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)

It’s been an eventful last several months for the Colorado State University women’s golf team.

In May, CSU teammates Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor won the national title at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. In July, the Rams hired a new head coach, Laura Cilek. Last week, Prendergast led after the first two rounds of the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open and ended up finishing second while competing against a field comprised mainly of pros. And on Wednesday, for the third consecutive year in Colorado, a pair of CSU teammates earned medalist honors in the Colorado-based qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball.

And for the record, the college season hasn’t even begun.

CSU junior Jessica Sloot, from Fruit Heights, Utah, and sophomore teammate Haley Greb, from Pendleton, Ore., fired a 5-under-par 66 best-ball in Wednesday’s qualifying tournament at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Lakewood. That earned them the one available berth — out of an 11-team field — in the national Women’s Four-Ball, which will be played April 27-May 1 at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. (The qualifiers are pictured, with Sloot at left.)

The last two years in the Colorado-based qualifying tournament, Prendergast and Secor were the medalists. And, as noted, they went on to win the national title in May, which makes them exempt from qualifying for the 2019 championship.

“Knowing that they won this event last year kind of drives us a little bit because we’re so competitive,” said Sloot, who will be going to her fifth USGA championship (second Four-Ball to go with three U.S. Girls’ Juniors). “We want to be there and able to push them a little harder and try to give them some competition at the national level.”

Said Greb, a former 5A state high school champion in Oregon: “We compete all the time in practice with those two. You could maybe call us the underdog, but in our minds we’re not. It’ll be fun. Hopefully we get there and maybe even see them in the championship (match). That would be pretty cool.”

Another set of college teammates — the University of Denver’s Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch and Annie Heck from Eagan, Minn. (together at left) — finished a stroke behind the two Rams, at 67. It’ll be the second time Weinstein has been first alternate in a Colorado qualifying tournament for this event, as she also was in that role in 2015 with Jaclyn Murray. The first alternates from Colorado last year — Hailey Schalk and Charlotte Hillary — ended up landing a spot in the national championship in May.

Sloot and Greb shot a best-ball score of even-par 35 on the front nine on Wednesday, but kicked it into gear with an eagle by Greb on the 455-yard, par-5 10th hole. There, she hit a 4-iron from the rough to 8 feet and sank the putt.

“I’ve probably never hit that good of a 4-iron in my life before,” said Greb, who will be going to her first USGA national championship. “That helped our momentum going into the back nine because we only shot even on the front. We needed to get after the back and that definitely helped us get going. It led to a strong finish.”

Indeed, the CSU teammates shot a 5-under-par 31 on the back nine despite both bogeying the last hole after each driving a ball into the left hazard.

“I always thought, ‘We’re not playing well right now, but it’s going to turn around. We’re going to get after it,'” Greb said. “Once we had something happen. it seems so much easier after that.”

In addition to the eagle, they made four best-ball birdies, with Sloot sinking putts of 55 feet on No. 14 and of 45 feet on No. 17. Both putts hit the back of the cup, popped up in the air and fell in, meaning both would have rolled well past had they not gone in.

“After nine I said to (Greb), ‘We’ve got to go low on this back nine.’ And we did just that,” said Sloot (left), who previously played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with Secor in 2016. “Us teammates, we’ve learned to ham and egg it really well. We play together all the time at practice, so playing with a teammate in this event helps out for sure.”
 

U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying
At Par-71 Fox Hollow GC in Lakewood
ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Haley Greb, Pendleton, Utah/Jessica Sloot, Fruit Heights, Utah 35-31–66
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch/Anni Heck, Eagan, Minn. 32-35–67
Paris Hilinski, La Quinta, Calif./Allyn Stephens, Houston 34-34–68

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

The last two years the event was held in Colorado, Colorado State University teammates Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor earned the only national qualifying spot available, though the first alternates last year ended up getting into the national championship.

After being qualifying medalists a year ago at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, Prendergast and Secor went on to win the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball title in May (READ MORE), meaning they’re exempt from qualifying for the 2019 championship. That event is set for April 27-May 1 at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. (Prendergast and Secor are pictured with the trophy in a USGA photo.)

