A squall kicked up immediately after the conclusion of the awards ceremony for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open on Friday afternoon.

Before that, it was Lexi Harkins of Crystal Lake, Ill., who took Green Valley Ranch Golf Club by storm.

The rookie pro, who started the day four strokes out of the lead, shot her personal-best round — a women’s course-record 8-under-par 64 — to overtake 18- and 36-hole leader Katrina Prendergast of Colorado State University and win the CWO title and the $50,000 first prize that goes with it.

“It almost feels not real right now,” the 22-year-old (left) said of her career round. “I started (playing) so long ago it doesn’t even feel real honestly.”

Harkins’ two-stroke victory denied Prendergast (below) of becoming just the second amateur to capture the overall championship at the Colorado Women’s Open. Paige Mackenzie (2006) remains the only amateur to pull off the feat.

“I can’t be mad about that,” said Prendergast, who will celebrate her 21st birthday on Sept. 9. “I was happy with the way I played. Maybe make a few more putts, but I still shot 2 under on the last day, which is pretty good. I can’t complain.”

Especially when someone cards a 64 to beat you. That was two shots better than any other score posted this week.

“I thought the pins were actually pretty hard today — harder than they’ve been all week,” said Prendergast, the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion with CSU teammate Ellen Secor. “Good for (Harkins). That’s pretty hard to do, especially on the last day.

“Yeah, it would have been nice to have gotten first, but second is just as good really. Going into (CSU’s) season with this second place, I’m really happy.”

Actually, amateurs have been in contention to win three of the last five Colorado Women’s Opens as Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster finished second in both 2014 and 2017.

And, just to be clear, even if Prendergast had claimed the overall title and Harkins had finished second on Friday, Harkins would have still won the $50,000 as the top prize available for amateurs is $750 worth of merchandise. 

On Friday, Prendergast led by one with three holes left. But Harkins (left) drained a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 16 and a 33-footer on No. 18, while Prendergast missed the green at the par-3 17th and made bogey. On Harkins’ birdie on 18, playing partner Christine Meier had an almost identical putt, which gave Harkins a nice preview of what to expect.

“It was helpful seeing her line and seeing that it was a quick putt,” said Harkins, who went up by two when her ball dropped, with Prendergast still in the 18th fairway. “It happened to go in, which was crazy.”

For Harkins, the victory was a nice turnabout after she took a five-shot lead into the final round of the Michigan Women’s Open in late June and ended up finishing second after a final-round 77. On Friday, she had to come from behind and shot 13 shots better than on her final day in Michigan.

Harkins, a former University of Wisconsin golfer, finished with nine birdies and one bogey on Friday for her 64, which was one shot better than the previous women’s course record at GVR, set by Erin Houtsma in 2010. That gave Harkins, who was competing in the CWO for the first time, a 10-under-par 206 total, good for her first victory in more than four years.

“It kind of just clicked all at the same time” on Friday, she said of her stellar round. “I felt pretty confident because I’ve been playing well recently. And I had some learning experiences this summer — the Michigan Women’s Open, where I had the lead and lost it.

“I haven’t won in a long time. This is definitely my biggest win.”

And that $50,000 — the biggest first prize in a women’s state open — will certainly come in handy for a rookie pro who just advanced to Stage II of LPGA Q-school.

“This means so much to me just because playing professional golf is expensive,” she said. “I’m just starting and just went to Stage I for Q-school. All of it is very expensive. This will just go toward me playing golf and pursuing my dream.

“But I was trying not to worry about the money (during Friday’s round) honestly. I was trying to focus on my shot and not get ahead of myself because you never know what’s going to happen out there. But it feels so good to get it done.”

In finishing second, Prendergast (left) has been runner-up this month in both the Utah’s Women’s Open and the Colorado Women’s Open.

Prendergast, a Sparks, Nev., resident whose dad flew in to catch the final round, took a three-stroke lead into Friday and shot a 2-under-par 70, giving her an 8-under 208 total. That earned her low-amateur honors by six.

“That was the No. 1 goal (going into the week) and I achieved it. I’m happy,” Prendergast said.

Former University of Colorado golfer Esther Lee placed third at 211 after a bogey-free 67 in the final round. Brittany Fan, a former teammate of Lee’s at CU, tied for fourth at 213 with Sarah Hoffman of Saline, Mich., and Hannah Kim of Chula Vista, Calif.

Coming to play in the Colorado Women’s Open this week was no small matter to Lee (left) as she’s 35th on the season-long Symetra Tour money list, with the top 10 on that list at the end of the season earning LPGA Tour cards. There’s only six events remaining in the Symetra season, with one of the tournaments going on this weekend in South Dakota.

“I’ve always wanted to come play (the Colorado Women’s Open),” she said. “If I don’t make the decision to play now, I probably never will, so I decided to come.”

