(NOTE: This story was updated on Oct. 25 with reaction and additional details from Howe.)

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If the person who was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday can be judged by the people who submitted letters of recommendation on her behalf, Lauren Howe will be a stellar addition to the Hall.

World Golf Hall of Famer and former USGA president Judy Bell, 12-time PGA Tour winner Dow Finsterwald and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tom Connell all sung the praises of Howe, a longtime Coloradan who was one of the best female players in the country at various times during mid- and late 1970s and through much of the ’80s.

“Lauren was an amazing athlete with a passion to succeed,” wrote Connell, who saw Howe develop as a teenage golfer and now is a fellow instructor of hers at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. “… For a 10-year period beginning in 1974, I was a witness to a remarkable series of accomplishments by a young prodigy from Colorado and later a seasoned professional on a national stage, coached by a brilliant teacher who happened to be her father, and supported by a large, loving family.”

Added Finsterwald, who’s also a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: “Since moving to Colorado Springs at age 14, Lauren took the golf scene by storm.”

For her many accomplishments as a player, and for her continuing devotion to the game through her work as a golf instructor, Howe on Wednesday was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. The Aurora resident will be inducted on June 2 at Denver Country Club.

Asked her reaction to the impending induction, Howe said on Thursday morning, “In the back of my mind, I knew it could be coming. And yet it still hit me … I’m tearing up now. It’s just so precious to me, especially having not played in a while and everything. It really hit me like a big wave.”

Also being honored on June 2 by the Hall of Fame will be Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (as Golf Person of the Year); Mark and Lynn Cramer, who own and operate the Denver Golf Expo (Lifetime Achievement Award); golf course superintendents Fred Dickman from The Broadmoor and Barry Kendall from Green Valley Ranch (Distinguished Service Awards); and Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (Future Famer Awards). Coincidentally, Howe has been Lehigh’s swing instructor for over a decade. See below for the accomplishments of all these honorees.

As for Howe herself, she was quick to recognize the many people who helped her along the way, including the big-name women’s players of the era who took her under their wings during her early years.

“When my dad (Winston Howe Jr.) was the pro at Country Club of Colorado, one of the biggest influences in my life was to be able to go up and play golf with Judy Bell, Barbara McIntire, Tish Preuss, Nancy Syms, Cindy Hill, Bonnie Lauer — all of those gals. They were always so kind to me and walked me through a lot of things. I am so grateful to them for that.”

And of course, Howe pays tribute to her dad, who doubled as her instructor.

“My father was my teacher,” Lauren Howe said. “He always made sure that as he was working with me, he never got a jaundiced eye. He would take me back in the day to Bob Toski, Jim Flick and to Paul Runyan for my short game. To this day I think (my dad) was the best diagnostician in all the land.”

Lauren Howe’s top golf accomplishment was winning on the LPGA Tour, in 1983 at the Mayflower Classic. But she had been making an impact on the regional and national golf scene since the first half of the 1970s.

The first big breakthrough came in 1973 when she won the San Francisco Women’s City Championship shortly before turning 14.

After turning 15 in 1974, she advanced to the finals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior, losing in the title match 7 and 5 to Nancy Lopez, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1975, Howe was the co-medalist in the stroke-play portion of the same national championship. And in 1976, she was the solo stroke-play medalist.

Howe certainly made her mark in Colorado at an early age as well. In 1975, at age 16, she not only won the CWGA Junior Match Play, but the open-age CWGA Stroke Play. 

Girls high school golf in Colorado wasn’t an officially sanctioned sport until 1990, but Howe was the No. 1 player on the boys team at St. Mary’s in Colorado Springs for the three years she spent in high school.

In 1976 as a 17-year-old, the Utah native qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open, which was held in a Philadelphia suburb the week following the U.S. bicentennial. An assistant to Winston Howe who was friends with JoAnne Carner set up a practice round pairing that included the 1971 national champion and the Colorado teenager. “That was so cool,” said Howe, who went on to make the cut and finish 39th in the top tournament in women’s golf. (Coincidentally, Carner won that U.S. Women’s Open — her second — in a playoff.) That same year, Howe won the Mexican Women’s Amateur.

“The year when I was 16 was my best playing year — ever,” Howe said. “It was like I was on fire that whole year. Sixteeen was a good year. I played without any doubt. If there was ever a qualifying, it wasn’t, ‘Am I going to qualify?’ It was more like, ‘Am I going to win the qualifier?’ I wish I could get that back.”

After one year of college golf at the University of Tulsa — as a teammate of Lopez — Howe won the prestigious Women’s Western Amateur in 1977. Then she turned pro at age 18. That same year she was named the Woman Athlete of the Year by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. 

In 1978, Howe joined the LPGA Tour after winning the Q-school tournament — becoming the youngest medalist at that time and setting a scoring record that stood for more than two decades.

“All this stuff is really so touching to me,” Howe said in recalling some career highlights. “One of the coolest memories came after winning the school. My dad went with me to the qualifying school and we drove out of the parking lot singing, ‘We are the champions.'”

In 1983 after recording her victory in the LPGA Tour’s Mayflower Classic in Indianapolis, Howe was named Golf Person of the Year by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. That season she finished 19th on the LPGA money list.

Also during her 13-year LPGA Tour career, which was interrupted at times by injuries, Howe finished second in the 1986 Mazda LPGA Hall of Fame Championship, where she lost in a playoff to Amy Alcott. That season, Howe notched five top-10 finishes on the LPGA circuit.

Howe (left) has been a golf instructor since 1991 and spent 2003-08 teaching at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., before returning to Colorado, where she’s been based for the last decade. She now teaches at CommonGround GC, which is owned and operated by the CGA.

Despite her extensive playing career, Howe isn’t playing golf these days, but hopes to in the future. Two years ago while competing in a Legends Tour event near Plymouth, Mass., Howe was involved in a major automobile accident in which she sustained injuries to her brain, knee and wrist. Surgeries ensued.

“I can’t stand on a practice tee like I used. I’ve changed the way I’ve got to teach,” she said. “There are still ramifications, but we’ve settled the lawsuit and I have started at a brain clinic, which is the biggest thing.”

As for the possibility of playing and competing again, Howe said, “I haven’t played in two years. I really want to play in the (U.S. Senior Women’s Open. Next year) would be ideal. It might be optimistic, but I’m going to act as if” that might happen.

In the meantime, she’ll relish going into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Asked about the reaction she’s gotten since telling friends and families the news, Howe said, “My best friend from high school said, ‘It’s about time.’ And my parents (Winston and Dolores, who now live in Highlands Ranch) were really happy. I have six brothers and sisters who were over the moon too.”

