That might be the collective feeling of every player who feels they might have a legitimate chance to win the CGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship … if Jennifer Kupcho isn’t in the field.

After all, the standout from Westminster won the 2015 CWGA Stroke Play (the former name for the CGA Women’s Stroke Play) by a whopping 21 shots, the 2016 championship by 19 shots, and last year’s tournament by “just” 13.

Do the math, and the average margin of victory for Kupcho in this event over the past three years was 17.7 strokes.

But Kupcho won’t be going for her fourth straight CGA Women’s Stroke Play title this week. Coming off winning the women’s NCAA Division I individual title and competing for the U.S. in its rout of Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup, Kupcho isn’t entered this year. Besides needing a break, she has jury duty this week.

So the list of players with a good chance to win goes from one to quite a few.

Black Bear Golf Club (pictured) in Parker will host the 71st annual CGA Women’s Stroke Play, with the 54-hole event running from Wednesday through Friday (June 20-22).

The championship flight for the event will feature the players with the top 12 scores after two rounds. Additional flights will include a dozen or more competitors each.

Among the college golfers entered who figure to be in the mix for the title are Texan Kennedy Swann (Clemson University), who finished 10th at the ACC Championship in April; Mary Weinstein (University of Denver), who placed second in this event in 2015 and fourth last year; 2016 runner-up Gillian Vance (University of Colorado); teammates Erin Sargent and Megan Knadler (Wyoming), who tied for second last year; Delaney Elliott (Montana State), who’s recorded two top-five finishes in the Stroke Play in the last three years; and Anna Kennedy (Brigham Young University), who’s posted top-10s each of the last two years.

Also among the 57 entrants is Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore, a five-time winner of this event in the 1990s. Moore recently qualified for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open. Also in the field is Susan Hartwell, who advanced to the round of 32 at last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

For Wednesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

The 103 teams that competed in this week’s CGA Mashie Championship included many friends and some blood relatives that paired up.

The championship flight title match on Wednesday featured that and more.

Besides the aforementioned, the finalists included two sets of college teammates, as well as roommates, sisters and even twins.

At the end of the day at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster, Colorado resident Delaney Elliott and Montana State teammate and roommate Kelly Hooper defeated Wyoming teammates, sisters and twins Kaylee and Megan Knadler, 2 and 1 to earn the title after three days of competition. (The champions are pictured, with Hooper at left.)

“It’s awesome. We had such a fun time out there,” said Hooper, who lives in Spokane, Wash., and was playing in the Mashie for the first time. “I just came down for a visit. We thought this would be a fun tournament to play in together. I came down last year and played in the (CWGA Stroke Play), but this is more like a team event.”

Elliott and Hooper birdied three of the first five holes — with the putts ranging from 15 to 30 feet — to take an early 3-up lead in the finals of the four-ball match play event.

“We had to make quite a few birdies at the beginning and they were making some birdies too,” said Elliott (left), a Monarch High School graduate who lives in Superior. “Every time we made one, we both had an opportunity. It was just whoever made the putt first.”

The MSU teammates, the top seeds this week, eventually led by as much as 4 up after Hooper two-putted for birdie on the par-5 11th hole.

“It was nice to get off to a good start,” Hooper said. “It was nice to be comfortable and have the lead.”

But the Knadlers, who are Phoenix residents, rallied, with Kaylee making a 7-foot birdie on 12 and Megan a 2-foot birdie on the tough 14th hole to cut the deficit to 2 down. But the teams halved the next three holes, with the long-hitting Hooper clinching the victory by making a 4-foot par putt on No. 17.

The Knadlers (below), who are living in Laramie over the summer, came to play in the Mashie in part because they love the weather in the area and they have friends and family living in Colorado.

“We also came out here to win,” Kaylee Knadler said. “And we took a salty second.

“We just didn’t make the putts where they needed to be made. We weren’t very clutch on the putts.”

Elliott and Hooper were a better-ball 4 under par for 17 holes on Wednesday, finishing with five birdies and a bogey. The Knadlers were 3 under.

