Schalk, a two-time 3A state high school champion from Holy Family High School, fired a 3-under-par 68 — second-best of the the final round — and finished at 2-over 215 overall, six behind champion Ashely Shim of San Mateo, Calif.

Schalk (left), the 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Girls Player of the Year, birdied two of her last three holes of the tournament and finished with four birdies and one bogey on Sunday. The 16-year-old carded rounds of 74-73 on Friday and Saturday. Over the three days, the future University of Colorado golfer went 5 under par on the final four holes at Longbow.

Here are the finishes for the other players with strong Colorado ties who competed in the Silver Belle this week: Colorado State University golfer Ellen Secor (220, 27th place), University of Denver golfer Mary Weinstein (224, 40th place) and Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village (226, 50th place.)

Many elite players have competed in the Arizona Silver Belle over the years, and the past winners include then-Colorado Springs resident Lauren Howe, who won in 1976. Howe will be inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in June.

For all the scores from the 2018 Arizona Silver Belle, CLICK HERE.
 

Each year has its own distinctive makeup. That’s true regarding life in general, or in Colorado golf.

And so it was in 2018, which is quickly coming to a close.

Since 2009, we’ve made it an annual habit to go back through the golf stories of the year, pick out the most prominent ones and rank them for a retrospective on the CGA website.

For most of the last several years, we’ve broken the list into two installments to keep things a little more manageable. We go in reverse order, for the sake of suspense, and add an honorable-mention list that will be included with Part II, which will be published in the coming days.

Today, we’ll cover Nos. 25 through 13.

So, without first ado, here’s our 10th edition of Colorado golf-related stories of the year:

25. Second Colorado Topgolf Site Gearing Up: Since August 2015, there’s been one Topgolf location in Colorado — the one in Centennial. But three months ago, ground was broken at a second site — at I-25 and 60th Ave., in Thornton. The 65,000-square-foot, three-level facility is scheduled to open to the public in late 2019. It will have 102 climate-controlled hitting bays — where players hit microchipped golf balls at targets with varying point values — in addition to a restaurant and three bars. There will be 250 HD televisions, a rooftop terrace with fire pits and 3,000 square feet of space devoted to private events. The Centennial Topgolf employs about 500 people, the same number that is expected in Thornton.

24. Annika Returns to Colorado for First Tee Event: Over the last three years, the folks who run the CoBank Colorado Open Championships and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch have brought in tour players to conduct exhibitions and chat with kids from The First Tee programs in the state. During the first two years, doing the honores were Hale Irwin, Ryan Palmer, Paula Creamer, David Duval, Lexi Thompson and Mark O’Meara. This year, there was no letdown in talent as Matt Kuchar came for a late June exhibition at GVR, and World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam (above) for a CoBank PEAK Performers event in August at The Broadmoor, where Sorenstam won her first LPGA title — the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open. The PEAK Performers event was particularly unique as nine kids from First Tee programs around the country had the opportunity to play golf with Sorenstam for six holes each as part of a four-day, all-expenses-paid outing. READ MORE

23. Sibling Sweep for Bryants: A year after Davis Bryant and younger sister Emma completed the “Bryant Slam” by jointly winning all four Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors in 2017, they posted a “Sibling Sweep” when they prevailed at both the boys and girls 5A state high school tournaments in the same school year. Almost eight months after Davis Bryant claimed the 5A boys crown as a senior at Eaglecrest, Emma held up her end by capturing the 5A girls title as an Eaglecrest freshman in May at Boulder Country Club. It’s the first time two players with the same surname have won the boys and girls state individual prep championships in one school year. READ MORE

22. High Honor for Irwin: Hale Irwin (left) had to contend with Jack Nicklaus on the golf course plenty of times over the course of their careers. But in June, it was Nicklaus and the Captains Club that honored Irwin — a three-time U.S. Open champion and World Golf Hall of Famer who grew up in Boulder — as the 2018 Memorial Tournament honoree. And it’s no small tribute. Others who have received similar status since 2010 include Seve Ballesteros, Nancy Lopez, Tom Watson, Ray Floyd, Annika Sorenstam, Nick Faldo, Johnny Miller and Greg Norman. “I have a hard time putting myself in that category with the greats of the past, so I am absolutely delighted.” Irwin said.

21. Schalk Still Undefeated in High School Ranks: When then-Holy Family sophomore Hailey Schalk won the girls 3A state high school tournament in May, it gave her two titles in two seasons of high school golf. But even more impressively, Schalk remained unbeaten in her two years of high school tournaments and kept alive her chances for an unprecented four Colorado girls state high school golf titles. Schalk became the eighth player to win at least two Colorado girls state high school championships, joining Lynn Ann Moretto (3), Ashley Tait (3), Jennifer Kupcho (2), Becca Huffer (2), Kelly Jacques (2), Jennifer McCormick (2) and Emily Wood (2). Schalk, now a junior, later verbally committed to play her college golf at the University of Colorado beginning in 2020.

