Jordan Jennings came a long way to compete in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 11-13 Junior Series Championship — from Montrose, to be precise — but he made the trip well worth it.

The 13-year-old eighth-grader (left) not only won the boys tournament Sunday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, but in doing so he became the first two-time champion — boy or girl — in the history of the 11-13 Junior Series Championship.

“It feels good to defend my title and become (the first) kid in Colorado to do it,” Jennings said. “This was one of the big tournaments I was aiming for.”

Meanwhile, Sofia Choi of Littleton claimed the girls title with a five-shot cushion at CommonGround.

Jennings closed with a 3-under-par 68 Sunday, leaving him in a tie at 3-under 139 with first-round leader Ryan Sangchompuphen (left) of Denver, a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround.

In the playoff — at the 10th hole at CommonGround — both players hit excellent approach shots on the par-4. But after Sangchompuphen’s 9-foot birdie attempt skirted the right side of the cup, Jennings tapped in his birdie from a mere 2 feet to repeat as champion.

Including the playoff, Jennings birdied four of his last five holes on Sunday — and six overall for the day. Down the stretch, he sank birdie putts of 12 feet, 20 feet, a tap-in, and 2 feet.

“I told my dad with four holes left, ‘I’m going to make four birdies in the last four holes (of regulation).’ I came up a little short,” he said with a smile.

For Jennings, Sunday marked another highlight of a memorable summer. In late July, he finished third out of a field of 88 in the boys 12-13 division for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He hopes to add another highlight next month when he competes against older players in the final JGAC major of the year, the Junior Tour Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club.

Sangchompuphen, who had shot a 6-under-par 29 on the back nine Saturday, dropped into a playoff with Jennings after posting a 38 on that same nine on Sunday. He had been 7 under par overall through 29 holes, but gave back four strokes on the three-hole stretch from 12 through 14 Sunday.

Jeffrey Zhou of Greenwood Village finished third among the 18 boys with a 140 total. Traejan Andrews of Windsor was fourth at 142.

In the girls tournament, Choi, 12, went wire-to-wire for the victory. She matched the best round of the tournament by firing a 4-over-par 75 on Sunday, giving her a 12-over-par 154 total. She highlighted the second round with birdies on two par-3s.

Choi (left), who finished 23rd in her age group at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina last month, called Sunday’s win the biggest of her young career. Still, she took her success all in stride.

“It’s really fun, but it’s like any other tournament,” she said of the Junior Series Championship. “I was hitting it really, really good today.”

The victory was the seventh-grader’s fifth of the year in JGAC’s tournaments.

Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland took second place at 159 after also carding a 75 on Sunday, making four birdies in the process. Anju Ogi of Arvada placed third in the 10-player field with a 162 total after shooting a second-round 79.
 

Pevny, McClain Victorious in 14-18 Tourneys: The 14-18 Junior Series Championship also concluded on Sunday, with Jack Pevny of Aspen and Natasha Brandy McClain of Castle Pines claiming the boys and girls titles, respectively, at Pelican Lakes in Windsor.

Pevny prevailed out of an eight-player field by shooting back-to-back rounds of 76, giving him an 8-over-par 152 total. He made 15 pars, two bogeys and a double bogey on No. 18 Sunday.

Ben Carrington of Littleton placed second, four behind Pevny, after closing with a 75 Sunday that featured three birdies.

The girls 14-18 tournament came down to a playoff, with McClain overcoming first-round leader Jessica Zapf of Windsor for the top spot.

McClain closed with a 78, while Zapf had an 80, leaving both at 13-over-par 157.

Aili Bundy of Fort Collins missed the playoff by two strokes after playing the last three holes in 4 over par. She finished third at 159 after posting the best score of the tournament, a second-round 76.

In the 10 & Under Junior Series Championship, held last month in Boulder, Andre Dumonteil of Centennial and Ashleigh Wilson of Highlands Ranch won the boys and girls titles, respectively.

