Lehigh (left), who last week won the girls title at the Colorado Junior Match Play, recorded rounds of 76-73-78-80 for a 19-over-par 307 total, good for 13th place. That left her 20 strokes behind champion Emily Hawkins of Lexington, N.C. In all, 51 players competed in the girls event at Daniel Island Club.

Chen, a Colorado Junior Match Play semifinalist last week, finished 15th at 309 on Thursday, going 79-80-73-77 for the week.

In the boys tournament, which featured a 97-player field, Griggs finished seven strokes behind winner Connor Howe of Ogden, Utah, who won the 2016 AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. Griggs, who will begin his DU golf career next month, carded scores of 70-78-71-69 for an even-par 288 total. Griggs was 7 under par for the day through 12 holes, but played his last six in 4 over.

One Coloradan made the cut in the boys tournament, with Micah Stangebye of Montrose finishing 49th at 310.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the Coloradans who competed this week in Charleston:

GIRLS
13. Lauren Lehigh of Loveland 76-73-78-80–307
15. Kaylee Chen of Denver 79-80-73-77–309

BOYS
4. Incoming DU golfer Carson Griggs 70-78-71-69–288
49. Micah Stangebye of Montrose 77-73-81-79–310
Missed 36-Hole Cut
Gabe Goodman of Lakewood 77-78–155
TJ Shehee of Mead 79-80–159
Brayden Weiss of Superior 80-81–161

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Eighth-seeded Jack Hughes of Aspen defeated top-seeded Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, winner of last week’s Junior America’s Cup, 5 and 3 in Tuesday afternoon’s quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, 12th-seeded Tyler Severin of Johnstown topped fourth-seeded Connor Jones of Westminster, 3 and 2. And Christopher Kennedy of Aurora, who played in the U.S. Junior Amateur earlier this month, beat second-seeded Jake Welch, winner of the 2018 Colorado Junior Amateur, 3 and 1.

Jack Castiglia of Lakewood, runner-up in this event last year, kept some semblance of order by defeating 11th-seeded Ty Findlow of Lone Tree, 7 and 5.

In Wednesday morning’s semifinals, Hughes will face Severin and Kennedy will meet Castiglia.

On the girls side, most of the favorites made the final four on Tuesday by winning two matches. That includes top-seeded Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, No. 2 Hailey Schalk of Erie and No. 4 Charlotte Hillary of Englewood, along with No. 6 Kaylee Chen of Denver. In the semis, Lehigh will face Hillary and Schalk will play the 14-year-old Chen.

In perhaps the best matchup of Tuesday’s girls quarterfinals, Hillary defeated Katie Berrian of Castle Rock, winner of the girls title in the Colorado Junior Amateur earlier this month, 3 and 2. Hillary is fresh off making the match play round of 32 at the California Women’s Amateur Championship.

Earlier in the day, Hillary beat Natasha Brandy McClain of Denver 9 and 8.

Lehigh and Schalk were teammates — along with Kelsey Webster of Boulder and Emma Bryant of Aurora — last week on the Colorado squad that finished fifth out of 18 at the Girls Junior Americas Cup at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen. And Hillary and Schalk were partners that made the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in late April. Schalk won the Colorado Junior Match Play title in 2016.

At the conclusion of Wednesday morning’s boys and girls semifinals, the winners will meet in the afternoon for the Junior Match Play titles.

For the Colorado Junior Match Play brackets, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.
 

The Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship is set for Aug. 6-9 in Charleston, S.C., and earning spots through the Colorado tournament at Boomerang and Highland Hills were Goodman, Micah Stangebye of Montrose, TJ Shehee of Mead and Brayden Weiss of Superior on the boys side. For the girls, Chen advanced along with Kaylynn Xia.

Goodman and Stangebye tied in regulation in the boys tournament with 3-over-par 146 totals as Goodman went 70-76 and Stangebye 73-73. Weiss (77-72) and Shehee (75-74) shared third place at 149.

Chen posted rounds of 71-76 for a 3-over-par 147 total to lead the girls, while Xia shot 68-81–149. Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, the 2017 state champion, placed third at 150 (75-75).