Lee certainly earned a nice payday on Friday — $11,300 for her individual showing and $1,550 as she and CGA executive director Ed Mate placed runner-up in the pro-am competition.

“It feels really nice,” she said of the performance. “I’ve always wanted to play this event when I was at CU, but it never lined up with my schedule. I finally got a chance to come out and play this year. To be up in the mix (in the individual and team competitions) feels really good.”

For the record, title sponor CoBank won the pro-am competition with a three-day total of 27-under-par 189, which was three better than Oakwood Homes No. 2 (Lee and Mate) and Massage Envy. The winning CoBank team was comprised of Lee’s former CU teammate Fan and amateur Tyler Etcheberry of Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Notable: Dan Scherer of OutFront Media on Friday was presented the Ralph Moore Golf Journalism Award. Scherer is the senior vice president of the Mountain Plains Region for OutFront Media. Moore covered golf — and other sports — for the Denver Post for nearly 30 years. He’s a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. … Four players who have made match play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball finished in the top 15 of the Colorado Women’s Open on Friday. Prendergast (second place this week) and Secor (13th), of course, won the national women’s four-ball title this year. And Lee (third) and Fan (fourth) were the stroke-play co-medalists and went to the round of 16 in 2017, the year Prendergast and Secor also lost in the Sweet 16. … As was mentioned above, Prendergast took low-amateur honors on Friday by six strokes. Placing second in that competition was Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia (214), while Secor (217) was third.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

Amateur Katrina Prendergast may be competing against a bunch of pros this week at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open — and beating them all through Thursday’s second round — but in a couple of very notable ways, she’s in a different world.

First, should the Colorado State University senior win the overall title on Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, she’ll have to grin and bear it as the low pro is presented a $50,000 check, while she receives $750 worth of merchandise as the low amateur.

“That would be a little weird,” she said of the hypothetical. “But one more year of college is the perfect amount of time for me to keep my game going, then see what happens after.”

And second, it’s a good bet the competing pros aren’t squeezing in a couple of college classes before teeing off at GVR, or a long one after getting done, as Prendergast did on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. She attended 8 and 9 a.m. classes at CSU before round 1 and a 5-8 p.m. class after round 2.

“I’m going to miss so much class during the (school) year for golf that I might as well go (to classes) while I can,” Prendergast noted. “Today might be a little bit of a hard day because I have a three-hour class. The 8 and 9 a.m. classes weren’t too bad to come out and play golf (afterward). I love golf.”

Despite mixing school and a big tournament, Prendergast (pictured) will take a three-stroke lead into Friday’s final round of the Colorado Women’s Open. She’s attempting to become just the second amateur to win the overall title in this event, joining Paige Mackenzie, who managed the feat a dozen years ago.

On Thursday, Prendergast had a little bit of everything in her round of 2-under-par 70. She eagled the par-5 18th hole (her ninth) from 17 feet after hitting a 3 hybrid in from 225 yards. Three holes earlier, she made a double bogey after a three putt. She also tossed in four birdies and two bogeys, including one of the three-putt variety on her final hole.

Add it up and the Sparks, Nev., resident checked in at 6-under-par 138.

“I feel good. My game is good,” said the 20-year-old, who paired with CSU teammate Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May. “I’ve just got to go out and play my game tomorrow and see what happens. I’ve just got to go out and do my thing and not worry who I’m playing against.”

Prendergast normally tees it up against amateur-only fields, but this is the second time this month she’s competed against a mix of mainly pros and some ams at a state open. A few weeks ago, she finished second at the Utah Women’s Open after firing a final-round 63.

“I like playing against professionals because it makes me want to step up my game and be like them. It’s fun,” she said.

Prendergast is one of eight players who will go into Friday’s final round under par.

Jessica Vasilic (left), a 6-foot-3 player from Sweden, was the one major threat to Prendergast’s lead on Thursday as she was 5 under for the tournament through 31 holes. But she played her last five in 5 over par, going from second to ninth place with a second-round 74 leaving her at even-par 144 overall.

Holding down second place at 141 through two days is Hannah Kim of Chula Vista, Calif., who posted the low round of the tournament, a 5-under 67 on Thursday. The rookie pro from Northwestern played her final 15 holes of round 2 in 6 under par and birdied four of her last five holes.

Last month, Kim made the Illinois Women’s Open her first professional victory.

The players — Lexi Harkins of Crystal Lake, Ill., amateur Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia and Christine Meier of Rochester Hills, Mich. — are tied for third place at 142

Also in the under-par mix is rookie pro Brittany Fan, a former University of Colorado golfer who was the 2013 low amateur in this event. Fan, who won a Cactus Tour event in her pro debut last month, recently punched her ticket to Stage II of LPGA Tour Q-school. She shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday to post a 1-under 143 total, good for a share of sixth place. She made five birdies in round 2.

