Following up from earlier this week, when we started our two-part retrospective on the top Colorado golf-related stories of 2018 (CLICK HERE for the first installment), we continue our countdown with the top dozen stories of the year — in reverse order. And at the end, included is a list of honorable-mention selections.

12. Stewart Signs With No. 1-Ranked College Team in Nation: It’s not often that a Colorado golfer signs a national letter of intent with the No. 1-ranked college program in the nation. But such was the case in November when Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins put his John Hancock on the dotted line with Oklahoma State. Stewart, who graduated from Fossil Ridge High School this month, will be headed to Stillwater for the fall semester next year. The Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year is one of at least nine Colorado residents or JGAC members from the Class of 2019 who are headed to NCAA Division I golf programs. READ MORE

11. Another National Honor for Colorado PGA: Dating back to the late 1950s, members of the Colorado PGA or the Section itself have won 19 national awards from the PGA of America. Ten of those 19 have come since 2007, including this year’s Herb Graffis Award for player development, which the CPGA received for the second time since 2011. READ MORE

10. New CGA President Janene Guzowski Continues Trend in Colorado: The last several months of this year have proven to be a major boon for women in leadership roles in Colorado golf. Janene Guzowski is the new president of the CGA, Janet Moore is the new president of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, and Molly Greenblatt has become the new chairperson of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation. And that’s in addition to Suzy Whaley being elected the first national president of the PGA of America. READ MORE

9. Colorado, Hiwan Shine as Girls Junior Americas Cup Hosts: The Girls Junior Americas Cup — a team competition featuring players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico — is hosted just once every 18 years by Colorado, and 2018 was the Centennial State’s turn. Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, where the Colorado Open was held from 1964 to ’91, was a fitting mountainous setting for the event. While Mexico swept the team and individual titles, Colorado posted its best finish since 2013 by placing fifth out of 18 teams. Staff and volunteers from the CGA and the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado played major roles in running this major junior event. READ MORE

8. Colorado Sweeps Team, Individual Titles at Boys Junior America’s Cup: At the same time the Girls Junior Amerias Cup was taking place at Hiwan, a Colorado team (left) was making history at the boys Junior America’s Cup in Montana. For the first time in the 44 years in which Colorado has competed in the event, its squad claimed the team title. In fact, a Colorado team had never finished better than third before this year in the competition that includes players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. To add to the feat, Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins won the individual title out of the 72-player field. Joining Stewart on the winning team were Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, Davis Bryant of Aurora and Walker Franklin of Broomfield. Former longtime CGA staffer Dustin Jensen captained the Colorado squad. READ MORE

7. 2 Coloradans Qualify for PGA Tour, 2 More for LPGA Tour: Seldom have players who grew up in Colorado enjoyed so much success in qualifying for the top men’s and women’s golf tours in the world as they did in the final half of 2018. Wyndham Clark and Jim Knous earned promotions to the PGA Tour with their performances on the Web.com Tour regular season and Finals, respectively. And Jennifer Kupcho and Becca Huffer landed spots on the LPGA Tour in 2019 by both finishing in the top 10 in the eight-round LPGA Q-Series, with Kupcho placing second and Huffer 10th. All four Coloradans will be rookies on those top circuits in 2019. In fact, the PGA Tour’s wraparound season began in October, and Knous recorded a top-10 finish in his first event as a member of that Tour. Joining Kupcho and Huffer in earning an LPGA card last month was former University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi.

6. Gearing Up for Rules Changes: With the modernized Rules of Golf set to take effect on Jan. 1, the USGA and its affiliated Allied Golf Associations have been very busy trying to bring members up to speed on the changes. For the CGA, that effort has included weekly “Ready for the 2019 Rules” videos and four-hour Ready for the Rules seminars held at various locations around the state late in 2018 and also planned for the first several months of 2019. READ MORE

5. Year 1 of New-Look CGA: Our No. 1 story of 2017 in Colorado golf was the unification a year ago of the CGA and CWGA after both associations had celebrated their 100th anniversaries as separate — but complementary — organizations serving golf in Colorado. With 2018 being their first full calendar year together, things have gone, by just about any measure, extremely well. All of which is very good news, considering how many golfers the new-look CGA serves as members. There’s still work to be done, but it’s certainly been a stellar first year together.

4. CSU Golfers Claim USGA National Title: Golfers with strong Colorado ties don’t often get to say they’re reigning USGA national champions, but Colorado State University golfers Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor (left) earned that honor by winning the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title in early May in Tarzana, Calif. The two never trailed in the first four matches they played at El Caballero Country Club. In the title match, they were 2 down with four holes left, but a big-time rally down the stretch netted them a 1-up victory over teenagers Yachun Chang of Chinese Taipei and Lei Ye of China — and the national championship. The victory was believed to be the first USGA national amateur championship by a person or team with strong Colorado ties since Jill McGill won the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. READ MORE

3. Vickers Passes Away: There are almost 12 dozen people in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, but even in that select group, there are some that took it to the next level. A good rule of thumb as to who those people are is if they’ve also been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. There are less than a dozen people who are members of both Halls of Fame. One of them passed away in September — 93-year-old Jack Vickers. Vickers made his mark in a variety of sports, but likely will be most remembered as the founder of Castle Pines Golf Club and The International that hosted PGA Tour events for 21 years. No less than Jack Nicklaus, who designed Castle Pines, paid tribute to Vickers the day he died. Vickers’ International ran from 1986 through 2006. It featured a unique modified Stableford scoring system, which promoted aggressive play as a birdie and a bogey were worth more than two pars. The tournament produced quite a few big-name champions, including Greg Norman, Davis Love III (twice), Phil Mickelson (twice), Vijay Singh and Ernie Els. READ MORE

