 on Tuesday, giving her a 3-under 139 total.

The last freshman girl to win an individual state high school title was Mullen’s Ashley Tait, who claimed the first of her record-tying three prep state championships in 2002. Coincidentally, Tait was at The Broadlands this week as an assistant coach for her high school alma mater.

Not only had no freshman won a girls state title in 15 years, from 2007-16 it was all juniors and seniors.

Tuesday was just a continuation of what has been an extraordinary freshman season in which Schalk (left) won every high school tournament in which she competed.

“I’m super impressed she shot the type of scores and played the way she did,” said Matt Schalk, Hailey’s dad and the Holy Family coach, as well as being the PGA general manager at Colorado National Golf Club, which hosted the 4A state tournament. “She works so hard, so for me I was happy to see her get something out of working as hard as she does. In my opinion 3A is the most competitive (Colorado girls high school classification) out there. So for her to come out here and shoot that score and separate herself was really impressive.”

At state, Schalk’s winning margin was one of the largest in state history, but nowhere near a record. Jennifer Kupcho, who just finished second individually in the Women’s NCAA Finals for Wake Forest, won her two 4A state titles, in 2014 and ’15, by 14 and 10 shots, respectively.

On Tuesday, Schalk was on track to go where very few girls competitors in Colorado have gone before at state. She was 8 under par through 26 holes before giving five back to par in her final 10 holes in windy conditions.

Schalk finished seven shots ahead of runner-up Charlotte Hillary of Kent Denver, winner of the JGAC Junior Tour Championship last fall. Hillary made a 15-foot birdie on her final hole to close with a 72 on Tuesday.

Teammates Caroline Jordaan (75 Tuesday) and Cassie Kneen (76) shared third place at 147, leading Colorado Academy to its fourth state title since 2007. And, of course, CA will go down as the first 3A girls state high school golf team champion in Colorado.

“There’s only one time to be first,” noted Beth Folsom, who has coached Colorado Academy to all four of its state titles. “That will be something we can always look back on.”

With CA shooting its best team score of the season in round 1 — a 2-over-par 215 — it ended up finishing 28 strokes ahead of runner-up Holy Family. The Colorado Academy seniors went third, second and first twice at state in their high school careers.

“It’s always fun” winning state, Folsom said. “It was a goal obviously from the beginning of the year because they had won last year (in 4A).”

Colorado Academy ended up putting all four of its players in the top 10 individually, with Caroline Jordaan and Kneen tying for third, Marie Jordaan placing seventh and Trinity Goderstad 10th. (The team is pictured with its championship trophy.)

But no one could keep up with Schalk, who was playing less than a mile from her high school. She made 10 birdies in 36 holes, including eight on Monday, when she started the tournament with five conscutive birdies. A change in putters on the eve of the state meet worked wonders.

“Everything kind of came together for her (on Monday),” Matt Schalk said. “She’s been striking the ball great. And we decided to (switch putters) on Sunday night and it all worked. If she can get her putter working, she’s really such a good ball-striker, she’ll shoot some good numbers.”

Chitkoksoong Prevails in Playoff in 5A: Sophomore Amy Chitkoksoong (left) of Grandview, like Schalk a member of the 2016 CWGA Girls Junior America’s Cup team, won the 5A individual title after beating Highlands Ranch’s Jenna Chun on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Both players tied at 10-over-par 154 on the formidable Club at Rolling Hills course in Golden. Chun vaulted up the leaderboard by shooting the best score of the tournament by three strokes, following up an 83 with a 1-under-par 71. Chitkoksoong, the 2015 Colorado Junior Match Play champion, posted a second-round 76, then overcame Chun in the playoff with a bogey on the third extra hole.

The left-hander has now finished second and first in her two state high school tournaments.

First-round leader Amelia Lee of Rock Canyon, who will play her college golf at Creighton, placed third at 155 after an 80 on Tuesday.

Ralston Valley rallied to claim its first state team title in girls golf, thanks largely to a 13-over-par 229 on Tuesday. Rock Canyon was nine back to take second.

Lehigh Overcomes Loveland Teammate for 4A Title: Sophomore Lauren Lehigh fended off Loveland teammate Aili Bundy and Glenwood Springs’ Lauren Murphy to earn the 4A individual championship at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.

