Among those three who won their Regional Qualifying competition at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis was Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, who became the first Coloradan to qualify twice for the DCP Nationals.

Chin competed in the Girls 7-9 division at Augusta National in 2016, and now she’s in the 10-11 group.

Chin won that 10-11 division Saturday in St. Louis by accumulating 115 points for an 18-point victory over fellow Coloradan Taylor Hale of Eagle.

Also advancing to the DCP Finals at Augusta National on Saturday were Chunya Boonta of Centennial, who prevailed by one point in the Girls 12-13 group with a 131 total, and Grady Ortiz of Colorado Springs, who won in the Boys 7-9 group with a 104 tally.

In order to qualify for Nationals, a golfer has to win — out of 12 players — in his/her gender/age division at Regionals. There are eight divisions in each DCP event.

Each of Saturday’s champions previously advanced through Local and Sub-Regional qualifying events.

When Chin qualified for Nationals previously, in 2016, she was one of a three-player Colorado contingent that year also, along with Luke Trujillo and Arielle Keating, both of Colorado Springs. Trujillo and Keating each finished sixth at Nationals that Year, while Chin was 10th.

The only other Coloradan who has competed in the nationally-televised DCP Finals has been Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs, who placed sixth in the Boys 14-15 competion on April 1.

In DCP events, contestants score points in each discipline — driving, chipping and putting — which are added together for a cumulative total.

In addition to the three Coloradans who won their divisions at Regionals in St. Louis on Saturday, four from the Centennial State were runners-up, coming up just short of advancing: Miles Kuhl of Boulder (Boys 10-11), Maxwell Lange of Golden (Boys 14-15), Hale (Girls 10-11) and Grace Ha of Greenwood Village (Girls 14-15).

In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the DCP, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.

ҬHere are the results for the Coloradans at the Drive Chip & Putt Regional Qualifying in St. Louis on Saturday:

ҬScore: Drive-Chip-Putt=Total

ҬBoys 7-9
“¨”¨1. Grady Ortiz, Colorado Springs 30-23-51–104
“¨7. Ryan Fenton, Colorado Springs 28-26-17–71
10. Benjamin Pederson, Arvada 28-30-8–66″¨

Boys 10-11
“¨2. Miles Kuhl, Boulder 24-45-55–124
3. Jake Dost, Parker 45-45-32–122″¨
6. Gregory White, Centennial 16-40-50–106

ҬӬӬӬBoys 12-13
“¨5. Reese Knox, Peyton 19-32-55–106
“¨6. Matai Naqica, Centennial 52-20-27–99
9. Carter Surofchek, Colorado Springs 18-32-40–90

ҬӬBoys 14-15
“¨2. Maxwell Lange, Golden 62-45-55–162″¨
4. Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 70-40-36–146″¨
6. Ben Harding, Longmont 46-40-50–136
12. Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial 0-55-32–87″¨”¨

Girls 7-9″¨
3. Jadie Wilson, Denver 14-26-27–67
“¨4. Amalei Lagrimas, Castle Rock 13-21-31–65″¨
4. Annabel Roy, Denver 11-41-13–65
“¨7. Adrielle Miller, Highlands Ranch 14-30-12–56

Girls 10-11
“¨1. Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 34-26-55–115″¨
2. Taylor Hale, Eagle 23-45-29–97
4. Addison Hines, Arvada 36-37-12–85″¨
12. Emmalee Johnson, Denver 2-25-7–34″¨”¨

Girls 12-13″¨
1. Chunya Boonta, Centennial 36-45-50–131″¨
11. Madeline Bante, Denver 19-40-27–86

Girls 14-15
“¨2. Grace Ha, Greenwood Village 51-26-22–99
5. Elle Higgins, Centennial 32-26-32–90
6. Sofia Choi, Littleton 17-35-36–88 “¨ 

Chin was one of 16 junior golfers who qualified on Saturday at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora for DCP Regionals. Regionals mark the third of four qualifying stages for DCP, and it’s where the winners of each age/gender division earn spots in the Nationals in Augusta, Ga.