While Howe will be the lone Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee on June 2 at Denver Country Club, several other people will receive awards from the Hall:

— Golf Person of the Year: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster earns this honor from the Hall of Fame for the second time in three years. The 21-year-old has been the No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world almost continuously since July. In May, the Wake Forest golfer became the first Colorado resident to win the Women’s NCAA Division I individual title after finishing sixth and second at that national championship the previous two years. She represented winning U.S. teams in three prestigious international competitions this year — the Curtis Cup, Arnold Palmer Cup and the World Amateur Team Championship. In that last event, Kupcho finished second individually out of a field of 170. Kupcho competed in the LPGA Tour’s Marathon Classic in July, finishing 16th, her best showing in an LPGA event. The NCAA championship in May was one of three individual victories for Kupcho during the spring portion of the college season. In August, Kupcho became the first American woman to win the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top women’s player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings as of the conclusion the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

— Lifetime Achievement: Mark and Lynn Cramer have owned and operated the Denver Golf Expo since purchasing it from PGA professional Stan Fenn in 2000, and every year it’s been a winter mainstay on the Colorado golf calendar. The Expo typically draws about 10,000 attendees each year at the Denver Mart. The Cramers take pride in supporting the major golf organizations in Colorado — and in the support those organizations give the Expo. The Expo over the years has made donations totaling $85,000 to the Colorado PGA charitable foundation, now known as Colorado PGA REACH.

— Distinguished Service: Course superintendents Fred Dickman from The Broadmoor Golf Club and Barry Kendall from Green Valley Ranch Golf Club overcame major weather-related obstacles so that big-time championships could be conducted with as little disruption as possible. In the case of The Broadmoor, a major hailstorm hit the area less than two weeks before the U.S. Senior Open was scheduled. But thanks to tireless work by Dickman and his staff, there was very little indication that anything had happened by the time the senior pros teed it up in late June. As for Green Valley Ranch, heavy rain, hail and winds estimated at 60 mph hit the area the evening before the scheduled first round of the CoBank Colorado Open. Thursday’s round was canceled and the tournament was reduced to 54 holes for the first time since 1981. But Kendall and his crew worked 11 straight hours pumping the water off the course and from the bunkers. By the weekend, players were raving about the course condition.

— Future Famers: Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins won the individual title in the 2018 boys Junior America’s Cup, which featured some of the top junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. He also led Colorado to its first team title ever in the boys Junior America’s Cup. Earlier in the year, Stewart became the first Colorado boy to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. In the fall, as a senior, he captured the 5A state high school individual championship and led Fossil Ridge to its first team title in boys golf. Also late in the season, Stewart notched his second AJGA title of 2018 at the AJGA Junior at Big Sky in Montana. He shared medalist honors in qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur and finished second at the Colorado Junior Amateur. Stewart, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 2018 Boys Player of the Year, has verbally committed to play college golf at Oklahoma State

Lauren Lehigh of Loveland was one of 24 players (12 girls) worldwide to be named to the Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the AJGA. The Loveland High School senior earned that honor by placing in the top five in an AJGA open or invitational, then based on the following criteria: standardized test scores, grade-point average, school leadership and community service. She won the girls division of the Colorado Junior Match Play, one of four Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors. During the course of 2018 at JGAC events, Lehigh won three times, placed second seven times and third three times. One of the runner-ups was in her title defense at the 4A state high school tournament. Lehigh finished third among girls at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. She helped lead Colorado to a fifth-place finish at the Girls Junior Americas Cup competition at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, where Lehigh tied for 14th place individually. She also placed 13th nationally in Big I National Championship. Lehigh, who’s been a member of the Hale Irwin Player Program for three years, has verbally committed to play in college at the University of New Mexico. Earlier this month, she was named the JGAC’s Girls Player of the Year for 2018.
 

It was a big day for Charlotte Hillary of Englewood.

It was a big week for Jackson Klutznick of Denver.

And it was a big year for Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland.

On a day the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado wrapped up its fourth and final major of the season and celebrated the year with an awards banquet, the four aforementioned Coloradans were among the biggest winners.

In a sweep for golfers from Kent Denver School, Hillary and Klutznick (left) earned the girls and boys titles, respectively, at the JGAC Tour Championship that concluded on Sunday at Denver Country Club.

And Stewart and Lehigh landed the boys and girls JGAC Player of the Year awards for 2018, respectively.

For the Tour Championship winners, both accomplished something very notable on Sunday. Hillary won the event for the second time in the three years it’s been played, and that’s despite not being in the field in 2017. And Klutznick claimed a big title for the second time in a week as he captured the 3A boys state high school individual championship on Tuesday at Boulder Country Club. In addition, Sunday’s victory came at Klutznick’s home course, Denver Country Club.

And the fact that both Hillary and Klutznick attend Kent Denver — Klutznick is a senior and Hillary a junior — made the accompishments ever more satisfying.

“It’s just incredible,” Klutznick said. “I feel like the coaches and the staff at Kent bring out the best in all of us. I don’t think we could do it without them. My coach at Kent (Bob Austin) came out today to support me. You don’t get that at a lot of these places.”

Hillary, who earlier this year made the match play round of 32 at the California Women’s Amateur Championship, rallied from a three-stroke deficit going into Sunday to overtake first-round leader Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood. The 16-year-old Hillary shot an even-par 71 in round 2 to check in with a winning total of 3-over 145. 

So even though the JGAC Tour Championship has been played only three times — and that she missed a year — Hillary is a two-time champion.

“It’s going to be fun to have my name on (the trophy) twice,” the 16-year-old said. “Normally when I play in Colorado it makes me more nervous than when I’m out of state for some reason. So this gives me a lot of confidence to play and win here finally. It’s been a while. It really means a lot in that sense. And even though it was chilly, I had a great time.”

Hillary (left) made three birdies on a cold Sunday, with two of them on the back nine coming from a mere 18 inches from the cup. She had gotten a new putter about a week ago, but it didn’t cooperate during Saturday’s round of 74, so she went back to her old one for Sunday.

“It wasn’t great but it was a lot better,” Hillary said of her putting. “I’m glad I went back.”

Jordaan, who plans to play her college golf at the University of Denver, finished second at 147. After going 5 over par in her first eight holes on Sunday, she parred her final 10 holes of the tournament to post a final-round 76. It was Jordaan’s second runner-up finish in a JGAC major this year.

Sofia Choi of Littleton took third place among the girls at 151 after a 76 of her own on Sunday.

Like Hillary, Klutznick (left) rallied for the boys title. His 1-over-par 72 on Sunday left him at even-par 142 overall, good for a one-stroke victory over his Kent Denver teammate Jeffrey Zhou, a 15-year-old from Greenwood Village who closed with a 71.

Klutznick carded three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on Sunday. As he himself fully acknowledged, competing on your home course — which he was doing this weekend — brought certain advantages. That can happen when a person has played a course an estimated 500 times over the years, as Klutznick guesses he has at DCC.

“It was a big advantage,” the 17-year-old said. “There’s a few little things you can do that maybe not everyone knows about. A few holes, putts do weird things. There’s just some sneaky stuff that happens. It was definitely beneficial to know that ahead of time.

“Even (par) is incredible. The condition it was in was insane. A combination of confidence and a little home-course advantage certainly didn’t hurt.”

