On Wednesday, Welch figuratively used his grappling skills to wrestle away the boys title in the Colorado Junior Amateur from Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, who threw down the gauntlet in the final round by shooting a 5-under-par 31 on the front nine and a 6-under-par 66 overall at Todd Creek Golf Club in Thornton.

So what did Welch, playing four groups behind Stewart on Wednesday, do in response?

He just posted his best tournament round ever — for the second straight day — by shooting a 66 of his own to overtake Stewart on the back nine and claim the boys championship.

“This week is actually the first time I’ve broken 70 in a tournament,” the 17-year-old said. “To come out and shoot 68 yesterday and 66 today was phenomenal.”

On the girls side, Katie Berrian of Castle Rock did some nifty final-round work of her own to claim the trophy. The 16-year-old rebounded from a second-round 82 with an even-par 72 to emerge from a tightly-packed leaderboard to earn the victory.

“This is one of my biggest wins definitely, especially since it was a three-day tournament. And it was a major championship,” Berrian noted. “I feel really accomplished, and I’m going to celebrate my accomplishment. Now I’m really confident, so I can go into more tournaments feeling like, ‘I did that, so I can do it again.'”

In both the cases of Berrian and Welch, Wednesday marked their first major titles in Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado events. (The champions are pictured together above.)

Welch’s 68-66 in the final two rounds netted him a 10-under-par 206 total and the victory, which he called the biggest of his young career. And to make it even more impressive, Wednesday’s 66 came despite being 2 over par after three holes of the final round. That means he went 8 under par for his last 15 holes.

“On hole 7, my playing partner said, ‘Dillon shot 5 under on the front.’ I was like, ‘Oh Jeez, I’ve got to start making some more birdies,'” said Welch (left). “I had birdied three in a row (4-6) and I birdied No. 8. When I came to the back nine, I knew I was one or two down to Dillon at that point. I told myself to ‘keep hitting good shots. You’re playing well and you’re hitting good putts.'”

Welch, the younger brother of 2015 Colorado Boys Junior Player of the Year Coby Welch, finished the day with nine birdies and three bogeys. And he birdied 16 from 5 feet and 18 from 8 feet following an awkward bunker shot — all after Stewart was finished to break a tie and account for the final margin of victory.

Stewart (bottom), winner of the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior last month, likewise went 68-66 the last two rounds at Todd Creek, checking in at 208 for second place. The future Oklahoma State golfer was 7 under par for the day through 14 holes, but took a double bogey on No. 15 after hitting his second shot into the hazard in front of the green following an errant tee shot into the native grass right of the fairway.

“I played solid and gave myself an opportunity to win,” said Stewart, who will play in the U.S. Junior Amateur next week. “You can’t complain when somebody backs up your 66 with another 66. There’s nothing you can say.”

Welch said he plans on playing college golf — brother Coby is doing so at the University of Northern Colorado — but doesn’t know where yet.

“This will hopefully help” with offers, he said.

Asked if he likes golf or wrestling better, Welch said, “I definitely prefer golf. I’m pretty good at wrestling because we started when we were younger. My dad (Tim) is the head wrestling coach (at Valor). But I definitely think golf is more fun.”

First-round leader TJ Shehee of Mead shared third place at 210 with Ryan Liao of Littleton as both fired 69s on Wednesday.

In the girls tournament, Berrian (left) was two behind entering the final day. But after going 2 over par on the front nine, she played the back in a bogey-free 2 under par, making birdies on 14 and 16. The 16-year-old, who placed third in the 5A girls state high school tournament in May, finished with a 10-over-par 226 total after going 72-82-72.

“Yesterday my alignment was off,” said Berrian, a former 11-13 Colorado Junior Series Champion. “I made a little tweak in my setup. Today on the range I put an alignment stick down, picked a target and dialed it in. It helped me. I was back on the pins today just like the first day.

“I was really focused on my game. I never gave up, even on the front nine where I was 2 over, which wasn’t what I was looking for. But I stayed focused and was patient. I waited for my birdies and I got them, finishing 2 under on the back.

“It was to my advantage that I wasn’t in the final group so that I could focus on me and what I was doing rather than where I was on the leaderboard. I focused yesterday on where I was on the leaderboard and that didn’t really work for me.”

Down the stretch on Wednesday, Berrian birdied the 16th hole, then sank a 10-foot par save on 17 after being over the green. And a 3 1/2-foot par putt on 18 proved crucial as well.

Josie Baker (left) of Sherman Oaks, Calif., a JGAC member who will play her college golf at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland starting in the fall, went 3 over par in four holes Wednesday starting on No. 10 to lose her grip on the lead. She birdied No. 18 to close with a 75, which left her a stroke back of Berrian at 227.

