Meanwhile, the top seven seeds are through to the round of 16 in the girls tournament — the top three via byes and the other four through victories on Monday.

Stewart, fresh off his individual and Colorado team victories in the Junior America’s Cup, scored a 5-and-4 victory over reigning 3A state high school champion Davis Long of Lafayette.

Second-seeded Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch, winner of the Colorado Junior Amateur boys title earlier this month, defeated James Clark of Lamar in 19 holes, winning with a par. And No. 3-seeded Jack Castiglia of Lakewood needed 20 holes to overcome Caleb Busta of Centennial.

On the girls side, the top three sides — Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, Hailey Schalk of Erie and Marie Jordaan of Lakewood — had byes in the round of 32. But fourth-seeded Charlotte Hillary of Englewood, who advanced to the match play round of 32 at last week’s California Women’s Amateur Championship, posted a 5-and-3 win over Kate Griffin of Colorado Springs.

Also among those advancing were girls Colorado Junior Amateur champion Katie Berrian of Castle Rock, who defeated Allie Nocera of Arvada, 4 and 3.

Two rounds of matches — the Sweet 16 and the quarterfinals — will be contested on Tuesday, with the semifinals and finals set for Wednesday.

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

The championship will run Monday through Wednesday at Plum Creek Golf & Country Club in Castle Rock.

Among those scheduled to compete on the boys side are Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, who just won the individual title at the boys Junior America’s Cup, and Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch, who won a JGAC major earlier this month, the boys division of the Colorado Junior Amateur.

As for the girls, in the field are two members of last week’s Colorado team at the Girls Junior Americas Cup (Hailey Schalk of Erie and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland); Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village, who made the match play round of 32 at the California Women’s Amateur Championship; Katie Berrian of Castle Rock, girls winner of the recent Colorado Junior Am; and Eva Pett of Denver, who just finished sixth in the girls 13-14 division of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. Schalk won the Colorado Junior Match Play in 2016.

Emma Bryant of Aurora, the 2017 girls Junior Match Play champion, won’t defend her title as she’s competing in the Optimist International in Florida this week.

Round-of-32 matches for both boys and girls at Plum Creek will be contested on Monday, with the round of 16 and the quarterfinals on Tuesday, and the semifinals and finals on Wednesday.

For Monday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Perhaps the cold, windy, raw first day at the 5A boys state high school tournament brought out the best in the best.

But for whatever reason, the three golfers who represented Colorado on the Junior America’s Cup team this year — and are in still in high school — find themselves at the top of the leaderboard after Monday’s first round of the 36-hole tournament at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

With temperatures in the 40s all day — and the wind making it feel even colder — junior Dillon Stewart (left) of Fossil Ridge took the lead with a 2-under-par 69. And right on his heels going into Tuesday’s final round are Junior America’s Cup teammates Davis Bryant of Eaglecrest and Cal McCoy of Regis Jesuit, along with Canon Olkowski of Grand Junction.

Those were the only players who broke par in challenging weather conditions at CommonGround as Bryant, McCoy and Olkowski posted 1-under 70s.

In the other state tournaments, day 1 of the 3A meet at Indian Peaks Golf Course in Lafayette was canceled due to rain, with the tournament being reduced to an 18-hole event, set for Tuesday. And at the 4A tourney at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton, three players share the lead at 1-over-par 73: Jake Welch of Valor Christian, Darren Edwards of Thompson Valley and Tyler Severin of Roosevelt. For more details on the 4A meet, see below.

At the 5A tournament, with stocking caps and several layers of clothing being commonplace for the players — and heavy jackets and mittens for many spectators — breaking par was no small feat.

“It wasn’t fun, but it was fun, obviously,” Stewart said after grabbing the 18-hole lead. “(The conditions) really tested your mental game. The ball isn’t going very far because it’s so cold. Conditions are hard, it’s windy. It’s not fun, but it really brings the best player out of everybody.

“I’m really proud of myself (for shooting 69). My goal was to be the leader after day 1, and I accomplished that. Hopefully it will continue tomorrow.”

Stewart has had a strong 2017 to date. He led the Rocky Mountain Open — competing against many pros as well as amateurs — after the first day. He finished 35th in the national Boys Junior PGA Championship, 52nd in the IMG Academy Junior Worlds, and was runner-up to Bryant at the Colorado Junior PGA. And Stewart, Bryant, McCoy and current University of Denver golfer Jackson Solem teamed up to finish fourth out of 18 teams in the Junior America’s Cup. During the high school season, Stewart has won four times.

On Monday at CommonGround, the junior finished with four birides and two bogeys on the day to grab the lead.