20. 25 and Counting for Eaton: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton wasted no time in 2018 tying Carol Flenniken’s record for career CGA/CWGA women’s titles. In May, she teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Janet Moore in winning the Brassie Championship, giving her 25 such victories in her career. Though Eaton came up short — in a playoff — of notching No. 26 at the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play at her own home course at Greeley Country Club, she’ll have additional opportunities at the outright record in 2019. READ MORE

19. Spiranac Continues to Make a Splash: It’s hard to fathom how big a social media sensation 2015 CGA Women’s Match Play champion Paige Spiranac has become. At last check, the former Colorado resident had 1.5 million followers on Instagram and 215,000 on Twitter. Before largely giving up competitive golf, Spiranac not only won the 100th CWGA Match Play, but finished ninth in the 2016 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open and won the 2010 CWGA Junior Stroke Play as well as the 2006 CJGA Tournament of Champions — all in Colorado. Spiranac, who appeared in the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, is now a periodic columnist for Golf.com. READ MORE

18. 25 Years and Counting for Denver Golf Expo: What started out relatively modestly at the Colorado Convention Center in the early 1990s has turned into quite an annual affair. In 2018, the Denver Golf Expo, now run by Mark and Lynn Cramer, celebrated its 25th anniversary. The Cramers, who bought the show from Colorado PGA professional Stan Fenn in 2000, will be honored in June by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Achievement Award. READ MORE

17. Memorable Year for Andonian-Smith: It was a year of “firsts” for Colorado PGA professional Sherry Andonian-Smith. She, along with fellow Coloradans Janet Moore and Marilyn Hardy, qualified for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The Centennial resident became the first woman to qualify for the national Senior PGA Professional Championship and ended up finishing 29th out of a field of 264 there. She was named the Colorado PGA’s inaugural Women’s Player of the Year after tying for second place in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship and winning the Section’s West Chapter Championship for the second time in three years. And Andonian-Smith and Alexandra Braga became the first women from the Colorado PGA to qualify for the national PGA Professional Championship.

16. And Love-ing It: After getting advice from World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III, son Dru (left) made an eagle in a playoff to win the CoBank Colorado Open. The younger Love carded an eagle and nine birdies in his final 19 holes of the tournament. It was the biggest win of Dru Love’s career, and he made $100,000 in the process. Davis Love III won the PGA Tour’s International twice in Colorado, while Davis Love II claimed the title in the CGA Junior Match Play in both 1953 and ’54. READ MORE

15. Kevin Stadler, Kaye Make Long-Awaited Returns to ‘The Show’: The year 2018 marked the return to PGA Tour action for two Colorado-based veterans who hadn’t competed in golf’s top circuit for quite a while. Part-time Boulder resident Jonathan Kaye, a two-time PGA Tour winner, had last played in a PGA Tour event in 2011, but in March he landed a spot in the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, where he missed the cut. And part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler, who hadn’t competed on the PGA Tour since 2015 due to a broken hand, returned for the Sanderson Farms Championship in October, but likewise missed the cut. Stadler is expected to be a regular in PGA Tour events in 2019 as he plays on a major medical extension.

14. ‘Youth on Course’ Debuts in Colorado: A year ago, CGA executive director Ed Mate predicted that the Youth on Course program could become a “game-changer for player development” in Colorado. The initiative, which makes golf more accessible to juniors by capping their cost for a round at $5 at participating facilities, came to Colorado in 2018. Fifteen Colorado courses participated this year, and many more are expected to be on board in 2019. READ MORE

13. Web Tournament Formalized for TPC Colorado: Colorado last hosted an open-age PGA Tour-affiliated event in 2014, when the BMW Championship PGA Tour playoff tournament was held at Cherry Hills Country Club. But in a September announcement, the Web.com Tour confirmed what had long been known — that a Web.com Tour event would be conducted at the new TPC Colorado course (left) in Berthoud for at least five years, starting in 2019. The event, known as the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes, will debut the week of July 8-14, with 156 players competing for a $600,000 purse. The Web circuit — then known as the Nike Tour — previously had a tournament in Colorado in 1996 and ’97, when Riverdale’s Dunes Course in Brighton hosted the Nike Colorado Classic. READ MORE

Also on the subject of new courses in Colorado, Fred Funk said in late June that the Raindance National Golf Club course in Windsor that he’s co-designing may open as soon as the fall of 2020.

Wednesday marked the first day that high school golfers from Colorado — and elsewhere — who are part of the class of 2019 could formalize their choice of college golf programs by signing national letters of intent.

As is often the case, an impressive number of Coloradans will be playing college golf starting next fall. And plenty of those will be headed to NCAA Division I programs. And to take it yet another step, quite a few Coloradans will be joining DI teams that are among the best in the country.