So when qualifying for the championship is held Wednesday (Sept. 5) at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Lakewood, a new medalist is guaranteed after two years of domination by Prendergast and Secor.

Eleven two-person teams will compete best-ball at Fox Hollow for one spot in the national championship.

Among those scheduled to play on Wednesday are Coloradans Hailey Schalk and Charlotte Hillary, two of the top girls players in the state, who made it to the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball in May after having been the first alternates in qualifying. The two ended up advancing to match play in the national event, losing 1 down in the round of 32.

Also in the field at Fox Hollow are two sister teams — Lauren and Katelyn Lehigh and Caroline and Marie Jordaan — along with two sets for college teammates (Mary Weinstein and Anni Heck from the University of Denver and Haley Greb and Jessica Sloot from CSU).

For Wednesday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
 

A squall kicked up immediately after the conclusion of the awards ceremony for the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open on Friday afternoon.

Before that, it was Lexi Harkins of Crystal Lake, Ill., who took Green Valley Ranch Golf Club by storm.

The rookie pro, who started the day four strokes out of the lead, shot her personal-best round — a women’s course-record 8-under-par 64 — to overtake 18- and 36-hole leader Katrina Prendergast of Colorado State University and win the CWO title and the $50,000 first prize that goes with it.

“It almost feels not real right now,” the 22-year-old (left) said of her career round. “I started (playing) so long ago it doesn’t even feel real honestly.”

Harkins’ two-stroke victory denied Prendergast (below) of becoming just the second amateur to capture the overall championship at the Colorado Women’s Open. Paige Mackenzie (2006) remains the only amateur to pull off the feat.

“I can’t be mad about that,” said Prendergast, who will celebrate her 21st birthday on Sept. 9. “I was happy with the way I played. Maybe make a few more putts, but I still shot 2 under on the last day, which is pretty good. I can’t complain.”

Especially when someone cards a 64 to beat you. That was two shots better than any other score posted this week.

“I thought the pins were actually pretty hard today — harder than they’ve been all week,” said Prendergast, the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion with CSU teammate Ellen Secor. “Good for (Harkins). That’s pretty hard to do, especially on the last day.

“Yeah, it would have been nice to have gotten first, but second is just as good really. Going into (CSU’s) season with this second place, I’m really happy.”

Actually, amateurs have been in contention to win three of the last five Colorado Women’s Opens as Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster finished second in both 2014 and 2017.

And, just to be clear, even if Prendergast had claimed the overall title and Harkins had finished second on Friday, Harkins would have still won the $50,000 as the top prize available for amateurs is $750 worth of merchandise. 

On Friday, Prendergast led by one with three holes left. But Harkins (left) drained a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 16 and a 33-footer on No. 18, while Prendergast missed the green at the par-3 17th and made bogey. On Harkins’ birdie on 18, playing partner Christine Meier had an almost identical putt, which gave Harkins a nice preview of what to expect.

“It was helpful seeing her line and seeing that it was a quick putt,” said Harkins, who went up by two when her ball dropped, with Prendergast still in the 18th fairway. “It happened to go in, which was crazy.”

For Harkins, the victory was a nice turnabout after she took a five-shot lead into the final round of the Michigan Women’s Open in late June and ended up finishing second after a final-round 77. On Friday, she had to come from behind and shot 13 shots better than on her final day in Michigan.

Harkins, a former University of Wisconsin golfer, finished with nine birdies and one bogey on Friday for her 64, which was one shot better than the previous women’s course record at GVR, set by Erin Houtsma in 2010. That gave Harkins, who was competing in the CWO for the first time, a 10-under-par 206 total, good for her first victory in more than four years.

“It kind of just clicked all at the same time” on Friday, she said of her stellar round. “I felt pretty confident because I’ve been playing well recently. And I had some learning experiences this summer — the Michigan Women’s Open, where I had the lead and lost it.