So how does it feel to notch two significant victories in a week?

“I’ve practiced a ton in the past and haven’t had an overwhelming amount of success,” Klutznick said. “These are two of the biggest tournaments I play in over the course of a calendar year, and to have this happen is honestly incredible. It was an awesome experience.”

Bo Wardynski of Parker finished third at 144 after a 72 on Sunday.

First-round leader Jacob Mason of Westminster was in good shape to earn the victory through 13 holes of Sunday’s round, but he played his final five holes in 6 over par. That led to a 77 and a share of sixth place at 146.

The JGAC Players of the Year were all but set in stone prior to the Tour Championship. Stewart (left), who won the 5A state high school title on Tuesday, skipped the Tour Championship because he’s competing in the prestigious Ping Invitational in Stillwater, Okla. He’s coming off a summer in which he won the Junior America’s Cup individually and helped Colorado to the team title for the first time ever — along with teammates Cal McCoy, Davis Bryant and Walker Franklin.

“It’s truly an honor to accept this award,” Stewart said via video at the awards banquet. “… Junior America’s Cup has been awesome and I’m glad we got a win this year — both me individually and as a team. That’s my favorite tournament of the year.”

Meanwhile, Lehigh placed sixth Sunday at the JGAC Tour Championship.

“It feels great,” Lehigh said of her POY honor. “It’s always great to be considered the best player in the JGAC. You can’t go wrong with that. I worked really hard this season so it was a big accomplishment. I’m really happy about it.”

Here are the highlights of the season for the Players of the Year:

Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (below) — One of 24 players (12 girls) worldwide to be named to the Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the AJGA. The Loveland High School senior earned that honor by placing in the top five in an AJGA open or invitational, then based on the following criteria: standardized test scores, grade-point average, school leadership and community service. … Won the girls division of the Colorado Junior Match Play, one of four JGAC majors. … During the course of 2018 at JGAC events, won three times, placed second seven times and third three times. … One of the runner-ups was in her title defense at the 4A state high school tournament. … Finished third among girls at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. … Helped lead Colorado to a fifth-place finish at the Girls Junior Americas Cup competition at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, where Lehigh tied for 14th place individually. … Finished 13th nationally in Big I National Championship. … Has verbally committed to play in college at the University of New Mexico. … Has been a member of the Hale Irwin Player Program for three years.

Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins — Won individual title in Junior America’s Cup, which featured some of the top junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. … Led Colorado to its first team title ever in the boys Junior America’s Cup. … Became the first Colorado boy to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. … As a senior, won the 5A state high school individual championship and led Fossil Ridge to its first team title in boys golf. … Notched his second AJGA title of 2018 at the AJGA Junior at Big Sky in Montana. … Shared medalist honors in qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur. … Finished second at the Colorado Junior Amateur. … Has verbally committed to play college golf at Oklahoma State.

For scores from the JGAC Tour Championship, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS

In a field of 56 players — 35 on the boys side and 21 on the girls — 16-year-old Jacob Mason of Westminster shot a 2-under-par 69 for the boys lead and 3A state high school champion Jackson Klutznick of Denver posted a 1-under 70 to also finish in red numbers.

Meanwhile Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood, who has committed to play her college golf at the University of Denver, carded an even-par 71 to take a three-stroke lead in the girls competition at the fourth and final JGAC Tour major of 2018.

Mason, the winner of a JGAC Tour event at Legacy Ridge in July, placed sixth individually on Tuesday at the 3A state high school meet while competing for Holy Family. He made four birdies and two bogeys on a cool Saturday at DCC.

Klutznick also carried over his strong play from the 3A state tournament, carding three birdies and two bogeys in round 1.

Billy Howenstein of Boulder, who tied Mason for sixth play at the 3A meet, holds third place at even-par 71 after a one-birdie, one-bogey day.

In the girls tournament, Caroline Jordaan and her younger sister, Marie, are 1-2 on the scoreboard, with 2016 JGAC Tour Championship winner Charlotte Hillary of Englewood sharing second place with the younger Jordaan.

Caroline Jordaan, runner-up in the 3A state tournament in the spring, recorded five birdies and five bogeys in round 1. She had three “2s” on her card.

Marie Jordaan and Hillary finished with one birdie and four bogeys each on Saturday.

Defending champion Hailey Schalk of Erie and 2018 JGAC Girls Junior Tour points leader Lauren Lehigh of Loveland each opened with a 77.

The 36-hole tournaments for both the boys and girls will conclude on Sunday.

For scores from the JGAC Tour Championship, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS
 

For the top players age 14-18, on tap is the fourth Colorado major of the year, the JGAC Tour Championship, set for Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 6-7) at Denver Country Club. For the best golfers 13 and under, it’ll be the Junior Ryder Cup team event this weekend at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

Then on Sunday evening, after the conclusion of both events, the JGAC’s season-ending banquet will be held at Denver CC.

At the 36-hole Tour Championship, the field will feature the winners of three 2018 JGAC majors and four state high school titles this year.

The 2018 major junior champions entered this weekend are all on the girls side and include Hailey Schalk of Erie (Colorado Junior PGA), Katie Berrian of Castle Rock (Colorado Junior Amateur) and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (Colorado Junior Match Play). Lehigh leads the JGAC Girls Junior Tour points list for 2018.

As for entrants who are state high school champions from 2018, there’s Micah Stangebye of Montrose (4A) and Jackson Klutznick of Denver (3A) on the boys side, and Emma Bryant of Aurora (5A) and Schalk (3A) on the girls.

There are also a couple of past JGAC Tour Championship winners entered this weeked — Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village from 2016 and Schalk from last year. Schalk was the 2017 JGAC Girls Player of the Year.

Others scheduled to compete in the Tour Championship are Colorado Junior America’s Cup player Walker Franklin of Broomfield and 5A runner-up Connor Jones of Westminster and Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood.

One player who won’t be at Denver Country Club is 2018 JGAC Boys Junior Tour points list leader Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, who won the 5A boys state high school title on Tuesday. Instead, he’s competing in the prestigious Ping Invitational at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla. Coincidentally, he’ll be playing his college golf in Stillwater — at Oklahoma State — starting in the fall of 2019.

For the Saturday pairings from the JGAC Tour Championship, CLICK HERE.

As for the Junior Ryder Cup at CommonGround, kids age 13 and under will battle it out, with teams designated Team USA and Team Europe. There will be three sessions — nine-hole four-ball and nine-hole foursomes on Saturday, then 18-hole singles matches on Sunday.

Among the Junior Ryder Cup competitors will be three winners of 2018 Junior Series Championships — Hadley Ashton of Erie (11-13), Matai Naqica of Centennial (11-13) and Andre Dumonteil of Centennial (10 and under).

For the field for the Junior Ryder Cup, CLICK HERE.

The Evans Cup of Colorado raises money for the Evans Scholarship for caddies, and Western Golf Association board member and director and state chairman Geoff “Duffy” Solich said he estimates that Monday’s event will net about $165,000 for the cause, a notable increase from last year.

The University of Colorado has been home to an Evans Scholars house since the 1960s, and many of the 59 current CU Evans Scholars (left) attended the festivities at DCC.

A total of 28 foursomes played at Denver Country Club, with 150 people attending the dinner.

Golf resort developer Mike Keiser, the founder and owner of Bandon Golf Resort in southern Oregon and a major supporter of the Evans Scholars, was the keynote speaker on Monday and also participated in a Sunday night dinner fundraising event. Keiser has been inducted into the WGA-administered Caddie Hall of Fame for promoting the use of caddies and their role in golf. He’s been a WGA director since 2007 and has played a key role in developing strategies have have substantially increased fundraising for the Evans Scholarship.

As Keiser said at his Hall of Fame induction in 2014, “Caddying is the best job a teenager can have. You learn about golf but you also learn a lot about life, what it takes to be successful and what it means to work hard.”

All in all, Monday proved another very successful gathering in support of the Evans Scholarship.

“It was a great event and having Mr. Keiser there made it very special,” Solich said in an email.

The Evans Cup of Colorado dates back to the early 1980s, when it was founded as the Par Club Tournament. The full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship is awarded to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means, The WGA, which adminsters the Evans Scholarship, has long partnered with the CGA in supporting the scholarship at CU.

All told nationwide, 985 Evans Scholars are currently enrolled at 18 universities.

The next Evans Cup of Colorado event is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2019 at Castle Pines Golf Club.
 

Executive director Ed Mate likes to say, only half-jokingly, that the “C” in the CGA organization he represents not only stands for Colorado, but for Caddie.

There are numerous reasons there’s some truth in that for the CGA and for Mate.

As he noted in a recent interview with We Are Golf, “Caddying embodies some of the most important and fundamental attributes of our sport that make it great. Golf is a game of a lifetime and caddying puts young and old together to share it. Golf promotes health and wellness and caddies make it more enjoyable for adults to walk and gets kids outside and away from their video screens. Golf is a social game; show me a group of four golfers with four caddies and I will show you eight people having a great time.”

In addition, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy is a cornerstone initiative at CommonGround Golf Course, which is owned and operated by the CGA.

But the association’s commitment to caddying extends well beyond CommonGround. That was evident on Monday, when the CGA conducted its annual Caddie Summit for the seventh time, in this case at Denver Country Club. Clubs and courses with caddies programs from around the state met to exchange ideas, chat about subjects integral to caddying, see caddie trends in Colorado and listen to a few topic-appropriate speakers.

And this year, featured was a high-quality VIDEO — produced by Columbine Country Club — which focuses on the value of caddying and the full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship for caddies. It was filmed at Columbine and at the University of Colorado Evans Scholars house. Columbine had a once-thriving caddie program which produced numerous Evans Scholars before that program largely went by the wayside. But it’s been resurrected in the 21st century and is once again successful.

The CGA sees enough value in this annual Caddie Summit that it — through the Colorado Golf Foundation, which supports Colorado-based programs and organizations that use golf to build important life skills and character — awards a caddie grant of $500 to each club which attends with multiple representatives.

On Monday, 19 of the more than 20 caddie clubs/courses in Colorado were expected to participate in the Summit. Overall, nearly 70 people were in attendance, after 50 being the norm in recent years.

“If anybody sat through this session and was asked how do you measure the health of caddie programs and the enthusiasm, it’s the highest it’s ever been — absolutely,” Mate said. “The video we saw from Columbine, the attendance today, the energy level … we’re on the upswing for sure.”

Indeed, the Caddie Summit seems to be paying dividends — or at least helping the cause. The number of caddie/forecaddie rounds in Colorado — which is tracked by a survey the CGA sends to caddie clubs and courses — has been trending up in recent years. In 2017, that number hit almost 40,000 as a total of 39,919 were reported.

“The more loops for the kids, the more summer jobs — healthy jobs — there are for youths,” said Janene Guzowski, who chairs the CGA Caddie Development Committee and has been a director for the Western Golf Association (which administers the Evans Scholarship) for about eight years. “In the end, it can lead to a scholarship if everything else falls into place and they apply for an Evans Scholarship and have all the qualfications.

“For me, the more kids that are on the course learning how to talk to adults and being on time at 7:30 in the morning, learning accountability … it’s all good. It’s better than flipping burgers or mowing lawns.”

The fact that the CGA tracks the number of caddie rounds in Colorado puts it in better position than many states, said Tim Orbon (left), the manager of caddies and scholarship development for the WGA. “That data is awesome.”

Though the number of caddie loops has headed upward in the Caddie Summit survey, Mate is reluctant to draw any conclusions at this point. But he likes the fact that the data is being gathered.

“It’s too short a line to really see a trend,” said Mate, himself a former caddie — at Denver Country Club — and an Evans Scholars alum. “We’re asking the right questions and we actually have a number. If you don’t have a number, how do you measure? You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Let’s track it and get our clubs to report rounds consistently.”

Orbon was the keynote speaker for Monday’s Caddie Summit, providing updates on the Evans Scholarship, the new “Carry the Game” youth initiative designed to create lifelong golfers through caddying, and on the WGA’s Caddie Academies. At the Academies, for seven weeks each summer, participants caddie at courses in the Chicago area while living together in a community. Orbon also gave some tips on how to build caddie programs and make them thrive.

“When you have a speaker like Tim, whose enthusiasm and passion for caddie programs is really intoxicating, that was like a coach motivating a team,” Mate said. “The whole day is about getting people enthused, and I think we accomplished that for sure.”

Orbon was one of two WGA staff members on hand for Monday’s Caddie Summit. Director of the West Region Bill Moses was also in attendance. Moses was planning to visit the CU Evans Scholars house in Boulder later in the day.

Sixty-two caddies were on the Evans Scholarship at CU starting the school year, among the 965 current Evans Scholars nationwide.
 

A Denver native and a former member at Denver Country Club and Hiwan Golf Club, Sweeney once dominated the senior amateur competition at the Colorado Open. When the tournament was held at Hiwan, Sweeney claimed seven senior amateur titles from 1983 to ’91.

Sweeney also teamed with now-Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Larry Eaton to win two of the first three CGA Senior Four-Ball championships — in 1983 and ’84.

In addition, Sweeney was a member of the inaugural senior amateur team for the Colorado Cup Matches in 1983, when the senior ams defeated their professional counterparts.

Sweeney was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1933 and graduated from Regis University. He helped run the advertising agency Fox, Sweeney & True in Denver.

A burial mass for Sweeney will be held Thursday (April 6) at 10 a.m. at Risen Christ Catholic Church (3060 S. Monaco Parkway in Denver), with a reception immediately following at the same site.

Memorial donations can be made to Porter Hospice Foundation, 2525 S. Downing Street; Mason Hall — 2nd Floor; Denver, CO 80210. For online donations, CLICK HERE.

For more information on Sweeney’s life, CLICK HERE.
 

Alas, she missed earning a spot in the 2016 championship — she finished a stroke out of a playoff at a qualifying tournament, and she didn’t land an automatic berth by making the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open — so Kupcho made the best of Plan B.

That translated into not only winning the CWGA Stroke Play for the second straight year, but running away with it. After prevailing by 21 shots last year, the victory margin was a “mere” 19 this time around. The win gave the 19-year-old the first single-season sweep of the CWGA’s two majors — the Match Play and the Stroke Play — since Kim Eaton won both in 2004.

“After I won Match Play I was kind of thinking, ‘That would be really cool to win Stroke, but hopefully I won’t be here because I’ll be at the Am.'” Kupcho said Thursday. “That didn’t happen, so it was, ‘Well, hopefully I can get the win (in the Stroke Play)’ and I did, so that’s really exciting.”

The successful title defense at Denver Country Club means that the Wake Forest golfer has won three consecutive CWGA majors — and all in dominating fashion. (She’s pictured above with both the Match Play and Stroke Play trophies, and at left with her dad/caddie Mike.)

The two-time CWGA Player of the Year becomes the first competitor since Wendy Werley in 1988 and ’89 to claim the titles in three straight CWGA majors. (Werley actually won four in a row in those two years.)

A day after firing a 7-under-par 65 and breaking the women’s course record at Denver Country Club — a 68 shot by none other than world-renowned athlete Babe Zaharias on July 3, 1946 — Kupcho posted a 5-under 67 in Thursday’s final round. That gave her a 13-under-par 203 total, just three strokes higher than she shot last year at Pinehurst Country Club, where she also went 65-67 the last two days.

Not only is Kupcho the first to sweep the CWGA Match Play and Stroke Play titles in the same season in a dozen years, but she’s the first to win back-to-back Stroke Play championships since Melissa Martin did so in 2009 and ’10. All told, Kupcho (left, next to a scoreboard on the 18th tee) has won two Stroke Plays and two Match Plays. Her Match Play victory this year came with a 12-and-10 score in the scheduled 36-hole final.

The 2016 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier finished 19 strokes up on runner-up Gillian Vance of Lakewood, a University of Colorado golfer who teamed with Kupcho to win the CWGA Mashie title earlier this year. Vance, the 2015 5A state high school champion, closed with a 77 for a 222 total.

“I’m really happy about (being runner-up),” said Vance (left). “Jennifer, she is a brick wall. She is so good, and I’m so proud of her. There are some really great girls out here. To take second is awesome, next to Jennifer.”

Claiming third place on Thursday, at 224, was Rosana Valdor of City Park Golf Course, a Spaniard who played college golf at the University of Texas El Paso. Fourth was University of Wyoming golfer Taylor Dorans of Erie, who posted a 227.

Asked how she keeps playing well even when she has such a large lead that it’s a virtual lock that she’ll win, Kupcho said, “I just play to what I know I’m capable of. Even if the field isn’t coming up to me, I’ve just got to keep focused and keep going.”

But while Thursday’s outcome was largely a lock as she came into the day with a nine-shot lead, Tuesday’s first round was touch-and-go there for a while. After all, a migraine — a problem she dealt with on occasion during high school — hit her while she was on the practice range prior to her round.

“I got it on the range and I really couldn’t see anything,” she said. “I wasn’t watching my ball flight. I told my mom where I was kind of trying to aim, then I’d hit it and she’d tell me where it would go. I was just warming up, hoping I could actually see when I teed off. That was crazy, and the first six or seven holes were really tough. I kind of felt like I needed to throw up the whole time. It was just kind of getting through, then the back nine I started feeling a little better.”

Asked if she considered withdrawing, and Kupcho said no.

“I played through (a migraine) in high school regionals so I knew I could do it,” she noted. “Since I really wanted this, it was like, ‘Power through. You’ve got this.'”

Kupcho ended up shooting a 71 that first day, then got in a groove on Wednesday and Thursday. Over her final 36 holes, she racked up an eagle, 12 birdies and two bogeys.

The eagle came on the 454-yard, par-5 10th hole on Thursday. After a 280-yard drive, she hit a 6-iron to 15 feet and calmly rolled in the putt for a 3 (left).

“Because I’ve played with her for so long, I guess it’s like, ‘She’ll do that,'” Vance said “You just know, and you learn to play your own game. You can’t really do anything about it except praise them because it’s amazing.”

Because the lead was so large on Thursday, Kupcho set a goal of finishing at 16-under-par 200, as she did last year at Pinehurst. And after the eagle on 10, that was well within reach as she was 13 under with eight holes left.

“It was just trying to keep myself motivated to get something,” said Kupcho, who tied for sixth as a freshman earlier this year in the Women’s NCAA finals. “I kind of wanted to get to 200. That would have been really sweet again. But then I probably would have been thinking, ‘It could have been 199.'”

Alas, Kupcho ended up playing her final eight holes in even par and settling for 203.

And with that, she goes out on a high note, summer golf-wise. Kupcho said she isn’t planning on playing any more tournaments before driving back to Wake Forest for her sophomore season late this month.

As for the other seven flights at the CWGA Stroke Play, the gross-score champions were Delaney Elliott and Kylee Sullivan (tied in first flight), Holly Schaefer and Mariah Ehrman (tied in second flight), Emilee Strausburg and Kathy Malpass (tied in third flight), Mary Doyen (fourth flight), Jane Ford and Kelli Poppenhagen (tied in fifth flight), Debbie Mills (sixth flight), and Hee Chung and Vicki Porter (tied in seventh flight).

CWGA Stroke Play
At Par-72 Denver CC

Championship Flight
Jennifer Kupcho, CommonGround WGC 71-65-67–203
Gillian Vance, CommonGround WGA 72-73-77–222
Rosana Valdor, City Park Wga 75-75-74–224
Taylor Dorans, Eagle Trace Lga 74-73-80–227
Calli Ringsby, Denver CC Lga 77-75-78–230
Morgan Sahm, Saddle Rock Wga 79-76-76–231
Anna Kennedy, Denver CC Lga 78-77-77–232
Betsy Kelly, Green Valley Ranch Wga 78-75-79–232
Kim Eaton, Riverdale Wga 80-72-81–233
Jaylee Tait, Raccoon Creek WGA 78-77-82–237
Janet Moore, Cherry Hills CC Wga 76-78-90–244
Tori Glenn, Ridge at Castle Pines N Wga 82-75-WD

First Flight
Delaney Elliott, CommonGround WGA 78-80-77–235
Kylee Sullivan, CC of Colorado WGA 79-81-75–235
Mackenzie Cohen, Inverness Lga 81-80-78–239
Klara Castillo, Kennedy Lga 78-87-77–242
Michelle Romano, Colorado Golf Club Wga 78-83-83–244
Allie Johnston, Red Hawk Ridge Wga 82-80-83–245
Megan McCambridge, Boulder CC Wga 83-79-83–245
Ashlyn Kirschner, West Woods Wgc 83-88-77–248
Courtney Ewing, Desert Hawk Pueblo West Wga 84-80-87–251
Kelly Moran, Boulder CC Wga 82-85-84–251
Tiffany Maurycy, Cherry Creek CC Wga 83-87-85–255
Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch Wga 83-87-86–256
Forre Zook, Colorado Springs CC Lga 88-86-88–262

