After being out of the house for a semester while it underwent a $6 million renovation and expansion (CLICK HERE), they moved back in earlier this month. … Then they started up school for the spring semester. … After activating 13 of their members last week, they elected new leadership for the house on Monday. … And on Thursday at Colorado Golf Club, a selection committee will interview finalists for the E.S. class that will enter the house in August.

Suffice it to say there’s been no lack of happenings for the CU Evans Scholars lately.

The Scholars at CU have long been a flagship program for both the CGA and CWGA. The Illinois-based Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation, which administers the Evans Scholarship nationwide, is a longtime partner of the CGA and CWGA in supporting the scholarship at CU. Through CGA and CWGA bag-tag sales and Par Club contributions, Colorado donors fully fund the year-to-year scholarship costs at the CU Evans Scholars house.

Since the 1960s, more than 440 CU alums have been produced by the Evans Scholars program, which provides high-achieving caddies with significant financial need full tuition and housing scholarships that are now estimated to be worth an average of $80,000 each.

The new executive board and other leaders (pictured above) who were elected this week by the CU Evans Scholars — along with where they caddied — are:

President — Jordan Gillmore (Lakewood CC)

Executive VP — Asni Solomon (Solich Caddie Academy at CommonGround GC)

VP of New Scholars — Peter Evans (The Alotian Club in Roland, Ark.)

Administrative VP — Dalton Anderson (Cherry Hills CC and Solich Caddie Academy at CommonGround GC)

VP of Finance — Kobe Padilla (Denver CC)

VP of Communications — Andrea Pickford (Green Valley Ranch GC)

House Manager — Tim Johnson (Roaring Fork Club)

Social Chair — Alex Atwater (Shinnecock Hills GC in Southampton, N.Y.)

Athletic Director — Soren Fuchs (Denver CC)

It wasn’t planned that way, but it turned out to be very nice timing.

On Sunday, the day the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy was holding its second season wrap-up and “graduation” at CommonGround Golf Course, the Academy produced its 1,000th caddie loop of 2013.

Perhaps it was just a fitting punctuation mark for a year that has included highlight after highlight.

“From my standpoint, we have great quality kids who are working hard and doing what they’re supposed to do,” said Geoff (Duffy) Solich, who with brother George lent their name and financial support to the Academy. “From where I stand, I just see success.”

The Solich Academy at CommonGround, which many consider a model for similar programs, uses caddying and the game of golf to help teach kids valuable leadership skills. The Academy promotes the use of caddies by paying all of their base fees. It also trains teenagers who eventually will be available to caddie at other courses in the Denver metro area.


The Solich Academy is designed to teach the participating young men and women — many of whom come from families with considerable financial need — the value of a strong work ethic, social interaction and perseverance. Besides caddying, the teenagers are required to participate in community service by working with one of the junior outreach programs with which CommonGround partners.

Considering it just made its debut in 2012, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy has drawn considerable attention with its work. This year, 31 kids participated in the program and one accumulated 54 caddie loops at CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA. Nearly 600 golfers at the course took an Academy caddie at some point this year.

While 2012 was a success in many respects, the inroads made in 2013 by the Academy have been eye-catching. Here are some of the highlights:

— Just last month, the Academy received invaluable national publicity when the Golf Channel aired a 7-minute, 46-second feature story on the initiative. To watch it, CLICK HERE.

— In June, a similarly complimentary story was televised locally on Fox 31 News.

— Earlier this year, the Daniels Fund gave the Academy a $25,000 grant.

— Late in the winter, for the first time a Solich Academy caddie (Asni Solomon) received an Evans Caddie Scholarship at the University of Colorado. The Evans Scholarship pays all the tuition and housing for the caddies who receive it. And one of the aims of the Academy is to get more qualified candidates for the Scholarship, which is national in scope and dates back to 1930.

— Notably, Solomon told her story — and the opportunities she received from the Solich Academy — as a featured speaker in front of the 1,200 people who attended the ACE Scholarships Spring Luncheon. Among those on hand were former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and many prominent members of the Denver metro community.

— One of the people who thought enough of the Solich Academy and its mission to come to CommonGround to speak to the caddies was former Denver Broncos standout John Lynch, who made an extended appearance in June.