In fact, between 2019 and 2020 graduates, nine golfers from the Centennial State have either verbally committed to — or have signed with — college programs currently ranked among the top 100 in the nation in Division I:

— Dillon Stewart (left) of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year in 2018, signed on Wednesday with defending NCAA Division I champion Oklahoma State, the No. 1-ranked men’s team in the nation. The Cowboys have now won 11 NCAA titles in men’s golf.

— Two other high school seniors, Jack Hughes of Aspen and former Grand Junction resident Canon Olkowski, will be joining the University of Colorado men’s program, which won two tournaments in the fall and is ranked 73rd in the country, according to Golfstat. Olkowski, who now resides in Las Vegas, is the younger brother of current Buff Trevor Olkowski.

— Dawson Holmes of Aspen will be playing his college golf at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, a program ranked 44th in the nation among DI teams.

— Caroline Jordaan (left) of Lakewood and Colorado Academy, long one of the top girls players in the state, is becoming a University of Denver golfer. The Pioneers are currently slotted No. 79 in the country by Golfweek.

— Lauren Lehigh of Loveland High School, the JGAC’s Girls Player of the Year this past season, is headed to the University of New Mexico, the No. 85 women’s program in the country as of the end of the fall season.

As for high school juniors who recently made verbal commitments to play college golf, they add to the trend:

— Hailey Schalk of Erie and Holy Family High School, the 2017 JGAC Girls POY who won the 3A state high school titles as both a freshman and a sophomore, plans to play at CU, which is ranked No. 36 in the nation by Golfweek. Schalk has been receiving college scholarship offers since early in her eighth-grade year. Her dad, Matt Schalk, is the PGA general manager and director of golf at Colorado National Golf Club, the home course for the CU men’s and women’s golf teams.

— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village and Kent Denver, winner of two of the first three JGAC Tournament of Champions, has committed to Northwestern, the No. 15 women’s team in the nation, according to Golfstat.

— And Marie Jordaan of Lakewood, Caroline Jordaan’s younger sister, is headed to Santa Clara in California, which sits No. 95 in the country, according to Golfstat.

All told in just the Class of 2019, at least 10 Colorado residents and/or JGAC members have signed or will sign letters of intent for DI programs:

Besides the aformentioned six, there’s:

— Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora, who’s headed to the University of Northern Colorado.

— Morgan Ryan of Centennial and Jessica Zapf of Windsor will be teammates at the University of Wyoming.

— And TJ Shehee of Mead will play for the UNC men.

It isn’t often that a Coloradan signs a letter of intent to play golf for the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, but Stewart did just that on Wednesday afternoon.

“It means a lot with all the hard work I’ve put in through the years,” Stewart said recently. “Waking up early and going to play all day until the moon comes up (and) I’m still up there and have my flashlight on the range when I was little. I couldn’t get enough. It just shows that if you have a dream and you want to achieve it, you can put the work in and anything is possible.”

Signing a prestigious letter of intent on Wednesday caps a big year for Stewart, who will graduate from Fossil Ridge in December, though he won’t enroll in OSU until the fall semester. In 2018, he won the individual title in the boys Junior America’s Cup, which featured some of the top junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico, and led Colorado to its first team title ever in that event. Earlier, Stewart became the first Colorado boy to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior — one of two AJGA titles he claimed in 2018. In the fall, he captured the 5A state high school individual championship and led Fossil Ridge to its first team title in boys golf. Stewart also shared medalist honors in qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur.

And now, Stewart is going to Stillwater, Okla., to play his college golf.

“It is a dream of mine,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go there. When I was little I was a Rickie (Fowler) fan; that’s what sparked the whole idea. Being with that group of (top-level players) day in and day out as your family, you’re just going to get that much better. That’s what I’m really looking forward to. You’re practicing with some of the top players in the country and the world every day.”

Here are the Colorado residents and JGAC members who have signed letters of intent or have verbally committed to a college program:

CLASS OF 2019
Boys
— Brandon Bervig of Colorado Springs (Liberty HS) — University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
— Jonas Graham of Parker (Chaparral HS) — Colorado Mesa
— Peter Grossenbacher of Eaton (Eaton HS) — Colorado Mesa
— Dawson Holmes of Aspen (Aspen HS) — College of Charleston (S.C.)
— Jack Hughes of Aspen (Aspen HS) — University of Colorado
— Tyler Mulligan of Parker (Chaparral HS) — Oregon Tech
— Former Grand Junction resident Canon Olkowski, now of Las Vegas — University of Colorado
— Riley Rottschafer of Centennial (Arapahoe HS) — Fort Lewis
— TJ Shehee of Mead (Mead HS) — University of Northern Colorado
— Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins (Fossil Ridge HS) — Oklahoma State
— Jack Tickle (Arapahoe HS) — University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
— Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch (Valor Christian HS) — Colorado School of Mines
— Colter Zwieg of Aspen (Aspen HS) — Methodist University (N.C.)