Second Flight
Holly Schaefer, Columbine CC Lga 84-73-78–235
Mariah Ehrman, Heritage at Westmoor WGA 77-78-80–235
Jacquelin Biggs, South Suburban Family Sports 79-79-79–237
Maddie Kern, Cjga Tournament Club 82-79-80–241
Madison McCambridge, Boulder CC Wga 76-84-82–242
Megan Vernon, Applewood Wga 83-84-78–245
Christie Austin, Cherry Hills CC Wga 87-83-79–249
Kacey Godwin, CommonGround WGA 82-80-88–250
Kelly Martin, Fox Hollow Lgc 87-79-85–251

Third Flight
Emilee Strausburg, The Club at Rolling Hills Wga 84-77-79–240
Kathy Malpass, Hiwan Wga 80-81-79–240
Brittany Roberts, Wellshire Women 79-86-84–249
Cindy Snow, Pinery CC Wga 86-85-79–250
Jennifer Hocking, Colorado Springs CC Lga 88-79-83–250
Nina Dulacki, Broken Tee Englewood Wga 91-83-81–255
Katherine Moore-Lilly, Cordillera Wga Valley 87-84-87–258
Ruth Van Zee, LGA at Blackstone/Black Bear 85-84-90–259
Jessi McVay, CommonGround 86-88-93–267

Fourth Flight
Mary Doyen, Foothills Wga 84-80-80–244
Liz Kennedy, Tiara Rado Lga 85-79-86–250
Sue Hartwell, West Woods Wgc 84-81-86–251
Laurie Steenrod, Saddle Rock Wga 85-83-85–253
Karen Williams, Wellshire Wga 88-83-84–255
Sandra Young, Eisenhower Wga 88-81-87–256
Kendra George, Ravenna Wga 81-87-90–258
Kate Connor, South Surburban 83-88-89–260
Dr. Andrea Grilli, The Club at Rolling Hills Wga 93-83-86–262
Meagan Arvidson, Lga at Blackstone/Black Bear 81-80-101–262
LeAnna Rosenow, West Woods Wgc 93-84-89–266
Kathleen Johnson, Ranch CC Lga 93-88-DQ–DQ

Fifth Flight
Jane Ford, Hyland Hills Wga 86-89-86–261
Kelli Poppenhagen, Meadow Hills Wga 90-86-85–261
Liza Grant, Denver CC Lga 89-85-89–263
Susan Schell, Arrowhead Wga 88-88-90–266
Carla Stearns, Wellshire Women 92-89-86–267
Sophia Montoya, Elmwood Golf Course 86-93-90–269
Katty Rothberg, Cherry Creek CC Wga 91-89-93–273
Karen Hale, CC of Castle Pines 96-90-91–277
Jessica Nisbet, Ptarmigan CC Wga 87-94-101–282
Kimalee Hull, Pinehurst CC Wga 91-94-97–282
Melis Ward, Wellshire Wga 100-87-95–282
Patty Smogor, Saddle Rock Wga 94-97-92–283
Patricia Swanson, West Woods Wga 103-89-92–284
Marie Driessen, The Pinery CC 95-96-94–285
Ouida Neil, Broadmoor Wga 100-93-94–287

Sixth Flight
Debbie Mills, Meridian Wga 89-91-82–262
Laura Dunston, Canongate Colorado Wgc 89-87-90–266
Jo Ann Higgins, Fox Hill Club Wga 88-92-87–267
Mariko Coplin, Willis Case Wga 88-90-90–268
Karen Chase, Fox Hollow Lgc 90-88-95–273
Chris Jansen, Broken Tee Wgl 89-95-93–277
Ria Woodruff, Saddle Rock Wga 88-94-100–282
Diane Ferrara, Broken Tee Englewood Wga 96-92-95–283
Elizabeth Kraemer, Legacy Ridge Wga 92-94-100–286
Wendy Atkinson, Ranch CC Lga 95-97-94–286

Seventh Flight
Hee Chung, Meridian Wga 92-84-90–266
Vicki Porter, Foothills Wga 89-86-91–266
Jean Miller, West Woods Wgc 88-92-90–270
Alison O’Connor, Collindale Wga 95-82-96–273
Patricia Sato, Ranch CC Lga 94-87-96–277
Jenna Knutson, Indian Peaks Golf Club 94-91-96–281
Emma Robinson, Pueblo CC Wga 94-96-92–282
Andrea Dikeou, Castle Pines Wga 98-90-95–283
Claudia Gallegos, South Suburban Wga 91-98-94–283
Karen Leuschel, Riverdale Wga 90-91-102–283
Karin Hathaway, Wellshire Women 94-96-95–285
Linda Raunig, Broken Tee Wgl 102-93-91–286
Mary Smith, Fox Hollow Wga 88-96-110–294
Jennifer Tempas, Columbine CC Lga 98-99-98–295
Lisa Schmid, Green Valley Ranch Wga 106-97-101–304
Kim Gosche, Saddle Rock Wga 95-WD

In opening up a nine-shot lead after Wednesday’s second round of the 69th CWGA Stroke Play Championship, Kupcho is in great shape to become the first back-to-back winner of the Stroke Play since Melissa Martin in 2009 and ’10, and the first player since Kim Eaton in 2004 to sweep both the CWGA Match Play and Stroke Play titles in the same year.

It’s all par for the course for the Wake Forest golfer, a two-time CWGA Player of the Year who competed in the U.S. Women’s Open last month. After all, last year in this same event, she won by an jaw-dropping 21 shots.

Kupcho (pictured) not only fired a 7-under-par 65 on Wednesday at Denver Country Club, but she played her last 11 holes in 8 under par and her last six holes in 5 under.

That left her with an 8-under-par 136 total, nine shots better than second-place Gillian Vance of Lakewood, a University of Colorado golfer and 2015 5A state high school champion. Vance, who teamed with Kupcho to win the CWGA Mashie title earlier this year, carded a 73 on Wednesday, putting her at 145 overall.

University of Wyoming golfer Taylor Dorans (147) sits in third, while Rosana Valdor (150) is fourth. Eaton, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, and Denver Country Club’s Calli Ringsby share fifth place at 152.

The top dozen players from the championship/first flight after Wednesday’s second round were slotted into the championhip flight for Thursday’s final round. The championship flight leaders will tee off at 9:33 a.m. Thursday.

All told, there are seven flights in addition to the championship. For the scores from each flight, see below.