“I haven’t won in a long time. This is definitely my biggest win.”

And that $50,000 — the biggest first prize in a women’s state open — will certainly come in handy for a rookie pro who just advanced to Stage II of LPGA Q-school.

“This means so much to me just because playing professional golf is expensive,” she said. “I’m just starting and just went to Stage I for Q-school. All of it is very expensive. This will just go toward me playing golf and pursuing my dream.

“But I was trying not to worry about the money (during Friday’s round) honestly. I was trying to focus on my shot and not get ahead of myself because you never know what’s going to happen out there. But it feels so good to get it done.”

In finishing second, Prendergast (left) has been runner-up this month in both the Utah’s Women’s Open and the Colorado Women’s Open.

Prendergast, a Sparks, Nev., resident whose dad flew in to catch the final round, took a three-stroke lead into Friday and shot a 2-under-par 70, giving her an 8-under 208 total. That earned her low-amateur honors by six.

“That was the No. 1 goal (going into the week) and I achieved it. I’m happy,” Prendergast said.

Former University of Colorado golfer Esther Lee placed third at 211 after a bogey-free 67 in the final round. Brittany Fan, a former teammate of Lee’s at CU, tied for fourth at 213 with Sarah Hoffman of Saline, Mich., and Hannah Kim of Chula Vista, Calif.

Coming to play in the Colorado Women’s Open this week was no small matter to Lee (left) as she’s 35th on the season-long Symetra Tour money list, with the top 10 on that list at the end of the season earning LPGA Tour cards. There’s only six events remaining in the Symetra season, with one of the tournaments going on this weekend in South Dakota.

“I’ve always wanted to come play (the Colorado Women’s Open),” she said. “If I don’t make the decision to play now, I probably never will, so I decided to come.”

Lee certainly earned a nice payday on Friday — $11,300 for her individual showing and $1,550 as she and CGA executive director Ed Mate placed runner-up in the pro-am competition.

“It feels really nice,” she said of the performance. “I’ve always wanted to play this event when I was at CU, but it never lined up with my schedule. I finally got a chance to come out and play this year. To be up in the mix (in the individual and team competitions) feels really good.”

For the record, title sponor CoBank won the pro-am competition with a three-day total of 27-under-par 189, which was three better than Oakwood Homes No. 2 (Lee and Mate) and Massage Envy. The winning CoBank team was comprised of Lee’s former CU teammate Fan and amateur Tyler Etcheberry of Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Notable: Dan Scherer of OutFront Media on Friday was presented the Ralph Moore Golf Journalism Award. Scherer is the senior vice president of the Mountain Plains Region for OutFront Media. Moore covered golf — and other sports — for the Denver Post for nearly 30 years. He’s a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. … Four players who have made match play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball finished in the top 15 of the Colorado Women’s Open on Friday. Prendergast (second place this week) and Secor (13th), of course, won the national women’s four-ball title this year. And Lee (third) and Fan (fourth) were the stroke-play co-medalists and went to the round of 16 in 2017, the year Prendergast and Secor also lost in the Sweet 16. … As was mentioned above, Prendergast took low-amateur honors on Friday by six strokes. Placing second in that competition was Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia (214), while Secor (217) was third.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

Amateur Katrina Prendergast may be competing against a bunch of pros this week at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open — and beating them all through Thursday’s second round — but in a couple of very notable ways, she’s in a different world.

First, should the Colorado State University senior win the overall title on Friday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, she’ll have to grin and bear it as the low pro is presented a $50,000 check, while she receives $750 worth of merchandise as the low amateur.

“That would be a little weird,” she said of the hypothetical. “But one more year of college is the perfect amount of time for me to keep my game going, then see what happens after.”

And second, it’s a good bet the competing pros aren’t squeezing in a couple of college classes before teeing off at GVR, or a long one after getting done, as Prendergast did on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. She attended 8 and 9 a.m. classes at CSU before round 1 and a 5-8 p.m. class after round 2.