Girls
— Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora (Grandview HS) — University of Northern Colorado
— Sydney Eye of Golden (Ralston Valley HS) — Metropolitan State University of Denver
— Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood (Colorado Academy) — University of Denver
— Brooke Kramer of Aurora (Cherokee Trail HS) — Chadron State (Neb.)
— Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (Loveland HS) — University of New Mexico
— Morgan Ryan of Centennial (Grandview HS) — University of Wyoming
— Kinsey Smith of Windsor (Windsor HS) — Chadron State (Neb.)
— Jessica Zapf of Windsor (Windsor HS) — University of Wyoming

Out-of-State Signees for Colorado-Based Schools
Boys
— Spencer Adam of San Diego — Air Force Academy
— Brady Arnett of Woodbury, Minn. — University of Denver
— Blake Danni of Cheyenne, Wyo. — Northern Colorado
— Logan Hensley of Casper, Wyo. — Northern Colorado
— Aidan Mann of Elmhurst, Ill. — Colorado Mesa
— Andrew Ni of Edinburgh, Scotland (junior from New Mexico Junior College) — CSU-Pueblo
— Jamie Roberts of Perth, Scotland — CSU-Pueblo
— Zachary Slayton of Austin, Texas — Colorado Christian

Girls
— Andrea Bergsdottir of Gothenburg, Sweden — Colorado State University
— Tomine Bjerkelo of Sandnes, Norway — Colorado State University
— Thea Bjekelo of Sandnes, Norway — Colorado State University
— Erika Danielsson of Finland — University of Denver
— Abbi Fleiner of Reno, Nev. — University of Northern Colorado
— Sophie Johnson of Telford, Shropshire, England — University of Colorado
— Anna Krekling of Oslo, Norway — University of Denver
— Mattie Millwee of Fresno, Calif. — CSU-Pueblo
— Gabby Minier of Goleta, Calif. — Colorado State University
— Rileigh Vojta of St Francis, Minn. — CSU-Pueblo
— Anna Zanusso of Venice, Italy — University of Denver

CLASS OF 2020 VERBAL COMMITMENTS
— Hailey Schalk of Erie (Holy Family HS) — University of Colorado
— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village (Kent Denver HS) — Northwestern
— Marie Jordaan of Lakewood (Colorado Academy) — Santa Clara

(Note: This story will be updated as more signees/commitments are publicized. Please let us know additional signees by emailing golfjournal@coloradogolf.org) 

The last two years the event was held in Colorado, Colorado State University teammates Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor earned the only national qualifying spot available, though the first alternates last year ended up getting into the national championship.

After being qualifying medalists a year ago at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, Prendergast and Secor went on to win the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball title in May (READ MORE), meaning they’re exempt from qualifying for the 2019 championship. That event is set for April 27-May 1 at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. (Prendergast and Secor are pictured with the trophy in a USGA photo.)

So when qualifying for the championship is held Wednesday (Sept. 5) at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Lakewood, a new medalist is guaranteed after two years of domination by Prendergast and Secor.

Eleven two-person teams will compete best-ball at Fox Hollow for one spot in the national championship.

Among those scheduled to play on Wednesday are Coloradans Hailey Schalk and Charlotte Hillary, two of the top girls players in the state, who made it to the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball in May after having been the first alternates in qualifying. The two ended up advancing to match play in the national event, losing 1 down in the round of 32.

Also in the field at Fox Hollow are two sister teams — Lauren and Katelyn Lehigh and Caroline and Marie Jordaan — along with two sets for college teammates (Mary Weinstein and Anni Heck from the University of Denver and Haley Greb and Jessica Sloot from CSU).

For Wednesday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
 

Eighth-seeded Jack Hughes of Aspen defeated top-seeded Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, winner of last week’s Junior America’s Cup, 5 and 3 in Tuesday afternoon’s quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, 12th-seeded Tyler Severin of Johnstown topped fourth-seeded Connor Jones of Westminster, 3 and 2. And Christopher Kennedy of Aurora, who played in the U.S. Junior Amateur earlier this month, beat second-seeded Jake Welch, winner of the 2018 Colorado Junior Amateur, 3 and 1.

Jack Castiglia of Lakewood, runner-up in this event last year, kept some semblance of order by defeating 11th-seeded Ty Findlow of Lone Tree, 7 and 5.

In Wednesday morning’s semifinals, Hughes will face Severin and Kennedy will meet Castiglia.

On the girls side, most of the favorites made the final four on Tuesday by winning two matches. That includes top-seeded Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, No. 2 Hailey Schalk of Erie and No. 4 Charlotte Hillary of Englewood, along with No. 6 Kaylee Chen of Denver. In the semis, Lehigh will face Hillary and Schalk will play the 14-year-old Chen.

In perhaps the best matchup of Tuesday’s girls quarterfinals, Hillary defeated Katie Berrian of Castle Rock, winner of the girls title in the Colorado Junior Amateur earlier this month, 3 and 2. Hillary is fresh off making the match play round of 32 at the California Women’s Amateur Championship.

Earlier in the day, Hillary beat Natasha Brandy McClain of Denver 9 and 8.