“I definitely have mixed feelings,” said Baker, whose parents are from Colorado and who lives in the Centennial State for a couple of months during the summer. “I thought I played pretty solid all three days. To string together three rounds in the mid-70s is always a pretty good tournment. But obviously I’m disappointed. Today I didn’t hit the ball my best. Obviously, I would have liked to have won. Katie played a great round.”

Marie Jordaan of Lakewood, who shared the lead with Baker and Meghan Vogt of Broomfield after two rounds, finished third at 229 after a final-round 77.

For the scores from the Colorado Junior Amateur, click BOYS, GIRLS.

In the boys tournament, Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch shot a 4-under-par 68 at Todd Creek Golf Club in Thornton to take a one-stroke lead into Wednesday’s final round. But eight players are either one or two shots out of the lead, and another four are four back.

Welch finished with six birdies and a double bogey in round 2 to check in at 4-under 140 overall.

Five players share second place at 141, including first-round leader TJ Shehee of Mead (75 on Tuesday), Walker Franklin of Broomfield (70), Jack Hughes of Aspen (71), Ryan Liao of Littleton (72) and Connor Jones of Westminster (69).

Among those at 142 is Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, winner of the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior last month, who carded a second-round 68.

In the girls competition, three players share the lead at 8-over-par 152 — Meghan Vogt of Broomfield, Marie Jordaan of Lakewood and Josie Baker of Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Vogt, who qualified last month for the U.S. Girls’ Junior, shot a second-round 75, while Jordaan had a 76 and Baker a 77.

First-round leader Katie Berrian of Castle Rock holds fourth place at 154 after posting an 82 on Tuesday. Emma Bryant of Aurora, the 5A girls state high school champion, is another stroke back after a second-round 78.

For the scores from the Colorado Junior Amateur, click BOYS, GIRLS.

Shehee fired a 6-under-par 66 to grab a three-stroke advantage among the boys. And Berrian posted an even-par 72 to go up by three in the girls tournament.

The 54-hole Colorado Junior Am, the second major of the year for the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, will continue through Wednesday.

Shehee made seven birdies and one bogey in the opening round. The 17-year-old played his final 13 holes in 6 under. Shehee finished eighth last month in the year’s first major, the Colorado PGA Championship.

A total of seven boys broke par on Monday. Ryan Liao, a 15-year-old from Littleton, holds second place at 69 after a five-birdie, two-bogey day. Sharing third place at 70 are Jack Hughes of Aspen and Jake Francis of Watkins.

Berrian, who finished third in the 5A girls state high school tournament in May, carded three birdies and three bogeys on Monday to take the top spot among the girls after round 1.

Josie Baker, a JGAC member from Sherman Oaks, Calif., posted a 75 despite a triple bogey on No. 6 to hold second place. Marie Jordaan of Lakewood sits in third place at 76.

For the scores from the Colorado Junior Amateur, click BOYS, GIRLS.

On the boys side, there’s been PGA Tour veteran Brandt Jobe (1983); Wyndham Clark (2009) and Mark Hubbard (2007), both of whom have competed in quite a few PGA Tour events in recent years; and Geoff Keffer (1997), a five-time Colorado PGA Player of the Year.

On the girls side, past champs have included Jennifer Kupcho (2014), currently the No. 2-ranked women’s amateur in the world; social media sensation Paige Spiranac (2010); and Becca Huffer (2005), a former CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion who just finished second in a Symetra Tour event.

Another chapter will be written in the Colorado Junior Am next week when Todd Creek Golf Club (pictured) in Thornton hosts the 54-hole event Monday through Wednesday (July 9-11). No former champions are in the field as 2018 winner Davis Bryant of Aurora is competing at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in the San Diego area next week, and his female counterpart, Arielle Keating, moved to Florida last summer and will be playing college golf at Florida Atlantic in the fall. Among those joining Bryant at the Junior Worlds will be 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Girls Player of the Year Hailey Schalk of Erie, Kelsey Webster of Boulder and Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch.

But scheduled to compete in the boys tournament at Todd Creek are Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, winner of the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior last month, and Walker Franklin of Broomfield, who sits No. 3 on the JGAC Tour boys points list in 2018, behind Bryant and Stewart.

In the girls portion of the Colorado Junior Amateur, entered are Emma Bryant of Aurora, the reigning 5A state high school champion and the winner of the 2017 Colorado Junior Match Play; Meghan Vogt of Broomfield, who recently qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior; and future University of Northern Colorado golfer Shelby Poynter, who competed in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

The Colorado Junior Amateur is the second of four JGAC majors in 2018.

For Monday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

The third season of the JGAC will tee off Saturday and Sunday — assuming the weather cooperates — with a Spring Series tournament at Valley Hi Golf Course in Colorado Springs. There will be separate divisions for age groups 14-18, 11-13 and 10 & under.