Notable: The field was cut to the low 40 players after 36 holes, and the golfers who finished two rounds at 6-over 150 and better advanced to Friday. … In the low-amateur competition, Prendergast remains four strokes ahead of second-place Abrahamova, who matched the CSU golfer’s second-round 70. … Massage Envy leads the pro-am team competition with one round remaining, sitting at 19-under-par 125, one shot better than title sponsor CoBank. … Former University of Texas golfer Sophia Schubert, winner of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur, carded a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday to sit at 145, good for a share of 12th place. Schubert started the tournament with a triple bogey on Wednesday. … Sixteen-year-old pro Karah Sanford, a native of Montrose, withdrew after a first-round 83. … The leaders will tee off for Friday’s final round at 9:15 a.m.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

For Friday’s final-round pairings, CLICK HERE.

This summer marks the 24th year the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open has been held. In that time, there’s been a grand total of one amateur who has won the overall title — Paige Mackenzie, current co-host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, in 2006.

The reason that’s pertinent now is that an amateur — Colorado State University senior Katrina Prendergast to be precise — leads by two after Wednesday’s opening round of the $150,000 CWO at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

There’s obviously still a long way to go — two more rounds — but the opportunity is there to join some elite company.

“I don’t really think about that honestly,” the 20-year-old said on Wednesday evening. “I just take it day by day. If I get there, I get there, but one day at a time.”

Prendergast, who hails from Sparks, Nev., was the only player to shoot in the 60s on Wednesday as she posted a 4-under-par 68. That puts her two ahead of the five players who sit in second place.

This year has already been a special one for Prendergast (pictured above), who teamed up with fellow Ram golfer Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May. Not coincidentally, Prendergast and Secor were in the same threesome in Wednesday’s first round.

“I love playing with Ellen,” Prendergast said. “She’s got a great personality, always outgoing and out there. She’s so fun to play with. I’m glad I got to play with her today.”

Prendergast and Secor have qualified in Colorado for the last two U.S. Women’s Four-Balls together, going on to make it to the round of 16 in 2017 before winning this year.

On Wednesday, Secor shot a 75, playing her final 10 holes in 2 under par. Prendergast, who tied for second earlier this month in the Utah Women’s Open after a final-round 63, two-putted for birdie on the 18th hole at GVR to finish with five birdies and one bogey.

“The putter is a little hot right now, which is good,” she said. “We want to keep it that way. I’m coming here feeling good.

“This is a good start. I got up and down basically everywhere (she missed a green), which helped me out. I gave myself chances when I needed to. I had one bogey on 9 — a mess-up on the tee. Other than that it was a good day.”

Another player with strong ties to a Colorado-based college program is among those tied for second place after round 1. That would be former University of Denver golfer Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (left), who was the low amateur in this tournament two years ago. Joining her at 70 on Wednesday were Kendra Dalton of Wake Forest, N.C., Swede Jessica Vasilic, Mary Fran Hillow of Charleston, S.C., and Natalie Vivaldi, who played three seasons at the University of Colorado before transferring to San Diego State.

In all, just eight players shot sub-par rounds on Wednesday, and no one went very deep.

“They set out a good challenge with the greens,” Dreesbeimdieke said. “That’s probably why the scores are a little higher. They’re pretty quick, I’m not going to lie. They’re quicker than they were yesterday. And some of the pins out there are not that easy. They’re on some slopes, (and) it can get away from you if you’re not careful.”

Dreesbeimdieke, a native of Namibia — just northwest of South Africa — who now lives in Juno Beach, Fla., turned pro just about a month ago and is making the CWO her third event as a professional. She competed in Stage I of LPGA Tour Q-school last week and failed to advance.

“I’m really excited” about this new phase in her life, she said. “In my mind I have a lot to learn, so easing into my pro career is what I’m planning to do. Obviously it’s going to be a lot harder — and it has been. It’s been a learning experience. It’s very different suddenly playing for a paycheck. But I’m patient with myself. I’m only human. I have a lot of nerves. I’m trying to play really well, I’m trying to be perfect. I’m kind of learning that’s not how golf is.”

Dreesbeimdieke birdied her first two holes on Wednesday and was 3 under through 5, but needed a 4-foot birdie on 18 to shoot 70.

Only one player with strong Colorado connections has won the Colorado Women’s Open since 2005 — Becca Huffer in 2013. But there are several “locals” in contention after round 1. Besides Prendergast, Dreesbeimdieke and Vivaldi, there’s former CU golfers Brittany Fan (72) and Esther Lee (73).

Notable: Prendergast (68) leads the low-amateur competition by four after round 1. In second place is Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia. … In the pro-am team competition, title sponsor CoBank’s squad shares the lead with Massage Envy at 9-under-par 63. … The championship field will be cut to the low 40 players and ties after Thursday’s second round. … The winner of the tournament — or the low pro, should an amateur prevail — will earn $50,000.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

The event, which runs Wednesday through Friday, featurures a $150,000 purse, with $50,000 going to the champion — or the low pro should an amateur win.

