The now-64-year-old claimed his first title in the event in 2005, the same year he won the Colorado Senior Open to go with a 1995 victory in the Colorado Open. But since then, he’s had no luck in returning to the top spot in the Colorado Senior PGA section championship.

Until Tuesday, that is.

Zaremba (left), the leader after day 1 of the 36-hole event at Black Bear Golf Club in Parker, went 69-70 for a 5-under-par 139 total, good for a two-stroke victory and a $1,240 payday.

Zaremba made an eagle, eight birdies and five bogeys over the course of two days.

Among the other players who have won at least two Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championships over the last 30 years are Bill Majure (4), Dave Arbuckle (3), Dave Alvarez (3), Doug Rohrbaugh (2) and Larry Webb (2).

Three players shared second place at 141 on Tuesday — U.S. Senior Open qualifier Chris Johnson of Castle Rock, Barry Milstead of Valley Country Club and Don Hurter of Castle Pines Golf Club.

Eight players from the Colorado PGA will advance to the national Senior PGA Professional Championship, set for Oct. 25-28 in Port St. Lucie, Fla., with seven earning spots by virtue of their performance at Black Bear. Bill Loeffler receives a berth by virtue of being a past national champion in the event.

Joining Zaremba, Johnson, Milstead, Hurter and Loeffler in landing spots in the national tournament were Jeff Hanson (142 total at Black Bear), Rohrbaugh (142) and Mike McCutchen (143). Loeffler, like McCutchen, posted a 143 total on Tuesday.

Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship
Aug. 13-14, 2018 (final) at Black Bear GC in Parker
1. Mike Zaremba 69-70–139
T2. Chris Johnson 70-71–141
T2. Don Hurter 72-69–141
T2. Barry Milstead 71-70–141
T5. Doug Rohrbaugh 71-71–142
T5. Jeff Hanson 75-67–142
T7. Mike McCutchen 71-72–143
T7. Bill Loeffler 71-72–143
9. Doug Montgomery 73-71–144
T10. David Arbuckle 70-75–145
T10. Sherry Andonian-Smith 73-72–145
T10. Doug Wherry 74-71–145
T10. Rick Cole 71-74–145

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Suffice it to say it was quite a change of pace at the CGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

After successive years in which Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster won the titles by 21, 19 and 13 shots, Friday’s tournament went to a sudden-death playoff — one that lasted three holes to determine a champion.

Erin Sargent of Twin Peaks Golf Course in Longmont rallied from four strokes behind entering the final day to force extra holes at Black Bear Golf Club in Parker. But Kristin Glesne, a resident of San Antonio who plays golf at the University of Iowa and is working this summer at Vail Golf Club, claimed the title in the 71st annual event.

Glesne (left and below) ended up going wire-to-wire in the tournament, but went 57 holes to emerge with the trophy. The 21-year-old two-putted from 25 feet, sinking a 3-footer for par, to beat Sargent on the third extra hole. Sargent three-putted there from 40 feet, missing a 5-footer for par, to fall in the playoff.

Glesne became the first out-of-state resident to win the CGA Women’s Stroke Play since Australian Emma Bennett earned the title in 2007.

“I haven’t won a tournament in a long time,” Glesne said. “I’ve never won a college tournament. The last tournament I’ve won is probably the city junior (in San Antonio) before I went to college, so this is really exciting.”

Glesne, who has grandparents that live in Genesee and a dad who grew up in Denver, just happened upon the CGA Women’s Stroke Play given the fact that she’s living in Colorado this summer.

“I just googled Colorado golf tournaments and I found the CGA,” she said. “I thought this would be a good tournament to play in.

“Everybody has been so welcoming (in Colorado). The CGA has been awesome. It’s cool to come out and win my first event in Colorado.”

Sargent, a University of Wyoming golfer who qualified for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur, finished runner-up in the Women’s Stroke Play for the second straight year.

“I’m just ready for next year,” the Longmont resident said with a smile. “I can’t wait for the next Stroke Play, that’s for sure. Of course I wanted to win it (this year). I felt like I put up some good scores. I hung in there and really tried to chase it this last day.”

This was only the second Women’s Stroke Play since prior to 2010 to be settled by fewer than five shots. Hannah Wood of Centennial scored a one-stroke victory in 2014.
     