2. Kupcho Phenomenon Continues: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster may very well accomplish great things in the coming decades, but even long into the future, 2018 will be a year she’ll remember fondly. Here’s a brief rundown of what she accomplished: The Wake Forest golfer won an NCAA Division I individual title a year (left) after placing second. She became the first Colorado resident to win the prestigious individual championship on the women’s side. She helped three U.S. national teams capture international team titles in 2018 — at the Curtis Cup, the Arnold Palmer Cup and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In the latter event, Kupcho finished second individually out of a field of 170. She also placed second at the eight-round final stage of LPGA Q-school. After concluding her college career in May, she’ll immediately begin her LPGA career. Kupcho finished an LPGA career-best 16th this year in the LPGA Marathon Classic. Overall in 2018, she won three individual college titles. Kupcho also claimed the prestigious Mark H. McCormack Medal, becoming the first American to win the women’s McCormack honor as the top female player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings as of the conclusion of the U.S. Women’s Amateur. And she was named the world female Amateur of the Year by digital new magazine Global Golf Post. READ MORE

1. U.S. Senior Open a Hit at The Broadmoor: It had been almost four years since Colorado had hosted a big-time tour-level event — the kind that attracts 100,000-plus fans. But the drought ended this year when the U.S. Senior Open (pictured at top) was conducted at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. And the results didn’t disappoint. The announced attendance for the week was 134,500, the most for the Senior Open since the 157,126 in Omaha, Neb., in 2013. David Toms, who won the 1999 Sprint International at Castle Pines but hadn’t captured a title on the PGA Tour or PGA Tour Champions in seven years, captured the victory at the Senior Open by one stroke. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe placed fifth, marking his second straight top-5 performance in the U.S. Senior Open. Shortly after the conclusion of the championship, the USGA announced that the U.S. Senior Open will return to The Broadmoor in 2025.

Honorable Mention

— Lauren Howe, who grew up in Colorado, was a finalist in the U.S. Girls’ Junior as a 15-year-old and went on to win an event on the LPGA Tour, was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

— Patrick Reidy became the fifth 50-something player in the last six years to win the Colorado PGA Professional Championship.

— Players from Texas swept the two CGA women’s major titles in 2018, giving Texans three consecutive such championships. Emily Gilbreth, a lifetime Houstonian before moving to Denver, won the 2017 CGA Women’s Match Play; Kristin Glesne of San Antonio the 2018 CGA Women’s Stroke Play; and Kennedy Swann the 2018 CGA Women’s Match Play.

— Former BYU golfer Justin Keiley won his second straight Rocky Mountain Open, defeating former Montrose resident Brandon Bingaman in a playoff after the latter shot a course-record 11-under-par 60 in the final round at Tiara Rado in Grand Junction.

— Three Colorado courses — Castle Pines, Ballyneal and Cherry Hills — are ranked among the 150 Greatest International Courses, according to Golf Digest.

— Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs finished sixth — tying the best showing ever by a Coloradan — in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta. At the 2019 National Finals, three Coloradans will compete — Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, Chunya Boonta of Centennial and Grady Ortiz of Colorado.

— The University of Denver women’s golf team saw its remarkable string of league tournament championships end at 14, though the Pioneers’ Sophie Newlove claimed the individual title at Summit League Championship.

— CU’s Robyn Choi qualified in Colorado for the U.S. Women’s Open for a second straight year. Choi later earned her LPGA Tour card at the final stage of Q-school.

— Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, who won the CGA Amateur in August, claimed the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational championship for the second straight year for his second individual college title in eight days.

— Doug Rohrbaugh, who was paired with Scott McCarron and Miguel Angel Jimenez at the Senior PGA Championship, became the first golfer to sweep the Colorado PGA Player of Year and Senior Player of Year honors in the same season. Like Rohrbaugh, Colorado PGA professional Chris Johnson qualified for two PGA Tour Champions majors in 2018 — the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championship.

— Nicholas Pevny of Aspen captured a national title, prevailing in the boys 12-13 age division of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida.

— Former Parker resident Elizabeth Wang finished 34th — fourth among amateurs — at the U.S. Women’s Open. Wang also made it to the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and to the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Wang, now playing for Harvard, defeated Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster in 19 holes in the round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Am.

— Fort Collins resident Dillon Stewart became to first Coloradan to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior boys title. Later, he captured a second AJGA championship, this time in Montana, and won 5A state high school individual and team titles.

— New Colorado resident Dan Erickson shot a 9-under-par 61 — a course record by two strokes at Fort Collins Country Club — en route to qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, where he made match play but bowed out in the round of 64 at Pebble Beach.

— Hadley Ashton of Erie finished fifth in the girls 9-10 division at the prestigious IMG Academy Junior World Championships.

— Thirty-two years after winning her first CGA/CWGA title, Kristine Franklin earned her second, this time overcoming five-time champion Kim Eaton in the Women’s Senior Stroke Play.

— Greg Condon of the southern Colorado town of Monte Vista shared stroke-play medalist honors in the U.S. Senior Amateur, while Scott Sullivan of Grand Junction advanced to the match play round of 16.

(Note: This story was updated on Jan. 2)

The trajectory of the three-year-old Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado is reminiscent of watching the ascendance of a tee shot hit by Dustin Johnson on Protracer.

A steady, impressive rise to the sky.

The JGAC, an organization founded and run by the CGA and the Colorado PGA, largely wrapped up its year with its Tour Championship and season-ending banquet on Oct. 7 at Denver Country Club. And it was an impressive season in numerous respects.

In fact, most of the numbers for Alliance-related events and programs were up substantially in 2018, year over year:

— Membership — which is now divided into three levels (Tour, Series and Introductory), depending on the skill and needs of given participants — hit 995 in 2018. That’s an 11 percent jump from 2018.

— At the various levels, there were 5,007 entries for JGAC events, up 12 percent form last year.

— This year, the JGAC oversaw 106 events, including 10 Drive, Chip & Putt qualifiers and the PGA Jr. League state championship.

— Speaking of Drive, Chip & Putt, there were 1,286 participants in 2018, up 18 percent from last year.

— In PGA Jr. League, 1,849 players competed, 29 percent more than in 2017. A total of 157 teams joined in, up 19 percent from last year.

— Fifteen courses in Colorado participated in the first year of Youth on Course in the state, with 658 rounds of subsidized golf (so far) on the books, and $3,864 in subsidies paid to the courses. Youth on Course makes golf more accessible to juniors by capping their cost for a round at $5 at participating facilities, possibly with some date/time restrictions. Then a subsidy of a similar amount per round is paid to the participating course.

— And funding has been approved for 10,053 kids to participate in the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools Program, which is supported by all the Allied Golf Associations in the state. The final number of participants for 2018 is to be determined as fall programming continues. Golf in Schools introduces kids to the game each school year through their P.E. classes at school.

“Our success is shown through our growth and our numbers and different things like that,” said Ashley Barnhart, the CGA’s director of junior competitions, who helps oversee the JGAC along with many other staffers and interns from the Colorado PGA and the CGA. “And I think people are becoming really familiar with our platform, which helps. There’s a lot of word of mouth. Coaches, instructors and people like that are becoming active in the program, which is what we really set out to do. I think we had a great year because of that.”

Beyond organizational success, JGAC members had some major individual and team accomplishments in 2018:

— For the first time in 44 years of competing in the boys Junior America’s Cup, the Colorado team won the competition against other squads from throughout the western U.S., as well as Canada and Mexico. Doubling the accomplishment, Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins claimed the individual title in the event. Also competing on the Colorado team (left) were Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, Davis Bryant of Aurora and Walker Franklin of Broomfield, Bryant is now a freshman on the Colorado State University golf team while McCoy is playing for the University of Denver. Stewart, who just won the 5A individual state high school title while his Fossil Ridge squad earned the team championship, is expected next month to sign a letter of intent to play college golf at perennial powerhouse Oklahoma State starting in the fall of 2019.

— The JGAC hosted the Girls Junior Americas Cup for the first time in 18 years as Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen brought together some of the best girls players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. The team representing Colorado finished fifth out of 18 in the event, its best showing in five years.

— For just the second time in the short history of the Drive, Chip & Putt initiative, three Coloradans have qualified for the same National Championship. Three years after a trio of Coloradans competed in the national DCP event at Augusta National, Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, Chunya “Bead” Boonta of Centennial and Grady Ortiz of Colorado Springs will do so in the 2019 event that will be held April 7 on the eve of the Masters. Each advanced through three qualifying events in 2018. Chin, who was one of the three Coloradans who qualified for nationals in 2016, will return next spring, making her the first player from the Centennial State to competed in the finals twice.

— Stewart claimed two AJGA titles in 2018. In June, he became the first Coloradan to win the boys championship at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. Then in early September, he prevailed at the AJGA Junior at Big Sky in Montana, coincidentally the same state where he won the Junior America’s Cup title. Another Coloradan that scored an AJGA victory in 2018 was Sofia Choi of Littleton, who won the AJGA Preview at Waubeeka in Massachusetta in early May.

— Also winning a significant title on a larger stage in 2018 was Nicholas Pevny of Aspen, who took the top spot in the boys 12-13 division of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida in July.

— Another notable accomplishment came earlier this month when Lauren Lehigh of Loveland was among 12 girls — and 24 junior golfers overall — who were named to the 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the AJGA. The honor is given to a very select group of junior golfers from all over the country and the world who particularly excel on the golf course, in the classroom and in the community. Lehigh’s cumulative GPA for her first three years of high school is 4.116, and her best score on the SAT has been 1,430. She was later named the JGAC’s 2018 Girls Player of the Year, while Stewart took the honor on the boys side.

— Hadley Ashton of Erie had an outstanding showing at a prestigious international tournament as she finished fifth in the girls 9-10 division at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in the San Diego area.

— In May, Emma Bryant of Eaglecrest won the 5A girls state high school title as a freshman. The amazing thing about the accomplishment was that older brother Davis Bryant had won the 5A boys title last fall — in the same school year. It was the first time two players with the same surname have won the boys and girls state individual prep championships in one school year. (The Bryants are pictured at left.)

— Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village and Hailey Schalk of Erie, both high school sophomores at the time, made match play but lost in the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in late April.

(All the award winners recognized at the JGAC’s recent banquet are listed below.)

