When — Wednesday through Friday (Aug. 31-Sept. 2).

Where — Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).

Live Scoring — CLICK HERE.

Admission — Free.

Format — 54 holes of stroke play, with many professionals competing during the championship rounds in a simultaneous pro-am tournament. The field will be cut to the low 40 percent of individuals and teams after 36 holes.

Purse — $60,000 for the championship competition, with up to an additional $15,000 for the pro-am. $11,000 goes to the winner, or the low professional.

Field — 97 professionals and amateurs competing for the championship, plus 29 amateurs who are competing only in the pro-am portion of the event.

Former Champions in Field — Erin Houtsma (2005), Joy Trotter (2012).

Other Notables Entered — 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kimberly Kim, a former University of Denver golfer who just advanced to the second stage of LPGA Tour qualiflying; Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore; 2015 CWGA Match Play champion and social media sensation Paige Spiranac.

Wednesday Tee Times — CLICK HERE.  

For More Information — Visit the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open website (CLICK HERE).

Joy Trotter’s father urged her to write a victory speech prior to the final round of the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open “just in case.” 

The golfer from Chino Hills, Calif., thought better of the idea, which left her a little unprepared following her win Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

“I really don’t know what to say,” the 21-year-old professional told reporters. “It’s my biggest win ever. I’ve finished second a lot, but I finally did it. I was shaking on 18 and wanted to cry before I made my (final) putt but I didn’t.”

While Trotter couldn’t have written a better ending Friday, she spoiled what could have been a storybook professional debut for Denver’s Becca Huffer.

Huffer, a two-time state high school champion and the runner-up in the 2008 Women’s Open, very nearly came out on top in her first tournament playing for prize money. But after holding a one-stroke lead going into No. 15, the former Notre Dame golfer bogeyed three of her final four holes to finish two strokes behind Trotter.

“The ending was a bit rough,” said Huffer (pictured at left), who nevertheless earned $6,350 for her first pro check. 

Trotter, the runner-up in her first Women’s Open appearance last year, followed that up with a strong finish on Friday to earn the top spot, worth $11,000, her biggest payday. 

Huffer gained the outright lead when she made a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 12 and Trotter bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11. But Trotter would par in from there, while Huffer missed the green for a bogey on No. 15 and three-putted from 40 feet on No. 17 to fall out of the top spot. Then she lipped out a 3-foot par putt on No. 18.

“I’ve just been working on my short putts and sometimes they don’t go in, obviously,” Huffer said.

Meanwhile, Trotter had no such putting problems. Playing a group behind Huffer, she drained an 8-foot slider for par on No. 14, and also got up and down from 6 feet for pars on 15 and 16. The former UC-Irvine golfer two-putted from 30 feet on No. 17 and got down in two after a ticklish 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

Trotter (pictured at left), winner of four Cactus Tour events this year, shot a 1-over-par 73 Friday to finish at 3-under 213.

“I live to win pretty much,” she said. “And winning at this level is really good.”

Kelly Jacques of Longmont (71 Friday for a 217 total) and Kayla Mortellaro of Phoenix (74-217) tied for third place. 

University of Colorado golfer Jenny Coleman, who hadn’t seen the course before Wednesday’s first round, claimed low-amateur honors as a final-day 71 left her at 218. She edged out last year’s low-am, Somin Lee of Denver, by one stroke after Lee bogeyed the final hole to finish sixth for the second straight year.

Coleman got into the tournament only the night before it started, so to post a top-five showing was a bonus. A 15-foot birdie on No. 18 Friday made the difference in the low-amateur competition.

“I’m very satisfied,” said the CU junior-to-be, whose twin sister Kristin caddied for her. “I played pretty well.”

Huffer has now placed in the top 10 three of the last four times she’s competed in the Colorado Women’s Open. Besides being second in 2008 and this year, she was ninth in 2010 before missing the event last spring.

“It was pretty good playing all week,” she said. “I had a lot of fun. It gives me a little bit of confidence going into the rest of (what she plays in this summer).