Glesne shot rounds of 72-70-76 for a 2-over-par 218 total and could have won the title in regulation, but missed a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

“I was hitting the ball super well the first two days,” she said. “Today I’m sure it had something to do with nerves, but I definitely was not hitting it as well so it was a little bit more of a battle. Erin was playing so well and dropping a lot of putts, so that was definitely putting the pressure on me. “

Sargent (above) went 73-73-72 to tie the University of Iowa golfer. She made four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey in regulation on Friday.

“All I can say is I fought all day long,” said Sargent, a junior-to-be at Wyoming. “I put up three solid scores. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, but I’m proud of the way I played. I was committed to every shot I hit and played the best I could.”

Kelsey Webster (below) of Boulder Country Club, who will begin her college golf career at the University of Colorado beginning in the fall, finished third at 221 after closing with a 76.

University of Denver golfer Mary Weinstein placed fourth for the second straight year, this time with a 222 total after her second consecutive 72. 

CGA Women’s Stroke Play
At Par-72 Black Bear Golf Club in Parker
TOP FINISHERS

Championship Flight
Kristin Glesne 72-70-76–218 (won playoff)
Erin Sargent 73-73-72–218
Kelsey Webster 75-70-76–221
Mary Weinstein 78-72-72–222

First Flight
Kylee Sullivan 79-82-76–238
Katherine Hollern 79-80-80–239
Staci Creech 82-78-79–239
Kathy West 83-78-79–240

Second Flight
Susan Hartwell 78-78-80–236
Louise Lyle 81-81-80–242
Allie Besant 91-78-81–250
Nina Dulacki 84-88-79–251

Third Flight
Mariko Coplin 86-91-83–260
Amanda Westrick 93-87-82–262
Ria Woodruff 85-93-92–270
Patricia Smogor 97-94-82–273
Trish Swanson 92-95-86–273

For all the scores from the Women’s Stroke Play, CLICK HERE.

Kristin Glesne, a 21-year-old from San Antonio, retained the lead in the 71st Women’s Stroke Play on Thursday by shooting a 2-under-par 70 at Black Bear Golf Club in Parker.

Glesne, a senior-to-be at Iowa (pictured in photo from hawkeyesports.com), will take a three-stroke lead into Friday’s final round. She made four birdies and two bogeys on Thursday to give herself some additional cushion with a 2-under 142 total.

But several Coloradans are in a position to make a run at the title on Friday. That includes Kelsey Webster of Boulder Country Club, who will begin her college golf career at the University of Colorado beginning in the fall. Webster carded five birdies on Thursday and matched Glesne’s tournament-best 70 and stands in second place at 145.

Erin Sargent, a University of Wyoming golfer from Twin Peaks Golf Course, holds third place at 146 after her second consecutive 73. Sargent finished second in this event last year.

Anna Kennedy of Brigham Young University and Colorado Golf Club, who placed fifth in 2018, sits in fourth place at 147 after a second-round 74.

Glesne, Webster and Sargent will tee off for Friday’s final round at 10:20 a.m.

For results from all the flights at the CGA Women’s Stroke Play, CLICK HERE.
 

Glesne, a 21-year-old from San Antonio, made two birdies and two bogeys on Wednesday. (She’s pictured in a photo from hawkeyesports.com.)

Three Coloradans who are also in the midst of their college golf careers share second place at 73. That includes Anna Kennedy from Colorado Golf Club (Brigham Young University), Erin Sargent of Twin Peaks Golf Course (University of Wyoming) and Jaclyn Murray of Bookcliff Country Club (University of Colorado).

Sargent tied for second in this event last year, while Kennedy was fifth and Murray eighth. Murray made four birdies on Wednesday, Kennedy three and Sargent two.

Kelsey Webster of Boulder Country Club, who will play her college golf at CU beginning in the fall, holds fifth place at 75.

Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, the 2018 women’s NCAA Division I individual champion, has won the Women’s Stroke Play by double digits each of the last three years, but isn’t defending her title this week.

The 54-hole Women’s Stroke Play will continue through Friday. The championship flight will be comprised of the players with the top 12 gross scores after Thursday’s second round.

For scores from all flights of the Women’s Stroke Play, CLICK HERE.

That might be the collective feeling of every player who feels they might have a legitimate chance to win the CGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship … if Jennifer Kupcho isn’t in the field.