JGAC Junior Series Championships

* — indicates won playoff
11-13 Boys (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. *Jordan Jennings, Montrose, CO, 71-68-139 -3
2. Ryan Sangchompuphen, Denver, CO, 66-73-139 -3
3. Jeffrey Zhou, Greenwood Village, CO, 67-73-140 -2
4. Traejan Andrews, Windsor, CO, 73-69-142 E
5. Gage Messingham, Arvada, CO, 68-75-143 +1
6. Nicholas Pevny, Aspen, CO, 74-75-149 +7
7. Luke Wright, Littleton, CO, 76-75-151 +9
8. James Clark, Lamar, CO, 75-78-153 +11
9. Jeffrey Nelson II, New Castle, CO, 82-75-157 +15
10. Tyler Tyson, Arvada, CO, 80-78-158 +16
11. Thomas (TJ) Hicks, Greenwood Village, CO, 81-78-159 +17
12. Mario Dino, Denver, CO 81-79-160 +18
13. Jake Chesler, Firestone, CO, 82-79-161 +19
T14. Zaden Gomez, Westminster, CO, 89-76-165 +23
T14. Yusuke Ogi, Arvada, CO, 85-80-165 +23
16. Zachary Tyson, Arvada, CO, 87-81-168 +26
17. Alex Chitkoksoong, Aurora, CO, 83-87-170 +28
18. Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 91-85-176 +34

11-13 Girls (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. Sofia Choi, Littleton, CO, 79-75-154 +12
2. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland, CO, 84-75-159 +17
3. Anju Ogi, Arvada, CO, 83-79-162 +20
4. Eva Pett, Denver, CO, 88-78-166 +24
5. Merielle Gojo, Cherry Hills Village, CO, 82-87-169 +27
6. Kaylee Chen, Highlands Ranch, CO, 85-89-174 +32
7. Alyssa Chin, Greenwood Village, CO, 87-90-177 +35
8. Abigail Aeschleman, Highlands Ranch,CO 99-98-197 +55
WD. Zoey Rodriguez, Pueblo, CO
WD. Gisella Lagrimas, Castle Rock, CO

14-18 Boys (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. Jack Pevny, Aspen, CO, 76-76-152 +8
2. Ben Carrington, Littleton, CO, 81-75-156 +12
3. Travis Menke Jr., Denver, CO, 84-80-164 +20
T4. Riley Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 93-82-175 +31
T4. Beam Boonta, Centennial, CO, 84-91-175 +31
WD. Hayden Wehe, Alamosa, CO
JWD. Jacob Mason, Westminster, CO
JWD. Colter Zwieg, Aspen, CO
 
14-18 Girls (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. *Natasha Brandy McClain, Castle Pines, CO, 79-78-157 +13
2. Jessica Zapf, Windsor, CO, 77-80-157 +13
3. Aili Bundy, Fort Collins, CO, 83-76-159 +15
4. Caitlin O’Donnell, Centennial, CO, 85-85-170 +26
5. Katherine Malcolm, Parker, CO, 102-85-187 +43
6. Amanda Westrick, Northglenn, CO, 93-98-191 +47
 

Stewart carded rounds of 73-76-72 for a 5-over-par 221 total. He made four birdies in Friday’s even-par round of 72. Stewart finished 12 strokes behind champion Austin Greaser of Vandalia, Ohio.

The girls 13-14 tournament also wrapped up on Friday, and Amisha Singh of Greenwood Village was the top Colorado finisher, placing 31st. She shot rounds of 79-81-78 for a 22-over-par 238 total.

Here are the scores and placing of all the Coloradans who competed this week at the Optimist tournament.