“It was always like, ‘Yeah, I want to go win (this week),’ but I wanted to get some solid rounds in, and I think I did that. And I put up a respectable showing.

“I’ve played enough rounds where it’s nothing different (competing as a professional). But obviously now I get some money, so that’s kind of fun.”

Trotter, Huffer and Jacques will be among those who will now head down to the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs to try to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday. The top three finishers in the 36-hole event will earn berths in the most prestigious tournament in women’s golf.

Chip Shots: While Huffer finished second for the second time in the Colorado Women’s Open, Jacques placed third for the second time, having previously done so as an amateur in 2007. … For the second time in two days, an amateur contestant in the pro-am made a hole-in-one at the Women’s Open. On Friday, Robert Quick of Littleton aced the 185-yard 17th hole with a 7-iron. On Thursday, Keith Lawton of Castle Rock made his hole-in-one on the 156-yard fifth hole. … Erin (Kerr) Houtsma extended her lead on the Colorado Women’s Open all-time money list on Friday. The 2005 champion finished 34th this year and earned $407, bringing her record all-time CWO total to $27,911. … Professional Rebecka Heinmert of Sweden and amateur partner Molly Greenblatt of Denver won the best-ball pro-am team competition on Friday, finishing with a 20-under-par total for a three-stroke victory.

For scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Sometimes, there’s not much Colorado flavor on the leader board for the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.

In the past three years combined, for instance, just two Coloradans have posted top-five finishes in the tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. Last spring, in-state players were completely shut out of the first five.

But this year is shaping up to have much more local pizzazz on the menu, at least based on the scoreboard going into Friday’s final round. Three of the top five players after Thursday’s second round are Coloradans.

Becca Huffer (pictured above) of Denver, making her professional debut this week, stands in second place, two strokes behind leader Joy Trotter of Chino Hills, Calif. Trotter, the 2011 runner-up, has posted rounds of 69-71 for a 4-under-par 140 total. Meanwhile, Ashley Tait of Littleton and amateur Somin Lee of Denver share fourth place, four back of Trotter.

Huffer, Tait and Lee have combined to win six girls state high school titles in Colorado, two CWGA Player of the Year awards, and three CWGA Match or Stroke Play Championships. Another two-time state high school champ, Kelly Jacques of Longmont, is also within striking distance at 2-over-par 146, in seventh place.

Thursday was stellar at times for both Huffer and Tait. Huffer birdied five of her first six holes and seven overall in round 2, while Tait went bogey-free in carding her best round ever in roughly nine appearances in the Colorado Women’s Open. On Thursday, Tait was the only player in the field to shoot in the 60s.

“June will be a really busy month for me, so it’s nice to be home,” said Tait, a three-time state high school champion at Mullen who now competes on the Symetra Futures Tour. “It doesn’t really feel like I’m at a tournament this week. It’s nice to sleep in your own bed and eat dinner with your family. And my whole family can finally get out and watch me play.

“My entire family is here. Grandparents, uncles, siblings — everyone was out to watch me today. It was real fun.”

Especially after her score improved by eight strokes compared to Wednesday. Now Tait is in line for her third top-10 showing at the Colorado Women’s Open after she placed third in 2008 and ninth last year.

There will be plenty at stake on Friday for the top Coloradans. Huffer will be seeking to win her professional debut, and both she and Tait would get a big boost from the $11,000 payday that goes to the low pro. And Lee, a freshman at Pepperdine, is attempting to become just the second amateur to win the Colorado Women’s Open.

Huffer, the 2008 runner-up at the Women’s Open, led the tournament after her torrid start on Thursday. During her five-birdies-in-six-holes stretch to begin her round, the recent Notre Dame graduate drained putt after putt from more than 15 feet.

“I got a lot of long putts to go in on the front nine,” the Littleton High School graduate said. “It was like, ‘Oh, another one went in.’ That was kind of a fun front nine. Then it was more like back to reality on the back nine.”