After all, the standout from Westminster won the 2015 CWGA Stroke Play (the former name for the CGA Women’s Stroke Play) by a whopping 21 shots, the 2016 championship by 19 shots, and last year’s tournament by “just” 13.

Do the math, and the average margin of victory for Kupcho in this event over the past three years was 17.7 strokes.

But Kupcho won’t be going for her fourth straight CGA Women’s Stroke Play title this week. Coming off winning the women’s NCAA Division I individual title and competing for the U.S. in its rout of Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup, Kupcho isn’t entered this year. Besides needing a break, she has jury duty this week.

So the list of players with a good chance to win goes from one to quite a few.

Black Bear Golf Club (pictured) in Parker will host the 71st annual CGA Women’s Stroke Play, with the 54-hole event running from Wednesday through Friday (June 20-22).

The championship flight for the event will feature the players with the top 12 scores after two rounds. Additional flights will include a dozen or more competitors each.

Among the college golfers entered who figure to be in the mix for the title are Texan Kennedy Swann (Clemson University), who finished 10th at the ACC Championship in April; Mary Weinstein (University of Denver), who placed second in this event in 2015 and fourth last year; 2016 runner-up Gillian Vance (University of Colorado); teammates Erin Sargent and Megan Knadler (Wyoming), who tied for second last year; Delaney Elliott (Montana State), who’s recorded two top-five finishes in the Stroke Play in the last three years; and Anna Kennedy (Brigham Young University), who’s posted top-10s each of the last two years.

Also among the 57 entrants is Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, a five-time winner of this event in the 1990s. Moore recently qualified for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open. Also in the field is Susan Hartwell, who advanced to the round of 32 at last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

For Wednesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

At 68 years old, Harry Johnson has long been eligible to compete in the CGA Super-Senior Match Play. But for many years he took a pass, opting to play in the senior division instead.

And who could argue when, as a 63-year-old, he swept the CGA Senior Match Play and Senior Amateur titles in 2013, becoming just the fifth player to win both events in a calendar year?

“I specifically didn’t (enter) because I didn’t think I was ready for super-senior golf — that type of thing,” the player from Eagle Ranch Golf Course said on Thursday. “I’m not saying these guys couldn’t clean my clock or beat me, but I just didn’t think I was ready for it when I was (first) eligible. Now, there are some guys I want to see. I love to see John Olive out here, I love to see Sean Forey. It gets back to those relationship things. You’re on the driving range and somebody comes and slaps you on the back and says, ‘How have you been?’ and that type of thing. I enjoy that tremendously.”

So Johnson finally relented this week, playing in his first CGA Super-Senior Match Play.

And given that he’s won two CGA Senior Player of the Year awards since turning 60, it should come as no surprise that Johnson came out on top Thursday at Black Bear Golf Club in Parker. But it took overtime to earn the title.

Johnson lost a 3-up lead with five holes remaining in regulation in the final match, but posted the victory when he two-putted for par from 40 feet on the 19th hole to defeat Dave Brown of Highlands Ranch Golf Club.

“I’m old enough now that this is just a treat, a joy to play in these things,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to lose, but I really don’t feel that drive that I used to have in tournaments about winning and losing. At this age, it’s more like just holding it together.”

Johnson (above and left) never trailed in Thursday’s match as he made a 70-plus-foot birdie from in front of the green on the first hole. “You look at that putt, and it was probably the difference in the match,” he said. And he built a 3-up advantage through the 12th and 13 holes. But Brown, a four-time CGA champion competing in just his third major competition since 2010, played steady after bogeying holes 8, 10 and 12. Three down with five left in regulation, the 63-year-old played those final five holes in 1 under par. And Johnson bogeyed three times — 14 and 15 after being in greenside bunkers and 17 by three-putting — to leave the match all square going into 18.

There, after Johnson narrowly missed his 20-foot birdie attempt, Brown just missed a 12-foot birdie that would have won him the match.

So the final went to extra holes, becoming just the third match of the week to do so, with Brown having played in two of the three. Brown, twice a semifinalist in the CGA Match Play, left his approach short of the green in the rough, then pitched up to 4 feet from the cup. After Johnson stroked his 40-foot birdie try to within 3 feet, Brown’s par attempt slid below the cup (pictured below), and Johnson made his par to clinch the title.

“I had missed them all high all week, and I remembered that when I got over that putt,” Brown said of the decisive stroke. “I said, ‘Don’t miss it high because they keep lipping out.’ So I hit it firm, and I may have pulled it a titch. But that thing just broke off the planet.