Schubert, a former University of Texas golfer from Oak Ridge, Tenn., competed in the U.S. Women’s Open this year and finished 20th out of 339 players last week in Stage I of LPGA Tour Q-school, earning a spot in Stage II. Also this month, Schubert made her pro debut as she missed the cut in the LPGA Tour’s Indy Women in Tech Championship.

Also scheduled to play at GVR are Colorado State University golfers Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor, who teamed up to win the national U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May.

Likewise planning to tee it up for the Women’s Open are former University of Colorado golfers Brittany Fan (who just advanced to Stage II of LPGA Q-school) and Esther Lee; 2016 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch, who is in her rookie year as a pro; Gabrielle Schipley, who won the 2016 Women’s NCAA Division II individual title at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora; and 16-year-old pro Karah Sanford, a native of Montrose.

The Colorado Women’s Open is a multi-day pro-am in addition to an individual championship. Admission and parking for the tournament are free.

For Wednesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

Fifty thousand dollars in prize money will do that, especially when the next-biggest amount you’ve won as a professional is $2,000.

“I don’t think it’s set in yet,” the 25-year-old said on Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. “Call me in about two hours and I’ll probably be passed out in the street somewhere.

“This is probably the most proud I’ve ever been. I mean, 50 grand, that changes my life. That doesn’t just change my year, that changes my career. It’s just hard to put into words just how much it means to have your eye on the prize and you accomplish it. And you have your two lowest rounds of the year (67-67 on Wednesday and Thursday), and this is my lowest total ever (for 54 holes) as a professional. Just stuff like that, when you start piecing it all together, it makes this week really, really, really special.”

On a windy, challenging day, Breed (left) shot a 1-over-par 73 on Friday to win by two with a 9-under 207 total.

Kupcho — the Westminster resident who’s ranked No. 3 in the world among female amateurs after winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur and finishing 21st in the U.S. Women’s Open — was nipping at Breed’s heels all day long on Friday, but could never catch her. The Wake Forest junior finished runner-up for the second straight time in this event, having also hit that mark in 2014, her last time playing here.

“Obviously I came out here to win,” the 20-year-old said. “Low am is one thing, but I came out to win the big thing. That’s a little disappointing.”

Kupcho (left) was within a stroke of the lead on several occasions on Friday, including after Breed made a bogey on the 15th hole. But the golfer from Pennsylvania birdied No. 16 from 12 feet, punctuating the putt with a fist pump. Both players bogeyed No. 17, leaving Kupcho two back going into the par-5 18th. The Coloradan certainly has the length to reach the green in two, but she pushed her tee shot into the environmentally sensitive area on the right, took a stroke penalty and ended up with a closing bogey. And even though Breed also bogeyed the final two holes, she won by two.

“I didn’t play my best,” Kupcho said after playing her last five holes in 3 over par to shoot a 73. “I left a lot of putts out there, and you’re not going to win a professional tournament if you’re not making putts. That’s pretty much what let me down today.

“I think I always had a good chance (coming down the stretch). When we got to the back nine I was one down. … I knew the three hardest holes on the golf course were coming up and anything can happen. Obviously I’ve been in that spot at (NCAA) nationals” where Kupcho led through 16 holes of the final round but finished second. “It was fun to be trailing. I was trying to grind out and see what I can do.”

While Kupcho came up short in trying to become just the second amateur to win the CWO, she enjoyed competing in front of family, friends and fans in her home state — and in going head-to-head with professionals.

“It’s exciting to play up with the pros,” she said. “I know I can do it. I know I can play well because of the U.S. Open and things like that. And it’s cool to do it in my home state.”

Andrea Wong of San Francisco, who held at least a share of the lead after the first two days, tied for third at 210 with Alexandra Kaui of Las Vegas. Wong closed with a 76 after going 5 over par in a three-hole stretch in the middle of her round. Kaui posted a 71.

Gabrielle Shipley of Hastings, Mich., who won the 2016 NCAA Division II women’s individual title at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, placed fifth at 211. Lauren Coughlin of Charlottesville, Va., the 2016 champion, was among those tied for sixth at 212.

Breed, a Symetra Tour regular who is exempt into stage II of the three-stage LPGA Tour qualifying process, won in her first time competing at the Colorado Women’s Open.

“This was my first time playing here, and I’m glad I came,” she said with a big smile.

The CWO marks Breed’s second victory as a professional, as she captured the title in the Kentucky Women’s Open in 2015. But with the $50,000 check that she received Friday, this one goes in another class.

“The more I think about it, the more elated I get,” she said.

Breed would have gotten the $50,000 even if Kupcho had won — given that the Coloradan is an amateur. But Breed did her best to keep that kind of thinking at bay.