“I’m going to miss so much class during the (school) year for golf that I might as well go (to classes) while I can,” Prendergast noted. “Today might be a little bit of a hard day because I have a three-hour class. The 8 and 9 a.m. classes weren’t too bad to come out and play golf (afterward). I love golf.”

Despite mixing school and a big tournament, Prendergast (pictured) will take a three-stroke lead into Friday’s final round of the Colorado Women’s Open. She’s attempting to become just the second amateur to win the overall title in this event, joining Paige Mackenzie, who managed the feat a dozen years ago.

On Thursday, Prendergast had a little bit of everything in her round of 2-under-par 70. She eagled the par-5 18th hole (her ninth) from 17 feet after hitting a 3 hybrid in from 225 yards. Three holes earlier, she made a double bogey after a three putt. She also tossed in four birdies and two bogeys, including one of the three-putt variety on her final hole.

Add it up and the Sparks, Nev., resident checked in at 6-under-par 138.

“I feel good. My game is good,” said the 20-year-old, who paired with CSU teammate Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May. “I’ve just got to go out and play my game tomorrow and see what happens. I’ve just got to go out and do my thing and not worry who I’m playing against.”

Prendergast normally tees it up against amateur-only fields, but this is the second time this month she’s competed against a mix of mainly pros and some ams at a state open. A few weeks ago, she finished second at the Utah Women’s Open after firing a final-round 63.

“I like playing against professionals because it makes me want to step up my game and be like them. It’s fun,” she said.

Prendergast is one of eight players who will go into Friday’s final round under par.

Jessica Vasilic (left), a 6-foot-3 player from Sweden, was the one major threat to Prendergast’s lead on Thursday as she was 5 under for the tournament through 31 holes. But she played her last five in 5 over par, going from second to ninth place with a second-round 74 leaving her at even-par 144 overall.

Holding down second place at 141 through two days is Hannah Kim of Chula Vista, Calif., who posted the low round of the tournament, a 5-under 67 on Thursday. The rookie pro from Northwestern played her final 15 holes of round 2 in 6 under par and birdied four of her last five holes.

Last month, Kim made the Illinois Women’s Open her first professional victory.

The players — Lexi Harkins of Crystal Lake, Ill., amateur Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia and Christine Meier of Rochester Hills, Mich. — are tied for third place at 142

Also in the under-par mix is rookie pro Brittany Fan, a former University of Colorado golfer who was the 2013 low amateur in this event. Fan, who won a Cactus Tour event in her pro debut last month, recently punched her ticket to Stage II of LPGA Tour Q-school. She shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday to post a 1-under 143 total, good for a share of sixth place. She made five birdies in round 2.

Notable: The field was cut to the low 40 players after 36 holes, and the golfers who finished two rounds at 6-over 150 and better advanced to Friday. … In the low-amateur competition, Prendergast remains four strokes ahead of second-place Abrahamova, who matched the CSU golfer’s second-round 70. … Massage Envy leads the pro-am team competition with one round remaining, sitting at 19-under-par 125, one shot better than title sponsor CoBank. … Former University of Texas golfer Sophia Schubert, winner of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur, carded a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday to sit at 145, good for a share of 12th place. Schubert started the tournament with a triple bogey on Wednesday. … Sixteen-year-old pro Karah Sanford, a native of Montrose, withdrew after a first-round 83. … The leaders will tee off for Friday’s final round at 9:15 a.m.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

For Friday’s final-round pairings, CLICK HERE.

This summer marks the 24th year the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open has been held. In that time, there’s been a grand total of one amateur who has won the overall title — Paige Mackenzie, current co-host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, in 2006.

The reason that’s pertinent now is that an amateur — Colorado State University senior Katrina Prendergast to be precise — leads by two after Wednesday’s opening round of the $150,000 CWO at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

There’s obviously still a long way to go — two more rounds — but the opportunity is there to join some elite company.

“I don’t really think about that honestly,” the 20-year-old said on Wednesday evening. “I just take it day by day. If I get there, I get there, but one day at a time.”