Lehigh and Schalk were teammates — along with Kelsey Webster of Boulder and Emma Bryant of Aurora — last week on the Colorado squad that finished fifth out of 18 at the Girls Junior Americas Cup at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen. And Hillary and Schalk were partners that made the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in late April. Schalk won the Colorado Junior Match Play title in 2016.

At the conclusion of Wednesday morning’s boys and girls semifinals, the winners will meet in the afternoon for the Junior Match Play titles.

For the Colorado Junior Match Play brackets, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.
 

The Colorado representatives at the Girls Junior Americas Cup weren’t always happy with their golf games this week, but no one can say they didn’t go out on a high note Friday afternoon at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.

With Colorado hosting the GJAC for the first time in 18 years, Hailey Schalk of Erie capped the week for the local team by chipping in from 40 feet for birdie on No. 18, drawing cheers from the bystanders.

It didn’t make any difference in the team standings, but finishing like that definitely tends to leave a better taste in one’s mouth.

As it turned out, the team representing the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado posted its best finish at the GJAC in five years by placing fifth out of 18 squads from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico.

“It was a blast,” Lauren Lehigh of Loveland said of the week as a whole, including playing a team event in your home state. “I had a great time spending time with the team and the coaches and getting to meet girls from all over the place and getting to do it this close to home. Having home fans come out and cheering you on is really neat. It was a great experience.”

The Coloradans ended up at 46-over-par 676 total after posting a 17-over 227 on Friday at a formidable Hiwan layout. The last time Team Colorado placed higher than fifth was a third-place showing in 2013.

“I think fifth is good,” said Kelsey Webster of Boulder, who was playing in her final junior event before joining the University of Colorado golf team. “We’re excited to finish fifth. In golf you’re always looking to do better. This course has a way of making you feel like your game is not in a good spot. I think all four of us are walking away not super happy with how we played this week overall. But we have to take a step back and know we finished fifth out of 18 teams, which is pretty good.”

Webster (left) and Lehigh led the way individually for Colorado by tying for 14th place in the 72-player field. They both closed with 75s for 16-over-par 226 totals.

“A year ago I was to a point I was about to quit the game” because of issues with her game, Webster said. “I really turned it around and started feeling really good about my swing a couple of months ago. Of course, there’s some issues here and there. But I’m proud of myself for persevering through that. Finishing 14th out of 72, I’m proud of that and excited to see where I can take it.”

Schalk, a three-time GJAC participant, shared 21st place at 227 after the 18th-hole chip-in gave her a 77 on Friday. And Emma Bryant of Aurora, competing in her first GJAC, placed 48th at 240 after a final-round 85.

“We’re very proud of our team,” said Jennifer Cassell, who co-captained the Colorado squad with three-time CGA Women’s Stroke Play champion Melissa Martin (pictured below with Schalk). “The girls played very hard and with their hearts. This is a hard course and there were a lot of good competitors out there.”

Speaking of which …

Mexico won the GJAC team title for the eighth time in the last 22 years — this week by 11 strokes over two-time defending champion Southern California. And Team Mexico (pictured celebrating at top), which was 12 over par as a whole for the week, claimed the individual championship as well, as future University of Arkansas golfer Cory Lopez, 16, earned top honors.

Lopez, ranked No. 41 in the world among girls by Junior Golf Scoreboard, shot rounds of 70-70-72 at Hiwan for a 2-over-par 212 total. The resident of Monterrey, Mexico prevailed by one stroke over Serena Sepersky of Southern California, who closed with a 71.

“It feels very good” to sweep the titles, Lopez said. “I played good, the team played very good. Representing your country means so much. After coming close the last couple of years, this year we were going to win it.”

Lopez (below), who was 3 under par through the first five holes on Friday, won despite playing her final dozen holes in 5 over par.

This week marked the first GJAC held in Colorado since 2000 and the first Hiwan has ever hosted, though the boys Junior America’s Cup was played at the club in 2011.

The facility and the event drew rave reviews, even if threatening weather forced Friday’s closing ceremonies inside.

“The star of the show this week was Hiwan,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said. “It reminds me of how great this place is. We can’t thank the club, owners David and Nancy Fowler, and the members enough. It really is all things Colorado.”

Added Cassell: “The event was an absolute success. The volunteers, the members, the staff, everything was wonderful. And the tournament was so well organized. It was very impressive, a great event all around.”

Among those on hand for at least part of this week’s GJAC were University of Denver women’s head coach Lindsay Kuhle, who played on the Colorado team the last time the state hosted the GJAC in 2000, and Georgene McGonagle, who captained the Colorado team for four straight years in the 1980s. McGonagle remains effusive about the event to this day.

“I think this is probably one of the most wonderful things for young girls for their development,” she said. “It’s something they’re going to remember the rest of their lives. They have to work with lots of other people. They learn the pressure of competition, which will suit them for any realm the rest of their life. (The GJAC) has to go on forever because it’s so meaningful and important for the development of those kids.”