“I’m absolutely thrilled” with how the Academy is coming along, businessman and philanthropist George Solich said Sunday. “To see all phases of this coming together — the number of loops, the Leadership Academy, the giving back to the community — it’s been unbelievable. Then to be out here taking the kids caddying has just been really special. Every one of them that I’ve been out with has been just a terrific kid, and they’re really good caddies. So I think we’re doing something right.

“I feel like we’re really hitting it on all cylinders right now, and I think people get what this is about.” (The Solich brothers are pictured above on Sunday, with George in the red shirt.)

On Sunday, the kids in the program, along with their families, organizers and supporters celebrated Year 2 of the Academy. The youngsters participated in a Caddie Olympics (pictured at top and below), then there was a buffet dinner followed by a recap of the year, individual recognition of the caddies and an awards presentation.

From here, three more Academy caddies are expected to soon apply for Evans Scholarships at CU, and eight of the caddies or so will move on to courses such as Cherry Hills, Denver and Lakewood Country Clubs — and possibly others — to continue their caddying in future summers.

“It was just a great building year from Year 1,” said CGA executive director Ed Mate. “We got our 1,000th loop today. That’s probably the most important number, but the quality of kids this year was significantly better, partly because we had a number coming back for their second year so they were not only better caddies but they helped bring along the younger kids. And we had a really, really strong class of first-year caddies. And, like anything, you just learn what works and what doesn’t work.”

The one thing Mate and the Soliches would like to see moving forward is a larger percentage of the golfers at CommonGround utilizing caddies through the Academy program. But at Colorado public courses — like CommonGround — using caddies certainly hasn’t been the norm in recent decades.

“I would like to see it become the culture of CommonGround where it’s known and people come here because of the caddie program,” Mate said. “I don’t know that that’s happening yet. The people who are already here who embrace the mission are loving it.

“That’s the thing the Golf Channel story will do is hopefully spread the word to other parts of the country that hey, caddie programs can work. It takes a little different model than what it used to, and the economic barriers are significant, but this program has proven that if you can mitigate the economics, it works.”

With what the Solich Academy has accomplished in its first two years, the Soliches see big things ahead. Besides everything else the program brings to the table, it can open up doors to kids who might not otherwise be able to go to college.

“I think we’re going to see the effects of this here very soon, where we’re going to have to export Evans Scholars to other universities (because) we’re just going to have so many candidates,” George Solich opined. “We’re going to have to do one of two things: expand the (CU Evans Scholars) house or start exporting them. I think either of those is a possibility. It’s a great problem to have.

“I’m thrilled we have so many great kids here (at the Academy) — the ‘three D’ kids: determined, dedicated and driven. They’re all just great. And I think that’s kind of lifted the boat. Having all these great kids is making the program everything it should be.”
   

Solomon could be a poster child for the success of various youth initiatives, several of them golf-related.

The recent Bishop Machebeuf High School graduate displayed some of her considerable talents Thursday when she was a featured speaker at the ACE Scholarships Spring Luncheon, held at the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Denver.

In front of the 1,200 who attended the event — including former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and many prominent members of the Denver metro community — Solomon told her inspiring story, made possible at various junctures by the ACE Scholarships, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course, and the Evans Caddie Scholarship.

The CGA and CWGA own and operate CommonGround, ACE Scholarships is one of their key partners, and the Evans Scholarship is among the associations’ flagship programs as they partner with the Illinois-based Western Golf Association in supporting the Evans Scholars at the University of Colorado.

“This (10-minute speech) was an amazing opportunity because this whole thing was a journey for me and all of it was linked together,” Solomon said after her apperance Thursday.

Solomon’s parents were both born in Ethiopia and 10 years ago Asni was stuck in a low-achieving local public elementary school in Montbello. “The pace of learning was quite slow for me,” she explained. “I was going through the motions at school, I wasn’t excited, and I was becoming bored.”

But thanks in part to partial scholarships from ACE over the last nine years, Solomon was able to attend high-quality private schools — in her case, Stanley British Primary School and Bishop Machebeuf. Denver-based ACE provides low-income families with school choice through financial scholarships, helping close the gap betweens the “haves” and “have nots” of society. Since 2000, ACE has awarded more than 9,000 scholarships, worth upwards of $17.8 million.