Prendergast, who hails from Sparks, Nev., was the only player to shoot in the 60s on Wednesday as she posted a 4-under-par 68. That puts her two ahead of the five players who sit in second place.

This year has already been a special one for Prendergast (pictured above), who teamed up with fellow Ram golfer Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May. Not coincidentally, Prendergast and Secor were in the same threesome in Wednesday’s first round.

“I love playing with Ellen,” Prendergast said. “She’s got a great personality, always outgoing and out there. She’s so fun to play with. I’m glad I got to play with her today.”

Prendergast and Secor have qualified in Colorado for the last two U.S. Women’s Four-Balls together, going on to make it to the round of 16 in 2017 before winning this year.

On Wednesday, Secor shot a 75, playing her final 10 holes in 2 under par. Prendergast, who tied for second earlier this month in the Utah Women’s Open after a final-round 63, two-putted for birdie on the 18th hole at GVR to finish with five birdies and one bogey.

“The putter is a little hot right now, which is good,” she said. “We want to keep it that way. I’m coming here feeling good.

“This is a good start. I got up and down basically everywhere (she missed a green), which helped me out. I gave myself chances when I needed to. I had one bogey on 9 — a mess-up on the tee. Other than that it was a good day.”

Another player with strong ties to a Colorado-based college program is among those tied for second place after round 1. That would be former University of Denver golfer Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (left), who was the low amateur in this tournament two years ago. Joining her at 70 on Wednesday were Kendra Dalton of Wake Forest, N.C., Swede Jessica Vasilic, Mary Fran Hillow of Charleston, S.C., and Natalie Vivaldi, who played three seasons at the University of Colorado before transferring to San Diego State.

In all, just eight players shot sub-par rounds on Wednesday, and no one went very deep.

“They set out a good challenge with the greens,” Dreesbeimdieke said. “That’s probably why the scores are a little higher. They’re pretty quick, I’m not going to lie. They’re quicker than they were yesterday. And some of the pins out there are not that easy. They’re on some slopes, (and) it can get away from you if you’re not careful.”

Dreesbeimdieke, a native of Namibia — just northwest of South Africa — who now lives in Juno Beach, Fla., turned pro just about a month ago and is making the CWO her third event as a professional. She competed in Stage I of LPGA Tour Q-school last week and failed to advance.

“I’m really excited” about this new phase in her life, she said. “In my mind I have a lot to learn, so easing into my pro career is what I’m planning to do. Obviously it’s going to be a lot harder — and it has been. It’s been a learning experience. It’s very different suddenly playing for a paycheck. But I’m patient with myself. I’m only human. I have a lot of nerves. I’m trying to play really well, I’m trying to be perfect. I’m kind of learning that’s not how golf is.”

Dreesbeimdieke birdied her first two holes on Wednesday and was 3 under through 5, but needed a 4-foot birdie on 18 to shoot 70.

Only one player with strong Colorado connections has won the Colorado Women’s Open since 2005 — Becca Huffer in 2013. But there are several “locals” in contention after round 1. Besides Prendergast, Dreesbeimdieke and Vivaldi, there’s former CU golfers Brittany Fan (72) and Esther Lee (73).

Notable: Prendergast (68) leads the low-amateur competition by four after round 1. In second place is Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia. … In the pro-am team competition, title sponsor CoBank’s squad shares the lead with Massage Envy at 9-under-par 63. … The championship field will be cut to the low 40 players and ties after Thursday’s second round. … The winner of the tournament — or the low pro, should an amateur prevail — will earn $50,000.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.

The event, which runs Wednesday through Friday, featurures a $150,000 purse, with $50,000 going to the champion — or the low pro should an amateur win.

Schubert, a former University of Texas golfer from Oak Ridge, Tenn., competed in the U.S. Women’s Open this year and finished 20th out of 339 players last week in Stage I of LPGA Tour Q-school, earning a spot in Stage II. Also this month, Schubert made her pro debut as she missed the cut in the LPGA Tour’s Indy Women in Tech Championship.