While the junior golf season is nearly over in Colorado, there are some events held in mid and late October. For instance, the JGAC Parent/Child tournaments are scheduled for Oct. 27-28 at Indian Tree Golf Course in Arvada. And last Saturday, an Optimist Junior Tour event was held at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver, where 23 qualifying spots for the 2019 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at Trump National Doral Resort in Miami were at stake.

The age-group winners included three Coloradans: Brandon Bervig of Colorado Springs (boys 16-18), Morgan Ryan of Centennial (girls 14-18) and Tyler Tyson of Arvada (boys 14-15).

2018 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Award Winners

Boys Player of the Year
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

Girls Player of the Year
Lauren Lehigh of Loveland — 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.
 
Girls Most Improved Player
Ashley Kozlowski of Littleton — Sixteen-year-old JGAC Tour player saw her scoring average decrease 16 strokes compared to 2017.

Boys Most Improved Player
Will Balliet of Thornton — Scoring average for the 12-year-old in 2018 was 11.9 strokes better than in 2017.
 
Award of Excellence (based on community service, character, overcoming hardship and showing spirit of the game of golf)
Max Heupel (left) — The multi-sport athlete and dedicated golfer started a non-profit called “Bagging Homelessness”, raising money and buying supplies to create daily care packages for people living on the street.
 
10 & Under All-Stars
Taylor Wilson
Addison Hines
Maddie Makino
Livia Pett
Taylor Hale
Andre Dumonteil
Brayden Destefano
Clint Summers III
Sean Cary
Miles Kuhl

11-13 All-Stars
Charlie Flaxbeard
Matai Naqica
Wes Erling
Blake Sullivan
Nicholas Pevny
Hadley Ashton
Caitlyn Chin
Ashleigh Wilson
Emily Cheng
Kaitlin Zingler

14-18 All-Stars
Hunter Swanson
Maxwell Lange
Traejan Andrews
Tyler Tyson
Quinton Mosch
Amira Badruddin
Clara Hosman
Kaylee Jacobs
Jessica Mason
Elan Fleetwod

Tour All-Stars
Connor Jones
Emma Bryant
Walker Franklin
Charlotte Hillary
TJ Shehee
Caroline Jordaan
Davis Bryant
Hailey Schalk
Dillon Stewart
Lauren Lehigh

Points Chase Champions
Andre Dumonteil — 10 & Under Boys
Taylor Wilson — 10 & Under Girls
Charlie Flaxbeard –11 – 13 Boys
Hadley Ashton — 11 – 13 Girls
Hunter Swanson — 14 – 18 Boys
Amira Badruddin — 14 – 18 Girls
Dillon Stewart — JGAC Tour Boys
Lauren Lehigh — JGAC Tour Girls
 
