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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s hard to imagine starting a state high school tournament career on a higher note.

Holy Family freshman Hailey Schalk made birdie on each of her first five holes Monday — and eight for her round — in shooting a career-best 6-under-par 65 at the Broomfield-based Broadlands Golf Course, which happens to be less than a mile from her school.

That gives Schalk, who won the Colorado Junior Match Play championship last summer, a whopping six-stroke lead heading into Tuesday’s final round’s of the 3A girls state high school tournament.

Schalk, who shot the 65 despite a final-hole bogey, changed putters on the eve of the state tournament and it obviously worked wonders.

“She has been striking the ball well, but she’s struggled putting the last couple weeks,” her dad and Holy Family coach Matt Schalk told BoCoPreps.com. Matt Schalk is a PGA professional and the general manager at Colorado National Golf Club.

Cassie Kneen of Colorado Academy holds down second place at 71.

With four players in the top six overall, it should come as no surprise that Kneen’s CA team — the 2016 4A state champions — holds a huge lead. With a 2-over-par total, the school is 23 ahead of Holy Family.

This marks the first year for the 3A state tournament.

5A Tournament at The Club at Rolling Hills in Golden: Facing a formidable test on the greens at Rolling Hills, no player broke 75 on the first day of the 5A state meet.

Senior Amelia Lee (pictured) of Rock Canyon handled the course the best on Monday, making a 2-foot birdie putt on her final hole and shooting a 3-over-par 75, which gives her a one-stroke lead. She made three birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey in round 1.

“There were definitely some rough holes out there and the greens weren’t that easy either,” Lee said. “I had a 5-foot putt that ended up an 11-foot putt. That was kind of rough. But overall I love this course and it’s a lot of fun playing with the girls, as always.”

Lee finished 11th in the state tournament as a sophomore and 17th last year.

“This year is to redeem myself,” said Lee, who has signed to play her college golf at Creighton University.

Julia Baroth of Denver East and Payton Canon of Chery Creek share second place at 76. Sophomore Amy Chitkoksoong of Grandview, last year’s 5A runner-up, posted a 78.

“For a state course, I think it was tough but fair,” said Chitkoksoong, the 2015 Colorado Junior Match Play champion. “I was just trying to survive out there today.”

Rock Canyon, at 24 over par, holds a five-stroke lead over Ralston Valley in the team competition.

4A Tournament at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie: Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, who tied for ninth in the 5A state tournament last year, holds down the top spot in the 4A tournament after Monday’s opening round.

Lehigh, who birdied her first two holes, made four birdies overall and shot a 1-over-par 73. That’s good for a two-stroke lead over Lauren Murphy of Glenwood Springs and Sydney Prey of Golden, who placed seventh at state last year.

Lehigh’s Loveland squad built a formidable 18-stroke lead over Windsor in the team standings.

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

There was no endorsement deal involved, but shortly after winning the individual title at the 5A girls state high school tournament, Mary Weinstein noted that she was going to Disney World.

After an eventful Monday and Tuesday, she’d earned it.

On Monday, Weinstein built a four-stroke lead in tough weather conditions at CommonGround Golf Course. That night, she graduated from Regis Jesuit High School. Then on Tuesday, she won the individual championship by four strokes despite four-putting the 18th green.

“It feels great,” she said, noting that the Disney trip will be followed by a cruise with her family. “I have not done well at state my freshman, sophomore or junior years, so I really wanted to go out with a bang, and I feel like I did that today.”

And the same can be said for Grandview, which ended Regis Jesuit’s two-year reign as 5A team champion. In a team competition that went down to the last group at the last hole, the Wolves (pictured below) edged Regis by two strokes to earn their first state championship in girls golf.

Had Weinstein two-putted from long distance on the 18th hole and made birdie, the teams would have tied, but Grandview prevailed in regulation with an 8-over-par 224 score on Tuesday and a two-day total of 30-over 462.

With freshman Amy Chitkoksoong, the 2015 CWGA Junior Match Play champion, finishing second individually and senior Morgan Sahm placing third for the second straight year, they set the tone for the Wolves, who rallied from an eight-stroke deficit after round 1. Also on the state-title winning squad were Caitlin O’Donnell (30th) and Ryan Morgan (51st). (Sahm, in blue, and Weinstein are pictured at top chatting on the 18th green after finishing their high school careers.)

