Some of the best players in the state age 13 and under competed in the event, with the designated “Team Europe” (pictured) defeating Team USA 19-13 after three sessions of matches.
While the USA won Sunday’s 18-hole singles session, 9-7, Europe had built a commanding lead in the team portion of the event, winning the nine-hole four-ball and the nine-hole foursomes — both held on Saturday — by 6-2 margins in each case.
Ҭ
Out of the 32 juniors who competed in the Junior Ryder Cup, just four won all three of their matches — Emily Cheng (USA), Caitlyn Chin (Europe), Wes Erling (Europe) and Frank Lockwood (Europe).
Junior Ryder Cup ResultsӬ
At CommonGround GC in AuroraӬ
OVERALL SCORE: TEAM EUROPE 19, TEAM USA 13
Sunday’s 18-Hole Singles (USA 9, Europe 7)
Emily Cheng (USA) def. Hadley Ashton, 1 up
Liam Wood (USA) def. Matai Naqica, 2 and 1
Kaitlin Zingler (Europe) def. Gisella Lagrimas, 4 and 3
Charlie Flaxbeard (USA) halved with Blake Sullivan
Caitlyn Chin (Europe) def. Brooke Hudson, 4 and 3
Wes Erling (Europe) def. Luke Cushman, 4 and 3
Ashleigh Wilson (USA) def. Logan Hale, 2 up
Carter Surofcheck (USA) halved with Yusuke Ogi
Colin Young (Europe) def. Andrew White, 4 and 3
Frank Lockwood (Europe) def. Tiki Jaffe, 3 and 2
Ben Chin (USA) def. Jack Chambers, 6 and 5
Will Balliet (USA) def. Grant Samuelson, 4 and 3
Livia Pett (Europe) def. Addison Hines, 1 up
Miles Kuhl (USA) def. Andre Dumonteil, 2 and 1
Maddie Makino (USA) def. Taylor Wilson, 2 and 1
Clint Summers III (USA) def. Brayden Destefano, 1 upӬ
Saturday’s 9-Hole Four-Ball (Europe 6, USA 2)”¨
Naqica/Sullivan (Europe) def. Wood/Flaxbeard, 2 and 1
Erling/Yogi (Europe) def. Cushman/Surofcheck, 1 up
White/Balliet (USA) def. Young/Samuelson, 2 and 1
Chambers/Lockwood (Europe) def. B. Chin/Jaffe, 3 and 2
Cheng/Lagrimas (USA) def. Ashton/Zingler, 3 and 2
C. Chin/Hale (Europe) def. Hudson/A. Wilson, 2 and 1
Dumonteil/Destefano (Europe) def. Kuhl/Summers, 1 up
Pett/T. Wilson (Europe) def. Hines/Makino, 2 and 1
Saturday’s 9-Hole Foursomes (Europe 6, USA 2)
Naqica/Sullivan (Europe) def. Wood/Flaxbeard, 1 up
Erling/Ogi (Europe) def. Cushman/Surofcheck, 2 and 1
Young/Samuelson (Europe) def. A. White/Balliet, 1 up
Chambers/Lockwood (Europe) def. B. Chin/Jaffe, 2 up
Cheng/Lagrimas (USA) def. Ashton/Zingler, 1 up
C. Chin/Hale (Europe) def. Hudson/A. Wilson 1 up
Domonteil/Destefano (Europe) def. Kuhl/Summers, 1 up
Hines/Makino (USA) def. Pett/T. Wilson, 1 upӬ
Among those three who won their Regional Qualifying competition at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis was Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, who became the first Coloradan to qualify twice for the DCP Nationals.
Chin competed in the Girls 7-9 division at Augusta National in 2016, and now she’s in the 10-11 group.
Chin won that 10-11 division Saturday in St. Louis by accumulating 115 points for an 18-point victory over fellow Coloradan Taylor Hale of Eagle.
Also advancing to the DCP Finals at Augusta National on Saturday were Chunya Boonta of Centennial, who prevailed by one point in the Girls 12-13 group with a 131 total, and Grady Ortiz of Colorado Springs, who won in the Boys 7-9 group with a 104 tally.
In order to qualify for Nationals, a golfer has to win — out of 12 players — in his/her gender/age division at Regionals. There are eight divisions in each DCP event.