Academic All-Stars
Emaan Adil – Greenwood Village
Christian Agelopoulos – Denver
Ewan Albright – Boulder
Gavin Amella – Pueblo
Elisandro Aragon – Highlands Ranch
Brendan Archer – Vail
Amira Badruddin – Parker
Savannah Balint – Grand Junction
Brynn Balliet – Thornton
Jamie Banghart – Fort Collins
Parker Beasley – Denver
Katie Berrian – Castle Rock
Liam Beshoar – Montrose
Pierce Bickerton – Windsor
Logan Biggerstaff – Cherry Hills Village
Andrew Blair – Denver
Christian Blair – Denver
Emmett Bleem – Windsor
Caroline Brandon – Denver
Davis Bryant – Aurora
Emma Bryant – Aurora
Dylan Bundy – Lone Tree
Caleb Busta – Centennial
Logan Byler – Parker
Qwenton Caldwell – Littleton
Cody Caldwell – Woodland Park
Paige Carlson – Parker
Owen Casey – Denver
William Chadwick – Boulder
Kaylee Chen – Denver
Christina Cheng – Colorado Springs
Emily Cheng – Colorado Springs
Benjamin Chin – Greenwood Village
Caitlyn Chin – Greenwood Village
Alyssa Chin – Greenwood Village
Ella Chism – Centennial
Sofia Choi – Littleton
Noah Clough – Fort Morgan
Christian Cohan – Golden
Alex Colby – Castle Rock
Jax Collins – Golden
Alexis Cunningham – Denver
Benjamin Daane – Rapid City, S.D.
Garrett Dalton – Parker
Mitchell Davis – Strasburg
Mario Dino – Denver
Dakota Dolph – Pine
Jake Dost – Parker
Drex Duffy – Littleton
Raven DuKane – Broomfield
Graham Dzengelewski – Highlands Ranch
Sydney Elder – Centennial
Wesley Erling – Castle Rock
Dylan Everett – Highlands Ranch
Ryan Falender – Colorado Springs
Nick Fallin – Highlands Ranch
Nolan Farrar – Larkspur
Nicole Fatovic – Broomfield
Jack Finch – Centennial
Tyler Findlow – Lone Tree
Jack Flaherty – Broomfield
Bobby Flaherty – Broomfield
Charlie Flaxbeard – Greenwood Village
James Flaxbeard – Greenwood Village
Jeth Fogg – Colorado Springs
Oscar Ford – Centennial
Kaden Ford – Colorado Springs
Nick Formby – Frederick
Jaxon Franklin – Broomfield
Walker Franklin – Broomfield
John Fredericks – Denver
Brendan Fricke – Highlands Ranch
Oliver Gibbons – Lakewood
Jacob Gilbert – Watkins
Devin Gilbreath – Aurora
Anthony Giordano – Denver
Alexander Goeltl – Fort Collins
Jonas Graham – Parker
Christopher Gunlikson – Longmont
Taylor Hale – Eagle
Logan Hale – Eagle
Kalai Hamlin – Monument
Sam Hammock – Fort Collins
Ben Harding – Longmont
Maryn Harlow – Fort Collins
Corbin Harris – Littleton
Booth Hayes – Frederick
Allie Henson – Windsor
Max Heupel – Littleton
Thomas Hicks – Greenwood Village
Charlotte Hillary – Englewood
Carter Hinkle – Windsor
Clara Hosman – Parker
Landon Houska – Fort Collins
Kylee Hughes – Aspen
Freddie Ingham – Lone Tree
Kaylee Jacobs – Denver
Jack Jacobsen – Englewood
Jordan Jennings – Montrose
Clara Jeon – Centennial
Rhett Johnson – Littleton
Hadley Johnson – Thermopolis, Wyo.
Hardy Johnson – Thermopolis, Wyo
Connor Jones – Westminster
Trey Jones – Colorado Springs
Caroline Jordaan – Lakewood
Marie Jordaan – Lakewood
Nathan Kim – Castle Pines
Holden Kleager – Glenwood Springs
Carter Kovarik – Englewood
Ashley Kozlowski – Littleton
Brooke Kramer – Aurora
Benjamin Kriech – Parker
Drew Laake – Colorado Springs
Gisella Lagrimas – Castle Rock
Amalei Lagrimas – Castle Rock
Noah Larchick – Aurora
Will Leary – Fort Collins
Jake Legg – Montrose
Katelyn Lehigh – Loveland
Lauren Lehigh – Loveland
Jack Leibold – Littleton
Emily Kate Lisle – Evergreen
Frank Lockwood – Englewood
Davis Long – Lafayette
Josh Lowrey – Highlands Ranch
Josee Lurcott – Englewood
Macallister Lurcott – Englewood
Mason Magley – Loveland
Katherine Malcolm – Parker
Aidan Mann – Boulder
Natasha McClain – Denver
Cole McCoy – Highlands Ranch
Cal McCoy – Highlands Ranch
Sarah McDevitt – Elizabeth
Campbell McFadden – Denver
Piper McFadden – Denver
Gavin McWhorter – Loveland
Benjamin Medina – Denver
Andrew Merz – Colorado Springs
Grant Meyers – Brighton
Bennett Meyers – Brighton
William Mitchell – Lafayette
Jessica Morrissey – Golden
Tyler Mulligan – Parker
Roger Nakagawa – Denver
Zach Nehm – Grand Junction
Max Noffsinger – Greeley
Brittlynn O’Dell – Grand Junction
Yusuke Ogi – Arvada
Kota Ogi – Arvada
Liam O’Halloran – Colorado Springs
Finn Olson – Castle Pines
Eshaan Palanati – Aurora
Sam Patrick – Highlands Ranch
Will Perez – Denver
Eva Pett – Denver
Livia Pett – Denver
Elaina Phiel – Denver
Carlo Pine – Telluride
Dylan Pyle – Boulder
Nathan Rabuck – Denver
Keaton Rich – Arvada
Maya Romero – Aurora
Kailer Rundiks – Denver
Ryan Sangchompuphen – Denver
Spencer Schlagel – Parker
Jack Schubert – Highlands Ranch
Isabella Scott – Castle Rock
Travis Seitz – Steamboat Springs
Suchit Sharma – Thornton
Brady Shaw – Pueblo
TJ Shehee – Mead
Timbre Shehee – Mead
Isabella Short – Evergreen
Jack Siler – Aurora
Aidan Sim – Parker
Windrem Smith – Fort Collins
Mena Song – Lew – Colorado Springs
Jack Stafford – Parker
John Stevens – Green Mountain Falls
Peter Stinar – Colorado Springs
Molly Stratton – Centennial
Blake Sullivan – Castle Pines
Carter Surofchek – Colorado Springs
Hunter Swanson – Denver
Sydney Taylor – Fort Collins
Leanne Telle – Colorado Springs
Conner Thomas – Frederick
Dawson Thulin – Denver
Jack Tickle – Centennial
Collen Todd – Golden
Jack Tourault – Broomfield
Lauren Tucker – Lone Tree
Taylor Tucker – Lone Tree
Charlie Tucker – Castle Pines
Zach Tyson – Arvada
Tyler Tyson – Arvada
James Wagner – Erie
Sean Wallace – Denver
Kelsey Webster – Boulder
Max Weisser – Denver
Jake Welch – Highlands Ranch
Gabrielle Werst – Fort Collins
Jacob Whelan – Highlands Ranch
Matthew Wilkinson – Centennial
Blake Williams – Lone Tree
Blake Williams – Lone Tree
Jadie Wilson – Denver
Ashleigh Wilson – Highlands Ranch
Taylor Wilson – Highlands Ranch
Liam Wood – Boulder
Garrett Wood – Centennial
Colin Young – Highlands Ranch
Grace Young – Highlands Ranch
Max Zadvorny – Centennial
Jessica Zapf – Windsor
Ian Zweifel – Orlando, Fla.
 

Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, a University of Denver signee, shot a 3-under-par 69 and shares ninth place in the 144-player field. McCoy played his first nine holes in 4 under par and finished round 1 three strokes behind co-leaders Ryan Grauman of Alamo, Calif., and Campbell Kremer of hometown Louisville.