Indeed, the 21-year-old went 4 over par in a five-hole stretch on the back, culminating with a four-putt double bogey on No. 16. She rebounded with a 20-foot birdie on No. 17.

“It’s a little disappointing that I dropped back, but I still ended up at 2 under, so it’s OK,” said Huffer, who shot a roller-coaster 70 on Thursday. “I stayed up there (on the leader board) at least.”

Meanwhile, everyone is chasing Trotter (pictured at left), a four-time winner this year on the women’s Cactus Tour. The 21-year-old former UC-Irvine golfer has made just one bogey in 36 holes at GVR this week. So a year after finishing a stroke behind champion Jessica Carafiello, Trotter is set for another strong showing at the Colorado Women’s Open.

“It’s one of my favorite tournaments,” she said. “It’s a great course. I look forward to this tournament every year.”

She was especially eager to play on Thursday when the pins were set up very accessible.

“It’s one of those rounds where you’re licking your lips the whole time because the pins were all in the middle (of the greens) and you wanted to go for all of them,” she said. “But at the same time you can’t overhype yourself.”

Chip Shots: Barring a major change on Friday, the winning score this week will be far better than a year ago, when 5 over par won the Colorado Women’s Open. … The 47 championship players who posted a 10-over-par 154 or better survived the 36-hole cut on Thursday. Among the notable players who fell short was Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore (79-78–157). … A year after her friend Jody Conradt, the former longtime women’s basketball coach at the University of Texas, made a hole-in-one at the Colorado Women’s Open, Cindy Figg-Currier saw her playing partner ace the 156-yard fifth hole at Green Valley Ranch. Amateur Keith Lawton of Caste Rock used an 8-iron to accomplish the feat. … Tee times for Friday’s final round will run 7 to 9:05 a.m., off both the first and 10th tees. The leader will go off No. 1 at 9:05 a.m. 

For Colorado Women’s Open scores, CLICK HERE.

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2012 HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open

When: Wednesday through Friday (May 30-June 1). Tee times Friday run from 7 to 9:05 a.m.

Where: Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).

Format: 54 holes of stroke play. Most of the professionals will play with amateur partners, competing simultaneously in the championship and in a best-ball pro-am team event.

Purse: $73,000 total — including the pro-am — with $64,000 going to the pros and $9,000 in prizes to the amateurs.

Starting Field: Approximately 116 players for the championship, 150 overall.

LPGA Champion in Field: Among those competing is Cindy Figg-Currier, winner of an LPGA event in 1997 and more than $1.9 million in her LPGA career.

Friday Tee Times: CLICK HERE. 

Fan Information: The tournament is open to spectators free of charge. 

Being a Colorado girl, Somin Lee feels right at home competing in the Centennial State.

That’s undoubtedly one of the reasons she’s been thriving in big tournaments in Colorado this month.

In mid-May the Denver resident — and Pepperdine freshman — shot a final-round 67 at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie to finish sixth individually at the women’s NCAA West Regional.

Then on Wednesday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, Lee fired a 3-under-par 69 despite a three-putt bogey from 12 feet on the final hole. That gives the 2011 CWGA Player of the Year a share of the lead after the first round of the 54-hole HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.

“I’m really happy with my round except for the last hole,” the Overland High School graduate said. “The wind caught (my putt) a little bit, and I just wanted to be done I guess. I rushed through it. (The ball) was wobbling a little bit. (I thought) ‘OK I’m just going to hit it.’ But I’m happy with the round today.”

Lee (pictured above), who was the low amateur and placed sixth overall in last year’s Women’s Open, is tied for the lead with 2011 runner-up Joy Trotter of Chino Hills, Calif. Trotter went bogey-free in her round of 69 on Wednesday.

The only other player to break par in the first round was Shannon Fish of Spring, Texas, a contestant in this year’s Big Break Atlantis on the Golf Channel. The former University of Texas golfer opened with a 71.