“I wanted to win (and not just get the $50,000 for being low pro),” she said. “That was the mindset I had today. Obviously I knew I was playing for a ton of money. Instead of focusing on the money — if you think you’re playing for $50,000, you’re going to shoot 100 — I was just thinking of winning the event. It could have been worth $0 or $1 million, I just wanted to win the tournament. That was my only goal, and luckily I got it done.”

Kent Moore Receives Prestigious Honor: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore was presented with the Robert M. Kirchner Award by 2016 recipient Rich Langston after Friday’s final round of the CWO. The Kirchner Award is given to a person who has contributed greatly to amateur, professional and/or tournament golf in Colorado. Moore was the chairman of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation from its founding in 2003 through 2005, and Langston introduced him as “a gentleman.”

“Golf, at the end of the day, is really about community,” Moore said. “It has been for me. My life has so much of golf woven in, and it’s all been really, really good.”

As a competitor, Moore has won eight different CGA individual championships over the last 44 years: the 1973 Junior Match Play, the 1986 Amateur, the 1989 Match Play, the 1995 Mid-Amateur, the 2006 Senior Match Play, the 2014 Senior Stroke Play, the 2016 Super-Senior Stroke Play and the 2017 Super-Senior Match Play.

(Moore, right, and Langston are pictured at left.)

Notable: Kupcho ended up claiming low amateur honors on Friday by 11 strokes. University of Denver golfer Jessica Dreesbeimdieke, the 2016 low-am, and Colorado State University golfer Ellen Secor tied for second among amateurs at 4-over-par 220. … Karlin Beck of Montgomery, Ala., and Molly Greenblatt of Denver teamed up to win the pro-am competition by four strokes with a 27-under-par 189 total, which established a scoring record for the event.

For scores and payouts from the Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

It’s ironic that in the same year the prize money for the top professional finisher in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open has more than quadrupled, there’s a decent chance that the overall champion will be an amateur.

Such is the scenario when you have the No. 3-ranked women’s amateur in the world in the field.

Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, competing in the Colorado Women’s Open for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2014, has put herself in contention to be just the second amateur ever to claim the overall title.

The Wake Forest junior shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 on Thursday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club to jump into third place going into Friday’s final round.

Two players competing in their first Colorado Women’s Open are the only ones ahead of Kupcho after 36 holes.

First-round leader Andrea Wong of San Francisco and Liz Breed of Waynesboro, Pa., will share the top spot going into the last round. Wong, a former Cal-Davis golfer, birdied her first five holes on Thursday, a day after starting with three straight birds. Wong, who is exempt on the Ladies European Tour this year, made a 9-foot birdie on her final hole to shoot a 4-under 68, leaving her at 10-under 134.

Also at that figure is Breed, a former University of Kentucky golfer who shot her second consecutive 67. The 2015 Kentucky Women’s Open champion chalked up six birdies on Thursday.

Should Kupcho (pictured above with mom/caddie Janet Kupcho) end up winning on Friday, the $50,000 first prize will simply go to the low professional. And the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion would make do with joining 2006 champion Paige Mackenzie as the only amateur champions in the 23-year history of the Colorado Women’s Open.

“I don’t really think about that,” Kupcho said when asked about that possibility. “I come out and play my game and do whatever I need to do to play the best I can.”

If Kupcho were to claim the overall trophy, she’d also join a select group of Colorado residents who have won the CWO in the 21st century. In the tournament record book, only one champion since 2000 has listed a Colorado hometown — Becca Huffer in 2013. (Note: 2005 winner Erin Houtsma was a former University of Colorado golfer and has lived in Colorado plenty over the years, though her hometown at the time was Phoenix.)

“It would be cool to compete and play up to that and (possibly) get my name on there with the rest of (the Colorado champions),” Kupcho said. “That would be super cool.

“It will be fun (on Friday). I’m excited to compete and play here. It’s nice to have people come out to watch me.”

Kupcho’s runner-up finish 2014 was the highest by an amateur at the Colorado Women’s Open since Huffer was also second in 2008.

Winning the CWO as an amateur would be a fitting addition to what has been a stellar 2017 for Kupcho. So far this year, she’s:

— Won an Women’s NCAA Regional and finished runner-up individually in the NCAA Finals. She was one of three finalists for the women’s college golfer of the year honor.

— She finished 21st in the U.S. Women’s Open after qualifying for that championship for the second straight year.

— Won the Canadian Women’s Amateur.

— Won the CWGA Stroke Play for the third straight year.

Meanwhile, this week Breed is visiting Colorado for the first time in her life, and she’s hoping it produces her second professional victory.