Each of Saturday’s champions previously advanced through Local and Sub-Regional qualifying events.
When Chin qualified for Nationals previously, in 2016, she was one of a three-player Colorado contingent that year also, along with Luke Trujillo and Arielle Keating, both of Colorado Springs. Trujillo and Keating each finished sixth at Nationals that Year, while Chin was 10th.
The only other Coloradan who has competed in the nationally-televised DCP Finals has been Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs, who placed sixth in the Boys 14-15 competion on April 1.
In DCP events, contestants score points in each discipline — driving, chipping and putting — which are added together for a cumulative total.
In addition to the three Coloradans who won their divisions at Regionals in St. Louis on Saturday, four from the Centennial State were runners-up, coming up just short of advancing: Miles Kuhl of Boulder (Boys 10-11), Maxwell Lange of Golden (Boys 14-15), Hale (Girls 10-11) and Grace Ha of Greenwood Village (Girls 14-15).
In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the DCP, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.
ҬHere are the results for the Coloradans at the Drive Chip & Putt Regional Qualifying in St. Louis on Saturday:
ҬScore: Drive-Chip-Putt=Total
ҬBoys 7-9
“¨”¨1. Grady Ortiz, Colorado Springs 30-23-51–104
“¨7. Ryan Fenton, Colorado Springs 28-26-17–71
10. Benjamin Pederson, Arvada 28-30-8–66″¨
Boys 10-11
“¨2. Miles Kuhl, Boulder 24-45-55–124
3. Jake Dost, Parker 45-45-32–122″¨
6. Gregory White, Centennial 16-40-50–106
ҬӬӬӬBoys 12-13
“¨5. Reese Knox, Peyton 19-32-55–106
“¨6. Matai Naqica, Centennial 52-20-27–99
9. Carter Surofchek, Colorado Springs 18-32-40–90
ҬӬBoys 14-15
“¨2. Maxwell Lange, Golden 62-45-55–162″¨
4. Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 70-40-36–146″¨
6. Ben Harding, Longmont 46-40-50–136
12. Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial 0-55-32–87″¨”¨
Girls 7-9″¨
3. Jadie Wilson, Denver 14-26-27–67
“¨4. Amalei Lagrimas, Castle Rock 13-21-31–65″¨
4. Annabel Roy, Denver 11-41-13–65
“¨7. Adrielle Miller, Highlands Ranch 14-30-12–56
Girls 10-11
“¨1. Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 34-26-55–115″¨
2. Taylor Hale, Eagle 23-45-29–97
4. Addison Hines, Arvada 36-37-12–85″¨
12. Emmalee Johnson, Denver 2-25-7–34″¨”¨
Girls 12-13″¨
1. Chunya Boonta, Centennial 36-45-50–131″¨
11. Madeline Bante, Denver 19-40-27–86
Girls 14-15
“¨2. Grace Ha, Greenwood Village 51-26-22–99
5. Elle Higgins, Centennial 32-26-32–90
6. Sofia Choi, Littleton 17-35-36–88 “¨
Chin was one of 16 junior golfers who qualified on Saturday at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora for DCP Regionals. Regionals mark the third of four qualifying stages for DCP, and it’s where the winners of each age/gender division earn spots in the Nationals in Augusta, Ga.
Chin competed in the girls 7-9 division at Augusta National in 2016, and now she’s in the 10-11 group. She won that division in Saturday’s Sub-Regional at Murphy Creek and will book a trip to Regionals, which are set for Sept. 29 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, site of this month’s PGA Championship. The winners of each age/gender division there will land a spot in the DCP National Championship, scheduled for April 7 at Augusta National.
Also among those advancing to Regionals on Saturday at Murphy Creek was Matai Naqica of Centennial, who recently won the boys 11-13 Junior Series Championship conducted by the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado. Naqica prevailed for the boys 12-13 Sub-Regional title on Saturday with an impressive point total of 177 — the best of the day in any division.
The qualfiers from Murphy Creek join those from Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton, who punched their Regional tickets on Aug. 18.
Twelve of those who advanced on Saturday are from Colorado, while 14 from the Thorncreek competition are.
Those who have competed the last two weekends had already advanced from Local Qualifying as eight such events were held in Colorado this year, including one during U.S. Senior Open week at The Broadmoor Golf Club earlier this summer.
