Bruun (left) finished tied for 27th — out of an original field of 115 — on Thursday at the five-round Q-school tournament in Marrakesh, Morocco. By making the 72-hole cut but placing 26th or lower, she’ll earn category 9b status on the LET next year. Had she ended in the top 25, she’d have received more preferable category 8 membership.

Bruun, a native of Norway who wrapped up her DU career in May 2017, played in two events on the LET in 2018, but missed the cut in both. She finished 37th at the 2017 Q-school finals.

At the Q-school in 2018, Bruun went 71-72-76-70-69 for a 2-under-par 358 total. That left her 24 strokes behind qualifying medalist Bronte Law of England, a former UCLA golfer.

Bruun, who made a hole-in-one on Wednesday, double bogeyed her first hole of Thursday’s round, but went 5 under in her final 14 holes. From her fifth through ninth holes, she went 4 under, culminating with an eagle.

Two other former DU golfers have been regulars on the LET in recent years — Eleanor Givens and Tonje Daffinrud. Daffinrud finished 49th on the 2018 LET money list, while Givens was 72nd.

For all the scores from the final stage of LET Q-school, CLICK HERE.
 

The Westminster resident already has a leg up on the field in many respects, given that she’s No. 3 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, has qualified for the last two Women’s Opens, and finished 21st overall (second among amateurs) in the championship last summer. It was the best U.S. Women’s Open showing by a golfer who grew up in Colorado since Cherry Creek High School graduate Jill McGill ended up 12th in 2002. 

But in addition to all that, there’s this: Kupcho is by no means a stranger to The Ranch Country Club, which will host the 36-hole qualifying tournament on Monday. Indeed, the Wake Forest junior and U.S. Curtis Cup team member has been an employee at The Ranch during the summer for the past two years and plans to be again in 2018. And because she has playing privileges there, she practices and plays there frequently during the summer.

And if you need one more reason to think earning a return trip to the U.S. Women’s Open might be in the cards, the qualifying is being held on Kupcho’s 21st birthday.

Kupcho, fresh off her second straight individual victory in a Women’s NCAA Regional, will head the field of 50 players, who will be chasing two spots in the U.S. Women’s Open, set for Shoal Creek near Birmingham, Ala., May 31-June 3. Should she qualify, Kupcho won’t be headed to Shoal Creek blind as she played there in December for a Curtis Cup practice session.

Also scheduled to compete on Monday is the other 2017 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier in Colorado. That would be Australian Robyn Choi, a University of Colorado sophomore, who missed the cut in last year’s national championship.

Kupcho and Choi are ranked No. 6 and No. 30, respecitvely, among the nation’s women’s college golfers by Golfweek.

Also teeing it up at The Ranch are CU senior Brittany Fan, who just finished sixth individually at an NCAA Regional; former University of Denver golfer Mariell Bruun, and who has conditional status on the Ladies European Tour; and Colorado State University teammates Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor, who recently won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

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

For Monday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

Bruun, a Norwegian who completed her DU career in May, finished 37th after Wednesday’s fifth and last round of the final stage of Q-school in Morocco.

With that showing, Bruun will have conditional status on the LET next year as a rookie. The top 25 finishers earned fully exempt status, while those who made the 72-hole cut but placed 26th or lower will have less desirable category 9B membership in 2018.

Bruun (pictured in a DU athletics photo) posted a five-round total of 1-under-par 359 after recording scores of 71-72-74-72-70. The golfers at 356 played off to get top-25 status.

Bruun carded five birdies and three bogeys in Wednesday’s final round. She played her final six holes in 3 under par. Bruun had advanced through the first stage of Q-school with a 15th-place finish.

American Casey Danielson defeated Carmen Alonso and amateur Manon Mossel in a playoff to land medalist honors on Wednesday. All three players finished at 14-under 346.

Other former DU players who have LET status moving forward are Ellie Givens and Tonje Daffinrud. Givens finished 70th on the 2017 money list, while Daffinrud was 73rd.

For scores from the final stage of LET Q-school, CLICK HERE.
 

Esther Lee (pictured), who spent her final three seasons at CU after starting at Duke, tied for 25th place out of a field of 361 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. She closed with a 1-over-par 73 in round 4, giving her a total of 4-under 284.

Natalie Vivaldi, who played her first three seasons at CU before concluding her career at San Diego State, finished a stroke behind Lee, in 31st place. She shot a 76 on Sunday.

The top 90 finishers and ties after four rounds advance to stage II of the three-stage Q-school, scheduled for Oct. 19-22 in Venice, Fla. At stage III Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla., the top 20 performers will earn full status on the 2018 LPGA Tour, while others will receive conditional status.