“My putting was less than sterling this week. It’s disappointing, but that’s golf. You’ve got to deal with the good and the bad. You just come back and try it again. That’s all you can do.”

After decades of playing in state championships, Brown said he needed a break after 2010, so aside from one CGA tourament each of the last two years, he’s been away from serious competition. Therefore, despite Thursday’s outcome, he was happy to have won four matches and finished runner-up in the Super-Senior Match Play.    

“I didn’t compete for quite a few years, so this was better than I expected,” he said. “I didn’t expect to get to the final match. I made some swing changes during those years, and I’m still working through that. I’m on the right track. I feel good about the week.

“But there’s a competitive edge that all competitors have, and not playing that long, you lose it. You’ve got to go find it, and the only way to find it is to play events.”

As for Johnson, though he’s now won about 10 CGA championships — most coming in the Western Chapter senior ranks — this is his first since his 2013 senior sweep.

In going 5-0 in his matches this week, Johnson defeated both 2017 finalists on Wednesday — runner-up Jim Reynolds and defending champion Kent Moore. Johnson prevailed in all three matches he played that went to the 18th hole.

“The game has changed for me,” he said. “It’s not so much about winning and losing. I don’t quite feel that pressure anymore. At this age it’s a different perspective for me. These tournaments are more about renewing relationships and a little rejuvenation of another year of golf. I get as much joy out of that — even more joy out of that — than winning at this stage. The relationships are what keep me coming back.”

The CGA Super-Senior Match Play is limited to competitors at least 62 years old.

CGA Super-Senior Match Play
May 21-24, 2018 at Black Bear GC in Parker
WEDNESDAY’S QUARTERFINALS
   Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, def. John Sostman, Raccoon Creek GC, 2 and 1
   Harry Johnson, Eagle Ranch GC, def. Jim Reynolds, Bear Creek GC, 3 and 2
   Dave Brown, Highlands Ranch GC, def. John Olive, The Broadmoor GC, 2 and 1
   Sean Forey, The Club at Rolling Hills, def. Keith Gockenbach, Indian Peaks GC, concession
WEDNESDAY’S SEMIFINALS
   Harry Johnson, Eagle Ranch GC, def. Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, 2 up
   Dave Brown, Highlands Ranch GC def. Sean Forey, The Club at Rolling Hills, 20 holes
THURSDAY’S FINAL
   Harry Johnson, Eagle Ranch GC def. Dave Brown, Highlands Ranch GC, 19 holes

For all the results from the Super-Senior Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Two-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course defeated defending champion and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club, 2 up to advance to the title match.

On the other side of the bracket, Dave Brown of Highlands Ranch Golf Club, seeded 23rd to start the week, outlasted third-seeded Sean Forey of The Club at Rolling Hills on the 20th hole of their match.

Johnson (pictured) and Brown will square off for the championship in a scheduled 18-hole match that will begin at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

Both finalists won two matches on Wednesday. Earlier, Johnson beat 2018 runner-up Jim Reynolds of Bear Creek Golf Club, 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals. Brown ousted Colorado Golf Hall of Famer and 2015 champion John Olive of The Broadmoor Golf Club, 2 and 1.

Five years ago, Johnson swept the major CGA senior championship titles, winning both the Senior Amateur and Senior Match Play. He also qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur in both 2013 and ’14.

The Super-Senior Match Play is limited to competitors at least 62 years old.

CGA Super-Senior Match Play
May 21-24, 2018 at Black Bear GC in Parker
QUARTERFINALS
   Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, def. John Sostman, Raccoon Creek GC, 2 and 1
   Harry Johnson, Eagle Ranch GC, def. Jim Reynolds, Bear Creek GC, 3 and 2
   Dave Brown, Highlands Ranch GC, def. John Olive, The Broadmoor GC, 2 and 1
   Sean Forey, The Club at Rolling Hills, def. Keith Gockenbach, Indian Peaks GC, concession
SEMIFINALS
   Harry Johnson, Eagle Ranch GC, def. Kent Moore, Cherry Hills CC, 2 up
   Dave Brown, Highlands Ranch GC def. Sean Forey, The Club at Rolling Hills, 20 holes
THURSDAY’S 18-HOLE FINAL
  Harry Johnson, Eagle Ranch GC vs. Dave Brown, Highlands Ranch GC, 7:30 a.m.