“It’s amazing,” said Sahm, the 2015 CJGA Tournament of Champions winner and a University of Northern Colorado signee. “I’m so proud of my team. It’s a great way to end my senior year. I couldn’t have asked for anything else. I’m so happy for Mary winning individually. I’ve grown up playing with her, so I’m very proud of her. But to win as a team really means a lot to me. I’m very happy.”

Added Chitkoksoong, who birdied the last hole to give Grandview the lead: “It feels really great, to be honest. We were neck and neck with Regis, and just being able to push through those last holes really made a difference.”

While the team race went right down to the wire, the individual competition was never particularly close on Tuesday. Weinstein (left), the 2015 CWGA Junior Player of the Year and 2015 CWGA Junior Stroke Play champ, left little doubt with a 3-under-par 69 in the final round, giving her a two-day total of 4-under 140. And that was despite the four-putt on her final hole.

Weinstein, a Regis University signee, eagled the par-5 fifth hole from 10 feet and added three birdies in the final round.

“That four-putt was not my greatest moment, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world,” said Weinstein, who finished 15th in last year’s prestigious IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships.

Weinstein has been a semi-regular at CommonGround this year as she’s part of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program there, but she said that didn’t give her any home-course advantage as she practices plenty at the facility but rarely plays the championship course.

Meanwhile, Chikoksoong carded the low round of the tournament on Tuesday — a 4-under-par 68 — to place second individually as a freshman, ending up at even-par 144. She made four straight birdies on Tuesday (holes 3-6) and six overall for the day.

Unfortunately, she can look at the four strokes she finished behind Weinstein and trace it all back to one hole, the 296-yard par-4 fourth, where she made a quadruple-bogey 8 in the first round.

“I guess I got kind of greedy on that one hole, trying to get on (the green) in one and pushed my shot into the trees,” she said. “I was so caught up in the moment that I just took shot after shot. I messed up on that hole. It was pretty upsetting. I just had to deal with it and keep moving on. That’s what today was — to keep making up those strokes.

“I ‘m really proud of how I played the second day. The first day, I guess I made a mental mistake and that pretty much cost me my round. We’re out here to win, you know, and coming in runner-up is kind of upsetting. But you’ve got to tip your hat to the winner. Mary had a great round and she completely deserves the win.”

Sahm, meanwhile, posted her fourth top-10 finish at state by ending up third. She carded a 73 on Tuesday to check in at 148.

“That’s OK,” she said. “I’m just happy I’m done with senior year and that ended it this way (with a team title).”

Final-Hole Birdie Proves Difference for Sargent in 4A: Erin Sargent of Silver Creek birdied the final hole of her high school golf career, giving her the individual title Tuesday in the 4A state meet at Pueblo Country Club.

The 10-foot birdie putt gave the University of Wyoming signee a one-stroke victory over playing partner Caroline Jordaan of Colorado Academy. Both players closed with 2-over-par 74s, with Sargent ending up with a two-day total of 5-over-par 149.

Sargent, who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open last year, made three birdies — including on the first and last holes of the day — and five bogeys for round 2. Jordaan parred 11 of her final 12 holes, with a bogey on 16 proving costly.

But Jordaan’s Colorado Academy squad ran away with the team title, ending Cheyenne Mountain’s streak of three conscutive championships in 4A. CA posted a 36-over-par 468 total, while Cheyenne Mountain was second at 520.

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

Final scores from the girls state high school tournaments: 5A, 4A

————————————————

Gillian Vance points out that she and Jennifer Kupcho call themselves “Team Kupance”.

And why not — at least this month, which has been a memorable May for the two graduating Colorado high school seniors? A week ago in Oregon, they teamed up and advanced to match play at the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. And in the first round of matches, they came ever so close to knocking off the No. 3 seed, leading 2 up through 14 before falling in 20 holes.

Then they both returned to their home state and promptly each won a state high school title on Tuesday — Vance in Class 5A and Kupcho (above) for the second straight year by a double-digit margin in 4A.

“That was definitely our goal,” Vance (below) said Tuesday when the second round of the 5A tournament was canceled for weather-related reasons, giving her the victory after a first-round 68. “We call ourselves Team Kupance. We thought Team Kupance could go to Oregon and play our best, then go back and win state. We’ve made it so far together. We definitely wanted to go out with a bang together.”

And so it was for the friends who first met about eight years ago at an CJGA 10-and-under tournament at Cordillera west of Vail.