Chin competed in the girls 7-9 division at Augusta National in 2016, and now she’s in the 10-11 group. She won that division in Saturday’s Sub-Regional at Murphy Creek and will book a trip to Regionals, which are set for Sept. 29 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, site of this month’s PGA Championship. The winners of each age/gender division there will land a spot in the DCP National Championship, scheduled for April 7 at Augusta National.

Also among those advancing to Regionals on Saturday at Murphy Creek was Matai Naqica of Centennial, who recently won the boys 11-13 Junior Series Championship conducted by the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado. Naqica prevailed for the boys 12-13 Sub-Regional title on Saturday with an impressive point total of 177 — the best of the day in any division.

The qualfiers from Murphy Creek join those from Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton, who punched their Regional tickets on Aug. 18.

Twelve of those who advanced on Saturday are from Colorado, while 14 from the Thorncreek competition are.

Those who have competed the last two weekends had already advanced from Local Qualifying as eight such events were held in Colorado this year, including one during U.S. Senior Open week at The Broadmoor Golf Club earlier this summer.

Last year, Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs became the fourth Coloradan ever to compete in the nationally-televised DCP National Championship. He finished sixth in the boys 14-15 division.

In DCP competitions, contestants score points in each discipline — driving, chipping and putting — which are added together for a cumulative total.

In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the DCP, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.

Here are the Drive Chip & Putt Regional Qualifiers from the Murphy Creek GC Sub-Regional on Saturday:

Score: Drive-Chip-Putt=Total

Boys 7-9
Shea Clanton, Lincoln, Neb. 18-41-50–109
Ryan Fenton, Colorado Springs 17-35-55–107

Boys 10-11
Steven Suges, Grapevine, Texas 37-45-46–128
Miles Kuhl, Boulder 22-45-40–107

Boys 12-13
Matai Naqica, Centennial 52-55-70–177
Trevor Gutschewski, Elkhorn, Neb. 44-50-46–140

Boys 14-15
Maxwell Lange, Golden 61-50-50–161
Ben Harding, Longmont 38-45-65–148

Girls 7-9
Annabel Roy, Denver 8-22-55–85
Adrielle Miller, Highlands Ranch 11-19-41–71

Girls 10-11
Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 34-40-52–126
Taylor Hale, Eagle 36-40-42–118

Girls 12-13
Chunya Boonta, Centennial 33-50-22–105
Madeline Bante, Denver 32-21-41–94

Girls 14-15
Lauren Thiele, Wahoo, Neb. 20-55-60–135
Elle Higgins, Centennial 39-40-36–115

For all the results from Murphy Creek, CLICK HERE.

Here were the qualifiers from last weekend at Thorncreek:

Boys 7-9
“¨Benjamin Pederson, Arvada 20-35-55–110″¨
Grady Ortiz, Colorado Springs 20-31-45–96″¨”¨

Boys 10-11
“¨Gregory White, Centennial 31-40-50–121″¨
Jake Dost, Parker 39-35-47–121

Boys 12-13
“¨Reese Knox, Peyton 45-45-42–132
“¨Carter Surofchek, Colorado Springs 32-40-45–117

Boys 14-15
“¨Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial 47-45-60–152″¨
Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 47-37-60–144

Girls 7-9
“¨Jadie Wilson, Denver 17-3-60–80″¨
Amalei Lagrimas, Castle Rock 18-26-36–80

Girls 10-11
“¨Emmalee Johnson, Denver 18-18-60–96″¨
Addison Hines, Arvada 21-11-60–92

Girls 12-13
“¨Ali Mulhall, Mesquite Nevada 44-23-55–122″¨
Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M. 36-30-45–111

Girls 14-15
“¨Sofia Choi, Littleton 52-45-60–157
“¨Grace Ha, Greenwood Village 40-31-60–131
 

Thorncreek hosted the first of two Colorado-based Sub-Regional DCP competitions on Saturday, with Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora doing the second on Aug. 25.

The competitors have already advanced from Local Qualifying as eight such events were held in Colorado this year, including one during U.S. Senior Open week at The Broadmoor Golf Club earlier this summer. And at Thorncreek and Murphy Creek, the top two finishers in each of eight age/gender divisions are punching their tickets to the Regional Qualifying, which will be conducted on Sept. 29 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, site of the recent PGA Championship. There, just the winner in each age/gender division will earn a spot in the DCP National Championship, set for April 7 at Augusta National on the Sunday preceding the 2019 Masters.