For all the results from the Super-Senior Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Moore (pictured), a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer and the No. 1 seed this week, scored a 7-and-5 victory over Carl Peters of Twin Peaks Golf Course in the round of 32 in this event for competitors 62 and older.

Second-seeded Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club, a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year, was even more dominant on Monday, posting an 8-and-6 win over Richard Pober of the Club at Pradera.

Other top seeds who won on Monday were No. 3 Sean Forey of the Club at Rolling Hills (5 and 4), No. 4 Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course (6 and 5) and 2017 runner-up Jim Reynolds of Bear Creek Golf Club, the fifth seed (2 and 1).

The only top-10 seeds to lose on Monday were No. 6 Steve Bell of CommonGround Golf Course (falling 1 up to Patrick Mooney of Colorado Golf Club) and No. 10 Frank Wilkinson of Lincoln Park Golf Course (5 and 3 to Dave Brown of Highlands Ranch Golf Club).

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer John Olive, the 2015 champion, defeated Mark Barkley of Clubcorp Colorado, 4 and 3, and will face Polk in Tuesday’s round of 16.

Play at the Super-Senior Match Play will continue through Thursday, with Wednesday featuring quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

For results from the Super-Senior Match Play, CLICK HERE.

With play beginning on Monday, Moore will defend his title in the event for players 62 and older after defeating Jim Reynolds 1 up in last year’s title match at Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville. Moore will be the No. 1 seed as the defending champ. Reynolds also is scheduled to be in the field.

Olive, meanwhile, won the Super-Senior Match Play title in 2015 and is seeded 18th this time.

Also set to compete at Black Bear are three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk, who recently paired with Bill Fowler to win the CGA Senior Four-Ball; and Harry Johnson, winner of both the CGA Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play in 2013.

Play at the Super-Senior Match Play will continue through Thursday, with Wednesday featuring quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

For Monday’s round-of-32 pairings, CLICK HERE.
 

Call Kyle Pearson of Highlands Ranch a master of match play in Colorado in 2017. Call Emma Bryant of Aurora the comeback kid and give her credit for keeping alive hopes for the “Bryant Slam” in Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors this year.

In June, Pearson (left) went 5-1 in his matches and finished runner-up to Chris Korte in the CGA Match Play Championship. Six weeks later, he went 5-0 and won the boys title on Wednesday in the Colorado Junior Match Play at Black Bear Golf Club in Parker.

“I think I’m starting to like it better,” the 18-year-old said of match play. “Not that stroke play doesn’t suit my game, but I feel I can get on a run where I make lots of birdies. … Once you get going in match play and you’re playing good, it’s easier to keep the momentum going.”

Meanwhile, after her older brother Davis Bryant won the first two JGAC majors of the year on the boys side but couldn’t compete this week because of a scheduling conflict with the national Junior PGA Championship, 14-year-old Emma Bryant took up the family cause with her improbable performance this week. In Wednesday’s semifinals at Black Bear, she came from 4 down after seven holes to defeat Sydney Eye of Golden in 20 holes. Then in the final, she lost the first two holes to 5A state high school champion Amy Chitkoksoong, but put on a dazzling putting display to beat her fellow Aurora resident, 1 up for the girls title.

“(Davis) won the first and second (junior majors),” Emma Bryant noted. “He’s kind of a hard person to live up to because he’s done so much. When he wasn’t going to be here, everyone was kind of bummed. But I’m like, ‘Hey, I could win one. Then it would be three down. You’ve only got one more (major, the Junior Tour Championship), right?’ That would be really cool if it did happen.”

Bryant (left), who needed just 27 putts during the final, sank a 12-foot birdie on No. 18 to earn the trophy. It was roughly the same putt she made in the semifinals to force extra holes. Ironically, Chitkoksoong won this title in 2015 at age 14, as Bryant did on Wednesday. Bryant will be a freshman at Eaglecrest High School, while Chitkoksoong will be a junior at Grandview.

“She’s a great player,” Chitkoksoong said of Bryant. “It was a rough round playing with her. She’s an upcoming player to look out for. She took it in the end with a birdie. With a birdie you deserve the (victory). 

“In match play, the number of strokes (overall) obviously don’t matter. If (your opponent) has a great putting day, it’s hard to make a comeback. She’s a great putter, and even though my hitting may have been one of my best days, she overcame it.”

