It was a big day for Charlotte Hillary of Englewood.

It was a big week for Jackson Klutznick of Denver.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 2017 Player of the Year choices for the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado were all but set in stone going into this weekend’s final major of the season.

But as if to put an exclamation point on their Player of the Year honors, Davis Bryant of Aurora and Hailey Schalk of Erie won the JGAC Tour Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club, leaving absolutely no doubt.

With Sunday’s victories, Bryant and Schalk (pictured together at left) ended up both winning every JGAC major championship in which they participated in 2017. In fact, earlier this year, they also both prevailed at the Colorado Junior PGA Championship, which was appropriate as both are the children of Colorado PGA general managers, Matt Bryant of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club and Matt Schalk of Colorado National Golf Club, respectively.

Sunday’s victory in the Tour Championship was major victory No. 3 for Bryant in 2017 and the second for Schalk this year, though she also won one on 2016. They become the first three-time winners of JGAC majors since the Alliance debuted at the beginning of 2016.

The 17-year-old Bryant, who also won the 5A state high school title this past week, prevailed by three strokes on Sunday, shooting rounds of 70-72 for a 2-under-par total of 142.

After being 3 over par for the day through 10 holes on Sunday, the Colorado State University-bound Bryant played his last eight holes in 3 under, punctuated by a tap-in birdie on No. 14 and by a 6-inch birdie on No. 18 after a superb bunker shot.

Including his major wins in the Colorado Junior PGA, Colorado Junior Amateur and JGAC Tour Championship, the Eaglecrest High School senior captured five titles in Alliance events in 2017. In the one JGAC major in which Bryant didn’t compete, his sister Emma won the girls title, at the Colorado Junior Match Play, so there was a “Bryant Slam” in some respect.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Davis Bryant (left) said of his overall performance in 2017. “It’s been a season to remember. This year I’ve played so consistent and played such good golf over the last six months. The win at Cherry Hills today was just gravy on top. It feels awesome to finish the year off strong. It’s great to play in three majors and win them all. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to play in the third (of the four majors as he was instead competing in the national Junior PGA, where he finished 14th). It was a cool feeling to accomplish as much as I did.”

Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch shared the Tour Championship lead with Bryant after 15 holes on Sunday, but a second shot into the water and the resulting double bogey on No. 16 dropped him back. But the future University of Denver golfer finished second at 145 after closing with a 72.

Barrett Jones of Eagle placed third at 146 after a pair of 73s.

“(The many top competitors in JGAC events) make me a better player,” Bryant said. “I think that’s a big factor in why I played so well this year. It makes you a better player because you’ve got to step up your game.

“Today, I didn’t play the best on the front nine, but I got in a groove on the back nine over the last eight holes after I bogeyed 10. I really turned it around.”

In the girls Tour Championship, the 15-year-old Schalk won by six after posting rounds of 74-74 for a 4-over-par 148 total at Cherry Hills. She made three birdies in Sunday’s final round and played the final four holes in 1 under to pull away.

Besides the JGAC Tour Championship, Schalk (left) won titles in the 3A state high school championship as a Holy Family freshman, the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, the Colorado Junior PGA and the season opener on the JGAC Tour in April.

“It feels really good” to have that kind of year, Schalk said. “There are so many competitive players, so just to be able to pull through and win the majors is a big deal. You work so hard all year, then coming to the end of it, to win (another) big major is definitely a confidence-booster.”

Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, the 4A state high school champ, placed second at 154 after carding a final-round 74. Julia Baroth of Denver was within one of Schalk after 15 holes, but played the last three holes in 5 over to card a 79 and share third place at 155 with Caroline Jordaan, who closed with a 77 on her home course.

“On the front nine we were close, and I knew I had to finish strong and have a good back nine,” Schalk said. “After I made my birdie putt on 16 (from 5 feet) and Julia made bogey, I thought I had a little bit of a lead. I just needed to keep it going and make pars and birdies on the way in.”

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

Bryant (left), who won the 5A state high school title on Tuesday to go with his 2017 victories in the Colorado Junior PGA and the Colorado Junior Amateur, birdied his final three holes to fire a 2-under-par 70 in the boys tournament. The Colorado State University-bound golfer finished with seven birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey on Saturday.

Canon Olkowski of Grand Junction, who finished third behind Bryant and Dillon Stewart on Tuesday in the 5A state meet, sits in second place at 72 after going eagle-birdie on his final two holes. He carded an eagle, four birdies and six bogeys on Saturday.

In a four-way tie for third at 73 with one round remaining are Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, Barrett Jones of Eagle, Kailer Rundiks of Denver and Joseph Madden of Denver.

Schalk, winner of the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, the Colorado Junior PGA and the 3A state high school title this year, shot a 2-over-par 74 on Saturday to earn a two-stroke lead going into Sunday’s final round of the girls tourney.

The 15-year-old made 16 pars — including 10 in a row to close the round — and two bogeys on Saturday.

The two other girls to break 80 in the first round were Julia Baroth of Denver (76) and Caroline Jordaan (78), who’s competing at her home club this weekend.

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

A total of 42 boys and 21 girls — based off the JGAC Tour points list — accepted invitations to compete at prestigious Cherry Hills Country Club on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 7-8), which will host the event for the second straight year. The 36-hole tournaments will be followed on Sunday night by the 2017 JGAC Awards Banquet.

Among those in the boys field are Davis Bryant, winner of the first two majors of the year and this week’s 5A state high school championship. Bryant and Hailey Schalk will be trying to become the first golfers to win three majors since the JGAC debuted at the beginning of 2016. Bryant didn’t play in the third major of 2017, the Colorado Junior Match Play, because of a scheduling conflict with another event.

Other boys state high school champions scheduled to play at Cherry Hills are Darren Edwards (4A) and Davis Long (3A), along with Luke Trujillo (2016 4A).

For the girls, Schalk will be looking to build on her big year as she’s won the girls 3A state high school title as a freshman, the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior and the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. She also captured the Colorado Junior Match Play title in 2016.

Lauren Lehigh, the 4A state high school champ, is also playing. And Emma Bryant, the Colorado Junior Match Play winner, is likewise in the field.

For Saturday’s first-round tee times for the JGAC Tour Championship, CLICK HERE.

Junior Ryder Cup at CommonGround: Meanwhile, another significant JGAC event will take place this weekend as CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora hosts the Junior Ryder Cup Friday through Sunday.

The top players age 6-13 compete, with designated Team USA and Team Europe squads squaring off. After a barbecue and shootout on Friday evening, Saturday will feature four-ball and foursomes matches (each nine holes), followed by 18-hole singles on Sunday.