Boys 14-15
8. Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins 73-76-72–221
44. Cade Kilkenny of Centennial 82-76-77–235
66. Connor Jones of Westminster 88-74-81–243
MC. Billy Howenstein of Boulder 85-80-MC
MC. Jake Welch of Highlands Ranch 85-84-MC
MC. Liam O’Halloran of Colorado Springs 84-88-MC

Girls 13-14
31. Amisha Singh of Greenwood Village 79-81-78–238
40. Brittlynn O’Dell of Grand Junction 85-77-82–244
44. Katie Berrian of Castle Rock 80-82-87–249

Jordan Jennings of Montrose finished third last week in the boys 12-13 division of the Optimist. To read about how the younger Coloradans fared, CLICK HERE. The tournaments for the oldest boys and girls will take place next week.

Jennings shot rounds of 72-71-76 for a 3-over-par 219 total that left him six strokes behind champion Eric Doyle of San Diego.

Also placing in the top 20 in their division at the international event were Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland and Sofia Choi of Littleton, who were 13th and 18th, respectively, out of 38 competitors in the girls 10-12 tournament.

The tournaments for older boys and girls will be held this week and next week in Palm Beach Gardens.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed last week:

Girls 10-12
13. Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland 80-83-79–242
18. Sofia Choi of Littleton 84-80-82–246

Boys 10-11
25. Nicholas Pevny of Aspen 84-74-82–240
39. Yusuke Ogi of Arvada 90-82-87–259

Boys 12-13
3. Jordan Jennings of Montrose 72-71-76–219
38. Jeffrey Zhou of Greenwood Village 83-77-83–247
53. Thomas (TJ) Hicks of Greenwood Village 87-78-83–248
 

The prestigious Junior World Championships are scheduled for July 12-15 in the San Diego area.

— Jordan Jennings of Montrose and Beam Boonta of Centennial earned the two spots in the boys 13-14 age division. Jennings shot a 1-under-par 71, while Boonta fired a 74 and prevailed in a three-person playoff by making a par on the second extra hole, leaving TJ Hicks of Denver and Walter Franklin of Broomfield as alternates.

— In the girls 13-14 division, three players — Emma Bryant of Aurora, Marie Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village and Amisha Singh of Greenwood Village — tied for the low score with 3-over-par 75s. Then Bryant and Jordaan gained the Junior World spots via a playoff, where both of them parred both extra holes.

— Brayden Bozak of Phoenix blew away the field in the boys 11-12 division by carding a 5-under-par 67. The second and final Junior World spot went to Luke Olkowski of Grand Junction, who shot a 76 and beat Parker Paxton of Riverton, Wyo., in a playoff. Olkowski went birdie, birdie in the playoff.

— In the girls 11-12 division, Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland and Sofia Choi of Littleton gained the two available Junior World spots. Lehigh posted an 11-over-par 83, while Choi had an 86.

On Wedneday, three Coloradans in the 15-17 age division qualified for the Junior Worlds: Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland.

For scores from Thursday’s four qualifiers, CLICK HERE.

There was certainly no lack of highlights to punctuate the CJGA 11-13 Junior Series Championship that concluded on Tuesday at Deer Creek Golf Club in Littleton.

On Monday, the golfer who would end up winning the girls title, Katie Berrian of Castle Rock, shot a 4-under-par 66, the lowest score of her life — by seven strokes.

Then on Tuesday, boys competitor Elijia Harp of Antonito in southern Colorado made the first hole-in-one of his life, acing the 123-yard 16th hole with a pitching wedge.

And, adding an exclamation mark to the tournament overall, Jordan Jennings of Montrose, playing in the same group as Harp, chipped in for birdie from 25 feet on the final hole to claim the boys title by one stroke. It was the first individual CJGA title this season for Jennings (pictured above) after three runner-ups and a two-person team victory.

“I knew I had to chip it in so I pulled out the pin and I played a little check shot and it rolled in,” the 12-year old said. “I was really happy.”

With the hole-out, Jennings edged another Montrose resident, Micah Stangebye, who had posted a 1-under-par 70 just minutes earlier. Jennings’ 73, which included four birdies, gave him an even-par 142 total. Two strokes back of Jennings and one behind Stangebye was Jack Hughes of Snowmass Village, who closed with a 75. That left Western Slope players with a sweep of the top three boys spots.