Then the first JGAC Tour event — for the top junior golfers in Colorado — is scheduled for April 14-15 when the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs hosts a Spring JGAC Tour tournament.

As always, the highlights of the season for the top competitors will be the four JGAC majors, the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, the Boys and Girls Junior Americas Cup, and the USGA qualifying tournaments and championships themselves.

The AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, which features a field including national and international players plus plenty of Coloradans, will return to Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster, with the championship rounds set for June 5-7.

For the first time in 18 years, Colorado will be home to the Girls Junior Americas Cup, where many of the top players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico will compete. Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen and the JGAC will host the event, with championship rounds scheduled for July 25-27. The boys JAC is set for July 24-26 in Anaconda, Mont.

And here’s the lineup for the four JGAC majors:

— June 11-13: Colorado Junior PGA Championship, Eisenhower GC Blue Course in Colorado Springs.

— July 9-11: Colorado Junior Amateur, Todd Creek GC in Thornton.

— July 30-Aug. 1: Colorado Junior Match Play, Plum Creek GC in Castle Rock.

— Oct. 6-7: JGAC Tour Championship, Denver Country Club.

As for USGA championship qualifying, both the qualifiers for the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior are scheduled for June 26, with the boys at Buffalo Run in Commerce City and the girls at Colorado National in Erie.

Both of the JGAC Players of the Year are set to return this summer, with Davis Bryant of Aurora and Hailey Schalk of Erie gearing up for another big year.

To access the full schedule for the 2018 JGAC tournament season, CLICK HERE.

Meanwhile, for JGAC introductory members, there will be six JGAC Experience events that will give kids a taste for different aspects of the game while providing professional instruction. There will also be 9-Hole Play Days from late May to late July. For the dates of those events, CLICK HERE.

There will also be Drive, Chip & Putt competitions, PGA Junior League, and many other events and activities. To go to the JGAC website, CLICK HERE.

For Davis Bryant of Aurora, Wednesday marked the continuation of something major, junior golf-wise, in 2017.

For Arielle Keating of Colorado Springs, it was a fitting end for her junior golf career in the state.

Bryant became the first boy to win two of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s major championships by cruising to a seven-stroke victory in the Colorado Junior Amateur at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster.

“It’s awesome,” Bryant said of the accomplishment, which matches what Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch did on the girls side in 2016. “Winning the first major was awesome. The thought of trying to win them all was in the back of my mind, but I didn’t really set that goal for myself. If I think like that, I may have a tougher time.”

Meanwhile, Keating prevailed by six strokes for the girls title in her final junior tournament in the state before she moves with her family to Florida on Thursday.

“It’s kind of the icing on the cake to be able to leave Colorado saying I won my last tournament, then head down to Florida where hopefully good, exciting things will happen in golf,” said the 16-year-old, who is bound for Stuart, Fla. “I lived in the same house (in Colorado Springs) for 12 years. It’s really tough moving. I’m going to miss Colorado a lot. Everyone here has been so supportive.

“It’s kind of sad to go, but the competition in Florida is going to be good so I’m excited. I’ll be able to play year-around and really be able to get my game together.”

As with last month’s Colorado Junior PGA Championship, both winners on Wednesday are children of PGA professionals. Bryant is the son of Green Valley Ranch general manager Matt Bryant and Keating is the daughter of former Springs Ranch Golf Club teaching professional Brad Keating. Colorado Junior PGA girls winner Hailey Schalk is the daughter of Colorado National GM Matt Schalk.

Keating (left), who finished sixth in her age division at the 2016 Drive Chip & Putt national finals at Augusta National, shot a 6-over-par 78 on Wednesday, finishing with a birdie to post a 16-over 232 total. Keating has verbally committed to play her college golf at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton beginning in 2018. The team is coached by 1985 U.S. Women’s Open champion Kathy (Baker) Guadagnino.

“It meant a lot having my college coaches here and being able to play pretty well,” said Keating, who played her Colorado high school golf at Rampart, where she finished sixth at the 5A state tournament.

Julia Baroth of Denver, who will play at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs starting this fall, placed second at 238 after an 82 on Wednesday. And Caroline Jordaan of Denver, winner of the North American Junior Amateur in January, finished third at 240 after also closing with an 82.

Baroth was still within striking distance — trailing by four — until she had some major issues under a tree on the par-4 13th hole, whiffing twice before getting up an down for a double bogey.

“It was a tough course,” said Baroth, a 17-year-old graduate of Denver East. “I did what I could. It didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, but I’m really, really happy for Arielle and how she played. I wish I could have played better, but I’m proud of how I came out. I left a lot of shots on the course, but I did my best and it paid off.”