At the 4A state tournament at River Valley Ranch Golf Club in Carbondale, Jefferson Academy’s Kupcho became the first back-to-back girls high school state champion in Colorado since Salida’s Emily Wood won in 4A in 2009 and ’10. Overall, Kupcho is just the seventh golfer to claim two or more Colorado girls state high school titles. She joins Ashley Tait of Mullen (3), Lynn Ann Moretto of Cherry Creek (3), Becca Huffer of Littleton (2), Jennifer McCormick of Columbine (2), Kelly Jacques of Skyline (2) and Wood (2). The Wake Forest-bound Kupcho finished third, second, first and first in her four state high school meets.

A year after winning the 4A state title by 14 strokes, Kupcho posted a 10-stroke victory on Tuesday. In a day that started off sunny but turned cold, rainy and thundery — play was interrupted twice at River Valley Ranch on Tuesday — she shot a 3-under-par 69 despite closing with a double bogey. That gave her a 5-under 139 total.

“It feels pretty great to finish out that way,” said Kupcho, the 2014 CWGA Player of the Year. “It was a lot of fun playing with Kylee (Sullivan of Cheyenne Mountain) and Erin (Sargent of Silver Creek). We had two rain delays, which was kind of a downer. It was crazy, but we had a lot of fun out there.”

Kupcho had one significant blip early on Tuesday, making a double bogey after losing a ball in the weeds following her tee shot on No. 4. So how did she respond? She merely birdied five of the next seven holes — including making a 25-foot putt on No. 9 — all sandwiched around the first lightning delay. If there had been any suspense left regarding who would win the individual title, that certainly ended it.

“I had two doubles yesterday and I bounced back really well from those,” she said. “That carried over to today because I wanted to do the best I could and bounce back as well as I could.”

Kupcho finished with 14 birdies in 36 holes — seven each day. Strangely, though, she had far more double bogeys (4) than bogeys (1).

Sullivan placed second at 149 — marking her third straight top-six showing at state and leading Cheyenne Mountain to its third consecutive 4A team championship. At 499, the Indians ended up five strokes ahead of runner-up Colorado Academy.

Sargent finished third individually at 151.

Vance, who wrapped up her career at Dakota Ridge and will play at the University of Colorado beginning in the fall, prevailed in the 5A meet at the Olde Course at Loveland thanks to her 4-under-par 68 on Monday. That’s the best score posted at either the 5A or 4A girls state high school tournament since 2012.

Vance won by two over Regis Jesuit senior Sydney Gillespie, who shot a 70 Monday while playing in the same group as Vance. While Gillespie didn’t get a chance to catch the leader on Tuesday, the Colorado Christian University recruit did finish in the top 10 individually all four years at state and she can take some joy in Regis (left) winning its second consecutive 5A team title and fourth state crown in the last six seasons. The Raiders prevailed by 13 over Rock Canyon.

Morgan Sahm of Grandview, Alexis Chan of Rock Canyon and Ashlyn Kirschner of Ralston Valley shared third place individually at 73.

Vance, who like Kupcho competed in the 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, won when Tuesday’s final round was washed out due to heavy overnight rain and considerable standing water at the Olde Course at Loveland. The results from Monday’s opening round became final, making the event an 18-hole tournament.

“I told myself we were going to play,” said Vance (below). “We were about to head out of our hotel room and the coach (Levi Bartholomew) called me and said, ‘Hi state champion.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was really shocked.”

Tournament officials reported too much puddling at the Olde Course on Tuesday morning to hold the final round. Normal tournament policy for the state high school meets — both girls and boys — is to make round 1 results final if round 2 is canceled. Competitors and coaches were notified of that possibility on Monday.

In a similar scenario, the 1985 boys state high school tournament, won by Pomona’s Jakob Green at Fort Collins Country Club, was reduced to 18 holes because of snow.

Vance knew on Monday that there was a chance, given the forecast, that the first round might be the only round. After starting out the tournament with a bogey after a poor opening tee shot, she came on strong by going bogey-free the rest of the day in cold conditions, making five birdies.

“It’s completely fine that it’s an 18-hole tournament,” she said. “Everybody would have love to have played but if the weather doesn’t permit it, that’s just how it is. Either way, I’m just extremely grateful.

“This means the world to me. It really puts a smile on my face to go out with a bang, which is exactly what I wanted to do. I had a blast.”