On the girls side, Berrian’s first-round 66 gave her a four-shot cushion entering the day and a 4-over-par 74 on Tuesday left her with a five-stroke victory. The 13-year-old made two birdies on Tuesday en route to posting an even-par 140 total. It was the fourth CJGA title this year for Berrian (left and below).

“This means a lot,” said the eighth-grader at St. Thomas More Catholic School. “I’ve always wanted to win this since I was 9. Now I finally have the opportunity.”

Hailey Schalk of Erie finished second among the girls despite suffering a quadruple bogey 7 — she hit into the hazard twice on No. 16 — and a double bogey on Tuesday. Schalk carded a 75 to check in at 145. Brittlynn O’Dell of Grand Junction came in third at 148 after a 76 on Tuesday.

Though Berrian played well enough to win on Tuesday, her out-of-the-blue 66 was what set up the victory. On her back nine Monday, she made an eagle and three birdies en route to a 4-under-par 32.

“I’ve never putted like that before,” said Berrian, whose previous best round was a 73. “It was really nice.”

Berrian recently placed a very respectable 15th in the girls 13-14 age group at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida. But her Monday round took things to another level.

“I was pretty confident coming into this week,” she said. “I’ve been playing great lately, hitting it good and putting good. But I surprised myself a little (by shooting that score).”

While Berrian had some cushion coming down the stretch on Tuesday, the same wasn’t the case in the boys tournament. Jennings (below) and Hughes were tied going into the 17th hole, but Hughes made bogey after hitting his approach into a bunker on 17 and parred 18. And Stangebye, who had made up four shots on Jennings on holes 14-17 to draw even, fell victim to Jennings’ final-hole chip-in for birdie.

“I’ve qualified for the Optimist (International) twice and the Junior Worlds once, but this is probably my biggest (golf accomplishment),” said Jennings, a seventh-grader at Columbine Middle School in Montrose.

The 11-13 tournament marked the second of three CJGA Junior Series Championships. Last week at The Ranch Country Club, Coby Welch and Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch won the titles in the 14-18 age group. And the 10-&-under tournament will take place Wednesday at Boulder Country Club’s Les Fowler Par-3 Course.
 

CJGA 11-13 Junior Series Championship
At Deer Creek GC in Littleton

Boys (Par-71)
Jordan Jennings, Montrose, Colo. 69-73–142
Micah Stangebye, Montrose, Colo. 73-70–143
Jack Hughes, Snowmass Village, Colo. 69-75–144
Elijia Harp, Antonito, Colo. 72-78–150
Ryan Liao, Littleton, Colo. 75-75–150
Christian Agelopoulos, Denver, Colo. 79-74–153
Davis Long, Lafayette, Colo. 74-79–153
Ryan Sangchompuphen, Denver, Colo. 76-78–154
Traejan Andrews, Windsor, Colo. 78-81–159
Thomas Hicks, Denver, Colo. 84-81–165
Supawich Beam Boonta, Centennial, Colo. 84-83–167
Jeffrey Nelson, New Castle, Colo. 86-83–169
Medhaj Shrestha, Golden, Colo. 84-88–172
Jake Chesler, Firestone, Colo. 91-83–174
Zaden Gomez, Westminster, Colo. 89-87–176
 

Girls (Par-70)
Katie Berrian, Castle Rock, Colo. 66-74–140
Hailey Schalk, Erie, Colo. 70-75–145
Brittlynn O’Dell, Grand Junction, Colo. 72-76–148
Marie Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 74-78–152
Amisha Singh, Greenwood Village, Colo. 82-71–153
Charlotte Hillary, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 77-86–163
Emma Bryant, Denver, Colo. 84-83–167
Anju Ogi, Arvada, Colo. 85-91–176
Sofia Choi, Littleton, Colo. 88-90–178
Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland, Colo. 94-85–179