As good a year as Stewart has had in 2017, Bryant (left) has been even more impressive. The Colorado State University-bound golfer has won both of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors in which he’s competed and he’s finished ninth individually at the Junior America’s Cup, 14th at the national Junior PGA and made it to the round of 64 at the U.S. Junior Amateur.

On Monday, Bryant had it to 3 under par through 11 holes, but bogeyed the next two and played the last five in even par.

“It could have been better, but it also could have gotten away from me and been a 75 very easily,” the senior said. “You can definitely shoot yourself out of it but you can’t win it on the first day. I was just trying to make some birdies and make a lot of pars and see how it went after 18 holes.”

Bryant, the 5A runner-up at state last year, has not been beaten in a high school tournament this season, winning six titles outright and tying for a victory in regionals.

“I’ll be disappointed if I don’t win (state), obviously,” he said. “That’s been my goal since I finished second to Kyle (Pearson of Highlands Ranch) last year. But if you’re thinking about that too much, you’re not going to play well, so I just take it one shot at a time and try to be as positive as possible.”

McCoy (left), a senior who will play his college golf at DU, was paired with Stewart on Monday and played his front nine in 3-under 33, but bogeyed 15 and 18 on the way in. McCoy, who finished sixth at state last year, ended up with three birdies and two bogeys on Monday.

Olkowski, a future University of Colorado golfer and the younger brother of current Buff Trevor Olkowski, finished strong to shoot his 70. He was 2 over par through 14 holes, but birdied three of his last four.

In the 5A team race, Regis Jesuit shot a 4-over-par 217 total and grabbed a four-stroke lead over Cherry Creek. Regis is seeking its seventh state title in the last eight years. Fossil Ridge is in third place at 222.

4A at Racoon Creek: Welch, younger brother of 2015 4A runner-up Coby Welch, shares the individual leader with Edwards and Severin after day 1. Welch was 1 under par through 16 holes, but triple bogeyed the par-3 17th and birdied 18 to finish at 73. He ended the day with four birdies, two bogeys and the triple.

Edwards, who placed fourth at state last year, birdied his final hole on Monday to shoot 73 and posted two birdies, one bogey and a double bogey. Severin, sixth at state in 2016, carded two birdies and three bogeys.

Defending individual state champion Luke Trujillo of Discovery Canyon shares fourth place at 75 with Roger Nakagawa of Thomas Jefferson, Jordan Jennings of Montrose and Bridger Tenney of Evergreen.

In the team competition, Montrose, the state runner-up last year, recorded a 17-over-par 233 total and holds a one-stroke lead over perennial power Valor Christian. Evergreen is in third place, five back of Montrose.

Class 5A Leaders
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
TEAM
Regis Jesuit 217
Cherry Creek 221
Fossil Ridge 222
ThunderRidge 224
Fairview 226
Grand Junction 226
INDIVIDUAL
Dillon Stewart, Fossil Ridge 69
Davis Bryant, Eaglecrest 70
Cal McCoy, Regis Jesuit 70
Canon Olkowski, Grand Junction 70
Carter Kovarik, Cherry Creek 71
Sam Blackwood, Heritage 71
Evan Kalac, ThunderRidge 71
Brandon Bervig, Liberty 71
Cameron Kirke, Regis Jesuit 71
Tommy Parker, Arapahoe, 72
Connor Jones Mountain Range 72
Ryder Heuston, Fairview 72

For complete 5A results, CLICK HERE.
 

Class 4A Leaders
At Par-72 Raccoon Creek GC in Littleton
TEAM
Montrose 233
Valor Christian 234
Evergreen 238
Palmer Ridge 240
Mullen 242

INDIVIDUAL
Tyler Severin, Roosevelt 73
Darren Edwards, Thompson Valley 73
Jake Welch, Valor Christian 73
Jordan Jennings, Montrose 75
Roger Nakagawa, Thomas Jefferson 75
Bridger Tenney, Evergreen 75
Luke Trujillo, Discovery Canyon 75
Micah Stangebye, Montrose 76
Jacob Smith, Rifle 77
Wes Weber, Mountain View 77

For complete 4A results, CLICK HERE.
 

The Hale Irwin Elite Player Program will welcome its biggest class ever as 11 junior golfers from Colorado, including four returnees, have been selected to participate in 2015.

The third class of the program will feature two players who have been included in the program since its inception, Christian Agelopoulos and Roger Nakagawa, both of Denver.

The program, designed to nurture the budding careers of exceptional boys and girls golfers in the state, is named for the most successful golfer with Colorado roots. Irwin, a Boulder High School and University of Colorado graduate, has won three U.S. Opens, 20 PGA Tour events overall, and a record 45 tournaments on the Champions Tour. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.