Then through caddying at the Solich Academy at CommonGround, Solomon qualified for — and received — the full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship at CU. She and Andrea Pickford, who caddies at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, are the first African-American women who have been awarded Evans Scholarships at CU.

“This is why we support ACE,” said business entrepreneur and philanthropist George Solich, a former Evans Scholar who introduced Solomon at the ACE luncheon. “ACE is truly a change agent for students like (Asni). This incredible young lady is the epitome of how quality education, paired with opportunities and support, can have a life-changing impact on an individual’s future.”

Solich noted that the Solich Academy and the ACE Scholarships have similar goals: to give opportunities to deserving kids from low-income families, helping them to learn important character-building values in the process.

Solomon started her speech on Thursday in catchy fashion, noting “My name is Asni Solomon, I’m an ACE Scholar, and I’m going to change the world.”

Keynote speaker Geoffrey Canada, a longtime and provocative advocate for education reform, marveled at Solomon’s speech.

“Don’t you think that young lady is going to change the world?” he said.

Solomon owned a 4.0 high school grade-point average while taking honors and advanced-placement classes, and she was a member of the National Honor Society.

But one indication that she isn’t your average 17-year-old is that seven years ago — at the age of 10 — she helped start an organization called the Circle of Friends Network, which raises money to support 20 orphans in Ethiopia with basic education, food and school uniforms.

“There’s an Ethiopian proverb that says, ‘He who learns, teaches,'” she said. “To me that means, if you are fortunate enough to receive a great education, you must share in that good fortune and support others so that they can get that same chance. That’s the true power of an education, and that’s the impact that ACE has had on me.”

Not surprisingly, Solomon left the stage to a standing ovation.

It’s been quite a run for Solomon in the last year. Besides giving the speech Thursday to a crowd of 1,200, she spoke at last September’s first “graduation” ceremony for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, and she earned the Evans Scholarship over the winter.

“It’s (all) very special,” she said. “It’s something I’m going to remember. … I’m thankful.”

And a significant part of that thanks goes to golf-related activities that have opened doors for Solomon.

“Golf has helped get me where I am today,” she said. “Before I started caddying, I did not know anything about golf. It was a new experience for me. But the game of golf changed my life. Now I’m going to college on a full-ride scholarship because of this game. It’s helped me learn about hard work and how to interact with professionals.”
 

In a year when eight caddies from Colorado have been offered Evans Scholarships at the University of Colorado, some history has been made.

For the first time in the 46 years the scholarship has existed at CU, African-American women have been awarded the full tuition and housing grants.

Asni Solomon (pictured at left), who caddied at CommonGround Golf Course, and Andrea Pickford, who worked at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, will be part of a group that begins studying at the Evans Scholarship house at CU in the fall semester.

The scholarship, worth more than $65,000 if renewed for four years, is a flagship program for the CGA and CWGA, which partner with the Illinois-based Western Golf Association in supporting the Evans Scholars at CU. Through CGA and CWGA bag-tag sales and Par Club contributions, Colorado donors fully fund the year-to-year scholarship costs at the CU Evans Scholars house. Another major funding mechanism for the scholarship nationwide is the WGA-run BMW Championship PGA Tour playoff event, which will be played at Cherry Hills Country Club next year.

Joining Solomon, who attends Bishop Machebeuf High School, and Pickford, a senior at Denver East High School, as incoming Evans Scholars at CU are six other caddies from Colorado golf courses:

Kaitlin Cahalane of Monument (Palmer Ridge High School, caddied at Castle Pines Golf Club); Zachariah “Zack” Jordan of Morrison (Golden High School, Lakewood Country Club and Green Gables Country Club); Jack Kamby of Edwards (Battle Mountain High School, Country Club of the Rockies); Nicholas “Cole” Krebs of Denver (Two Roads Charter School, Lakewood Country Club), Beckett Martin of Carbondale (Glenwood Springs High School, Roaring Fork Club); and Hunter Olsen (pictured at bottom) of Lakewood (Bear Creek High School, Bear Creek Golf Club).

While the other seven scholarship winners are currently seniors in high school, Jordan is already a freshman at CU.

All told, courses represented this year by the incoming Evans Scholars include five in the Denver metro area, and one each in Basalt, Edwards and Castle Rock.