Also in attendance at Hiwan on Friday was Davis Bryant of Aurora, who teamed with Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch and Walker Franklin of Broomfield as Colorado won its first title ever in the boys Junior America’s Cup. Bryant came to Hiwan to support his sister, Emma, who was on the GJAC team, after he returned from the boys competition in Montana. (Davis is pictured at left with his boys JAC medal.)

The 2018 Girls Junior Americas Cup was conducted by the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.

5. (out of 18 teams) Colorado 219-230-227–676

14. Kelsey Webster, Boulder 70-81-75–226
14. Lauren Lehigh, Loveland 74-77-75–226
21. Hailey Schalk, Erie 75-75-77–227
48. Emma Bryant, Aurora 77-78-85–240

For all the scores from the Girls Junior Americas Cup, CLICK HERE.
 

It was one of those days for the Coloradans at the Girls Junior Americas Cup — one of those which are all too common at the formidable test that is Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.

After a strong first day at the event, the four Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado representatives at the GJAC didn’t make a single birdie on the first 11 holes of Thursday’s round and no one on the team broke 75 on day 2.

That did cost them two spots in the team standings, but they’re still in fifth place out of 18 teams in the prestigious event which features top junior golfers from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico.

To put that into perspective, if the Coloradans finish where they are after Friday’s final round, they’ll have the state’s best showing in the event since 2013, when the locals placed third.

On Thursday, Colorado shot 11 strokes higher than on day 1, posting a 20-over-par 230 for the round, which dropped them from third to fifth place, with a 449 total.

“I saw everyone” during the round, Hailey Schalk (above) of Erie said of her teammates. “They’re looking at me like, ‘It’s so bad.’ 

“This course is hard. You have to make birdies because you’re going to make a ton of bogeys. It’s just going to happen. It’s really hard to just make solid pars. And if you can get three birdies (in a round), that’s really good.”

Thursday’s performance leaves the Coloradans 19 strokes behind team-leading Mexico — a seven-time winner of the GJAC — but just six out of a third-place tie (Southern California and Southern Nevada).

“A good goal is to probably shoot 75-76 or below tomorrow — for all of us,” said Emma Bryant of Aurora, the reigning 5A state high school champion. “If we do that, I think we’d have a decent shot at top five or top three” in the final team standings. (Bryant is pictured at left with Colorado co-captain Jennifer Cassell.)

Individually on Thursday, Colorado counted a 5-over-par 75 by Schalk, a 77 by Lauren Lehigh of Loveland and a 78 by Bryant. Rounding out the local scores was an 81 by Kelsey Webster of Boulder, who struggled a day after firing a 70 and sharing second place.

“That was one of the weirdest and sloppiest rounds I think I’ve ever played,” said Webster, who is competing in her final junior event before starting on the University of Colorado golf team in the fall. “My swing was there (after round 1), but warming up on the range today something funky was happening. Something weird was happening at impact — which was so weird because I was hitting it so great yesterday. It took me about 14 holes to figure out what I was doing. I found out my stance was extremely narrow. I was swaying back and forth and it was causing the ball to go everywhere. I was in a lot of trees today and had a lot of chip-outs.”

“But I wouldn’t be surprised if I came out tomorrow and shot a really good number now that I’ve got it figured out. It was just one of those bizarre days.”

Still, three of the four Coloradans are tied for 11th place individually or better through two rounds. Schalk, the JGAC 2017 Girls Player of the Year who is competing in her third Junior Americas Cup, shares ninth place at 10-over-par 150. She made her lone birdie Thursday on the 18th hole, draining a 20-footer. And Lehigh and Webster share 11th place out of 72 golfers, at 151. Bryant, meanwhile, is 28th at 155.

Lehigh (left), for one, doesn’t see any reason why Colorado can’t make headway on Friday.

“There’s no pressure on us to go out here and win,” the 2017 4A state high school champion said. “With girls (in the field) who are top ranked in the world junior rankings, there’s no pressure on us at all. We just have to go out and play our game. We know we’re good enough. We’ll get to where we get to.”

Added Webster: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we came out and shot really good scores tomorrow.”

Cory Lopez of Mexico holds the individual lead by one through 36 holes after consecutive rounds of 70 left her at even-par 140.

Friday’s final-round tee times will run from 7 to 8:50 a.m. off both the first and 10th tees. The Coloradans will go off from 7:40 to 8:10 from No. 1. The closing ceremonies for the event will be held short after the conclusion of the round.

The 2018 Girls Junior Americas Cup is being conducted by the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.

5. (out of 18 teams) Colorado 219-230–449

9. Hailey Schalk, Erie 75-75–150
11. Kelsey Webster, Boulder 70-81–151
11. Lauren Lehigh, Loveland 74-77–151
28. Emma Bryant, Aurora 77-78–155

For all the scores from the Girls Junior Americas Cup, CLICK HERE.
 