“The thing I’m looking forward to the most (on Friday) is being in the hunt,” the 25-year-old Symetra Tour regular said. “This is the reason I play golf every single day of my life. This is why I practice. When you can start to see the results that you work for, it just makes it that much sweeter and more satisfying. Money is great, but this tournament could be worth $0 and it still would be great to win. I mean, you’re the best that week. That’s what you want to do.”

As for Wong (left), she’s continued her strong play after finishing 25th out of 361 players on Sunday at stage I of LPGA Tour Q-school. Her strong starts both Wednesday and Thursday have added to her confidence.

“I was feeling pretty good” after being 5 under through 5 holes on Thursday. “I was like, ‘Maybe I can shoot the course record.'”

Should Wong win on Friday, it would mark her first victory as a pro.

In fourth place going into the final round is Gabrielle Shipley of Hastings, Mich., who won the Women’s NCAA Division II national title last year at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. Despite a triple bogey in Thursday’s round of 71, Shipley stands at 138.

Notable: The championship field was cut after Thursday’s second round to the top 42 players and ties, with those at 5 over par and better after 36 holes advancing to the final round in the individual competition. Barely making the cut was former champion Erin Houtsma. Sisters Ashley Tait (147) and Jaylee Tait (149) both survived the cut. … Kupcho is tops among the amateurs by eight strokes after two rounds. In second place, at even-par 144, is 2016 low amateur Jessica Dreesbeimke, a University of Denver golfer. … Two teams share the lead in the pro-am after 36 holes — at 18 under par: Karlin Beck and Molly Greenblatt, and Casey Danielson and Jim Bender. … Wong, Breed and Kupcho will tee off for Friday’s final round at 9:15 a.m.

For scores from the Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.
 

The timing of the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open isn’t ideal for a college golfer like Jennifer Kupcho, which is why the Westminster resident hasn’t competed in the tournament the last couple of years after placing second in 2014.

It hasn’t been easy, but she’s shoe-horning the event into her schedule this week, much to the delight of tournament organizers. After all, it’s nice to have a player in your field who finished 21st in the U.S. Women’s Open, won the Canadian Women’s Amateur, qualified for last week’s LPGA Tour stop at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open (though she elected not to play) and finished second in the Women’s NCAA Championship Finals. And she’s the winner of the last three CWGA Stroke Play Championships to boot.

To make playing in the Colorado Women’s Open a reality this week, Kupcho (left) had to fly back to Colorado on Tuesday evening after starting school at Wake Forest in North Carolina on Monday. In fact, during a mid-round lightning delay on Wednesday afternoon at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, the No. 3-ranked women’s amateur in the world was working on some homework that’s due on Thursday morning before her second-round tee time.

“I have an assignment due for an education class before my tee time tomorrow,” she noted. “It’s due before that class — there it’s 9:30, so 7:30 our time. I was thinking, ‘I could either do it now or I could do it later tonight when I want to sleep. So just do it now.'”

Then a day after things wrap up in the Women’s Open, Kupcho will fly to Charleston, S.C., where she’ll play at Kiawah Island in Wake Forest’s season opener Monday and Tuesday.

But Kupcho isn’t here just to make an appearance. She has a good chance to become just the second amateur to win the Colorado Women’s Open — joining Paige Mackenzie (2006) — and nothing changed in that regard in Wednesday’s opening round.

Despite playing in windy conditions in the afternoon, the 20-year-old shot a 3-under-par 69 despite three-putting for par on her final hole. That leaves her in a share of sixth place after the first day.

The back-and-forth in order to play at GVR “is a little crazy,” Kupcho admitted. “It’s kind of different not getting to spend a whole lot of time with my team since (a lot of players are newcomers). But it’s fine. I like traveling and playing different tournaments. And it’s good to be back home.

“I just chose I wanted to play in this. I hadn’t played in it in a couple of years. I thought it would be a lot of fun — and it is.”

On Wednesday, Kupcho finished with five birdies — including three straight starting on her 10th hole — and two bogeys.

“I played really well,” she said. “I was hitting the ball better than I thought I would. I’ve been slacking a little on practicing since going back to school.”

On the CWO leaderboard along with Kupcho are a couple of first-time Colorado Women’s Open participants who just advanced through the first stage of the LPGA Q-school process. Andrea Wong (left) of San Francisco shot a 6-under-par 66 to grab the first-round lead. And Gabrielle Shipley of Hastings, Mich., who won the Women’s NCAA Division II national title last year at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, opened with a 67 along with Liz Breed of Wayneboro, Pa., who played the back nine in 6-under 30. Tied for fourth at 4 under par are Wendy Doolan of Lakeland, Fla. (68) and Karlin Beck of Montgomery, Ala. (through 12 holes).

“Last time I was here (in Denver), I played great,” Shipley said, referring to her national collegiate title. “And coming off of Q-school, qualifying for stage II, it was just all good vibes going into this week. Coming back here to the area is happy altogether. So I’m excited.