Last year, Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs became the fourth Coloradan ever to compete in the nationally-televised DCP National Championship. He finished sixth in the boys 14-15 division.

In DCP competitions, contestants score points in each discipline — driving, chipping and putting — which are added together for a cumulative total.

In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.

Among the 14 Coloradans who advanced to Regional Qualifying on Saturday (in addition to two out-of-state golfers) was Sofia Choi of Littleton (the girls 14-15 champion), who also made it to Regionals last year. Choi won Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Junior Series Championships in both 2016 and ’17.

Here are the Drive Chip & Putt Regional Qualifiers from the Thorncreek GC Sub-Regional on Saturday:

Score: Drive-Chip-Putt=Total

Boys 7-9
Benjamin Pederson, Arvada 20-35-55–110
Grady Ortiz, Colorado Springs 20-31-45–96

Boys 10-11
Gregory White, Centennial 31-40-50–121
Jake Dost, Parker 39-35-47–121

Boys 12-13
Reese Knox, Peyton 45-45-42–132
Carter Surofchek, Colorado Springs 32-40-45–117

Boys 14-15
Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial 47-45-60–152
Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 47-37-60–144

Girls 7-9
Jadie Wilson, Denver 17-3-60–80
Amalei Lagrimas, Castle Rock 18-26-36–80

Girls 10-11
Emmalee Johnson, Denver 18-18-60–96
Addison Hines, Arvada 21-11-60–92

Girls 12-13
Ali Mulhall, Mesquite Nevada 44-23-55–122
Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M. 36-30-45–111

Girls 14-15
Sofia Choi, Littleton 52-45-60–157
Grace Ha, Greenwood Village 40-31-60–131
 

At least assuming no alternates get into the field.

Fifteen Coloradans competed Saturday in regional qualifying at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., but none won his or her age division — which was what was necessary to qualify for the finals, which will be held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia on April 2.

This marks the third time in the four years of the DC&P Championships that Coloradans have been shut out of the finals. But three in-state junior golfers — Luke Trujillo, Arielle Keating and Caitlyn Chin — went to nationals this past spring.

Here were the Coloradans who had the highest finishes Saturday at regionals:

— Landon Houska of Fort Collins, playing in regionals for the second straight year, finished second in the boys 7-9 division, seven points behind national qualifier Carter Gaede.

— Matai Naqica of Centennial tied for second in the boys 10-11 division, 10 points behind national qualifier Liam Hartling.

— Jake Chesler of Firestone placed second in the boys 12-13 division, 14 points behind national qualifier Evan Chien.

— Gracie Olkowski of Grand Junction finished third in the girls 14-15 division, 38 points behind national qualifier Megan Ahmadi.

Here’s how all the Coloradans fared on Saturday, with their points from each of the three skills (drive, chip and putt) — and their total.

Boys 7-9 — 2. Landon Houska, Fort Collins 32-23-50–105; 7. Preston Brooke, Arvada 27-4-36–67.

Boys 10-11 — T2. Matai Naqica, Centennial 48-22-37–107; 5. Benjamin Starr, Cherry Hills Village 27-17-50–94.

Boys 12-13 — 2. Jake Chesler, Firestone 58-30-45–133; 9. Ben Harding, Longmont 11-26-60–97.

Boys 14-15 — 4. Jack Hughes, Aspen 52-27-45–124; 6. Davis Long, Lafayette 35-31-51–117.

Girls 7-9 — 6. Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 6-19-41–66; 7. Livia Pett, Denver 13-7-40–60.

Girls 10-11 — 10. Brooke Hudson, Parker 0-12-26–38.

Girls 12-13 — 6. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland 32-2-45–79; 7. Sofia Choi, Littleton 27-19-30–76.

Girls 14-15 — 3. Gracie Olkowski, Grand Junction 41-22-60–123; 7. Marie Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village 43-14-32–89.

For all the results from the regional qualifying at Riviera, CLICK HERE.

All the regional competitors advanced through both local and sub-regional qualifying events.

In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the national finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.
 