Last year, Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs became the fourth Coloradan ever to compete in the nationally-televised DCP National Championship. He finished sixth in the boys 14-15 division.
In DCP competitions, contestants score points in each discipline — driving, chipping and putting — which are added together for a cumulative total.
In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the DCP, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.
Here are the Drive Chip & Putt Regional Qualifiers from the Murphy Creek GC Sub-Regional on Saturday:
Score: Drive-Chip-Putt=Total
Boys 7-9
Shea Clanton, Lincoln, Neb. 18-41-50–109
Ryan Fenton, Colorado Springs 17-35-55–107
Boys 10-11
Steven Suges, Grapevine, Texas 37-45-46–128
Miles Kuhl, Boulder 22-45-40–107
Boys 12-13
Matai Naqica, Centennial 52-55-70–177
Trevor Gutschewski, Elkhorn, Neb. 44-50-46–140
Boys 14-15
Maxwell Lange, Golden 61-50-50–161
Ben Harding, Longmont 38-45-65–148
Girls 7-9
Annabel Roy, Denver 8-22-55–85
Adrielle Miller, Highlands Ranch 11-19-41–71
Girls 10-11
Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 34-40-52–126
Taylor Hale, Eagle 36-40-42–118
Girls 12-13
Chunya Boonta, Centennial 33-50-22–105
Madeline Bante, Denver 32-21-41–94
Girls 14-15
Lauren Thiele, Wahoo, Neb. 20-55-60–135
Elle Higgins, Centennial 39-40-36–115
For all the results from Murphy Creek, CLICK HERE.
Here were the qualifiers from last weekend at Thorncreek:
Boys 7-9
“¨Benjamin Pederson, Arvada 20-35-55–110″¨
Grady Ortiz, Colorado Springs 20-31-45–96″¨”¨
Boys 10-11
“¨Gregory White, Centennial 31-40-50–121″¨
Jake Dost, Parker 39-35-47–121
Boys 12-13
“¨Reese Knox, Peyton 45-45-42–132
“¨Carter Surofchek, Colorado Springs 32-40-45–117
Boys 14-15
“¨Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial 47-45-60–152″¨
Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 47-37-60–144
Girls 7-9
“¨Jadie Wilson, Denver 17-3-60–80″¨
Amalei Lagrimas, Castle Rock 18-26-36–80
Girls 10-11
“¨Emmalee Johnson, Denver 18-18-60–96″¨
Addison Hines, Arvada 21-11-60–92
Girls 12-13
“¨Ali Mulhall, Mesquite Nevada 44-23-55–122″¨
Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M. 36-30-45–111
Girls 14-15
“¨Sofia Choi, Littleton 52-45-60–157
“¨Grace Ha, Greenwood Village 40-31-60–131
Among those making the grade on Wednesday in the 15-18 qualifying tournaments for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships were both Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado 2017 Players of the Year, Davis Bryant of Aurora and Hailey Schalk of Erie.
The Junior Worlds are scheduled for July 10-13 in the San Diego area.
Bryant advanced by finishing second in the boys 15-18 qualifier at Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield, while Schalk placed first in the girls 15-18 tournament at her home course, Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.
Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, a University of Denver recruit, earned medalist honors at Broadlands with a 5-under-par 139 total for two days (71-68). In making his first Junior Worlds, the Colorado State University-bound Bryant went 70-70–140 for the second and final spot in his division.
In the girls 15-18 tournament at Colorado National, Schalk and University of Colorado recruit Kelsey Webster of Boulder earned the available national berths. Schalk carded scores of 71-66 for a 7-under-par 137 total over two days and went bogey-free on Wednesday. Webster, who finished third earlier this month in the 5A girls state high school tournament, shot a 5-under-par 31 on the front nine Wednesday en route to a 67 and a 140 total.
On Tuesday at Colorado National, Jessica Mason of Westminster and Sofia Choi of Littleton advanced in the girls 13-14 division. Mason led the way in the qualifier with a 3-over-par 75, while Choi shot a 76 and won a playoff with Kaylee Chen of Denver. And in the girls 11-12 tournament at the same course, Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village (9-over-par 81) and Brooke Hudson of Parker (84) are headed to San Diego.
Another Coloradan who also is bound for Junior Worlds is Hadley Ashton of Erie, 11, who earlier qualified in Texas.