“My approaches were on fire today. And these are the best-rolling greens I’ve played on all this year — and they’re the quickest I’ve played on. Usually, what you see is what you get, so you can trust it more because there’s not bumps everywhere.”

Wong, a winner of four college tournaments while at Cal-Davis — including an NCAA Regional last year — is exempt this year on the Ladies European Tour. On Wednesday, she started her round with three straight birdies and racked up seven overall, four of which came on the par-5s.

“I’ve always heard how the Colorado Open is one of the best state opens,” Wong said. “I have really good family friends that live nearby. And two of my good friends from college are road-tripping from the East Coast and happen to be in Denver so they came and watched my front nine which was really fun. It was just a good day.”

Because of an hour-long weather delay on Wednesday afternoon, round 1 wasn’t completed. It will resume on Thursday at 7:15 a.m. Second-round tee times won’t be affected.

Notable: CGA executive director Ed Mate was part of a threesome on Wednesday — and will be against Thursday — that included pro-am teammate Lauren Coughlin, the defending champion, and Kupcho. Coughlin and Mate lead the pro-am competition after posting a 10-under-par 62 net best-ball score on Wednesday. … In the competition for low-amateur, Kupcho leads by three over 2016 low-am Jessica Dreesbeimdieke of the University of Denver, Baylee Price of Broken Arrow, Okla., and Maggie Cowart of New Braunfels, Texas. … The championship field will be cut after Thursday’s second round to the top 42 players and ties. … A reminder: The purse for this week’s tournament is $150,000, with $50,000 going to the top professional finisher.

For scores from the Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.
 

One reason is the huge increase in the purse announced earlier this year. With the championship being conducted Wednesday through Friday (Aug. 30-Sept. 1) at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, the overall prize money will double from last year, to $150,000. And first prize — among the professionals — will more than quadruple, going from $11,000 in 2016 to $50,000 this year.

The other reason is that Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster will be competing in the tournament for the first time since she finished runner-up as a 17-year-old in 2014.

The three-time CWGA Player of the Year has had a very memorable last 100 days as a competitor. During that stretch, the Wake Forest golfer has finished second individually at the Women’s NCAA Championships, won the CWGA Stroke Play for the third consecutive year, won the Canadian Women’s Amateur and finished 21st overall at the U.S. Women’s Open.

That makes Kupcho a very good bet to contend for the title at GVR. Only one player — Paige Mackenzie in 2006 — has won the Colorado Women’s Open as an amateur.

Also in the CWO field this week are former University of Denver golfer Ellie Givens, a regular on the Ladies European Tour and Symetra Tour; and former champions Erin Houtsma, Joy Trotter, Moira Dunn-Bohls and 2016 winner Lauren Coughlin. Likewise competing will be Colorado-based professionals Ashley Tait and Somin Lee, and Alexandra Braga, who has won the last two Colorado PGA Women’s Championships.

Among the amateurs, in addition to Kupcho, are 2016 low am Jessica Dreesbeimdieke from the University of Denver, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, DU’s Mary Weinstein and Colorado State University’s Ellen Secor.

There had been a qualifying tournament scheduled for Monday (Aug. 28), but it was canceled as all there was room for all the championship entrants into the field.

As usual, many championship contestants will simultaneously compete in the pro-am, which is similar to what the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am does on the PGA Tour.

Spectators are welcome at the Colorado Women’s Open, free of charge.

For Wednesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.

You could take it to the (Co)Bank.

Almost exactly a year after the purse for the men’s Open jumped to $250,000 — with an amazing $100,000 going to the winner — Colorado Open Golf Foundation officials announced a comparable increase, percentage-wise, for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open. Not coincidentally, CoBank has been the title sponsor for the Colorado Open championships since the beginning of 2016.

For the 2017 women’s tournament, set for Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, first prize will more than quadruple — to $50,000 from $11,000 — and the overall purse will double — to $150,000. In both cases, those are records for a women’s state/regional open and the $50,000 is considerably more than the winner receives for any 2017 event on the Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s development circuit.

“We’re very excited that we’re a big girls’ game now,” Colorado Open Golf Foundation CEO Kevin Laura said during Thursday’s announcement at Topgolf in Centennial.

Roughly $135,000 of the purse total will be devoted to the championship competition, with $15,000 (the same as in 2016) going for the pro-am.

“This is the best state open and it’s getting even better,” said Denver’s Becca Huffer, a two-time Colorado state high school champion who went on to win the 2013 Colorado Women’s Open.

“This is a huge day for women’s golf in Colorado,” said 2005 CWO champ Erin Houtsma, the tournament’s all-time money leader. “As someone who’s played in this tournament since I was about 16 years old, I love this event so much and this is long overdue. I thank everyone for their hard work and dedication to this process.”

Ironically, Houtsma is in the midst of getting her amateur status back, so even if she wins the 2017 CWO, there will be no $50,000 first prize for her. Instead, the highest-finishing professional would get that payday.