Solomon, whose parents were both born in Ethiopia, is the first Evans Scholarship recipient from CommonGround, and Pickford (pictured at left) is the first from Green Valley Ranch and its First Tee program. CommonGround and GVR are among the few public courses in Colorado to have produced Evans Scholars in recent years.

The finalists for the Evans Scholarship went through selection interviews two weeks ago at Lakewood Country Club, where more than 110 people were in attendance, including Western Golf Association chairman Jim Bunch of Denver and WGA president and CEO John Kaczkowski.

Additional scholarships to CU, possibly including recipients from out of state, may be awarded in the spring.

To qualify for an Evans Scholarship, applicants must have excellent caddie records and academic results, show strong character and leadership, and demonstrate financial need.

Of the eight people awarded the Evans Scholarship to CU this year, Krebs led the way with 140 caddie loops.

The Evans Scholarship, one of the nation’s largest privately funded scholarship programs, was established in 1930 by Charles “Chick” Evans, winner of a U.S. Open and two U.S. Amateurs. There are now almost 10,000 alumni of the program, and approximately 835 Evans Scholars are currently enrolled, mostly at the 14 universities that have scholarship houses. Nationally this year, about 240 Evans Scholarships will be awarded.

There are more than 410 CU Evans Scholars alumni. The CU Evans Scholars welcomed their first female recipient in the early 1970s, and roughly one-quarter of the 40 current CU Evans Scholars are women.

Nationwide, the grade-point average for Evans Scholars is 3.25, and 92 percent of those who receive the scholarship graduate.

The eight caddies awarded Evans Scholarships to CU have an average high school GPA of 3.6 and an average ACT score of 27.
 

In many ways, the 2012 Colorado golf tournament season fit rather nicely into the category of “All in the Family.”

And taking a look at the various CGA and CWGA Players of the Year — who will be honored Sunday at the Colorado Golf Awards Brunch at Pinehurst Country Club — only confirms that impression.

After all, two of the main honorees are siblings, with Steven Kupcho earning the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year award, while sister Jennifer Kupcho landed CWGA Junior Player of the Year honors.

And CGA Junior Player of the Year Jimmy Makloski won a CGA championship (the Junior Stroke Play) the same year his dad, Ray Makloski, also captured one (the Senior Match Play).

Then there was CWGA Senior Player of the Year Kim Eaton, who won the CWGA Senior Stroke Play while her uncle, fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Larry Eaton, spectated at his home course of Greeley Country Club.

And CWGA Player of the Year Somin Lee (pictured above) makes a habit of having her dad caddie for her at summer tournaments. The same is true of the Kupchos and their dad.

So undoubtedly it will be one big happy family affair at the awards festivities on Sunday.

With that in mind, here’s a rundown of this weekend’s major honorees at Pinehurst:

— CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year — Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC: Kupcho (pictured at left) wins this award a year after being named CGA Junior Player of the Year. He pulled off one of the biggest final-round rallies ever by a champion in the CGA Stroke Play. The University of Northern Colorado golfer was nine shots out of the lead and in 16th place going into the last day, but a tournament-best 66 in the final round at Fort Collins Country Club pushed him to the top of the leader board.

Kupcho also earned low-amateur honors at the HealthOne Colorado Open after leading the tournament outright after 36 holes. And he tied for second in the CGA Public Links Championship.

— CWGA Player of the Year — Somin Lee, GC at Heather Ridge: Lee wins this honor for the second straight year and extends her streak of major CWGA awards to four years as she was the Junior Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010.

The Pepperdine University golfer won the CWGA Stroke Play title by nine shots, and in the process she became just the second player in history to win the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, Junior Match Play, Stroke Play and Match Play in a career, joining Wendy Werley.
 In addition, Lee finished second to Allie Johnston in the CWGA Match Play after being 2 up with five holes left in the final. She placed sixth overall at the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open for the second straight year and also ended up sixth in the NCAA West Regional at Colorado National Golf Club.

— CGA Senior Player of the Year — David Delich, Broadmoor GC: Delich had a stellar late-summer run. He finished second in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open — the best showing by an amateur since 1999 — then won a three-man playoff for the CGA Senior Stroke Play title.

Delich also claimed the Southern California Senior Amateur title against a very formidable field. And he lost in the semifinals of the CGA Senior Match Play to eventual champion Ray Makloski.