On Saturday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, 16 junior golfers — including 15 from Colorado — kept their hopes alive of doing what Trujillo, Keating and Chin did in the spring.

The top two finishers in each of eight divisions at Saturday’s DC&P Sub-Regional Qualifier earned spots in the Regional Qualifying, set for Sept. 24 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. And from there, the top performer in each division will punch their tickets to the 2017 national finals April 2 at Augusta National.

Among those still in the running for a 2017 trip to Augusta is Chin, a Greenwood Village resident who on Saturday finished second in the girls 7-9 division at CommonGround. She placed 10th in the national finals in that same division four months ago.

Here are all those who will advance to Riviera, with their points from each of the three skills on Saturday (drive, chip and putt) — and their total.

Girls 7-9 — 1. Livia Pett, Denver 16-46-37–99; Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 23-31-36–90.

Girls 10-11 — 1. Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M. 31-30-45–106; 2. Brooke Hudson, Parker 26-26-51–103.

Girls 12-13 — 1. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland 43-36-55–134; 2. Sofia Choi, Littleton 34-45-50–129.

Girls 14-15 — 1. Gracie Olkowski, Grand Junction 52-55-55–162; 2. Marie Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village 44-50-45–139.

Boys 7-9 — 1. Landon Houska, Fort Collins 16-45-45–106; 2. Preston Brooke, Arvada 22-31-50–103 (second-place tiebreaker based on putting score).

Boys 10-11 — 1. Matai Naqica, Centennial 47-22-45–114; 2. Benjamin Starr, Cherry Hills Village 26-31-55–112.

Boys 12-13 — 1. Jake Chesler, Firestone 27-55-50–132; 2. Ben Harding, Longmont 35-40-50–125 (second-place tiebreaker based on putting score).

Boys 14-15 — 1. Jack Hughes, Aspen 55-40-50–145; 2. Davis Long, Lafayette 52-45-42–139.

All the players noted above have now advanced through both Local and Sub-Regional qualifying events.

Back in Regionals for the second straight year after competing at CommonGround will be Houska, Chin and Salome.

Each participant in the DC&P is awarded points for each skill based on his or her performance, with the points added together for an overall score.

In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the national finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championships, which are sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.

For all the scores from Saturday, CLICK HERE.

Though this was the third national finals of the DCP, it was the first year a Coloradan qualified. In all, 80 golfers — 40 boys and 40 girls from across the U.S. and Canada — competed on Sunday at Augusta. The event was broken up into four age groups each for boys and girls, age 7-15.

Luke Trujillo, 15, of Colorado Springs finished sixth out of 10 players overall in the boys 14-15 age group with 15.5 points, 7.5 fewer than champion Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Mass. Trujillo ended up third in putting — thanks to draining his second putt — sixth in chipping, and tied for seventh in the drive. The Golf Channel showed one of Trujillo’s drives and both of his chips and putts on Sunday, including the one that he holed to close his day.

Arielle Keating, 15, of Colorado Springs finished sixth in the girls 14-15 division with 16.5 points, 10 behind champion Alyssa Montgomery of Knoxville, Tenn. Keating tied for third in the chip (her second chip finished a foot from the cup), and placed fifth in the putt and eighth in the drive. Golf Channel showed her stroke one of her putts on Sunday.

Caitlyn Chin, 8, of suburban Denver finished 10th in the girls 7-9 division with five points, leaving her 19 points back of champion Emerson Blair of West Point, Miss. Chin placed eighth in the drive, and 10th in both the chip and the putt. Golf Channel showed both of Chin’s putts on Sunday.

(The Coloradans — from left, Trujillo, Chin and Keating — are pictured above.)

After competing in the Drive, Chip and Putt on Sunday, Trujillo, Keating and Chin — and their families — will have a chance to watch a Masters practice round Monday at Augusta National.

Among those on hand for Sunday’s DCP national finals were Masters champions Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Nick Faldo, Ben Crenshaw and Mark O’Meara, other PGA Tour players Jason Day, Keegan Bradley and Matt Kuchar, new USGA president Diana Murphy, PGA of America president Derek Sprague, Augusta National chairman Billy Payne, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion Bryson DeChambeau. On Saturday on the eve of the event, the DCP finalists rubbed elbows with entertainers Justin Timberlake and Niall Horan, and PGA Tour player Justin Rose.