Qualifying for several other age/gender divisions will take place within within the next week. Boys 13-14 and 11-12 will play Friday at Indian Tree Golf Course in Arvada, with two berths at stake in each division. And on June 6 at Family Sports in Centennial, boys and girls 7-8 and 9-10 will tee it up, with one national spot at stake in each division except boys 9-10, where there will be two.
Here are the qualifiers from Tuesday and Wednesday’s tournaments:
Boys 15-18
Tuesday and Wednesday at Broadlands GC in Broomfield
Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 71-68–139
Davis Bryant, Aurora 70-70–140
Girls 15-18
Tuesday and Wednesday at Colorado National GC in Erie
Hailey Schalk, Erie 71-66–137
Kelsey Webster, Boulder 73-67–140
Girls 13-14
Tuesday at Colorado National GC in Erie
Jessica Mason, Westminster 75
Sofia Choi, Littleton 76 (won playoff)
Girls 11-12
Tuesday at Colorado National GC in Erie
Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 81
Brooke Hudson, Parker 84
Ford, who on Saturday became just the fourth Coloradan ever to qualify for the DC&P Nationals, is a high school golf teammate of defending 4A state individual champion Luke Trujillo, who went to the Nationals at Augusta in the spring of 2016.
That should give Ford some insights.
The high school freshman overcame the DC&P Regional Qualifying hurdle on Saturday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
With just the winner — out of 10 competitors — in each age/gender division of the Regionals advancing to Nationals on April 1, 2018, Ford won the Boys 14-15 competition. He scored 67 points in the drive portion of the contest, 17 in the chipping and 55 in the putting. That gave him 139 points overall, three more than runner-up Carsen Silliman.
The only other Coloradans who have made it to DC&P Nationals in the first five years of the competition are Trujillo, Arielle Keating and Caitlyn Chin, all of whom went in April of 2016. The Nationals are televised from Augusta by the Golf Channel.
Ford had to survive Local, Sub-Regional and Regional Qualifying to advance. In the Sub-Regional at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora last month, he finished second to Joshua Gallegos of Belen, N.M.
Ford was one of 20 Colorado residents who were competing in the Regionals at Southern Hills. None of the others advanced to Nationals, but here’s how all 20 fared on Saturday, with their scores and placing (Note: The top finisher in each division advances to Nationals. Points are for Drive-Chip-Putt–Total):
Boys 14-15
1. (out of 10 competitors) Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs 67-17-55–139
4. Hunter Khan of Highlands Ranch 42-13-65–120
8. Joshua Stouder of Grand Junction 42-13-36–91
Girls 14-15
3. (out of 10 competitors) Emma Bryant of Aurora 56-17-31–104
4. Alyssa Chin of Greenwood Village 36-26-41–103
5. Sofia Choi of Littleton 36-13-51–100
10. Rachel Penzenstadler of Centennial 34-3-31–68
Boys 12-13
4. (out of 10 competitors)Yusuke Ogi of Arvada 58-5-31–94
5. Wesley Erling of Arvada 18-30-41–89
Girls 12-13
3. (out of 10 competitors) Abigail Aeschleman of Highlands Ranch 47-27-41–115
4. Kaylee Chen of Highlands Ranch 39-17-45–101
Boys 10-11
3. (out of 10 competitors) Kaden Devenport of Windsor 46-3-50–99
7. Matai Naqica of Centennial 19-16-45–80
10. Tucker Jaffe of Vail 0-3-21–24
Girls 10-11
10. (out of 10 competitors) Macy Kleve of Windsor 30-4-17–51
Boys 7-9
2. (out of 10 competitors) Max Riley of Fort Collins 35-7-50–92
8. Ashton Edwards of Boulder 15-12-27–54
9. Collen Todd of Golden 20-3-27–50
Girls 7-9
4. (out of 10 competitors) Adrielle Miller of Highlands Ranch 15-18-36–69
6. Allie Smith of Aurora 8-22-35–65
In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.
Each participant in the DCP is awarded points for each skill based on his or her performance, with the points added together for an overall score.
The Junior World Championships will be held in and around San Diego from July 11-14.
Advancing from Wednesday’s nine-hole qualifiers at South Suburban’s Family Sports Center in Littleton were Gavin Amella of Pueblo and Andre Dumonteil of Centennial (boys 9-10); Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village (girls 9-10); Ashton Edwards of Boulder (boys 7-8); and Maddie Makino of Parker, who prevailed in a playoff over Taylor Wilson of Highlands Ranch.