Also scheduled to play at GVR are Colorado State University golfers Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor, who teamed up to win the national U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May.

Likewise planning to tee it up for the Women’s Open are former University of Colorado golfers Brittany Fan (who just advanced to Stage II of LPGA Q-school) and Esther Lee; 2016 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch, who is in her rookie year as a pro; Gabrielle Schipley, who won the 2016 Women’s NCAA Division II individual title at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora; and 16-year-old pro Karah Sanford, a native of Montrose.

The Colorado Women’s Open is a multi-day pro-am in addition to an individual championship. Admission and parking for the tournament are free.

For Wednesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

Cilek comes to CSU after three seasons at the University of Oregon, including the last year as an associate head coach. Assisting then-head coach Ria Scott, Cilek helped guide the Ducks to two appearances in the NCAA Championship Finals (2016 and ’17). Scott has since left Oregon to take the head coaching job at the University of Virginia.

Before going to Oregon, Cilek was also an assistant for two years at Middle Tennessee State after two years on the staff at the University of Iowa, where she played her college golf and was a three-time team captain.

As a player, Cilek won the Iowa Women’s Match Play Championship and the Women’s Iowa City Amateur.

 “Laura Cilek is one of the brightest young coaches in the country,” Scott said. “She has prepared herself to be a head coach through her involvement in every part of the program at Oregon. Colorado State knows that it is getting a quality person who cares deeply about her student-athletes and will be committed to their success.”

CSU’s returning roster includes Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor, who teamed up to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball national title in May. The Rams placed third in the Mountain West Conference this past season.

(Updated July 20) Meanwhile, at Tulsa, Young named former CSU golfer Parker Edens of Greeley as an assistant coach for the women’s program.
 

Coloradan Mary Weinstein, a University of Denver golfer, falls into that category, as does Colorado State University player Katrina Prendergast, who this spring teamed up with Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball national title. Prendergast also competed in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Am.

In all, a field of 50 at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster will vie for four spots in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, which is scheduled for Aug. 6-12 in Kingston Springs, Tenn.

Also in the field at Walnut Creek are each of the top eight finishers from last week’s CGA Women’s Stroke Play: Kristin Glesne (1); Erin Sargent (2), a 2015 U.S. Women’s Am qualifier; Kelsey Webster (3); Weinstein (4); Anna Kennedy (T5); Jaclyn Murray (T5); Jaylee Tait (T7), a 2014 U.S. Women’s Am qualifier; and Caroline Jordaan (T7).

Likewise scheduled to compete on Wednesday are present or recent past girls state high school champions Hailey Schalk, Amy Chitkoksoong and Lauren Lehigh.

University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, a standout from Australia, is also in the qualifying field.

NCAA individual champion Jennifer Kupcho from Westminster, who went to the match play round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur last year, is exempt from qualifying in 2018.

For Wednesday’s tee times from Walnut Creek, CLICK HERE.
 

University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi has never competed in a USGA championship other than the one that’s considered by many to be the most prestigious tournament in women’s golf.

And now, to add to that oddity, Choi on Monday qualified for her second consecutive U.S. Women’s Open.

“It’s the biggest tournament,” Choi said. “I feel like I’ve had a big jump. I feel like I’m missing the (USGA) in-betweeners. I think it’s weird.”

Weird in a good way, that is.

The CU sophomore shot rounds of 66-70 to earn qualifying medalist honors at The Ranch Country Club in Westminster with a 6-under-par 136 total.

Landing the only other available berth out of a field of 48 players on Monday was Jillian Hollis, a University of Georgia junior from the Cleveland area, who posted scores of 69-71 for a 140 total. (The qualifiers are pictured, with Choi at left.)

The result is that in two weeks, Choi and Hollis will be headed to one of the majors in women’s golf, this year set for Shoal Creek near Birmingham, Ala., May 31-June 3.