“This is special,” Watson said Sunday on Golf Channel. “It jerks at my heart a lot, watching this. There are other things these kids are learning (besides displaying their skills). They’re learning etiquette, dedication, and the drive (necessary to achieve at a high level).”

Only six states were better represented in the DCP national finals this spring than Colorado — California (8 finalists), Texas (7), Ohio (5), and New York, Illinois and Michigan (4 each).

The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is a joint initiative of the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America designed to help grow the game.

Each competitor is scored based on the longest of two drives (provided it’s inbounds), and the cumulative proximity to the hole of two chips and of two putts from different distances. The driving and chipping were held at Augusta National’s tournament practice area, with the putting set for ANGC’s 18th green. Golfers competed within eight groups based on gender and age, with the kids with the highest combined scores in driving, chipping and putting winning the overall titles.

All 80 of the finalists who vied at Augusta National on Sunday qualified by virtue of advancing through local, sub-regional and regional competitions.

Trujillo, Keating and Chin all took the same sub-regional and regional paths to the finals, advancing at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, Calif., respectively. Each won his or her divisions at the regionals at Torrey Pines.

For all the results of Sunday’s Drive, Chip and Putt national finals, CLICK HERE.

Registration for the 2016-17 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is open. The website can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.  

No Coloradans qualified for the national finals of the DC&P event held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia in the first two years of the competition, culminating in 2014 and ’15. But there’s no such issue this time around.

In fact, three junior golfers from Colorado will be among the 80 competitors — 40 boys and 40 girls from across the U.S. and Canada — who will be vying in the third annual Drive, Chip and Putt finals, set for Sunday (April 3) at Augusta National on the eve of Masters week.

That makes Colorado one of the most well-represented states in this year’s finals. In fact, only six states have more finalists this spring — California (8), Texas (7), Ohio (5), and New York, Illinois and Michigan (4 each).

The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, for youngsters age 7-15, is a joint initiative of the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America designed to help grow the game.

Each competitor is scored based on the longest of two drives (provided it’s inbounds), and the cumulative proximity to the hole of two chips and of two putts. The driving and chipping will be held at Augusta National’s tournament practice area, with the putting set for ANGC’s 18th green. Golfers vie within eight groups based on gender and age, with the kids with the highest combined scores in driving, chipping and putting winning the overall titles.

All 80 of the finalists who will vie at Augusta National on Sunday qualified by virtue of advancing through local, sub-regional and regional competitions.

The Coloradans who made the finals are Luke Trujillo of Colorado Springs (boys 14-15 age group), fellow Colorado Springs resident Arielle Keating (girls 14-15) and Caitlyn Chin of suburban Denver (girls 7-9). Trujillo and Keating are children of PGA professionals John Trujillo of Eisenhower Golf Club and Brad Keating of Springs Ranch Golf Club, respectively.

Trujillo, Keating and Chin all took the same sub-regional and regional paths to the finals, advancing at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, Calif., respectively. Each won his or her division at the regionals at Torrey Pines.

Trujillo, who owns a 0.8 handicap index, remembers watching last year’s DC&P finals on TV.

“I saw all these kids doing what they love to do and having a lot of fun and I wanted to have the chance to be in that moment,” he told drivechipandputt.com.

Trujillo plays out of the Golf Club at Flying Horse, while Keating is from the Country Club of Colorado and Chin hails from Meridian Golf Club.

Golf Channel will be devoting five hours of TV coverage to the Drive, Chip and Putt finals on Sunday, with an hour-long “pre-game” (6-7 a.m. MT) followed by four hours of live action (7-11 a.m.).
 

The Denver Golf Expo has undergone plenty of tweaking over its 21-year run. There’s always something that gets changed from year to year in attempts to make the show better or to attract more attendees.

This winter’s 22nd annual Expo will be no different in that respect. And for the first time in recent years, one of those alterations will involve a small but notable change of dates.