Besides Wednesday’s qualifiers, another Coloradan, Hadley Ashton, has an exemption into the Junior Worlds girls 9-10 division by virtue of finishing fifth in the 7-8 tournament in San Diego last year.
Here are the scores of Wednesday’s qualifiers:
7-8 BOYS
At Par-31 South Suburban Family Sports Center in Centennial
Ashton Edwards, Boulder 41
7-8 GIRLS
At Par-31 South Suburban Family Sports Center in Centennial
Maddie Makino, Parker 41
BOYS 9-10
At Par-31 South Suburban Family Sports Center in Centennial
Gavin Amella, Pueblo 29
Andre Dumonteil, Centennial 31
GIRLS 9-10
At Par-31 South Suburban Family Sports Center in Centennial
Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 33
Here are the Junior World qualifiers from last week’s tournaments in Colorado:
15-18 BOYS
At Par-72 Coal Creek GC and Par-72 Broadlands GC
Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins 69-73–142
Calvin McCoy, Highlands Ranch 73-69–142
15-18 GIRLS
At Par-72 Broadlands GC and Par-72 Coal Creek GC
Lauren Lehigh, Loveland 78-72–150
Hailey Schalk, Erie 75-75–150
13-14 BOYS
At Par-65 Homestead GC
James Clark, Lamar 67
Jordan Jennings, Montrose 68
13-14 GIRLS
At Par-65 Homestead GC
Gracie Olkowski, Grand Junction 67
Sofia Choi, Littleton 70
11-12 BOYS
At Par-65 Homestead GC
Parker Paxton, Riverton, Wyo. 69
Matai Naqica, Centennial 72
11-12 GIRLS
At Par-65 Homestead GC
Bead Boonta, Centennial 78
Abigail Aeschleman of Highlands Ranch 82
Europe had trailed after losing both the nine-hole foursomes and four-ball matches by 4.5-2.5 margins Saturday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. But the Euros went undefeated in the first nine singles matches on Sunday (7-0-2) to change the momentum. Overall, Team Europe (pictured) outscored the U.S. 10-4 in the singles matches.
Three players went undefeated through the three sessions with Anju Ogi of the U.S. going 3-0, and teammate Eva Pett and Europe’s Caitlyn Chin finishing with 2-0-1 marks.
Junior Ryder Cup Matches
OVERALL SCORE: EUROPE 15, U.S. 13
9-hole Foursomes: U.S. 4.5, Europe 2.5
Landon Houska-Tyler Long (E) def. Frank Lockwood-Jake Dost, 2 and 1
Ashleigh Wilson-Caitlyn Chin (E) def. Hilary Nelson-Hadley Ashton, 3 and 2
Jeffrey Zhou-Will Rinehart (U.S.) def. Traejan Andrews-TJ Hicks, 1 up
James Clark-Tyler Tyson (U.S.) def. Luke Wright-Mario Dino, 1 up
Maxwell Lange-Zachary Tyson (U.S.) def. Zaden Gomez-Yusuke Ogi, 1 up
Katelyn Lehigh-Anju Ogi (U.S.) def. Sofia Choi-Merielle Gojo, 2 and 1
Alyssa Chin-Abigail Aeschleman (Europe) halved with Eva Pett-Gisella Lagrimas
9-Hole Four-Ball: U.S. 4.5, Europe 2.5
Lockwood-Dost (U.S.) def. Houska-Long, 2 and 1
Aston-Nelson (U.S.) halved with Wilson-Caitlyn Chin
Zhou-Rinehart (U.S.) def. Andrews-Hicks, 3 and 2
Wright-Dino (E) def. Clark-Tyler Tyson, 1 up
Gomez-Yusuke Ogi (E) def. Lange-Zachary Tyson, 2 and 1
Lehigh-Anju Ogi (U.S.) def. Choi-Gojo, 1 up
Pett-Lagrimas (U.S.) def. Alyssa Chin-Aeschleman, 2 up
18-Hole Singles: Europe 10, U.S. 4
Hicks (E) def. Rinehart, 2 and 1
Aeschleman (E) def. Lagrimas, 4 and 3
Andrews (E) def. Zhou 2 and 1
Yusuke Ogi (E) halved with Zachary Tyson
Dino (E) def. Tyler Tyson, 3 and 2
Choi (E) def. Lehigh, 5 and 4
Caitlyn Chin (E) def. Nelson, 7 and 5
Long (E) def. Dost, 3 and 2
Gomez (E) halved with Lange
Pett (U.S.) def. Alyssa Chin, 3 and 2
Houska (E) def. Lockwood, 2 and 1
Ashton (U.S.) def. Wilson, 5 and 4
Wright (E) def. Clark, 2 up
Anju Ogi (U.S.) def. Marielle Gojo, 2 and 1
On Saturday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, 16 junior golfers — including 15 from Colorado — kept their hopes alive of doing what Trujillo, Keating and Chin did in the spring.