Former University of Denver golfer Mariell Bruun just missed advancing to stage II of Q-school. A 72 on Sunday left her at 4-over-par 292, in 91st place and one shot shy of what was necessary to move on to the second stage.

Here are the scores of the players with strong Colorado connections:

Advance to Stage II
25. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 75-69-67-73–284
31. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 71-71-67-76–285
Failed to Advance to Stage II
91. Former DU golfer Mariell Bruun 73-73-74-72–292
Missed 54-Hole Cut
144. Emily Gilbreth of Denver 72-74-75–221
194. Former CU golfer Jamie Oleksiew 74-75-75–224
194. CU golfer Brittany Fan 80-72-72–224
214. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 76-77-72–225
311. Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs 83-76-76–76–235

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Former University of Colorado golfers Natalie Vivaldi and Esther Lee each shot 5-under-par 67 in round 3 to make a big move up the scoreboard in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Vivaldi made seven birdies on Saturday and shares 11th place out of a field of 361 at 7-under-par 209. Lee (pictured) is two strokes behind her — in 22nd place — after a five-birdie, zero-bogey round.

The top 90 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to stage II of the three-stage qualifying process. At stage III, the top 20 performers will earn full status on the 2018 LPGA Tour.

The field was cut to the top 125 players and ties after Saturday’s third round, and former University of Denver golfer Mariell Bruun also made it to Sunday. After a 74 on Saturday, she’s tied for 121st place at 220.

Here are the scores of the players with strong Colorado connections:

11. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 71-71-67–209
22. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 75-69-67–211
121. Former DU golfer Mariell Bruun 73-73-74-220
Missed 54-Hole Cut
144. Emily Gilbreth of Denver 72-74-75–221
194. Former CU golfer Jamie Oleksiew 74-75-75–224
194. CU golfer Brittany Fan 80-72-72–224
214. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 76-77-72–225
311. Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs 83-76-76–76–235

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Natalie Vivaldi (pictured), who played three years at CU before transferring to San Diego State for her senior season, has shot two consecutive rounds of 1-under-par 71. That leaves her in a tie for 38th place at 2-under 142.

And Esther Lee, who just completed her CU career, shares 73rd place at 144 after she fired a 69 on Friday that included four birdies.

The top 90 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to stage II of the three-stage qualifying process. At stage III, the top 20 performers will earn full status on the 2018 LPGA Tour.

Two other players with strong Colorado ties share 108th place at 146 in Rancho Mirage: Emily Gilbreth of Denver and former University of Denver golfer Mariell Bruun.

The field will be cut to the top 125 players and ties after Saturday’s third round.

Here are the scores of the players with strong Colorado connections:

38. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 71-71–142
73. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 75-69–144
108. Emily Gilbreth of Denver 72-74–146
108. Former DU golfer Mariell Bruun 73-73–146
175. Former CU golfer Jamie Oleksiew 74-75–149
232. CU golfer Brittany Fan 80-72–152
247. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 76-77–153
322. Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs 83-76–159

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

The amateur (pictured) made two birdies and two bogeys in round 1.

The top 90 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to stage II of the three-stage qualifying process. At stage III, the top 20 performers will earn full status on the 2018 LPGA Tour.

Also on Thursday, Natalie Vivaldi, who started her college career at the University of Colorado, fired a 1-under-par 71, carding five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. She shares 43rd place.

Former University of Denver golfer Mariell Bruun opened with a 73, good for 113th place.

Regina Plasencia started with a 7-under-par 65 to grab the round-1 lead.

The field will be cut to the top 125 players and ties after 54 holes.

Here are the scores of the players with strong Colorado connections:

43. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 71
79. Emily Gilbreth of Denver 72
113. Former DU golfer Mariell Bruun 73
148. Former CU golfer Jamie Oleksiew 74
181. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 75
220. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 76
313. CU golfer Brittany Fan 80
346. Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs 83

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
 

For 2017, that time has arrived, including for some Coloradans aspiring to the big time.

The first of three stages of LPGA Tour qualifying will be held this week. And next week, qualifying for the Web.com Tour — the top level available in the U.S. directly through the Q-school process for males — will begin.

Qualifying for the European Tour begins next month and culminates in mid-November, while the PGA Tour Champions National Qualifying Tournament Finals are set for Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

But for now, let’s take a quick look at what awaits players with strong Colorado ties at the early stages of LPGA and Web.com Q-school.

— Stage I of LPGA qualifying runs Thursday through Sunday (Aug. 24-27) in Rancho Mirage, Calif. A record-sized field of 362 golfers is expected to participate, and the top 90 finishers and ties will advance to Stage II, set for Oct. 19-22 in Venice, Fla. From there, the top performers will earn spots into Stage III, Nov. 29-Dec. 3 in Daytona Beach, Fla., where 20 players will land full LPGA Tour status for 2018.

Among the “locals” in the field for Stage I are Emily Gilbreth of Denver, winner of the CWGA Match Play this summer; University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan, a senior who will continue to play for the Buffs this fall; former Buffs Esther Lee, Jamie Oleksiew and Natalie Vivaldi; Samantha Stancato and Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs; and former University of Denver player Mariell Bruun. Among those exempt into Stage II in October are former CU golfers Kristin Coleman and Emily Childs, along with former University of Northern Colorado player Carleigh Silvers.

— Web.com Tour Q-school includes four stages — although that can be a bit confusing as they’re called Pre-Qualifying, and First, Second and Third Stage.

Pre-Qualifying, a 54-hole tournament, is set for six sites, running either Aug. 30-Sept. 1 or Sept. 6-8. Roughly the top half of the fields are expected to advance to the First Stage, though the fields for later this month haven’t yet been announced.

The rest of the Web Q-school process goes like this:

First Stage (12 sites) — Between Sept. 26-Oct. 13.

Second Stage (5 sites) — Between Oct. 31-Nov. 7.

Final Stage — Dec. 7-10 in Chandler, Ariz.
 

Despite trailing entering the final round, the Pioneers rallied early then held off South Dakota State to win their 14th consecutive conference title, this one at the Summit League tournament. With the victory, Denver earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Regional Championships May 8-10.

DU’s run of conference success dates back to 2004 and includes four Summit League championships, nine in the Sun Belt Conference and one in the WAC.

Denver won last year’s Summit title by a whopping 52 strokes, but this year bore no resemblance to 2016. This time around, the Pioneers recorded the lowest team score of the tournament — a 5-over-par 293 — in the final round to record a six-stroke victory. DU finished at 42-over-par 906 for three rounds in notching its first multi-team tournament victory of the season.

Senior Jessica Carty, last year’s individual champion, finished second this time as her 8-over-par 224 total left her two shots behind winner Megan Mingo of South Dakota State. Denver put all of its players in the top eight individually, with Mariell Bruun (227, third place) joining fellow senior McCarty in the top three.

“They’re just gamers,” DU coach Lindsay Kuhle said of her players. “They love to compete. They love to represent DU and they love to pull through. They love the challenge.”

Meanwhile, the University of Colorado remained in second place after Tuesday’s second round of the Women’s Pac-12 Championships, which boasts one of the toughest conference tournament fields in the nation. The Buffs, ranked No. 21 nationally by Golfstat, shot a 2-under-par 286 on Tuesday, leaving them at 582 and seven strokes behind UCLA, the nation’s No. 3-ranked team.

Going into the final round, CU has four of its five players in the top 10 individually, with two freshmen from Queensland, Australia leading the way for the Buffs. Kirsty Hodgkins fired a 2-under-par 70 and stands at even-par 144, good for fourth place, seven strokes behind leader Lilia Vu of UCLA. And Robyn Choi is fifth at 145. Junior Brittany Fan is seventh at 146 and senior Esther Lee ninth at 147.

DU was one of three Colorado-based teams that earned league titles on Tuesday. University of Colorado-Colorado Springs won the NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s championship by three, and Regis the RMAC women’s by eight.

In the men’s RMAC in Chandler, Ariz., UCCS (at 9-over-par 861) edged Colorado Christian (864), Colorado Mesa (865) and Colorado State-Pueblo (866). Colorado Springs resident and UCCS junior Colin Prater, winner of the 2016 CGA Amateur, claimed the individual crown after a 3-under-par 68 on Tuesday put him at 8-under 205. Second place went to Chase Carlson of Colorado Christian (209 after a closing 66).

In the women’s RMAC, also in Chandler, Regis closed with a tournament-best 303 to prevail by eight over Colorado State-Pueblo. CSU-Pueblo senior Jacquelyn Porman won the individual title by two over Alex Darwin of UCCS. Porman recorded a 3-over-par 147 total.

Women’s Summit League Championship
April 23-25, 2017 (final) in Nebraska City
1. (out of 9 teams) Denver 296-317-293–906
2. Jessica Carty 72-80-72–224
3. Mariell Bruun 75-79-73–227
6. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 75-81-72–228
7. Sophie Newlove 74-79-76–229
8. Lauren Whyte 75-79-76–230

Women’s Pac-12 Championship
April 24-26, 2017 in Tucson, Ariz.
T2. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 296-286–582
4. Kirsty Hodgkins 74-70–144
5. Robyn Choi 72-73–145
7. Brittany Fan 74-72–146
9. Esther Lee 76-71–147
55. Lauryn Keating 84-86–170

Also
30. Former DU golfer Elyse Smidinger, Oregon State 80-75–155

Men’s RMAC Championship
April 24-25, 2017 (final) in Chandler, Ariz.
Team Scores
1. Colorado-Colorado Springs 283-291-287–861
2. Colorado Christian 284-297-283–864
3. Colorado Mesa 290-289-286–865
4. Colorado State-Pueblo 292-285-289–866
5. Fort Lewis 295-290-285–871
6. Colorado School of Mines 289-290-296–875
7. Regis 296-300-285–881
8. South Dakota School of Mines 316-307-306–929

Top 5 Individuals
1. Colin Prater, UCCS 68-69-68–205
2. Chase Carlson, Colorado Christian 71-72-66–209
3. Jordan McBrayer, Regis 72-75-64–211
4. Jake Ice, CSU-Pueblo 70-69-75–214
4. Hugh Taylor, Fort Lewis 71-73-70–214

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

Women’s RMAC Championship
April 24-25, 2017 (final) in Chandler, Ariz.
Team Scores
1. Regis 313-303–616
2. Colorado State-Pueblo 312-312–625
3. Colorado-Colorado Springs 315-319–634
4. Colorado Mesa 321-320–641
5. Colorado Christian 328-320–648
6. Metro State 333-324–657
7. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology 334-337–671
8. Westminster College (Utah) 346-335–681
9. Fort Lewis 360-341–701
10. Chadron State 364-345–709
11. Black Hills State 358-361–719
12. Adams State 364-361–725

Top 5 Individuals
1. Jacquelyn Porman, CSU-Pueblo 71-76–147
2. Alex Darwin, UCCS 75-74–149
3. Grace Marie Schian, Regis 78-72–150
4. Mary Weinstein, Regis 77-74–151
5. Katrina Mendez, Colorado Christian 76-77–153
5. Jolene Kam, CSU-Pueblo 77-76–153

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
   

With DU and Pepperdine matching 4-under-par 284s in Sunday’s final round, the Waves held on for a four-stroke victory in the 18-school team race. The Pioneers finished with a 6-under-par 858 total, giving them two runner-up finishes in three tournaments this season. Colorado State placed fifth at 875 after a strong 281 final-round score, while Northern Colorado (910) was 14th.

DU sophomore Sophie Newlove notched the first individual victory of her college career as the English golfer closed with a 2-under-par 70 to post a 6-under 210 total, good for a two-shot win. She played her final seven holes in 3 under par. (Newlove is pictured above with coach Lindsay Kuhle in a DU photo.)

Also finishing in the top 10 individually were DU’s Jessica Hardy and CSU’s Katrina Prendergast (tied for fourth place at 214) and Denver’s Mariell Bruun (seventh place, 215).

Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate
Oct. 7-9, 2016 at Highlands Ranch GC

2. (out of 18 teams) Denver 289-285-284–858
1. Sophie Newlove 69-71-70–210
4. Jessica Carty 73-71-70–214
7. Mariell Bruun 72-69-74–215
23. Camille Enright 75-74-70–219
27. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (individual) 71-76-73–220
44. Sonya Knebel (individual) 75-79-70–224
55. Lauren Whyte 75-74-77–226
57. Kathi Baratta (individual) 75-77-75–227
90. Maggie Cowart (individual) 81-79-78–238

5. Colorado State 292-302-281–875
4. Katrina Prendergast 68-77-69–214
12. Brianna Becker 74-73-70–217
12. Ellen Secor 72-76-69–217
57. Sarah Archuleta 78-76-73–227
65. Caroline Reiners (individual) 76-77-76–229
75. Jessica Sloot (individual) 78-79-74–231
93. Elisabeth Rau 82-83-74–239

14. Northern Colorado 308-308-294–910
50. Morgan Sahm 77-76-72–225
57. Marisa Hisaki 76-77-74–227
65. Kala Keltz 76-77-76–229
65. Janet Yeo 79-78-72–229
100. Hanna Atkins (individual) 87-77-83–247
101. Christina Ferreira 90-80-82–252

Also
65. Coloradan Erin Sargent, Wyoming 77-75-77–229
88. Coloradan Sarah Hankins, Wyoming 76-77-82–235