CWGA Stroke Play
At Par-72 Denver CC

Championship Flight

Jennifer Kupcho, CommonGround WGC 71-65–136
Gillian Vance, CommonGround WGA 72-73–145
Taylor Dorans, Eagle Trace Lga 74-73–147
Rosana Valdor, City Park Wga 75-75–150
Calli Ringsby, Denver CC Lga 77-75–152
Kim Eaton, Riverdale Wga 80-72–152
Betsy Kelly, Green Valley Ranch Wga 78-75–153
Janet Moore, Cherry Hills CC Wga 76-78–154
Anna Kennedy, Denver CC Lga 78-77–155
Jaylee Tait, Raccoon Creek WGA 78-77–155
Morgan Sahm, Saddle Rock Wga 79-76–155
Tori Glenn, Ridge at Castle Pines N Wga 82-75–157
 
First Flight
Delaney Elliott, CommonGround WGA 78-80–158
Kylee Sullivan, CC of Colorado WGA 79-81–160
Mackenzie Cohen, Inverness Lga 81-80–161
Michelle Romano, Colorado Golf Club Wga 78-83–161
Allie Johnston, Red Hawk Ridge Wga 82-80–162
Megan McCambridge, Boulder CC Wga 83-79–162
Courtney Ewing, Desert Hawk Pueblo West Wga 84-80–164
Klara Castillo, Kennedy Lga 78-87–165
Kelly Moran, Boulder CC Wga 82-85–167
Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch Wga 83-87–170
Tiffany Maurycy, Cherry Creek CC Wga 83-87–170
Ashlyn Kirschner, West Woods Wgc 83-88–171
Forre Zook, Colorado Springs CC Lga 88-86–174
 
Second Flight
Mariah Ehrman, Heritage at Westmoor WGA 77-78–155
Holly Schaefer, Columbine CC Lga 84-73–157
Jacquelin Biggs, South Suburban Family Sports 79-79–158
Madison McCambridge, Boulder CC Wga 76-84–160
Maddie Kern, Cjga Tournament Club 82-79–161
Kacey Godwin, CommonGround WGA 82-80–162
Kelly Martin, Fox Hollow Lgc 87-79–166
Megan Vernon, Applewood Wga 83-84–167
Christie Austin, Cherry Hills CC Wga 87-83–170
 
Third Flight
Emilee Strausburg, The Club at Rolling Hills Wga 84-77–161
Kathy Malpass, Hiwan Wga 80-81–161
Brittany Roberts, Wellshire Women 79-86–165
Jennifer Hocking, Colorado Springs CC Lga 88-79–167
Ruth Van Zee, LGA at Blackstone/Black Bear 85-84–169
Cindy Snow, Pinery CC Wga 86-85–171
Katherine Moore-Lilly, Cordillera Wga Valley 87-84–171
Jessi McVay, CommonGround 86-88–174
Nina Dulacki, Broken Tee Englewood Wga 91-83–174
 
Fourth Flight
Meagan Arvidson, Lga at Blackstone/Black Bear 81-80–161
Liz Kennedy, Tiara Rado Lga 85-79–164
Mary Doyen, Foothills Wga 84-80–164
Sue Hartwell, West Woods Wgc 84-81–165
Kendra George, Ravenna Wga 81-87–168
Laurie Steenrod, Saddle Rock Wga 85-83–168
Sandra Young, Eisenhower Wga 88-81–169
Karen Williams, Wellshire Wga 88-83–171
Kate Connor, South Surburban 83-88–171
Dr. Andrea Grilli, The Club at Rolling Hills Wga 93-83–176
LeAnna Rosenow, West Woods Wgc 93-84–177
Kathleen Johnson, Ranch CC Lga 93-88–181
 
Fifth Flight
Liza Grant, Denver CC Lga 89-85–174
Jane Ford, Hyland Hills Wga 86-89–175
Kelli Poppenhagen, Meadow Hills Wga 90-86–176
Susan Schell, Arrowhead Wga 88-88–176
Sophia Montoya, Elmwood Golf Course 86-93–179
Katty Rothberg, Cherry Creek CC Wga 91-89–180
Carla Stearns, Wellshire Women 92-89–181
Jessica Nisbet, Ptarmigan CC Wga 87-94–181
Kimalee Hull, Pinehurst CC Wga 91-94–185
Karen Hale, CC of Castle Pines 96-90–186
Melis Ward, Wellshire Wga 100-87–187
Marie Driessen, The Pinery CC 95-96–191
Patty Smogor, Saddle Rock Wga 94-97–191
Patricia Swanson, West Woods Wga 103-89–192
Ouida Neil, Broadmoor Wga 100-93–193
 
Sixth Flight
Laura Dunston, Canongate Colorado Wgc 89-87–176
Karen Chase, Fox Hollow Lgc 90-88–178
Mariko Coplin, Willis Case Wga 88-90–178
Debbie Mills, Meridian Wga 89-91–180
Jo Ann Higgins, Fox Hill Club Wga 88-92–180
Ria Woodruff, Saddle Rock Wga 88-94–182
Chris Jansen, Broken Tee Wgl 89-95–184
Elizabeth Kraemer, Legacy Ridge Wga 92-94–186
Diane Ferrara, Broken Tee Englewood Wga 96-92–188
Wendy Atkinson, Ranch CC Lga 95-97–192
 
Seventh Flight
Vicki Porter, Foothills Wga 89-86–175
Hee Chung, Meridian Wga 92-84–176
Alison O’Connor, Collindale Wga 95-82–177
Jean Miller, West Woods Wgc 88-92–180
Karen Leuschel, Riverdale Wga 90-91–181
Patricia Sato, Ranch CC Lga 94-87–181
Mary Smith, Fox Hollow Wga 88-96–184
Jenna Knutson, Indian Peaks Golf Club 94-91–185
Andrea Dikeou, Castle Pines Wga 98-90–188
Claudia Gallegos, South Suburban Wga 91-98–189
Emma Robinson, Pueblo CC Wga 94-96–190
Karin Hathaway, Wellshire Women 94-96–190
Linda Raunig, Broken Tee Wgl 102-93–195
Jennifer Tempas, Columbine CC Lga 98-99–197
Lisa Schmid, Green Valley Ranch Wga 106-97–203
Kim Gosche, Saddle Rock Wga 95-WD
 

Which is to say, she’s leading.

The two-time CWGA Player of the Year, who won the 2015 Stroke Play by 21 shots, fired a 1-under-par 71 Tuesday at Denver Country Club, giving her a one-stroke lead after the first round.

The Wake Forest golfer, who competed in the U.S. Women’s Open last month, made three birdies and two bogeys on Tuesday. Kupcho is trying to become the first back-to-back winner of the Stroke Play since Melissa Martin in 2009 and ’10, and the first player since Kim Eaton in 2004 to sweep both the CWGA Match Play and Stroke Play titles in the same year.

University of Colorado golfer Gillian Vance, who teamed with Kupcho to win this year’s CWGA Mashie and for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, sits in second place after firing an even-par 72 on Tuesday. The 2015 5A state high school champion carded two birdies and two bogeys on Tuesday. (Vance and Kupcho are pictured above, with Kupcho at left.)