For his part, Pearson (below) defeated Ty Findlow of Lone Tree 2 and 1 in the semis, then topped No. 1-seeded Jack Castiglia in the finals, 4 and 3, closing out his junior golf career in style. The 18-year-old Colorado Mesa University golf signee birdied the first two holes and the last against Castiglia, two-putting from 40 feet for a 4 on the par-5 15th for the victory. Pearson adds the Colorado Junior Match Play title to the 5A state high school championship he won last fall.

“State was my last high school tournament. This is my last junior tournament ever. Maybe I should make every tournament my last tournament,” Pearson said with a chuckle.

Pearson won the first three holes against Castiglia, who made it to the semifinals in this event last year. But the Lakewood resident bounced back with birdie putts of 30 and 20 feet on Nos. 5 and 6, cutting his deficit to 1 down. However, bogeys on 8 and 12 and a double bogey on No. 10, where he hit his drive into some bushes, put Castiglia in a deep hole from which he couldn’t extricate himself.

“Kyle played a great final round,” said Castiglia, who was attempting to follow Griffin Barela as Lakewood High School players to win the Junior Match Play. “I didn’t play how I wanted to but he played great.

“It was good to get to the finals this year, but I would have liked to have closed it out.”

In the girls final, Bryant (left) started on a decidedly low note, hitting her drive on the first hole into a bush and losing the ball — and subsquently the hole. And she lost No. 2 when she missed a 6-foot par putt. But given the comeback she had put together in the semifinals against Eye, she wasn’t discouraged.

“With Sydney it was kind of hard because I was 4 down,” Bryant said. “This could be a quick day for me, but you can’t think like that because with match play you never know. I had the same mindset the entire time: shot-by-shot, hole-by-hole, make a good swing, make good putts and everything is going to fall into place. That’s what I kept going by.

“(So 2 down in the finals), I was kind of thinking, ‘I got from 4 down to winning (in the semis).’ I was like, ‘2 down, let’s do this.’ Then I won No. 3.”

But the dagger may have come on the par-5 13th, where Bryant was left with a 50-foot par putt, while Chitkoksoog was 20 feet away for birdie. Bryant not only made her putt, but her ball hit the back of the hole hard enough that it bounced about 6 inches into the air before finding the bottom of the cup. Then Chitkoksoong two-putted for par to halve the hole she thought she would win.

“It gets frustrating when she makes putts that are further out than you, then you miss your putt for the win,” said Chitkoksoong. “I thought I was going to get a point up there (at No. 13) and she makes that long putt — sort of like how I did two years back against Jaclyn (Murray in the final). Seeing that comeback (really) hits right here close to the heart. … With players who don’t have an up-and-down scorecard — when their scorecard is pretty even — it’s hard to play against.”

Bryant and Chitkoksoong (left) ended up halving every hole from 11 through 17 with the match all square. Then on 18, from 115 yards out, Bryant put her 9-iron approach 12 feet from the hole, in a very similar position where she made a birdie against Eye.

“Going into 18, my mindset was, ‘I need to birdie this hole,'” Bryant said. “She hit her first putt off the green (but regardless) I wanted to finish on a good note — with a birdie because that’s what I had told myself that I was going to do.”

And when the putt fell, she punctuated the moment with a clenched fist — then a big smile.

Asked to candidly say whether she went into the week thinking she had a chance to win it all, Bryant admits she didn’t. But that thinking obviously changed as the week went on.

“My goal was to win the first and second match,” she said. “Once I won my second match, I was like, ‘OK, let’s see what we can do the second match of the (second) day. Then once I won that, going into the third day, why not go for it all, right?” 

Colorado Junior Match Play
At Black Bear Golf Club in Parker
SEMIFINALS
Boys
Jack Castiglia of Lakewood def. Luke Travins of Colorado Springs, 20 holes
Kyle Pearson of Highlands Ranch def. Ty Findlow of Lone Tree, 2 and 1
Girls
Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora def. Josie Baker of Sherman Oaks, Calif., 5 and 3
Emma Bryant of Aurora def. Sydney Eye of Golden, 20 holes

FINALS
Boys
Kyle Pearson of Highlands Ranch def. Jack Castiglia of Lakewood, 4 and 3
Girls
Emma Bryant of Aurora def. Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora, 1 up

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