Choi, a 20-year-old from Australia, shot a bogey-free round in the morning, then after struggling somewhat on the front nine of the afternoon round, she played her final eight holes in 3 under par. For the day, she finished with 10 birdies and four bogeys.

“It’s a tournament I really wanted to go back to because I gained a lot of experience from it (last year),” Choi said of the Women’s Open. “I’m excited to play again so I can progress on and hopefully become a better player.

“Last year it wasn’t like ‘I have to get there’ (in the 36-hole qualifying tournament) because I didn’t have any expectations of myself. But because I made it last year it was something I really wanted to do again. It was definitely one of my main goals this year.”

Choi (left) missed the cut at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open by seven strokes, and has set a goal to play on the weekend this year at the national championship. And she thinks she’s up for that jump. After often hitting her drives 20 or 30 yards short of other competitors at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, Choi has increased her swing speed and has picked up 20 yards or so on her drives.

That’s helped her move up to No. 88 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Hollis, winner of four individual college titles in her three seasons at the University of Georgia, plans to forego her final year of NCAA eligibility and turn pro just prior to the Women’s Open. And she’ll do it coming off a strong spring in which she won twice in the college ranks — including on her 21st birthday — and qualified for her first U.S. Women’s Open.

On Monday, Hollis finished with seven birdies and five birdies. And she would have challenged for medalist honors had she not finished her 36-hole day by going bogey-bogey-bogey.

“Qualifying is definitely very sweet,” said Hollis, who will have full status on the Symetra Tour once she turns pro. “It means a ton. I love golf and the competition; that’s why I play. I love it so much. This is so neat to fight and grind for something — especially over 36 holes like this — and to make it through.”

Hollis punctuated her good play on Monday with a 90-yard chip-in for birdie on her sixth hole of the afternoon round.

Before going to the U.S. Women’s Open, both Choi and Hollis will head to Stillwater, Okla., this week to compete in the Women’s NCAA Championship Finals, which start on Friday.

Colorado State University golfer Katrina Prendergast, who recently paired with teammate Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, landed the first alternate spot from The Ranch qualifier on Monday after rounds of 72-71 left her at 143.

Jennifer Kupcho (left) of Westminster, who qualified for the last two U.S. Women’s Opens and finished 21st at last year’s national championship, struggled on Monday — her 21st birthday — and failed to make it three in a row. Playing at a course at which she works during the summer and often practices, the U.S. Curtis Cup team member managed just two birdies in 36 holes while recording seven bogeys and one double bogey.

The recent winner of her second consecutive NCAA Regional tournament, Kupcho shot rounds of 74-75.

“To sum it up, I didn’t hit the ball well,” said Kupcho, the 2017 Women’s NCAA runner-up. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen myself hit the ball this bad. It was just all over the place. I couldn’t really do anything. It was a tough day, scrambling all around.

“It surprised me a little bit because I was hitting it so well at (NCAA) Regionals and I’ve been hitting it so well the three days I’ve been back (in Colorado). Then I get out here and can’t even hit the broad side of a barn.”

Asked what she was going to do for the remainder of her 21st birthday, Kupcho said she wasn’t certain. “But I’ll definitely have a drink, don’t worry,” she said with a smile.

Then it’s off to Stillwater for the Women’s NCAA Finals. And she doesn’t think there will be any hangover — no pun intended — from her day on the course Monday.

“I think I should be good,” she said. “Just forget about it. It was one bad day. You always have a bad day. Since I was playing well and hitting it well leading up to it, I’m not worried.”

U.S. Women’s Open qualifying tournaments have been held in Colorado each year since 2011. In 2018, 25 qualifying events are being contested worldwide, including 21 in the U.S.
 

U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying
At Par-71 The Ranch CC in Westminster
QUALIFIED FOR U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN
Robyn Choi, Australia 66-70–136
Jillian Hollis, Rocky River, Ohio 69-71–140

ALTERNATES (In Order)
Katrina Prendergast, Sparks, Nev. 72-71–143
Jessica Vasilic, Anaheim Hills, Calif. 71-73–144

For complete scores, CLICK HERE.