The top two finishers in each of eight divisions at Saturday’s DC&P Sub-Regional Qualifier earned spots in the Regional Qualifying, set for Sept. 24 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. And from there, the top performer in each division will punch their tickets to the 2017 national finals April 2 at Augusta National.
Among those still in the running for a 2017 trip to Augusta is Chin, a Greenwood Village resident who on Saturday finished second in the girls 7-9 division at CommonGround. She placed 10th in the national finals in that same division four months ago.
Here are all those who will advance to Riviera, with their points from each of the three skills on Saturday (drive, chip and putt) — and their total.
Girls 7-9 — 1. Livia Pett, Denver 16-46-37–99; Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 23-31-36–90.
Girls 10-11 — 1. Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M. 31-30-45–106; 2. Brooke Hudson, Parker 26-26-51–103.
Girls 12-13 — 1. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland 43-36-55–134; 2. Sofia Choi, Littleton 34-45-50–129.
Girls 14-15 — 1. Gracie Olkowski, Grand Junction 52-55-55–162; 2. Marie Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village 44-50-45–139.
Boys 7-9 — 1. Landon Houska, Fort Collins 16-45-45–106; 2. Preston Brooke, Arvada 22-31-50–103 (second-place tiebreaker based on putting score).
Boys 10-11 — 1. Matai Naqica, Centennial 47-22-45–114; 2. Benjamin Starr, Cherry Hills Village 26-31-55–112.
Boys 12-13 — 1. Jake Chesler, Firestone 27-55-50–132; 2. Ben Harding, Longmont 35-40-50–125 (second-place tiebreaker based on putting score).
Boys 14-15 — 1. Jack Hughes, Aspen 55-40-50–145; 2. Davis Long, Lafayette 52-45-42–139.
All the players noted above have now advanced through both Local and Sub-Regional qualifying events.
Back in Regionals for the second straight year after competing at CommonGround will be Houska, Chin and Salome.
Each participant in the DC&P is awarded points for each skill based on his or her performance, with the points added together for an overall score.
In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the national finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championships, which are sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.
For all the scores from Saturday, CLICK HERE.
]]>
Though this was the third national finals of the DCP, it was the first year a Coloradan qualified. In all, 80 golfers — 40 boys and 40 girls from across the U.S. and Canada — competed on Sunday at Augusta. The event was broken up into four age groups each for boys and girls, age 7-15.
Luke Trujillo, 15, of Colorado Springs finished sixth out of 10 players overall in the boys 14-15 age group with 15.5 points, 7.5 fewer than champion Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Mass. Trujillo ended up third in putting — thanks to draining his second putt — sixth in chipping, and tied for seventh in the drive. The Golf Channel showed one of Trujillo’s drives and both of his chips and putts on Sunday, including the one that he holed to close his day.
Arielle Keating, 15, of Colorado Springs finished sixth in the girls 14-15 division with 16.5 points, 10 behind champion Alyssa Montgomery of Knoxville, Tenn. Keating tied for third in the chip (her second chip finished a foot from the cup), and placed fifth in the putt and eighth in the drive. Golf Channel showed her stroke one of her putts on Sunday.
Caitlyn Chin, 8, of suburban Denver finished 10th in the girls 7-9 division with five points, leaving her 19 points back of champion Emerson Blair of West Point, Miss. Chin placed eighth in the drive, and 10th in both the chip and the putt. Golf Channel showed both of Chin’s putts on Sunday.
(The Coloradans — from left, Trujillo, Chin and Keating — are pictured above.)