Meanwhile, Davis Bryant of Aurora, who finished 14th in this event last year, opened with a 1-under 71, good for a share of 21st place. The future Colorado State University golfer was 3 under through 15, but bogeyed 16 and 17. He finished the day with four birdies and three bogeys.

McCoy and Bryant (pictured together at left) were teammates on last week’s Colorado team that won the boys Junior America’s Cup team title for the first time. Also on that team were Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins and Walker Franklin of Broomfield.

For all the scores from the Boys Junior PGA, CLICK HERE.
 

The four Coloradans competing July 24-26 in Anaconda, Mont., will come into the event having played in a combined five JACs.

Records aren’t complete, but Davis Bryant of Aurora might go down as having played in more boys Junior America’s Cups for Colorado than anyone. This will mark his fourth and final appearance, having placed ninth individually last year, 21st in 2016 and 49th in 2015.

More importantly, Bryant helped Colorado finish fourth out of 18 teams in 2017, sixth in 2016 and third in 2015, when the Centennial State matched its best showing ever in the event, also accomplished in 2011 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.

Bryant will be joined on the 2018 Colorado team by Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch and Walker Franklin of Broomfield. Stewart and McCoy likewise played on the 2017, while the 16-year-old Franklin is a first-timer in the event. (Bryant and Stewart are pictured at a recent tournament, with Bryant at left.)

All three of the Colorado returnees have set their college plans. Bryant is headed for Colorado State University and McCoy to the University of Denver, both in the fall, while Stewart has verbally committed to Oklahoma State when he heads for college in 2019.

Here’s a brief rundown on the Colorado JAC representatives this year:

— Davis Bryant of Aurora: Will be playing in his fourth Junior America’c Cup. He finished ninth individually last year. … Will play his college golf at CSU beginning in the fall. … Named the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year in 2017. … Has won all four JGAC majors in which he’s competed in 2017 and 18 — three last year and the Colorado Junior PGA this year. He’s also qualified for the national Junior PGA Championship. … Finished 40th out of 212 players in the boys 15-18 division at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships. … Played in the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2015 and ’17, going to match play in the latter. … Finished second to Stewart at last month’s AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. … Advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying late in the spring. … Won the 5A boys state high school title as a senior at Eaglecrest. … Younger sister Emma is on this year’s Colorado team for the Girls Junior Americas Cup.

— Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins: Will be playing in his second Junior America’c Cup. He finished 13th individually last year. … Has verbally committed to play his college golf at Oklahoma State beginning next year. … Competed this week at the U.S. Junior Amateur. … Won the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior last month, becoming the first local player to claim the title in the boys division. … Finished second last week at the Colorado Junior Amateur. … Also was runner-up at the 5A boys state high school tournament in the fall, behind only Bryant.

— Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch: Will be playing in his second Junior America’c Cup. He finished 31st individually last year. … Will begin his college golf career at the University of Denver beginning in the fall. … Finished 103rd out of 212 players at the recent IMG Academy Junior World Championships. … Has qualified for the CoBank Colorado Open, but will instead compete in the JAC, which has conflicting dates. … Is the first alternate for the U.S. Amateur from the Fort Collins Country Club qualifying site. … Finished second to Bryant at the Colorado Junior PGA and qualifed for the national Junior PGA Championship.

— Walker Franklin of Broomfield: Will be playing in his first Junior America’s Cup. … Finished fourth in the Colorado Junior PGA and fifth at recent Colorado Junior Amateur. … Placed fifth last month in the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. … Was the medalist in Colorado qualifying for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship. … Won a JGAC Spring Tour event at Country Club of the Rockies in April. … Tied for second in last fall’s 3A state high school tournament.

At the Junior America’s Cup, which features 18 teams from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico, the best three scores for each team each day count toward the team total.

For a story on the girls who will represent Colorado at the Girls Junior Americas Cup at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, CLICK HERE.
 

Colorado has been sending teams to the Junior America’s Cup since 1975, and two of the state’s best six performances in the event have come in the last three years, with Davis Bryant of Aurora and Jackson Solem of Longmont playing on both of those teams.

On Thursday in Dupont, Wash., Bryant and Solem led the squad from the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado to a fourth-place showing in the tournament that features 18 teams from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. Two years ago, the Coloradans were third, which matched the 2011 team for best finish by the Coloradans. This year’s fourth-place performance was the same as the golfers from the Centennial State posted in 1984, ’85 and 2012.

With the top three individual scores each day counting toward the team total, Colorado shot a 4-over-par 220 in Thursday’s final round at The Home Course. That left the Coloradans with a three-day total of 5-over 653, behind only champion British Columbia (645), runner-up Southern California (648) and third-place Utah (650).

It marked the fifth top-six finish at the JAC in the last seven years for Colorado.

Individually, Davis (left), winner of the first two JGAC majors of 2017, tied for ninth place in the 72-player field. He was even par for the tournament through 50 holes, but the future Colorado State University golfer bogeyed two of the last four for a 2-over-par 74 and a 2-over 218 total.

Solem, a former 4A state high school champion who has signed to play for the University of Denver, tied for 11th place after shooting the low round for any of the Coloradans at the JAC, a 1-under-par 71 on Thursday. After playing the last seven holes in 2 under, he carded a 3-over 219 total.

Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins also placed in the top 15, at 13th, despite going 2 par in his last six holes. He shot a 3-over 75 on Thursday, leaving him at 220.

Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch rounded out the Colorado team, finishing 31st at 225 after closing with a 78.

Nolan Thoroughgood of British Columbia claimed the individual title on Thursday. He carded an 8-under-par 208 total after rounds of 71-67-70.

(The Colorado representatives are pictured, from left: Ashley Barnhart, Bryant, McCoy, captain Dustin Jensen, Solem, Stewart and Holly Champion. Jensen has served as a captain for all three of the Colorado teams that have placed in the top four since 2011.)

4. Colorado 216-217-220–653
9. Davis Bryant, Aurora 72-72-74–218
11. Jackson Solem, Longmont 76-72-71–219
13. Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins 72-73-75–220
31. Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 72-75-78–225

For all the scores from the Junior America’s Cup, CLICK HERE.
 

Through Wednesday’s second round of the 54-hole event at The Home Course, the Coloradans share fourth place out of the 18 teams from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. With the best three scores each day counting toward the team total, Colorado carded a 1-over-par 217 total in round 2, leaving the squad at 1-over 433 overall. 

British Columbia leads at 427, while Southern California and Utah are tied for second at 429.

On Wednesday, Colorado counted the even-par 72s by U.S. Junior Amateur match play qualifiers Davis Bryant (pictured) of Aurora and Jackson Solem of Longmont, and the 73 by Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins. Each of the three made four birdies in round 2. Rounding out the foursome, Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch carded a 75.

The Colorado contingent has recorded four top-six finishes at the JAC in the last six years, including matching the state’s best showing by placing third in 2015, when Bryant and Solem first competed.

Bryant, winner of the first two JGAC majors of 2017, is leading the way individually for the Coloradans as he shares seventh place in the 72-person field. He’s at even-par 144.

Stewart, who finished 52nd earlier this month at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships, is also in the top 10, at 145.

McCoy (147) shares 21st place, and Solem (148) is 25th.

Nolan Thoroughgood of British Columbia leads individually at 138 after rounds of 71-67.

The tournament will conclude on Thursday.

T4. Colorado 216-217–433
T7. Davis Bryant, Aurora 72-72–144
T10. Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins 72-73–145
T21. Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 72-75–147
T25. Jackson Solem, Longmont 76-72–148

For all the scores from the Junior America’s Cup, CLICK HERE.
 

Davis Bryant of Aurora, who advanced to the round of 64 at last week’s U.S. Junior Amateur, was joined at 72 by Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins and Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, who birdied three of his last four holes. The fourth Coloradan, Jackson Solem of Longmont, who made it to the U.S. Junior Am round of 32, rounded out the scoring with a 4-over-par 76. (The Coloradans are pictured, from left: Solem, McCoy, Bryant and Stewart.)

With the top three scores from each four-person team counting toward the team total each day, Colorado stands at even-par 216 with two rounds remaining. That puts the Coloradans three strokes behind leader Utah, one shot back of second-place British Columbia and tied for third with Southern California.

The Junior America’s Cup features 18 teams and many of the best junior players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Colorado team has been very competitive at the event in recent years, having posted four top-six finishes in the last six years. The 2015 squad, featuring Bryant and Solem for the first of three consecutive appearances, finished third, matching the best showing ever by a Colorado team in the event.

Individually this year, McCoy, Bryant and Stewart share 12th place in the 72-player field, while Solem is 42nd. Bryant, winner of the first two JGAC majors of the 2017 season, and Stewart each made two birdies and two bogeys on the day. McCoy was 3 over through 14 holes, but birdied his 15th, 16th and 18th holes. Davis and Stewart, meanwhile, each played his back nine in 1-under 35. Solem, a former 4A state high school champion, carded one birdie, one bogey and two double bogeys on Tuesday.

Austin Carnese of Oregon and Ty Griggs of Northern California are tied for the individual lead at 4-under-par 68.

Play will continue through Thursday in the 54-hole event.

T3. Colorado 216
T12. Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins 72
T12. Davis Bryant, Aurora 72
T12. Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 72
T42. Jackson Solem, Longmont 76

For all the scores from the Junior America’s Cup, CLICK HERE.
 

— Next year’s Girls Junior America’s Cup — which features 18 teams and many of the best junior players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico — will be contested in Colorado, at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.

— Colorado boys teams have been on quite a roll competitive in the Junior America’s Cup, having posted four top-six finishes — out of 18 teams — in the last six years. That includes placing third in 2015, matching the best showing ever by a Colorado boys team, and sixth last year.

With that as a backdrop, the boys and girls teams that will represent the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado have been finalized this month. The boys JAC will be held July 25-27 at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash., while the Girls Junior America’s Cup is set for Aug. 1-3 at Reflection Bay Golf Club in Henderson, Nev., just outside Las Vegas.

Starting this year, players 18 and under who have not yet started college are eligible to participate.

The Colorado boys set to compete this year are Davis Bryant of Aurora, Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, Jackson Solem of Longmont and Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins.

For the girls, the Colorado team will be Charlotte Hillary of Englewood, Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction and Hailey Schalk of Erie.

Out of the eight players, three — Bryant, Solem and Murray — will be competing in their third Junior America’s Cup. Bryant and Solem were teammates each of the past two years, while Murray played in 2014 and ’16. Meanwhile, Schalk is set for her second straight GJAC appearance.