— CWGA Senior Player of the Year — Kim Eaton, Riverdale GC: Eaton claims this honor for the fourth straight year. The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer won the CWGA Senior Stroke Play by a whopping 16 shots on her home course at Greeley Country Club. It marked her 19th CWGA championship. Earlier in the year, she teamed with Tami Holt to claim her first CWGA Chapman title.

Eaton also finished second in the CWGA Stroke Play, and made match play at both the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur (getting to the round of 32) and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. In another national event, Eaton was runner-up in the Senior Women’s North and South Championship.

— CGA Mid-Amateur of the Year — Keith Humerickhouse, Gypsum Creek GC: Humerickhouse (pictured at left) becomes just the second player to win three consecutive CGA Mid-Amateur titles, joining Rick DeWitt. The left-hander’s 12-stroke victory marked the biggest margin in the championship since 1991. And his 11-under-par 205 total set a 54-hole scoring record for the Mid-Am.

Humerickhouse also tied for third in the CGA Stroke Play and was runner-up in the High Plains Amateur in Kansas.

— CGA Junior Player of the Year — Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo CC: Makloski posted several significant victories in 2012. He won the CGA Junior Stroke Play, the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship (by six strokes) and the AJGA Junior at Fox Hill.

In addition, Makloski led Pueblo South to the 4A state high school team title, helped Colorado post a second straight top-four finish in the Junior America’s Cup, and placed 34th in the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships.

— CWGA Junior player of the Year — Jennifer Kupcho, CommonGround GC: At age 15, Kupcho won the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship by four strokes. Kupcho lost in a playoff in the Colorado Junior PGA Championship and finished third in the 4A state high school tournament. She represented Colorado in Girls Junior America’s Cup and qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.

— CGA Distinguished Service Award — Bill Detweiler, Raccoon Creek GC.

— CWGA Volunteer of the Year — Juna Orr, Broken Tee and Foothills GC.

— CGA Jim Topliff On-Course Rules Official of the Year — Brad Wiesley, Indian Peaks GC.

— CWGA Most Improved Junior of the Year — Ashlyn Kirschner of West Woods GC, who lowered her handicap index from 19.5 to 8.1 in the course of 2012.

— CGA/CWGA Program Partner of the Year — ACE Scholarships, which played a major role in identifying candidates for the inaugural class for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course.

— Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy Caddie of the Year — Asni Solomon.

— CJGA Junior All-Stars (pictured at left) — Christian Agelopoulos, Delaney Benson, Katie Berrian, Brayden Bozak, Zarena Brown, Mathew Casias, Jack Castiglia, Amy Chitkoksoong, Jack Cummings, Kyler Dunkle, Ethan Freeman, Kacey Godwin, Caroline Jordaan, Marie Jordaan, Jennifer Kupcho, Ryan Liao, Jimmy Makloski, John Marble, Sydney Merchant, Hannah More, Lauren Murphy, Jaclyn Murray, Brittlynn O’Dell, Daniel Pearson, Chris Rapp, Calli Ringsby, Morgan Sahm, Toby Salinas, Ryan Sangchompuphen, Hailey Schalk, Johnny Schlager, Josh Seiple, Liam Short, Jackson Solem, Lauren Tucker, Taylor Tucker, Coby Welch, Hannah Wood, Tyler Zhang, Ben Zimmerman.

— CJGA Academic All-Stars — Jon Abrahamson, Christian Agelopoulos, Pierce Aichinger, Drew Anderson, Nicole Backman, Braden Bentley, Katie Berrian, Amelia Blackard, Brayden Bozak, Zarena Brown, Evan Buchalski, Colby Bundy, Jake Butler, Gavin Chamberlain, Ian Coberly, Katy Dyachkova, Ty Findlow, William Fowler, Ben Garcia, Margaret Geolat, Sydney Gillespie, Kacey Godwin, Zach Gomez, Cooper Gould, Jamie Griffin, Kelli Haynes, Ryan Hunt, Jake Johnson, Max Johnson, Turner Johnson, Chris Korte, Heather Kroll, Savni Kulkarni, Jennifer Kupcho, Joseph Lee, Lauren Lehigh, Nicholas Leibold, Alexander Liss, Danielle Listiadji, Jimmy Makloski, Justin Markel, Weston Mauz, Madison McCambridge, Megan McCambridge, Grant McGinty, Kelsey McKenna, Kimberly Moore, Kelly Moran, Hannah More, Lauren Murphy, Hayden Nicholaides, AJ Ott, Kobe Padilla, Andrew Pavey, Kyle Pearson, Ryan Pearson, Andrew Rademacher-Howe, Henry Rock, Andrew Romano, Austin Rowe, Ryan Sangchompuphen, Sonny Scheer, Dolores Sharaf, Erik Sobeck, Jordan Sunset, Chaad Tam, Samuel Taylor, Jack Tickle, Luke Travins, Danielle Urman, Maxwell Urman, Mary Weinstein, Kevin Wohlfarth, Hannah Wood, Alex Yano, Jay Yano, Tyler Zhang, Zach Zurcher.