Taylor Dorans of Erie, a University of Wyoming golfer, shot a 74, good for third place, while Rosana Valdor posted a 75.

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, who won the first of her five CWGA Stroke Plays in 1991 at Denver Country Club, opened with a 76 and is in fifth place.

After Wednesday’s second round, the top 12 championship/first flight competitors, plus ties, will be separated into a championship flight for Thursday’s final round.

All told, there will be seven flights in addition to the championship.

For interactive scores, click on the following flights:

— Championship/First
— Second
— Third
— Fourth
— Fifth
— Sixth
— Seventh

CWGA Stroke Play

At Par-72 Denver CC

Championship/First Flight
Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster, Colo. – 33-38–71
Gillian Vance, Lakewood, Colo. – 37-35–72
Taylor Dorans, Erie, Colo. – 38-36–74
Rosana Valdor, Denver, Colo. – 39-36–75
Janet Moore, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. – 37-39–76
Calli Ringsby, Denver, Colo. – 38-39–77
Anna Kennedy, Parker, Colo. – 38-40–78
Betsy Kelly, Commerce City, Colo. – 40-38–78
Delaney Elliott, Superior, Colo. – 41-37–78
Jaylee Tait, Littleton, Colo. – 33-45–78
Klara Castillo, Waco, Texas – 38-40–78
Michelle Romano, Littleton, Colo. – 41-37–78
Kylee Sullivan, Colorado Springs, Colo. – 39-40–79
Morgan Sahm, Centennial, Colo. – 38-41–79
Kim Eaton, Mesa, Ariz. – 40-40–80
Mackenzie Cohen, Centennial, Colo. – 40-41–81
Allie Johnston, Castle Rock, Colo. – 39-43–82
Kelly Moran, Boulder, Colo. – 42-40–82
Tori Glenn, Castle Pines, Colo. – 41-41–82
Ashlyn Kirschner, Arvada, Colo. – 41-42–83
Megan McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. – 43-40–83
Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch, Colorado – 41-42–83
Tiffany Maurycy, Denver, Colo. – 40-43–83
Courtney Ewing, Pueblo West, Colo. – 42-42–84
Forre Zook, Colorado Springs, Colorado – 41-47–88

Second Flight
Madison McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. – 37-39–76
Mariah Ehrman, Westminster, Colorado – 37-40–77
Jacquelin Biggs, Englewood, Colo. – 38-41–79
Kacey Godwin, Denver, Colo. – 39-43–82
Maddie Kern, Westminster, Colo. – 42-40–82
Megan Vernon, Conifer, Colorado – 42-41–83
Holly Schaefer, Greenwood Village, Colo. – 41-43–84
Christie Austin, Denver, Colo. – 43-44–87
Kelly Martin, Evergreen, Colo. – 42-45–87

Third Flight
Brittany Roberts, Denver, Colo. – 40-39–79
Kathy Malpass, Evergreen, Colo. – 38-42–80
Emilee Strausburg, Lakewood, Colorado – 41-43–84
Ruth Van Zee, Denver, Colo. – 42-43–85
Cindy Snow, Parker, Colo. – 43-43–86
Jessi McVay, Denver, Colo. – 42-44–86
Katherine Moore-Lilly, Minneapolis, Minnesota – 43-44–87
Jennifer Hocking, Colorado Springs, Colorado – 42-46–88
Nina Dulacki, Denver, Colo. – 48-43–91

Fourth Flight
Kendra George, Littleton, Colo. – 42-39–81
Meagan Arvidson, Aurora, Colo. – 40-41–81
Kate Connor, Highlands Ranch, Colo. – 42-41–83
Mary Doyen, Denver, Colo. – 47-37–84
Sue Hartwell, Arvada, Colo. – 41-43–84
Laurie Steenrod, Aurora, Colo. – 44-41–85
Liz Kennedy, Grand Junction, Colo. – 43-42–85
Karen Williams, Denver, Colo. – 44-44–88
Sandra Young, Monument, Colorado – 45-43–88
Dr. Andrea Grilli, Golden, Colo. – 45-48–93
Kathleen Johnson, Broomfield, Colo. – 44-49–93
LeAnna Rosenow, Arvada, Colo. – 45-48–93

Fifth Flight
Jane Ford, Thornton, Colo. – 43-43–86
Sophia Montoya, Pueblo, Colorado – 42-44–86
Jessica Nisbet, Loveland, Colorado – 42-45–87
Susan Schell, Highlands Ranch, Colo. – 42-46–88
Liza Grant, Denver, Colo. – 47-42–89
Kelli Poppenhagen, Aurora, Colo. – 43-47–90
Katty Rothberg, Denver, Colo. – 48-43–91
Kimalee Hull, Denver, Colo. – 48-43–91
Carla Stearns, Denver, Colo. – 45-47–92
Patty Smogor, Centennial, Colo. – 45-49–94
Marie Driessen, Aurora, Colo. – 45-50–95
Karen Hale, Edwards, Colo. – 46-50–96
Melis Ward, Denver, Colo. – 53-47–100
Ouida Neil, Colorado Springs, Colo. – 49-51–100
Patricia Swanson, Arvada, Colo. – 58-45–103

Sixth Flight
Jo Ann Higgins, Longmont, Colo. – 46-42–88
Mariko Coplin, Lakewood, Colo. – 43-45–88
Ria Woodruff, Aurora, Colo. – 45-43–88
Chris Jansen, Denver, Colo. – 47-42–89
Debbie Mills, Parker, Colo. – 44-45–89
Laura Dunston, Aurora, Colo. – 47-42–89
Karen Chase, Littleton, Colo. – 43-47–90
Elizabeth Kraemer, Westminster, Co 8003, Colo. – 45-47–92
Wendy Atkinson, Westminster, Colo. – 50-45–95
Diane Ferrara, Westminster, Colo. – 49-47–96

Seventh Flight
Jean Miller, Arvada, Colo. – 47-41–88
Mary Smith, Arvada, Colo. – 46-42–88
Vicki Porter, Denver, Colo. – 45-44–89
Karen Leuschel, Broomfield, Colo. – 46-44–90
Claudia Gallegos, Lone Tree, Colo. – 45-46–91
Hee Chung, Aurora, Colo. – 43-49–92
Emma Robinson, Pueblo, Colo. – 52-42–94
Jenna Knutson, Boudler, Colo. – 46-48–94
Karin Hathaway, Denver, Colo. – 45-49–94
Patricia Sato, Westminster, Colo. – 44-50–94
Alison O’Connor, Windsor, Colo. – 47-48–95
Kim Gosche, Denver, Colo. – 49-46–95
Andrea Dikeou, Denver, Colo. – 48-50–98
Jennifer Tempas, Littleton, Colorado – 51-47–98
Linda Raunig, Denver, Colo. – 49-53–102
Lisa Schmid, Denver, Colo. – 58-48–106