Bryant has been on a roll so far this year. The 17-year-old has won the first two JGAC majors of 2017, the Colorado Junior PGA and this week’s Colorado Junior Amateur. He also qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur for the second time. And on Thursday he was the first alternate in U.S. Amateur qualifying in Fort Collins after double bogeying the final hole. Bryant has verbally committed to play his college golf at Colorado State beginning in 2018.

Solem likewise earned a spot in the U.S. Junior Amateur, as well as in next week’s CoBank Colorado Open. The University of Denver signee and former 4A state high school champion also advanced to the Sectionals of U.S. Open qualifying, and he won the Big I Junior Classic for the third time. This week, he ended up second alternate at U.S. Amateur qualifying in Fort Collins.

Stewart was the runner-up to Bryant at the Colorado Junior PGA last month and qualified for both the IMG Academy Junior World Championship and the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. He finished 52nd in the Junior Worlds.

McCoy placed third in the Colorado Junior PGA and seventh in the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica. He qualified for the IMG Junior World Championship and finished the first alternate in U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying.

Schalk, 15, has won three significant junior titles in Colorado in the last two months. She captured the first 3A state high school individual title, becoming the first freshman since 2002 to be a girls state high school champ. She followed that up by becoming the first Coloradan to win at the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica, then added the title at the Colorado Junior PGA. The 2016 Colorado Junior Match Play winner also qualified for the IMG Junior Worlds.

Hillary, the 2016 JGAC Tour Championship winner, placed second to Schalk in both the 3A state high school tournament and the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. The 15-year-old qualified in Nebraska last month for the U.S. Girls’ Junior, earning medalist honors. She was also third in the Colorado Junior PGA and qualified for the IMG Junior Worlds, where she finished 43rd. In January, she won the FCWT Classic at Half Moon Bay in California.

Lehigh won the 4A state high school title and the Big I Junior Classic over the last two months. She took fifth at the Colorado Junior PGA and qualified for both the IMG Junior Worlds and the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.

Murray was the first Coloradan since 2015 to qualify in the state for the U.S. Girls’ Junior, which will mark her second time competing in that national championship. The 18-year-old, who’s headed to the University of Colorado, finished second in the Colorado Junior PGA and eighth in the CWGA Stroke Play.

At both the boys and Girls Junior America’s Cup, the top three individual scores for each team count toward its team total each day.

This year will mark the 33rd appearance by a Colorado team in the boys JAC, which dates back to 1973. The Girls JAC began in 1978, with Colorado competing since the late ’70s. The 1993 Colorado team captured the team title in the GJAC, with Coloradan Jennifer Kern earning the individual championship that year. 

The squad representing the CGA tied for sixth Thursday out of 18 teams in the JAC, which features representatives from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. A year ago, the Coloradans matched their best showing ever by placing third.

With its top three individual scores counting toward the team total, Colorado posted a 7-over-par 223 total on Thursday at Guadalajara Country Club in Mexico. That left the CGA squad at 6-over 654 overall, tied with Hawaii for the sixth spot. The four Colorado players went eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie on the final hole Thursday.

Washington (639) claimed the team title by one over San Diego.

Individually, Cole Krantz of Windsor led the Coloradans, making birdies on his last three holes and finishing 17th at 1-over-par 217. Davis Bryant of Aurora (218) closed with a birdie and was 21st, while Jackson Solem of Longmont (220) did likewise and was 30th. Daniel Pearson of Longmont (224) made eagle on the 18th Thurday and placed 45th. (Bryant is pictured above hitting a bunker shot under the watchful eyes of captain Dustin Jensen from the CGA.)

Here are the round-by-round scores for the Coloradans:

6. Colorado 218-213-223–654
17. Cole Krantz of Windsor 73-71-73–217
21. Davis Bryant of Aurora 72-71-75–218
30. Jackson Solem of Longmont 74-71-75–220
45. Daniel Pearson of Longmont 73-74-77–224

For all the scores from the JAC, CLICK HERE.
 

The Coloradans jumped from ninth to fifth in the 18-team JAC standings thanks to a 3-under-par 213 round on Wednesday. With a 1-under 431 total, they’re five strokes behind leader San Diego and just one of a three-way tie for second place with one round remaining at Guadalajara Country Club in Mexico.

A CGA team has never finished better than third in its 31 previous appearances in the Junior America’s Cup, which features squads from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. Each day, the three best scores from each team count toward its total.

In Wednesday’s case, that meant Colorado counted three scores of 1-under-par 71 — shot by Davis Bryant of Aurora, Jackson Solem of Longmont and Cole Krantz of Windsor. Bryant and Solem were on the Colorado team that placed third at last year’s JAC.

With the help of an eagle on Wednesday, Bryant leads the Coloradans individually this year as he stands at 1-under-par 143 and shares seventh place. Krantz, who birdied three of his last four holes, is a stroke back at 144 (11th place), while Solem stands at 145 (19th place) after concluding with a birdie. Rounding out the CGA team is Daniel Pearson of Longmont, who is 32nd at 147 after a 74 on Wednesday.

Ryan Maine of Washington leads the individual competition by three with a 7-under-par 137 total after carding a 67 on Wednesday.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the Coloradans:

5. Colorado 218-213–431
7. Davis Bryant of Aurora 72-71–143
11. Cole Krantz of Windsor 73-71–144
19. Jackson Solem of Longmont 74-71–145
32. Daniel Pearson of Longmont 73-74–147

For all the scores from the JAC, CLICK HERE.