In Colorado, Irwin claimed the 1963 state high school championship, three straight CGA Stroke Plays (1963, ’64 and ’65) and the CGA Match Play in 1966. He won the NCAA individual title in 1967 while competing for CU.

The third class for the program was announced recently at the Colorado Golf Awards Brunch. The players chosen receive free unlimited use of the practice range and Kids Course at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora — and of the championship course on a space-available basis — in 2015. CommonGround, which opened in 2009, is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA, who established and administer the Irwin Elite Player Program.

Steve Irwin, Hale’s son, serves on the CGA board of governors and was instrumental in the establishment of the Elite Player Program. The visionary behind the program was another CGA governor, former Cherry Hills Country Club head professional Clayton Cole.

The 2015 Irwin Elite Player class includes two members of the two-time defending 4A state high school championship team from Valor Christian, Jake Staiano (left) of Cherry Hills Village and Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch. Staiano qualified for the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur and made it to the round of 64 in match play. The Class 4A state high school individual runner-up recently signed a national letter of intent to play college golf with Colorado State University. Welch won the CJGA Tournament of Champions this fall after finishing second in both the CGA Junior Stroke Play and CJGA Junior Series Championship, and placing fourth in the 4A state high school meet.

Welch’s younger brother, Jake, an eighth-grader at STEM Academy, also will be part of the Irwin Elite Player Program in 2015.

Ross Macdonald, another Valor player who earned the CGA Junior Player of the Year award, was an Irwin Elite Player in 2013 and ’14 and recently paid tribute to the program.

“It’s amazing and it’s growing every year,” he said. “It’s allowing kids to have that practice facility and (work on) all the skills they need to get better. And it allows older kids to mentor younger kids, which I think is an important value so that kids can grow in their golf game and grow in their personality to become young men (and women) people want to be like.”

In all, 18 junior players applied for the program this time around. Here are the 11 who were picked:

Christian Agelopoulos of Denver, a seventh-grader at Colorado Academy — 2015 will mark his third year in the program. … Was part of the winning team in the 2014 CJGA Junior Ryder Cup. … Competed in the 2014 Callaway Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego. … Was named to the 2014 CJGA Junior All-Star Team.
 
Traejan Andrews of Windsor, a fifth-grader at Winograd K-8 School in Greeley — Won the CJGA 10 & Under Junior Series Championship and finished second on the points list for that age group. … Was named to the 2014 CJGA Junior All-Star Team.
 
Jack Castiglia of Lakewood, a freshman at Lakewood High School — Won the CJGA 11-13 Junior Series Championship. … Finished first on the CJGA 11-13 points list. … Played on the winning team in the CJGA Junior Ryder Cup. … Was named to the 2014 Junior All-Star Team.
 
Delaney Elliott of Superior, a junior at Monarch High School — Qualified for and competed in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida. … Finished sixth on the CJGA 14-18 girls points list.
 
Kacey Godwin of Denver, a junior at Colorado Academy — Won the girls division of the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. … Placed 12th in the girls points list for CJGA players 14-18.
 
Cade Kilkenny of Centennial, an eighth-grader at West Middle School — Competed in the CJGA Junior Ryder Cup. … Finished third on the CJGA 11-13 points list. … Named to the 2014 CJGA Junior All-Star team.
 
Roger Nakagawa of Denver, a freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School — 2015 will mark his third year in the program.
 
Ryan Sangchompuphen of Denver, a sixth-grader at Denver School of the Arts — This will be his second straight year in the program. … He competed in the CJGA Junior Ryder Cup competition.
 
Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village, a senior at Valor Christian High School — Selected for the program for the second straight year. … The 2013 CGA Junior Match Play champion qualified for the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur and advanced to the round of 64. … Recently signed a letter of intent to play college golf at Colorado State University. … Finished second individually in the 4A state high school meet. … Played for Colorado in the Junior America’s Cup.
 
Coby Welch (left) of Highlands Ranch, a junior at Valor Christian High School — Won the boys division of the CJGA Tournament of Champions. … Finished second in both the CGA Junior Stroke Play (in a playoff) and the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship. … Also placed fourth individually in the 4A state high school tournament. … Led the CJGA boys points list in 2014. … Played on Colorado’s Junior America’s Cup team. … Named to the 2014 CJGA Junior All-Star Team.
 
Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch, an eighth-grader at STEM Academy — Finished third in the CJGA 11-13 Junior Series Championship. … Competed in the CJGA Junior Ryder Cup. … Qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida.