But after rebuilding her swing, then struggling to get back to peak form, a big payoff came on Friday.

The former University of Denver golfer joined an elite group of players who have won the CWGA Stroke Play Championship three times. For Martin, victory No. 3 came Friday at The Ranch Country Club in Westminster, where she pulled away on the back nine of the final round to prevail by an impressive eight shots.

“Three years ago I decided to rebuild my swing when I came to DU (from Colorado State), and it’s been like an uphill battle for three years,” Martin said. “I’ve been so sick and I’ve wanted to quit so many times, but I didn’t. It’s finally all paying off.”

The CWGA Stroke Play has now been contested 66 times and only six other golfers have won the title on at least three occasions: Carol Flenniken (eight), Janet Moore (five), Kim Eaton (four), and Sally Hardwick, Joan Birkland and Nicki Cutler (three each).

At 23 years old, Martin (pictured above and at left) became part of that group on Friday, having previously won the CWGA Stroke Play in 2009 and ’10.

After being tied with 2013 CWGA Junior Stroke Play champ Kelly Moran of Boulder Country Club after 10 holes of Friday’s final round, Martin put the pedal to the metal to pull away. The golfer from Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction made three straight birdies — all from inside of 10 feet — starting on No. 11 en route to shooting a 1-over-par 72. That gave Martin a 7-over-par 220 total at The Ranch, where the greens put even the best golfers to the test.

Moran, who will play college golf at William & Mary in Virginia beginning in the fall, closed with a 78 to share second place at 228. Also at that figure was 2012 champion Somin Lee of CommonGround Golf Course, who carded a 74 on Friday.

Colorado State University golfer Christina Spinzig of Hiwan Golf Club posted a final-round 77 for a 229 total, good for fourth place.

As for Martin, she coincidentally won at The Ranch, where her DU coach, Lindsay Hulwick, claimed the 2005 CWGA Stroke Play championship. Hulwick and DU assistant coach Erik Billinger were among those following Martin on Friday. Also on hand were several of Melissa’s family members who made long trips early Friday morning to watch: her mom and dad came in from Grand Junction and her aunt and uncle from Fort Morgan.

“That was really special,” said Martin, who graduated from DU earlier this month.

With Martin tentatively planning to turn pro later this year — possibly in time for the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open in September — and compete in LPGA Tour qualifying, this state amateur stroke play may be her last.

Winning “is really special because I don’t know if I’ll get to play in this tournament next year,” she said.

For a while on Friday, it didn’t look like any sure thing that Martin would emerge victorious. Though none of her opponents ever took the outright lead, Moran (pictured at left) did tie it up in the middle of the final round.

The 17-year-old parred every hole on the front nine Friday to catch Martin, who started the day two ahead of Moran. And the two remained tied after matching bogeys on No. 10.

But Moran ended up shooting a 6-over-par 42 on the back nine and she made two double bogeys along the way. Her crisp iron shots from earlier in the round often fell short of the green on the back nine.

“Toward the end my irons really let me down a lot and I had some shorter putts that I missed that really hurt,” Moran said. “It was kind of snowballing a little bit.”

Holes 11, 12 and 13 basically decided the tournament as Martin holed birdie putts of 8, 4 and 6 feet while Moran went par-bogey-double bogey. That added up to a six-stroke swing in three holes.

“She’s an incredible player,” Moran said of Martin. “She’s really solid. If she makes a mistake, she fixes it right away. She’s one of the most solid players I’ve ever played with. It was definitely an honor to play with her given her credentials. She played a really great round and it was hard to compete with.”

But Martin (pictured at left) was frustrated in the middle of her round, especially with going 3 over par in four holes starting on No. 7.

“There were a series of bad shots or bad decisions and that bummed me out,” she said. “And Kelly was playing super solid. She was scrambling really well. I had to kind of ride (that out) and get back on the wave, and the approach shot on 11 is where I got back on it.

“I just really wanted to make good shots and make good putts because … I haven’t done it for so long. And once it finally comes together, you just want to keep doing it. Obviously I wanted to win, but I didn’t really think about that. I just thought about trying to get the ball into the hole.”

While Martin won the championship flight on Friday, four-time champ Eaton claimed the title in the first flight as a final-round 74 gave her a 231 total.

CWGA Stroke Play Championship
At Par-71 Ranch CC in Westminster

GROSS SCORES

Championship Flight
Melissa Martin, Grand Junction, Colo. 76-72-72–220
Kelly Moran, Boulder, Colo. 72-78-78–228
Somin Lee, Centennial, Colo. 76-78-74–228
Christina Spinzig, Evergreen, Colo. 74-78-77–229
Kayla Riede, Olivehurst, Calif. 81-73-76–230
Mikayla Tatman, Longmont, Colo. 77-77-78–232
Hannah Wood, Centennial, Colo. 72-77-84–233
Taylor Dorans, Erie, Colo. 74-81-78–233
Paige Crawford, Colorado Springs, Colo. 79-77-78–234
Calli Ringsby, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 77-78-83–238
Dani Urman, Greenwood Village , Colo. 79-77-88–244
Deb Hughes, Denver, Colo. 78-78-90–246

First Flight
Kim Eaton, Tempe, Ariz. 75-82-74–231
Amy Hodgkinson, Longmont, Colo. 78-82-75–235
Emily Wood, Salida, Colo. 77-83-76–236
Kathleen Kershisnik, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 81-79-76–236
Nicole Hulbert, Arvada, Colo. 78-79-79–236
Mackenzie Thayer, Garden City, Kan. 81-77-79–237
Shannon Lubar, Littleton, Colo. 79-82-78–239
Shannon Lutynski, Castle Rock, Colo. 81-77-82–240
Lara Pocs, Wesminster, Colo. 88-82-74–244
Holly Schaefer, Greenwood Village, Colo. 85-82-79–246
Michaela Marie Breit, Greeley, Colo. 85-81-80–246
Callie Hodgkinson, Longmont, Colo. 82-83-84–249
Claudia Davis, Greenwood VIllage, Colo. 81-85-WD–WD

Second Flight
Megan McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. 80-76-73–229
Laurie Steenrod, Aurora, Colo. 78-76-77–231
Sara Swaney, Larkspur, Colo. 77-78-80–235
Emily Woodard, Cheyenne, Wyo. 79-76-81–236
Kathy Malpass, Evergreen, Colo. 84-77-77–238
Jennifer Hocking, Colorado Springs, Colo. 84-79-77–240
Joanna Ringsby, Denver, Colo. 86-79-79–244
Andrea Ballou, Larkspur, Colo. 84-82-80–246
Mary Doyen, Denver, Colo. 88-84-77–249
Katty Rothberg, Denver, Colo. 81-86-85–252
Holly Schmitt, Centennial, Colo. 81-84-88–253
Ruth Van Zee, Denver, Colo. 83-85-85–253
Nina Dulacki, Denver, Colo. 88-85-82–255
Jane Ford, Thornton, Colo. 92-88-88–268

Third Flight
Rachel Cavalier, Lafayette, Colo. 82-86-84–252
Kelli Poppenhagen, Aurora, Colo. 86-81-87–254
Audrey Bopp, Ft.Collins, Colo. 83-88-89–260
Pam Cortez, Louisville, Colo. 89-83-88–260
Virginia Love, Mesa, Ariz. 85-83-96–264
Sheila Schroeder, Englewood, Colo. 84-88-93–265
Jill Kirkpatrick, Denver, Colo. 89-91-86–266
Bobby Jackson, Denver, Colo. 86-95-93–274
Jan Milne, Fort Collins, Colo. 88-89-97–274
Karen Honnessy, Minturn, Colo. 94-94-90–278
Melody Ulen, Lakewood, Colo. 86-94-98–278
Vicki Porter, Denver, Colo. 92-89-97–278
Jenny Tempas, Littleton, Colo. 100-WD

Fourth Flight
Pat O’Connor, Fort Collins, Colo. 87-86-90–263
Mary Smith, Arvada, Colo. 96-92-82–270
Cindy Speer, Parker, Colo. 88-93-90–271
Jennie Jones, Englewood, Colo. 94-89-97–280
Juna Orr, Denver, Colo. 93-98-90–281
Lyndon Lieb, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 101-89-92–282
Madison McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. 91-98-93–282
Claudia Gallegos, Lone Tree, Colo. 92-95-96–283
Pat Kuntz, Tempe, Ariz. 93-88-102–283
Geri Reinardy, Denver, Colo. 102-97-94–293
Norma Bisdorf, Denver, Colo. 99-98-100–297

Fifth Flight
Barbara White, Thornton, Colo. 101-109-88–298
Cheryl Ellen, Broomfield, Colo. 108-99-101–308
Patricia Moore, Broomfield, Colo. 107-104-100–311
Kay Boyle, Northglenn, Colo. 114-104-104–322
Rose Rismanchi, Aurora, Colo. 111-108-111–330
Donna Jones, Erie, Colo. 116-114-112–342
Erlinda Shearer, Denver, Colo. 102-129-117–348
Cogie Elzea, Thornton, Colo. 117-WD



NET SCORES



First Flight
Emily Wood, Salida, Colo. 73-79-72–224
Amy Hodgkinson, Longmont, Colo. 76-80-73–229
Nicole Hulbert, Arvada, Colo. 76-77-77–230
Lara Pocs, Wesminster, Colo. 84-78-70–232
Kim Eaton, Tempe, Ariz. 76-83-75–234
Shannon Lutynski, Castle Rock, Colo. 79-75-80–234
Michaela Marie Breit, Greeley, Colo. 81-77-77–235
Kathleen Kershisnik, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 81-79-76–236
Holly Schaefer, Greenwood Village, Colo. 82-79-76–237
Callie Hodgkinson, Longmont, Colo. 78-79-81–238
Mackenzie Thayer, Garden City, Kan. 82-78-80–240
Shannon Lubar, Littleton, Colo. 81-84-80–245
Claudia Davis, Greenwood VIllage, Colo. 83-87-WD–WD

Second Flight
Jennifer Hocking, Colorado Springs, Colo. 75-70-68–213
Laurie Steenrod, Aurora, Colo. 73-71-72–216
Megan McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. 76-72-69–217
Kathy Malpass, Evergreen, Colo. 78-71-71–220
Sara Swaney, Larkspur, Colo. 72-73-75–220
Emily Woodard, Cheyenne, Wyo. 74-71-76–221
Joanna Ringsby, Denver, Colo. 79-72-72–223
Andrea Ballou, Larkspur, Colo. 77-75-73–225
Holly Schmitt, Centennial, Colo. 72-75-79–226
Katty Rothberg, Denver, Colo. 73-78-77–228
Nina Dulacki, Denver, Colo. 79-76-73–228
Mary Doyen, Denver, Colo. 82-78-71–231
Ruth Van Zee, Denver, Colo. 77-79-79–235
Jane Ford, Thornton, Colo. 83-79-79–241

Third Flight
Kelli Poppenhagen, Aurora, Colo. 72-67-73–212
Rachel Cavalier, Lafayette, Colo. 72-76-74–222
Audrey Bopp, Ft.Collins, Colo. 71-76-77–224
Pam Cortez, Louisville, Colo. 78-72-77–227
Bobby Jackson, Denver, Colo. 71-80-78–229
Jan Milne, Fort Collins, Colo. 73-74-82–229
Sheila Schroeder, Englewood, Colo. 73-77-82–232
Virginia Love, Mesa, Ariz. 75-73-86–234
Jill Kirkpatrick, Denver, Colo. 79-81-76–236
Vicki Porter, Denver, Colo. 78-75-83–236
Karen Honnessy, Minturn, Colo. 83-83-79–245
Melody Ulen, Lakewood, Colo. 75-83-87–245
Jenny Tempas, Littleton, Colo. 86-WD

Fourth Flight
Pat O’Connor, Fort Collins, Colo. 71-70-74–215
Mary Smith, Arvada, Colo. 79-75-65–219
Cindy Speer, Parker, Colo. 71-76-73–220
Madison McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. 71-78-73–222
Claudia Gallegos, Lone Tree, Colo. 74-77-78–229
Juna Orr, Denver, Colo. 76-81-73–230
Lyndon Lieb, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 84-72-75–231
Jennie Jones, Englewood, Colo. 78-73-81–232
Pat Kuntz, Tempe, Ariz. 76-71-85–232
Norma Bisdorf, Denver, Colo. 80-79-81–240
Geri Reinardy, Denver, Colo. 86-81-78–245

Fifth Flight
Barbara White, Thornton, Colo. 76-84-63–223
Cheryl Ellen, Broomfield, Colo. 80-71-72–223
Rose Rismanchi, Aurora, Colo. 76-73-75–224
Kay Boyle, Northglenn, Colo. 82-72-71–225
Patricia Moore, Broomfield, Colo. 82-79-74–235
Donna Jones, Erie, Colo. 86-84-81–251
Erlinda Shearer, Denver, Colo. 73-100-87–260
Cogie Elzea, Thornton, Colo. 93-WD

The 17-year-old Fairview High School graduate fired that 2-under-par 70 on Wednesday — the same day that two of her pursuers in the CWGA Junior Stroke Play did likewise.

The result was that her best was just good enough for the state title at Saddleback Golf Club in Firestone.

“I really like going out where it’s close or I’m in contention,” said Moran, who will play college golf at NCAA Division I William & Mary in Virginia beginning in the fall. “I’ve been playing really well, but I kept having one thing off in my game. But it all came together today.”

Actually, Moran did end up with a two-stroke margin in her wire-to-wire victory in the Junior Stroke Play. She birdied her 16th hole from 3 feet on Wednesday to give her a little cushion, but it was always close.

Moran finished with a 2-over-par 218 total, two stokes better than Jaylee Tait of Raccon Creek Golf Course, who matched Moran’s 70. Likewise firing 70 was third-place finisher Sarah Hankins of Thorncreek Golf Club, who checked in at 222.

“This means a lot,” said Moran, who placed third in this tournament a year ago. “It’s a good way to close out (her junior golf career in the state, though she still has a tournament or two left). I knew I had to win one of them.

“This is probably my biggest win with the field they had here. Maybe it’s tied with the (high school) regional I won as a junior.”

On Wednesday, Moran posted three birdies — all from inside of 5 feet — and one bogey in her career-best round. But if there was one area of her game that didn’t cooperate on the final day, it was her putter.

“I kept having short birdie putts and they wouldn’t drop,” she said. “It was frustrating. I was hitting it close. If I putted good, I could have gone lower, but I’m not complaining.

“I was proud of how I handled the mental part of my game today.”

Moran wasn’t the only CWGA Junior Stroke Play winner from Fairview High School. Former teammate Megan McCambridge won the First Flight on Wednesday after carding rounds of 79-84-73 for a 236 total.

CWGA Junior Stroke Play Championship
At Par-72 Saddleback Golf Club in Firestone

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
Kelly Moran, Boulder, Colo. 74-74-70–218

Jaylee Tait, Littleton, Colo. 75-75-70–220

Sarah Hankins, Thornton, Colo. 75-77-70–222

Gillian Vance, Lakewood, Colo. 74-75-79–228

Samantha Barker, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 77-73-78–228

Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 74-78-78–230

Kylee Sullivan, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80-73-82–235

Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 74-82-79–235

Sydney Merchant, Morrison, Colo. 80-78-79–237



FIRST FLIGHT
Megan McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. 79-84-73–236

Joanna Kempton, Littleton, Colo. 79-83-77–239

Madison Tenney, Evergreen, Colo. 83-78-79–240

Andrea Ballou, Larkspur, Colo. 82-82-78–242

Dani Urman, Greenwood Village , Colo. 79-81-83–243

Delaney Benson, Littleton, Colo. 80-84-79–243

Jennifer Hankins, Thornton, Colo. 77-85-81–243

Adara Pauluhn, Longmont, Colo. 80-84-80–244

Hannah More, Littleton, Colo. 83-79-84–246



SECOND FLIGHT
Morgan Sahm, Centennial, Colo. 86-73-76–235

Jenni Chun, Lone Tree, Colo. 87-80-78–245

Margot Leibold, Englewood, Colo. 88-81-80–249

Jacquelin Biggs, Englewood, Colo. 88-77-86–251

Ashlyn Kirschner, Arvada, Colo. 88-79-85–252

Delaney Elliott, Superior, Colo. 88-86-79–253

Heather Kroll-Schoonover, Arvada, Colo. 86-90-84–260

Mariah Ehrman, Westminster, Colo. 87-89-90–266

Julia Kim, Aurora, Colo. 87-90-91–268



THIRD FLIGHT
Katherine Kemp, Colorado Springs, Colo. 91-78-80–249

Morgan Stacks, Thornton, Colo. 91-80-87–258

Emilee Strausburg, Lakewood, Colo. 90-88-86–264

Courtney Ewing, Pueblo West, Colo. 94-87-87–268

Natasha Brandy McClain, Castle Pines, Colo. 92-88-89–269

Madison McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. 93-92-93–278

Andrea Hoos, Thornton, Colo. 94-98-88–280

Duval Sutherland, Parker, Colo. 95-104-99–298

Julia Baroth, Denver, Colo. 105-101-101–307

 

It wasn’t easy to play a game of “can you top this?” at the 2012 CWGA Junior Stroke Play Championship.

First, Calli Ringsby set the women’s competitive course record at Indian Tree Golf Course with a 68 on Tuesday, only to have Hannah Wood take it from her with a 67 that same afternoon.

Then Gigi McWilliams scored a hole-in-one on the 150-yard third hole on Wednesday, only to have Zarena Brown match the feat on the same hole on Thursday.

So it seemed that about all that was left for Ringsby on Thursday was to go out and win the golf tournament, which is exactly what she did — in emphatic fashion. The 16-year-old from Denver Country Club birdied four consecutive holes immediately after a lightning delay and cruised to a five-stroke victory and her first CWGA championship.

Ringsby (pictured above), the runner-up in the CWGA Stroke Play as a 15-year-old last year, shot a 3-under-par 71 Thursday to finish at 10-under 212 for the three-day event.

“I’m really glad because sleeping with the lead is always hard,” said the junior-to-be at Cherry Creek High School. “I was glad that I came out and didn’t choke. I played well today and I’m glad to shoot under (par) again. Ten under was my goal (for the tournament), so I’m glad I got there. I thought if I got to 10 under it was going to be pretty hard for anyone to beat me.”

Wood (pictured at left), who plays out of South Suburban Family Sports, inched within two of Ringsby on the front nine Thursday but lost ground when Ringsby went on her mid-round birdie run. After shooting her lowest round ever — by four strokes — on Tuesday, Wood went 78-72 for a 217 total.

“After the first round, I felt like I won the tournament right there,” Wood said. “I felt so happy. I shot the course record. It was a fun day.

“But (Thursday), I knew Calli was going to win. I know Calli. She doesn’t ever give up. She keeps going and going. And she gets on a hot streak.”

Kelly Moran of Boulder Country Club finished with an eagle on Thursday en route to a 73 and a 220 total, which was good for third place. Sydney Merchant of Red Rocks Country Club (74 Thursday) and Kansas state high school champion Mackenzie Thayer (77) tied for fourth place at 224.

For Ringsby, Thursday’s victory marked the continuation of some exceptional golf over the last five weeks. She was medalist in qualifying for both the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships and the U.S. Girls’ Junior. And at the former, she shot 66-67 at Flatirons Golf Course.

The Cherry Hills Village resident said what she did at the 5A state high school meet last month — when she placed fourth — has made the difference. Though she didn’t win, she rebounded nicely from a first-round 76 to shoot 68.