In many ways, the 2012 Colorado golf tournament season fit rather nicely into the category of “All in the Family.”

And taking a look at the various CGA and CWGA Players of the Year — who will be honored Sunday at the Colorado Golf Awards Brunch at Pinehurst Country Club — only confirms that impression.

After all, two of the main honorees are siblings, with Steven Kupcho (pictured at left) earning the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year award, while sister Jennifer Kupcho landed CWGA Junior Player of the Year honors.

And CGA Junior Player of the Year Jimmy Makloski won a CGA championship (the Junior Stroke Play) the same year his dad, Ray Makloski, also captured one (the Senior Match Play).

Then there was CWGA Senior Player of the Year Kim Eaton, who won the CWGA Senior Stroke Play while her uncle, fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Larry Eaton, spectated at his home course of Greeley Country Club.

And CWGA Player of the Year Somin Lee makes a habit of having her dad caddie for her at summer tournaments. The same is true of the Kupchos and their dad.

So undoubtedly it will be one big happy family affair at the awards festivities on Sunday.

With that in mind, here’s a rundown of this weekend’s major honorees at Pinehurst:

— CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year — Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC: Kupcho wins this award a year after being named CGA Junior Player of the Year. He pulled off one of the biggest final-round rallies ever by a champion in the CGA Stroke Play. The University of Northern Colorado golfer was nine shots out of the lead and in 16th place going into the last day, but a tournament-best 66 in the final round at Fort Collins Country Club pushed him to the top of the leader board.

Kupcho also earned low-amateur honors at the HealthOne Colorado Open after leading the tournament outright after 36 holes. And he tied for second in the CGA Public Links Championship.

— CWGA Player of the Year — Somin Lee, GC at Heather Ridge: Lee (pictured at left) wins this honor for the second straight year and extends her streak of major CWGA awards to four years as she was the Junior Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010.

The Pepperdine University golfer won the CWGA Stroke Play title by nine shots, and in the process she became just the second player in history to win the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, Junior Match Play, Stroke Play and Match Play in a career, joining Wendy Werley.
 In addition, Lee finished second to Allie Johnston in the CWGA Match Play after being 2 up with five holes left in the final. She placed sixth overall at the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open for the second straight year and also ended up sixth in the NCAA West Regional at Colorado National Golf Club.

— CGA Senior Player of the Year — David Delich, Broadmoor GC: Delich had a stellar late-summer run. He finished second in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open — the best showing by an amateur since 1999 — then won a three-man playoff for the CGA Senior Stroke Play title.

Delich also claimed the Southern California Senior Amateur title against a very formidable field. And he lost in the semifinals of the CGA Senior Match Play to eventual champion Ray Makloski.

— CWGA Senior Player of the Year — Kim Eaton, Riverdale GC: Eaton claims this honor for the fourth straight year. The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer won the CWGA Senior Stroke Play by a whopping 16 shots on her home course at Greeley Country Club. It marked her 19th CWGA championship. Earlier in the year, she teamed with Tami Holt to claim her first CWGA Chapman title.

Eaton also finished second in the CWGA Stroke Play, and made match play at both the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur (getting to the round of 32) and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. In another national event, Eaton was runner-up in the Senior Women’s North and South Championship.

— CGA Mid-Amateur of the Year —  Keith Humerickhouse, Gypsum Creek GC: Humerickhouse (pictured at left) becomes just the second player to win three consecutive CGA Mid-Amateur titles, joining Rick DeWitt. The left-hander’s 12-stroke victory marked the biggest margin in the championship since 1991. And his 11-under-par 205 total set a 54-hole scoring record for the Mid-Am.

Humerickhouse also tied for third in the CGA Stroke Play and was runner-up in the High Plains Amateur in Kansas.

— CGA Junior Player of the Year — Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo CC: Makloski posted several significant victories in 2012. He won the CGA Junior Stroke Play, the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship (by six strokes) and the AJGA Junior at Fox Hill.

In addition, Makloski led Pueblo South to the 4A state high school team title, helped Colorado post a second straight top-four finish in the Junior America’s Cup, and placed 34th in the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships.

— CWGA Junior player of the Year — Jennifer Kupcho, CommonGround GC: At age 15, Kupcho won the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship by four strokes. Kupcho lost in a playoff in the Colorado Junior PGA Championship and finished third in the 4A state high school tournament. She represented Colorado in Girls Junior America’s Cup and qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.

— CGA Distinguished Service Award — Bill Detweiler, Raccoon Creek GC.

— CWGA Volunteer of the Year — Juna Orr, Broken Tee and Foothills GC.

— CGA Jim Topliff On-Course Rules Official of the Year — Brad Wiesley, Indian Peaks GC.

— CWGA Most Improved Junior of the Year — Ashlyn Kirschner of West Woods GC, who lowered her handicap index from 19.5 to 8.1 in the course of 2012.

— CGA/CWGA Program Partner of the Year — ACE Scholarships, which played a major role in identifying candidates for the inaugural class for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course.

— Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy Caddie of the Year — Asni Solomon.

— CJGA Junior All-Stars (pictured at left) — Christian Agelopoulos, Delaney Benson, Katie Berrian, Brayden Bozak, Zarena Brown, Mathew Casias, Jack Castiglia, Amy Chitkoksoong, Jack Cummings, Kyler Dunkle, Ethan Freeman, Kacey Godwin, Caroline Jordaan, Marie Jordaan, Jennifer Kupcho, Ryan Liao, Jimmy Makloski, John Marble, Sydney Merchant, Hannah More, Lauren Murphy, Jaclyn Murray, Brittlynn O’Dell, Daniel Pearson, Chris Rapp, Calli Ringsby, Morgan Sahm, Toby Salinas, Ryan Sangchompuphen, Hailey Schalk, Johnny Schlager, Josh Seiple, Liam Short, Jackson Solem, Lauren Tucker, Taylor Tucker, Coby Welch, Hannah Wood, Tyler Zhang, Ben Zimmerman.

— CJGA Academic All-Stars — Jon Abrahamson, Christian Agelopoulos, Pierce Aichinger, Drew Anderson, Nicole Backman, Braden Bentley, Katie Berrian, Amelia Blackard, Brayden Bozak, Zarena Brown, Evan Buchalski, Colby Bundy, Jake Butler, Gavin Chamberlain, Ian Coberly, Katy Dyachkova, Ty Findlow, William Fowler, Ben Garcia, Margaret Geolat, Sydney Gillespie, Kacey Godwin, Zach Gomez, Cooper Gould, Jamie Griffin, Kelli Haynes, Ryan Hunt, Jake Johnson, Max Johnson, Turner Johnson, Chris Korte, Heather Kroll, Savni Kulkarni, Jennifer Kupcho, Joseph Lee, Lauren Lehigh, Nicholas Leibold, Alexander Liss, Danielle Listiadji, Jimmy Makloski, Justin Markel, Weston Mauz, Madison McCambridge, Megan McCambridge, Grant McGinty, Kelsey McKenna, Kimberly Moore, Kelly Moran, Hannah More, Lauren Murphy, Hayden Nicholaides, AJ Ott, Kobe Padilla, Andrew Pavey, Kyle Pearson, Ryan Pearson, Andrew Rademacher-Howe, Henry Rock, Andrew Romano, Austin Rowe, Ryan Sangchompuphen, Sonny Scheer, Dolores Sharaf, Erik Sobeck, Jordan Sunset, Chaad Tam, Samuel Taylor, Jack Tickle, Luke Travins, Danielle Urman, Maxwell Urman, Mary Weinstein, Kevin Wohlfarth, Hannah Wood, Alex Yano, Jay Yano, Tyler Zhang, Zach Zurcher.