Lehigh, the first-round leader, posted an 8-over-par 152 total after a 79 on Tuesday. Bundy, with whom Lehigh qualified for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (though they didn’t end up playing in the national tournament), finished one back following a 75. Also at 153 was Murphy, who closed with a 78.

With Lehigh and Bundy going 1-2 individually, it’s not surprising that Loveland ran away with the state team title — the school’s first in girls golf. The Indians finished at 26-over-par 475, 27 better than runner-up Windsor.

For scores from the state tournaments, click on the following: 5A, 4A, 3A.

This will mark the final USGA qualifying tournament of the year in Colorado — women’s or men’s — but in this case the golfers will be competing for a spot in a 2017 national championship. The U.S. Women’s Four-Ball is set for May 27-31 at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club (pictured) in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Back in the qualifying field this year is Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, who qualified last year for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Four-Ball — with then-teammate Aili Bundy — but elected not to play because the national event conflicted with the girls state high school tournaments. Lehigh will team up with sister Katelyn this time.

Among the other two-person teams entered in the four-ball stroke-play qualifier are Kathy Malpass of Evergreen and Katherine Moore-Lilly of Cordillera Golf Club, who both played in last month’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and won the first flight of this year’s CWGA Brassie Championship; Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora and Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village, both runners-up in their respective girls state high school tournaments in the spring; and Colorado State University teammates Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor.

For Tuesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.

The historic Cherry Hills Country Club will host the Junior Tour Championship for both boys and girls Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 8-9). The by-invitation-only-event will feature 40 boys and 20 girls.

Kyle Pearson of Highlands Ranch, who won the 5A state high school individual title last week, and 4A champion Luke Trujillo of Colorado Springs are scheduled to compete in the boys tournament, along with 2015 4A state high school winner Jackson Solem of Longmont.

Also entered are Griffin Barela of Lakewood (winner of a previous major this year, the Junior Match Play); Davis Bryant of Aurora (5A runner-up this year); Cole Krantz of Windsor (third place in 4A, one shot out of the playoff between Trujillo and Solem); and Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction (a 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier along with Barela).

In the girls tournament at Cherry Hills, entrants include the runners-up in both the 5A (Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora) and 4A (Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village) girls state high school meets, along with Arielle Keating of Colorado Springs, who finished sixth in the girls 14-15 division at the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National in the spring.

Some of the top junior performers from this past summer aren’t in the fields as they’re now playing college golf, including AJ Ott of Fort Collins (Colorado State) and Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch (Regis University).

The JGAC will hold its 2016 awards banquet at Cherry Hills almost immediately following Sunday’s final round.

For Saturday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.

Also taking place this weekend will be an event featuring many of the top 13-and-under players in the state — the Junior Ryder Cup at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. Scheduled are nine-hole four-ball and foursomes matches on Saturday and 18-hole singles on Sunday.

For Saturday’s Junior Ryder Cup pairings, CLICK HERE.

The Colorado Junior Match Play, the new iteration of the CGA and CWGA Junior Match Play Championships, will run Monday through Wednesday (Aug. 1-3) at The Ridge. Title matches are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Weinstein, the CWGA Junior Player of the Year who will play golf at Regis University beginning in the fall, won the first two girls JGAC majors of 2016, the Colorado Junior Amateur and the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. But a scheduling conflict — she’s competing in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships next week in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. — will keep her from attempting to extend her junior major win streak in Colorado.

But in the boys tournament, AJ Ott of Fort Collins and Braden Bentley of Colorado Springs will take aim at junior major victory No. 2 of 2016. Ott, soon set to begin his Colorado State golf career, claimed a seven-stroke win in the Colorado Junior PGA earlier this month. And Bentley prevailed by two in June at the Colorado Junior Amateur.

Also in the boys field are U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier Griffin Barela of Lakewood and Cole Krantz of Windsor, the top Colorado finisher at this week’s Junior America’s Cup.

In the girls event, Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora will try to claim her second straight Junior Match Play title as she won the CWGA event as a 14-year-old last year. Two of her teammates on the CWGA’s Girls Junior America’s Cup team this week — Hailey Schalk of Erie and Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village — also are in the field. Schalk led the Colorado contingent at the GJAC.

For the match-play brackets at The Ridge, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.