In 1993, Colorado celebrated its only team victory ever in the Girls Junior Americas Cup. And now, exactly a quarter-century later, the squad reprenting the Centennial State would like nothing better than to make sure the ’93 team has some company on the list of champions.

And the Coloradans took a step in the right direction on Wednesday on their home turf as they finished day 1 just a stroke out of the lead in the three-day event at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.

In the first GJAC held in Colorado since 2000, the local team shot a 9-over-par 219 on the difficult Hiwan course, which leaves it in third place out of 18 teams.

In a competition which features some of the top junior players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico, Mexico shares the lead with Southern Nevada. Mexico, which first won the team title in 1997 when a girl named Lorena Ochoa earned the first of three individual GJAC championships, has captured this title seven times, including in 2013, ’14 and ’15. Southern Nevada has never won the GJAC team title before.

“It’s a good situation (to be in contention), but there’s a ton of golf left to be played,” said Kelsey Webster (left) of Boulder, who led the team with an even-par 70 on Wednesday. “I do know the team can put up some good numbers. We have some really good players.

“I think our hometown advantage is huge at this tournament, just with the (difficult-to-read) greens and having played four practice rounds here. I think these greens are just baffling to some girls, and the two girls I played with really struggled on the greens. I think playing for a lag putt on your first putt and taking two putts is the way to go.

“But we also know there are some very good players out here — especially the California teams, which usually put up some really good numbers. I wouldn’t be surprised if their numbers got better and better throughout the week as they started to figure out the greens. We’ve got to do the same thing. It’s exciting to be in contention, and we’ll see what happens.”

The top five teams are very tightly bunched after day 1, with fifth-place Southern California — winner of the last two titles — just three out of the lead. 

“I’m really excited to come back out and try to keep Colorado in those top couple of spots here at home,” said Lauren Lehigh (left) of Loveland, who rallied to post a 74. “We all know we can improve on our scores each day, so I think we’ll have a really good chance (to contend for the title).”

Individually, Colorado put three players in the top dozen and ties after Wednesday. Webster, a University of Colorado-bound golfer who’s participating in her first GJAC and her last junior tournament, shares second place with her 70, while Lehigh (74) is seventh and Hailey Schalk of Erie (75) 12th. Rounding out Colorado’s scores was a 77 by 5A state high school champion Emma Bryant of Aurora.

McKenzi Hall of Southern Nevada shot the only sub-par score on Wednesday at the former home of the Colorado Open — a 2-under-par 68. She made three birdies and one bogey on the day to grab a two-stroke lead.

Webster is tied for second with Cory Lopez of Mexico. After the Boulder resident made bogeys following tee shots that went right on her eighth and ninth holes, she parred each of her final nine holes. Earlier in her round, she chipped in for birdie from 30 feet on her second hole, the formidable 11th (“It was the best birdie I’m every going to have,” she said) and added another birdie on her sixth hole (No. 15).

“I was hitting it extremely well today,” Webster said. “Overall, I played really well. Of course, I’m always craving to be under par. But I have to look at these greens and know par is a really good score here. 

“It is one of my better rounds, especially hitting the ball. I’ve never felt so confident hitting the ball, which is really fun, especially when I have an iron in my hand. That’s why I play the game of golf — for rounds like these when you can just walk up to the ball and know it’s going to be a good shot.”

Lehigh, the 2017 4A state high school champion, birdied two of her last three holes — from less than a foot and from 2 feet — for her 74.

Schalk (left), at age 16, is playing in her third GJAC. And though she wasn’t happy with a round in which she played her final 14 holes in 6 over par, she’s trying to keep it in perspective.

“Honestly, this is a hard golf course,” said the 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Girls Player of the Year. “The greens are hard and you really have to hit it in the right spots, so I think our team did really well.

“With us playing Eisenhower (Golf Club for a JGAC major each year), that’s an advantage for us here because most of these girls don’t have a course like Eisenhower where the greens are all slopey and really fast (like Hiwan’s are also). We probably did a little better in that area today. And we’re used to this kind of hilly, mountain course where some of them might not be, so I do think we have an advantage.”

The 2018 Girls Junior Americas Cup is being conducted by the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.

3. (out of 18 teams) Colorado 219

2. Kelsey Webster, Boulder 70
7. Lauren Lehigh, Loveland 74
12. Hailey Schalk, Erie 75
27. Emma Bryant, Aurora 77

For all the scores from the Girls Junior Americas Cup, CLICK HERE.

The Boulder resident, who graduated from Fairview High School a couple of months ago, had long wanted to represent Colorado in the Girls Junior Americas Cup competition. And this year, she’s getting her chance.

The 2018 event will be held in Colorado for the first time in 18 years — at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, starting Wednesday and continuing through Friday.

Not only that, but it will be Webster’s final tournament as a junior golfer, which makes it doubly special.