With the substantial increase in money, tournament organizers now feel there will be enough demand for a qualifying event — a first for the CWO — and have scheduled one for Aug. 28 at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. Five to 10 spots will be available through qualifying. Meanwhile, exemptions will be held for select players from the LPGA and Symetra Tours.

Laura indicated the increased prize money for the Women’s Open is being funded by $75,000 in new sponsorships, with another $10,000 coming from a $100 increase in entry fees from the 100 or so championship players. It will now cost those players $400 to enter the championship alone, and $500 for the championship and the pro-am.

(Entries for the Colorado Women’s Open, the CoBank Colorado Open and the CoBank Colorado Senior Open all will open on Monday, March 6. For more information, CLICK HERE.)

The money hike for the Women’s Open — which will continue to feature a format in which the championship and a pro-am are conducted simultaneously — has been on the radar since organizers first started putting a similar plan in place for the men’s Open.

“We knew when we first did the men’s purse increase that shortly thereafter we needed to figure out how to handle the women,” said Pat Hamill, the founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and the owner of GVR. “Alex (Ringsby, who serves on the foundation’s board of trustees) had called me and said, ‘We thought women should come first. Isn’t that the right thing to do?'”

All three of the Colorado Open championships have always been very highly regarded among state and regional opens, but the huge purse increases for the Colorado Open and the Colorado Women’s Open since CoBank became title sponsor certainly take those tournaments’ reputation up a notch.

The Colorado Open “clearly was a premier state tournament, but … we wanted to take it to the next level,” said Bob Engel, former CEO of CoBank. “And we saw the engagement of anyone that has anything at all to do with the (tournament or course). Everyone pulled together on this. And the excitement just kind of continued to grow.

“For me what was really (eye-catching) was when we had these individual clinics with The First Tee kids last year (conducted by Hale Irwin, Ryan Palmer and Paula Creamer). And when I saw the attendance by the young ladies for that (Creamer) event, it was absolutely tremendous. And Pat (Hamill) had whispered to me at the end of the men’s tournament, ‘We’re going to get this going for the women also.’ It really is tremendous. … So (with these increases) we think it brings a whole lot more and that the community will continue to rally around it.”

Many players like the ones who attended Thursday’s announcement — Houtsma, Huffer and three-time state high school champion and veteran CWO competitor Ashley Tait — have seldom played in a tournament with a $50,000 first prize (though Huffer competed in the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open). (Pictured above, from left, sharing a laugh Thursday are Engel, Hamill, Houtsma, Huffer and Tait.)

“I’ve always looked forward to that day that I have a chance to win (the Women’s Open) — and I’ll look forward to that day even more (now),” Tait said with a laugh. “($50,000) could change your life, open up some doors, especially for us having to pay for your own expenses and travel on tour.

“Especially coming down that stretch at Green Valley and those last four holes, which can be brutal, they’ll be even more stressful now with that on the line.”

The hope from the perspective of tournament organizers is a step up in the caliber of field for the Women’s Open like that that happened for the men’s Open, which in 2016 sold out all four of its qualfiers for the first time.

“We know this is going to do for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open what the purse increase did for the men,” said Chris Nordling, a former CGA state amateur champion who now chairs the Colorado Open Golf Foundation. “We’re excited about the better field, the lower scores and the more money for the women.”

Just how much of a draw the money increase will be should be apparent this year as both the Symetra Tour and the LPGA Tour have events directly opposite of the CWO. With the top 10 players on the final 2017 Symetra Tour money list earning spots on the 2018 LPGA Tour — and with that being the stretch run for the Symetra schedule — some players will be conflicted about whether to come to Colorado. That’s what happened with Huffer last year when she was high enough on the Symetra money list that she decided to skip the Colorado Women’s Open to further help her cause on the Symetra money list.

“I hated missing this event last year,” Huffer said. “(With the money increase) I can’t imagine people not having it on their radar. It would be a really hard decision not to come here. … I think it will bring anyone who has ever been on the fence about playing in it.

“I can see it being a star on the calendar for everyone.”

The field for the 23rd CWO will feature 104-106 championship players, including probably 18-25 amateurs. With 38-40 net amateurs competing, the total field will number 144.

Big Names Expected for 2 Clinics at GVR: A year after holding three clinics featuring two winners of major championships (Irwin and Creamer, in addition to Palmer), the folks from the Colorado Open Golf Foundation are planning to host a couple of other major winners for clinics at GVR this summer.

Laura said arrangements aren’t yet finalized, but a major champion on the men’s side and another on the women’s are expected to lead the clinics for the kids from the area’s First Tee programs, including the one at GVR.

The clinic with the men’s major champ will likely be held in mid- to late-June, with the women’s LPGA Tour player probably coming two months later.