In recent years, the Expo has been a fixture at the Denver Mart (58th Ave. and I-25) during the first two weeks of February — usually the second weekend of the month. In the past half-dozen years, it’s always been held sometime between Feb. 6-14. But this year, the 10,000 or so regular attendees of the show will mark a different set of dates on their calendar.

With show organizers especially aware of not wanting to compete against the Super Bowl (Feb. 1 this year) or Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), the Expo will have some of its latest dates ever, Feb. 20-22 — two weeks later than last year.

“We never want to be up against the Super Bowl, and Valentine’s Day is historically not good for us,” said Mark Cramer, who owns and operates the Denver Golf Expo along with his wife, Lynn. “Couples are doing couples’ things that day — understandably so — and attendance drops off.”

Attendance for the Expo has fallen each of the last three years, so perhaps a date change might help in that regard. As always, much will depend on the weather that weekend. But Cramer is taking some proactive steps to attract more visitors to the show.

Most notably, in order reach more people who might attend, Cramer hired a Boulder-based internet marketing firm to rebuild the Expo web site (denvergolfexpo.com) and help with search-engine optimization. That search-engine work is designed to give the show an even higher profile among golf fans, particularly in the weeks and days leading up to the Expo.

“Everything is going mobile and internet regarding marketing and advertising; newspaper, TV and radio and not pulling like they used to,” Cramer said. “All the years I’ve done this (since July of 2000), every year I hear ‘I forgot about it or didn’t see any advertising’. It drives me nuts because we always spend a lot of money on advertising in order to get as many people in as we can. So I hope what we’re doing will pop up in attendance.”

And, as in recent years, the Expo will run ads locally during telecasts of tour events as the show approaches.

During the Expo itself, Cramer is planning more interactive activities, as attendees have requested through surveys.

As has regularly been the case since the Cramers began running the Denver Golf Expo, the CGA, CWGA, CJGA and Colorado PGA will have a major presence at the show, hoping to grow the game by reaching out to attendees.

Among their efforts will be the Used Club Sale (pictured above), which benefits junior developmental programs; the newly renamed “Junior Golf Central” for kids; the Colorado PGA’s free 10-minute golf lessons; and educational seminars that will take place throughout the Expo, including the USGA Handicap Seminar that CGA and CWGA staffers will conduct.

In addition, as part of the CGA’s centennial year celebration in 2015, the association will publicly launch its new logo and branding at the Expo. Both the CGA and CWGA, with adjacent booths at the Denver Mart, will be promoting their core programming and the many and varied services that they provide. CWGA members who show their GHIN membership card — or the smart-phone equivalent — will receive a memento.

The CGA and CJGA continue to accept donations for the Used Club Sale both at their office (5990 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Suite #102, in Greenwood Village) and at the PGA Tour Superstore (9451 E. Arapahoe Road, just east of I-25) during normal business hours. For those who can’t travel to donate clubs, the CGA/CJGA can pick up donations in the metro area. To arrange for that, call 303-366-4653. Reminder: The associations no longer accept clubs on consignment for the Used Club Sale — just straight donations.

Junior Golf Central, which evolved out of the Junior Golf Experience (left), will have a “Drive, Chip and Putt” theme this year, playing off the championship of the same name that was launched in 2013 by the Masters Tournament Foundation, the USGA and the PGA of America. The DC&P Championship is a free nationwide junior skills competition — designed to promote interest and participation in golf — that culminates each year on the Sunday before the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Drive, Chip and Putt holds local and regional qualifiers throughout the U.S. for boys and girls age 7-15. This year, local qualifiers will be conducted in June and July in Colorado (CLICK HERE for sites), with winners advancing to the sub-regional Aug. 30 at CommonGround Golf Course. From there, the top players go to Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., for the regionals on Sept. 19.

At the Denver Golf Expo, each of the three skills (drive, chip and putt) will be part of Junior Golf Central. The Colorado PGA, which hosts the local and sub-regional DC&P qualifiers in the state, will have a running leaderboard throughout the weekend. And the long drives for kids will be announced over the public-address system.

All in all, Cramer hopes the efforts of event organizers and participants make for a better show than ever.

“We always try to hit all the right bases,” he said.

For a list of exhibitors who plan to participate in the Denver Golf Expo, CLICK HERE.