After competing in the Drive, Chip and Putt on Sunday, Trujillo, Keating and Chin — and their families — will have a chance to watch a Masters practice round Monday at Augusta National.
Among those on hand for Sunday’s DCP national finals were Masters champions Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Nick Faldo, Ben Crenshaw and Mark O’Meara, other PGA Tour players Jason Day, Keegan Bradley and Matt Kuchar, new USGA president Diana Murphy, PGA of America president Derek Sprague, Augusta National chairman Billy Payne, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion Bryson DeChambeau. On Saturday on the eve of the event, the DCP finalists rubbed elbows with entertainers Justin Timberlake and Niall Horan, and PGA Tour player Justin Rose.
“This is special,” Watson said Sunday on Golf Channel. “It jerks at my heart a lot, watching this. There are other things these kids are learning (besides displaying their skills). They’re learning etiquette, dedication, and the drive (necessary to achieve at a high level).”
Only six states were better represented in the DCP national finals this spring than Colorado — California (8 finalists), Texas (7), Ohio (5), and New York, Illinois and Michigan (4 each).
The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is a joint initiative of the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America designed to help grow the game.
Each competitor is scored based on the longest of two drives (provided it’s inbounds), and the cumulative proximity to the hole of two chips and of two putts from different distances. The driving and chipping were held at Augusta National’s tournament practice area, with the putting set for ANGC’s 18th green. Golfers competed within eight groups based on gender and age, with the kids with the highest combined scores in driving, chipping and putting winning the overall titles.
All 80 of the finalists who vied at Augusta National on Sunday qualified by virtue of advancing through local, sub-regional and regional competitions.
Trujillo, Keating and Chin all took the same sub-regional and regional paths to the finals, advancing at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, Calif., respectively. Each won his or her divisions at the regionals at Torrey Pines.
For all the results of Sunday’s Drive, Chip and Putt national finals, CLICK HERE.
Registration for the 2016-17 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is open. The website can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.
]]>No Coloradans qualified for the national finals of the DC&P event held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia in the first two years of the competition, culminating in 2014 and ’15. But there’s no such issue this time around.
In fact, three junior golfers from Colorado will be among the 80 competitors — 40 boys and 40 girls from across the U.S. and Canada — who will be vying in the third annual Drive, Chip and Putt finals, set for Sunday (April 3) at Augusta National on the eve of Masters week.
That makes Colorado one of the most well-represented states in this year’s finals. In fact, only six states have more finalists this spring — California (8), Texas (7), Ohio (5), and New York, Illinois and Michigan (4 each).
The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, for youngsters age 7-15, is a joint initiative of the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America designed to help grow the game.
Each competitor is scored based on the longest of two drives (provided it’s inbounds), and the cumulative proximity to the hole of two chips and of two putts. The driving and chipping will be held at Augusta National’s tournament practice area, with the putting set for ANGC’s 18th green. Golfers vie within eight groups based on gender and age, with the kids with the highest combined scores in driving, chipping and putting winning the overall titles.
All 80 of the finalists who will vie at Augusta National on Sunday qualified by virtue of advancing through local, sub-regional and regional competitions.
The Coloradans who made the finals are Luke Trujillo of Colorado Springs (boys 14-15 age group), fellow Colorado Springs resident Arielle Keating (girls 14-15) and Caitlyn Chin of suburban Denver (girls 7-9). Trujillo and Keating are children of PGA professionals John Trujillo of Eisenhower Golf Club and Brad Keating of Springs Ranch Golf Club, respectively.
Trujillo, Keating and Chin all took the same sub-regional and regional paths to the finals, advancing at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, Calif., respectively. Each won his or her division at the regionals at Torrey Pines.
Trujillo, who owns a 0.8 handicap index, remembers watching last year’s DC&P finals on TV.
“I saw all these kids doing what they love to do and having a lot of fun and I wanted to have the chance to be in that moment,” he told drivechipandputt.com.
Trujillo plays out of the Golf Club at Flying Horse, while Keating is from the Country Club of Colorado and Chin hails from Meridian Golf Club.
Golf Channel will be devoting five hours of TV coverage to the Drive, Chip and Putt finals on Sunday, with an hour-long “pre-game” (6-7 a.m. MT) followed by four hours of live action (7-11 a.m.).