Other Coloradans in the top 10 after round 1 are 2008 Women’s Open runner-up Becca Huffer of Denver (72, fourth place) and Kelly Jacques of Longmont (73, seventh place). Huffer, who recently completed her college career at Notre Dame, is making her professional debut this week.

Lee, a 20-year-old native of South Korea, is bidding to become just the second amateur champion in the history of the Colorado Women’s Open, which debuted in 1995. Paige MacKenzie of Yakima, Wash., prevailed in 2006.

Professionals “are golf players and I’m a golf player,” said Lee, who was paired with former LPGA Tour regular Katie Kempter on Wednesday. “Maybe they’re pro but I want to be on that level one day so it’s really fun to play against them. It would be really good to be one of those. I’m just excited for this tournament.”

The 2011 CWGA Match Play champion birdied 10, 11 and 12 and made five birdies overall, offset by two bogeys. On the par-4 10th, she hit a hybrid approach from about 200 yards to within 2 inches.

“That was kind of a lucky one, but I’ll take it,” said Lee, who last week finished 77th in the women’s NCAA Finals.

Lee’s 69 was a nine-stroke improvement over her first-round score last year.

“I finished sixth last year and my goal was to play better if I can,” she said. “Last year I had a bad first round. This year it was better, so hopefully I will continue all the birdies and good shots for the next two days and hopefully I’ll do it (win).”

While almost all the championship competitors had played Green Valley Ranch at least once before Wednesday, University of Colorado golfer Jenny Coleman was thrown into the deep end with no course experience.

Coleman, a sophomore who helped CU qualify for the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history, only got into the Women’s Open field on Tuesday night after a position opened up.

The problem was, only one spot was available, and Coleman is one of two twin sisters who play for the Buffs. So CU coach Anne Kelly texted the twins, asking which of them wanted to play this week.

Kristin Coleman said Jenny should get the nod.

“Jenny played a lot better at nationals (45th place vs. 113th for Kristin),” said Kristin, who caddied for her sister on Wednesday. “I’m working on my full swing, so I wasn’t quite ready.”

(Jenny and Kristin are pictured together at left on Wednesday.)

Despite having never seen GVR before, Jenny Coleman shot a 2-over-par 74 after a three-putt bogey on the final hole. She shares 12th place overall.

“I had no practice round and had never played the course,” she said. “You definitely throw away a couple of shots just because of that, but it’s OK.”

But having Kristin on the bag was a plus, Jenny said.

“It was nice,” she said. “It helped since neither one of us had played the course. It helped to have both opinions as to what to do on shots.”

Jenny said Kristin had never caddied for her before, though Jenny was on the bag for Kristin at the U.S. Girls’ Junior several years ago.

Chip Shots: Among those spectating at the Colorado Women’s Open Wednesday was part-time Lakewood resident Hollis Stacy, part of the newest class of the World Golf Hall of Fame. … Another winner on the LPGA Tour, Cindy Figg-Currier, is competing in the Women’s Open this year and struggled early on Wednesday. She double bogeyed two of her first three holes and shot a 4-over-par 76. … The championship field will be cut to the low 46 competitors and ties after Thursday’s second round. … While Denver’s Becca Huffer opened with a 72 in her first official round as a professional, former CU golfer Jessica Wallace started with a 77 in her pro debut.

For scores from Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

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2012 HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open

When: Wednesday through Friday (May 30-June 1). Tee times Thursday run from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Where: Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).

Format: 54 holes of stroke play. Most of the professionals will play with amateur partners, competing simultaneously in the championship and in a best-ball pro-am team event. A cut will be made after round 2.

Purse: $73,000 total — including the pro-am — with $64,000 going to the pros and $9,000 in prizes to the amateurs.

Field: Approximately 116 players for the championship, 150 overall.

LPGA Champion in Field: Among those competing is Cindy Figg-Currier, winner of an LPGA event in 1997 and more than $1.9 million in her LPGA career.

Thursday Tee Times: CLICK HERE. 

Fan Information: The tournament is open to spectators free of charge.