Bryant (left), an Eaglecrest High School senior-to-be who will play collegiately at Colorado State, won the Colorado Junior PGA by two last month at Eisenhower Golf Club. And on Wednesday, the 17-year-old made it 2-for-2 in JGAC majors this year by backing up the career-best-tying 65 he shot Tuesday with a 2-under-par 70 in Wednesday’s final round. That gave the two-time U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier an 8-under-par 208 total for three days.

Unfortunately, any talk of a potential Colorado junior grand slam will end before it picks up steam as Bryant will not compete in the third major of 2017, the Colorado Junior Match Play, because it conflicts with the national Junior PGA Championship he’s playing in starting July 31 near St. Louis.

“It sucks (there’s a conflict),” Bryant said. “It would be awesome if I could play in every tournament and take advantage of every opportunity that is out there. But I’m going to the Junior PGA because of what I did (at the Colorado Junior PGA), and that set up what I did here. I’m a little frustrated that I won’t be able to try to go three in a row, but two in a row is pretty good.”

Bryant racked up 11 birdies and just two bogeys over the final two rounds at Legacy Ridge, and won going away. He hit 45 greens in regulation — out of 54 — for the week.

“Just two bogeys in the last 36 holes in this tournament is awesome,” said Bryant, who has carded two rounds of 65 this JGAC season. “The only way people are going to catch you is if they’re making a bunch of birdies.

“The way that I’m hitting the ball right now is awesome. If you hit at least 14 greens in regulation, you’re going to have tons of chances for birdies. And if you hit good putts, they’re going to fall in.”

Barrett Jones (left) of Eagle fired a bogey-free 4-under-par 68 on Wednesday to earn runner-up honors at 1-under 215. 

“Davis is a sensational player,” said Jones, a senior-to-be at Eagle Valley High School who finished seventh in the 4A state tournament last year. “There’s no stopping him when he is playing well. When I’m playing well, I think I can compete with him. But I need to put together three good rounds like he did. I had one round (76 Tuesday) that was not as good.”

First-round leader Cole Krantz, a University of Colorado signee, placed third at 216 after carding a final-round 76. Krantz’s 18th-hole birdie was his first of the day.

For Colorado Junior Amateur scores, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.

Bryant, who won the Colorado Junior PGA Championship last month, shot a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster to grab a two-stroke lead with one round remaining in the Colorado Junior Amateur. The score was the best of the tournament by four strokes.

In the girls tournament, Arielle Keating of Colorado Springs, who placed fourth in the Colorado Junior PGA, took over the lead by firing a 2-over-par 74 on Tuesday.

Bryant (pictured), a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier, made seven birdies in Tuesday’s round, giving him a 6-under 138 total. The 17-year-old, who has verbally committed to play his college golf at Colorado State University beginning in 2018, birdied all four of the par-5s in round 2.

First-round leader Cole Krantz of Windsor will go into Wednesday’s final round in second place, two behind Bryant. The University of Colorado signee made four birdies, one bogey and a double bogey in a round of 71 on Tuesday.

Two state high school champions, Kyle Pearson of Highlands Ranch (5A) and Oliver Jack of Denver (3A), share third place at 143. Pearson carded a second-round 71 and Jack a 73.

In the girls competition, Keating was 3 under par through 13 holes for Tuesday’s round, but she played the last five in 5 over, taking a triple bogey on No. 17.

Still, the 16-year-old went ahead by two strokes with a 10-over-par 154 total. Julia Baroth of Denver sits in second place at 156 after posting a second-round 75 that included three birdies.

First-round leader Caroline Jordaan of Denver, winner of the North American Junior Amateur in January, is third at 158 after a second consecutive 79. Jordaan also made three birdies on Tuesday.

The girls leaders will tee off for Wednesday’s final round at 9:36 a.m., while the top boys will start at 9:45.

For scores, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.

The Colorado Junior Amateur marks the second major championship of the 2017 season for the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.

Krantz, the 2015 Colorado Junior PGA Championship winner, shot a 3-under-par 69 to take a one-stroke lead in the boys competition. The 18-year-old made four birdies and one bogey on the day.

Oliver Jack of Denver, the reigning 3A state high school champion who has committed to play for CU beginning in 2018, holds second place at 70 after a four-birdie round. Barrett Jones of Eagle also broke par on Monday, posting a 1-under 71.

Davis Bryant of Aurora, who won the first JGAC major of 2017, shares sixth place after a 73 on Monday.

In the girls tourney, Jordaan, winner of the North American Junior Amateur in January, made two birdies in a round of 7-over-par 79 on Monday. Pett likewise made two birdies on the day — both deuces — but suffered a setback with a triple-bogey 8 on No. 18, her ninth hole of the day.

Tied for third place at 80 after round 1 are Arielle Keating of Colorado Springs and Kaylynn Xia.

Both the 54-hole boys and girls tournaments will continue through Wednesday.

For scores, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.