“I feel really comfortable” now, said Ringsby (pictured at left teeing off on Thursday). “I feel like I’ve really improved a lot in the past few weeks. Especially after state, coming back with a 68 after a really bad first round, it kind of set the stage. I know that I can go under par when I need to.”

On Thursday, Ringsby didn’t really kick it into gear until after a 45-minute lightning delay. With an eagle at No. 5, Wood cut the lead to two. But when the final group resumed play after the stoppage, Ringsby made a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 8, two-putted for birdie on No. 9, stuck an approach shot to 3 feet for another birdie on 10, then drained a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 11.

Suddenly Ringsby’s lead was six, and not even a four-putt double bogey on No. 16 threatened to change the complexion of the tournament.

All in all, it was quite a performance to shoot 68-73-71, particularly without ever having seen the Indian Tree course before going 6 under in the first round.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I played really smart in the first round,” Ringsby said. “I chipped the ball well, and if you have good chipping and you hit some of the (par-5s) in two then all the par-5s should be birdie holes.”

CWGA Junior Stroke Play Championship
At Par-74 Indian Tree GC in Arvada

Championship Flight
Calli Ringsby, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 68-73-71–212
Hannah Wood, Centennial, Colo. 67-78-72–217
Kelly Moran, Boulder, Colo. 74-73-73–220
Mackenzie Thayer, Garden City, Kan. 72-75-77–224
Sydney Merchant, Morrison, Colo. 77-73-74–224
Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster, Colo. 74-81-73–228
Kathleen Kershisnik, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 74-74-80–228
Dani Urman, Greenwood Village , Colo. 75-73-82–230
Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 77-78-77–232

First Flight
Taylor Dorans, Erie, Colo. 79-78-74–231
Jaylee Tait, Littleton, Colo. 76-86-75–237
Mackenzie Cohen, Centennial, C0 82-83-73–238
Morgan Sahm, Centennial, Colo. 80-80-81–241
Holly Schaefer, Littleton, Colo. 79-80-87–246
Jamie Griffin, Aurora, Colo. 81-83-82–246
Samantha Barker, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 82-85-85–252
Ashlyn Kirschner, Arvada, Colo. 79-90-85–254
Katherine Kemp, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80-89-86–255
Hea Kroll-Schoonover, Golden, Colo. 82-100-100–282

Second Flight
Sarah Hankins, Thornton, Colo. 83-75-73–231
Gillian Vance, Lakewood, Colo. 83-81-77–241
Adara Pauluhn, Longmont, Colo. 83-79-80–242
Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 83-81-80–244
Sofia Vigil, Commerce City, Colo. 84-83-78–245
Emilee Strausburg, Lakewood, Colo. 84-86-82–252
Megan McCambridge, Boulder, Colo. 84-83-85–252
Jenni Chun, Lone Tree, Colo. 84-86-84–254
Michelle Romano, Littleton, Colo. 83-83-WD–WD

Third Flight
Rachel Sweeney, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 85-79-84–248
Zarena Brown, Arvada, Colo. 86-86-78–250
Maggie Geolat, Monument, Colo. 85-84-84–253
Delaney Elliott, Superior, Colo. 90-85-81–256
Rachel Rodriguez, Arvada, Colo. 89-83-86–258
Kacey Godwin, Denver, Colo. 86-89-85–260
Nayoun Kim, Greenwood Village, Colo. 87-89-84–260
Morgan Hoos, Thornton, Colo. 89-93-88–270
Lexi Ringsby, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado 88-97-89–274
Kiseyla Plewe, Cortez, Colo. 90-100-90–280

Fourth Flight
Claire Stirdivant, Denver, Colo. 93-91-84–268
Margot Leibold, Englewood, Colo. 93-90-86–269
Madison Tenney, Evergreen, Colo. 91-95-87–273
Gigi Mcwilliams, Westminster, Colo. 98-90-89–277
Mariah Ehrman, Westminster, Colo. 99-90-99–288
Julia Kim, Aurora, Colo. 95-94-101–290
Michelle Nakayama, Colorado Springs, Colo. 103-94-97–294
Chase Piper, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado 102-93-111–306