“Ever since I started junior golf, I looked at the Junior Americas Cup team as a goal of mine,” Webster (left) said this week. “It’s cool to be able to finally play on the team. It being my last junior event kind of signifies that I’ve been getting better and better each year. I started golf so late, so it’s a good way to (transition to) my college career. And it’s cool to have it in our home state. We have an awesome team that definitely can put up some good numbers. I think we’ll be able to represent Colorado well this year.”

Webster will be one of four players competing for the Colorado squad this week as 18 teams from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico vie for the GJAC title. The best three scores each day from each state/city/regional squad count toward the team total. Joining Webster on Team Colorado are Lauren Lehigh of Loveland (a high school senior-to-be), Hailey Schalk of Erie (junior) and Emma Bryant of Aurora (sophomore).

Though Webster is older than her teammates and they have plenty more junior golf ahead of them, she probably has less experience at high-level junior golf than any of them. After all, it was just 2 1/2 years ago that competitive golf became a top priority for Webster, who also played basketball in high school.

That will definitely make Webster a relative newcomer to elite junior golf compared to most of the other 71 competitors in the field for this week’s GJAC at Hiwan.

“I think it’s always different for me,” Webster said. “Every round that I go out and play, I’m still learning things about myself — not just about my golf game, but emotionally on the course and making decisions where to hit the ball. I’m still definitely learning that, where the other girls have gotten experience with that when they were 13 years old. Ever since I’ve gotten more experience, every tournament I feel like I gain something and I get better.

“That’s something cool about being such a newbie to the game is that I still have a lot of places to go with my game.”

And Webster has already made big strides, to the point that she’ll be playing NCAA Division I college golf for a team that finished 19th at the NCAA Championship finals last spring — her hometown University of Colorado. Just in the last few months, Webster has finished third in the CGA Women’s Stroke Play, third at the 5A girls state high school meet and tied for fourth in U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying, falling short of advancing to the national championship only in a playoff. And she was the highest Colorado finisher in the girls 15-18 age group at the prestigious IMG Academy Junior World Championships.

Webster’s dramatic improvement over the last 2 1/2 years can be tracked to a trip she took as a sophomore.

“The winter of that year, I decided to go to Arizona for a week-long golf camp,” she said. “One of the coaches was John Means, who was coaching the men’s Idaho team at the time. He just convinced me that I had a ton of potential and he just lit a fire under me. I’m not exactly sure why, but I came back and got a swing coach and it just absolutely took off from there. It’s been really fun ever since. As soon as I started playing better and better, I wanted to practice more and more. It’s kind of like an addiction.”
 

*********

GIRLS JUNIOR AMERICAS CUP: THE ESSENTIALS

What: The 41st Girls Junior Americas Cup competition.

Where: Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.”¨”¨

When: Championship rounds Wednesday through Friday (July 25-27). Tee-time range each day: 7-8:50 a.m. For tee times, CLICK HERE.

“¨”¨Fan Attendance: The public can attend the event free of charge.”¨”¨

Opening Ceremonies: Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Closing Ceremonies and Awards Presentation: Friday, approximately 1:30 p.m.

Format: 54-hole stroke play. Team and individual competition. The low three scores for each team each day count toward the team total.

“¨”¨Participating Teams: Colorado, Arizona, Alberta (Canada), British Columbia (Canada), Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico, Montana, Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, San Diego, Southern California, Southern Nevada, Sun Country (New Mexico), Utah, Washington and Wyoming. For all the individual competitors, CLICK HERE.

Colorado Team Members: Hailey Schalk of Erie, Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, Kelsey Webster of Boulder, Emma Bryant of Aurora.

Defending Team Champion: Southern California, which also won in 2016. (Colorado tied for sixth in 2017.)”¨”¨

Previous Years Colorado Hosted GJAC: 1982 and 2000, both at Eisenhower Golf Club at Air Force Academy.”¨”¨

Best Finish by Colorado Team: Won in 1993 with a team of Jennifer Kern, Heather Stock, Ann Grooms and Jennifer McCormick. Kern claimed the individual title that year.

Other Notable Coloradans Who Have Played in GJAC: Jennifer Kupcho, Jill McGill, Paige Spiranac, Ashley Tait, Becca Huffer, Kelly Jacques, Hannah Wood, Somin Lee, Lindsay Kuhle.

“¨”¨Service Project: This year’s GJAC will include a service project, with the Special Olympics of Colorado Golf Clinic set for Wednesday afternoon. Competitors there will assist Special Olympians as they putt, chip and take full swings at the clinic.”¨”¨

Host Course: Hiwan was home of the Colorado Open from 1964 through 1991. Junior tournament-wise, the club has hosted the 1965 U.S. Girls’ Junior, the 1976 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2006 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions, the 2007 AJGA Rolex Girls Junior and the 2011 boys Junior America’s Cup. Among those who have competed in tournaments at Hiwan in the last dozen years are Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler (in 2006); Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Cheyenne Woods and Kimberly Kim (in 2007); and Bryson DeChambeau (in 2011).

Additional Information About GJAC: CLICK HERE.