For all the scores: BOYS, GIRLS.

One thing she hasn’t yet done is qualify for the U.S. Girls’ Junior. But next week will present a great opportunity to rectify that situation.

When the qualifying tournament is held on Tuesday (June 26), it will take place at Schalk’s home course, Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, where her dad Matt is the PGA general manager.

The 2017 JGAC Girls Player of the Year will be one of 33 competitors in the field competing for three spots in the national championship, set for Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach, Calif., July 16-21.

Two JGAC members who played in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior will also be vying for spots — Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village and Nebraskan Shelby Poynter.

Among the other players seeking national spots are University of Colorado-bound Kelsey Webster of Boulder, who just finished third in the CGA Women’s Stroke Play; past girls state high school champs Emma Bryant of Aurora, Lauren Lehigh of Loveland and Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora; and Kaylee Chen of Denver, winner of the Big I Junior Classic state title.

For Tuesday’s tee times at Colorado National, CLICK HERE.
 

After three sessions of matches, the designated Team Europe (pictured) defeated Team USA 16-12 on Sunday.

USA won Saturday’s nine-hole four-ball competition 4-3, but Europe handily captured Saturday’s nine-hole foursomes, 5.5-1.5, and also won Sunday’s 18-hole singles 7.5-6.5.

Out of the 28 juniors who competed in the Junior Ryder Cup, just two won all three of their matches — Europe’s Kaylee Chen and Abigail Aeschleman, both of Highlands Ranch. Chen and Aeschleman teamed up in both four-ball and foursomes.

Junior Ryder Cup Results
At CommonGround GC in Aurora
OVERALL SCORE: TEAM EUROPE 16, TEAM USA 12
Saturday’s 9-Hole Four-Ball (USA 4, Europe 3)
Kaden Devenport/Landon Houska (USA) halved with Andre Dumonteil/Frank Lockwood
Ashleigh Wilson/Taylor Wilson (USA) def. Caitlyn Chen/Maddie Makins, 2 up
Kaylee Chen/Abigail Aeschleman (Europe) def. Hadley Ashton/Timbre Shehee, 2 and 1
Bead Boonta/Brooke Hudson (USA) def. Gisella Lagrimas/Amira Badruddin, 3 and 2
Traejan Andrews/Maxwell Lange (USA) halved with Blake Sullivan/Jake Chesler
Yusuke Ogi/Hunter Swanson (USA) halved with Christopher Gunlikson/Luke Cushman
Charlie Flaxbeard/Liam Wood (USA) halved with Ryan Falender/Benjamin Chin

Saturday’s 9-Hole Foursomes (Europe 5.5, USA 1.5)
Dumonteil/Lockwood (Europe) def. Devenport/Houska, 2 and 1
Chin/Makino (Europe) def. A. Wilson/T. Wilson, 1 up
Chen/Aeschleman (Europe) def. Ashton/Shehee, 2 and 1
Boonta/Hudson (USA) halved with Lagrimas/Badruddin
Andrews/Lange (USA) def. Sullivan/Chesler, 1 up
Gunlikson/Cushman (Europe) def. Ogi/Swanson, 1 up
Falender/Chin (Europe) def. Flaxbeard/Wood, 1 up

Saturday’s 18-Hole Singles (Europe 7.5, USA 6.5)
Chen (Europe) def. Ashton, 4 and 3
Andrews (USA) def. Sullivan, 4 and 3
Aeschleman (Europe) def. Shehee, 7 and 6
Lange (USA) def. Chesler, 5 and 4
Lagrimas (Europe) def. Boonta, 1 up
Ogi (USA) def. Gunlikson, 1 up
Badruddin (Europe) def. Hudson, 3 and 1
Falender (Europe) def. Flaxbeard, 2 up
Swanson (USA) def. Cushman, 3 and 2
Wood (USA) def. B. Chin, 3 and 1
Devenport (USA) halved with Dumonteil
C. Chin (Europe) def. A. Wilson, 5 and 4
Lockwood (Europe) def. Houska, 6 and 4
T. Wilson (USA) def. Makino, 8 and 7