Elliott and Hooper not only didn’t trail in Wednesday’s final, but that was true in all three of their matches at the Mashie, which was played at both Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville and Legacy Ridge.

The title was the first in a CGA/CWGA women’s championship for both Elliott and Hooper. Both competed in the CWGA Stroke Play last year, tying for fifth place. Megan Knadler shared second in that event.

Among those on hand to watch some of Wednesday’s action at Legacy Ridge were CGA co-president Joe McCleary and executive director Ed Mate.

Here are the winners of the Wednesday finals in all 13 flights — for both championship and consolation brackets in each case: 

CGA Women’s Mashie Championship
At Coal Creek GC in Louisville and Legacy Ridge GC in Westminster
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Delaney Elliott/Kelly Hooper def. Kaylee Knadler/Megan Knadler, 2 and 1
Consolation — Kathy Malpass/Katherine Moore-Lilly def. Lynn Zmistowski/Kim Sorkness, 3 and 1
FIRST FLIGHT FINALS
Championship –Jane Ford/Odette Kleidon def. Sally Lawrence/Vickie Brown, 1 up
Consolation — Louise Lyle/Sandra Young def. Kate Connor/Karlin Hayes, 5 and 3
SECOND FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Karen Chase/Kim Wells def. Karen Leuschel/Laura Wetzel, 2 up
Consolation — Stephanie Stewart/Deborah Tucker def. Mary Repetto/Carla Stearns, 4 and 3
THIRD FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Laurie Steenrod/Wendy Atkinson def. Debra Bolke/Cathy Neistat, 4 and 3
Consolation — Leanna Rosenow/Trish Swanson def. Sheila Schroeder/Anne Wesley, 4 and 3
FOURTH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Deb Beckman/Polly Gleichenhaus def. Patti Hagemeyer/Linda Raunig, 4 and 3
Consolation — Janene Guzowski/Tracey Blake def. Diane Thompson/Regina Valis, 2 and 1
FIFTH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Lori Gude/Paulette Jerpe def. Pam Cortez/Sue Knutson, 1 up
Consolation — Kathleen Borchlewicz/Anne Cadden def. Rebecca Howard/Nancy McGee, 19 holes
SIXTH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Christy Tinsley/Kerri Williams def. Darlene Evans/Beckie Harkey, 1 up
Consolation — Judy Maillis/Lyndon Lieb def. Judy Bogard/Tracey Hess, 20 holes
SEVENTH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship –Kathy Greenberg/Tanya Jones def. Marla Straw/Norma Bisdorf, 3 and 2
Consolation — Patty Rodgers/Cathy Skrine def. Claudia Svarstad/Rochelle Tisdale, 5 and 4
EIGHTH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Joan Miller/Marie Schriefer def. Barbara Ingledue/Connie Garcia, 8 and 6
Consolation — Diane Storlie/Sharon Thiel def. Jan Place/Linda Schippers, 2 and 1
NINTH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Deborah Davis/Susan Healy def. Lynn Larson/Jill Nickerson, 2 and 1
Consolation — Maree Albright/Joyce Craig def. Cheryl Berning/Janie Koontz, 2 up
10TH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Sue Hahn/Tina Timm def. Carolyn Bachamp/Cindy Greule, 5 and 4
Consolation — Vera Garrett/Leslie Hiatt def. Andrea Dowdy/Alice Sampson, 3 and 1
11TH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Donna Casey/Wendy Saltarelli def. Bunny Ambrose/Sandra Schnitzer, 20 holes
Consolation — Laura Fischer/Cher Tuffy def. Jayne Graham/Bethany Atkins, 6 and 4
12TH FLIGHT FINALS
Championship — Tammy Hitchens/Margie Miller def. Margie Doss/Rose Rismanchi, 5 and 4
Consolation — Audrey McEwen/Susan Wagner def. Barb Goodfellow/Kay Boyle, 5 and 4

For all the results from Mashie, CLICK HERE.

Both of Tuesday’s semifinal matches in the CGA Women’s Mashie at Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville were very close.

The Knadlers, the second seeds from Phoenix, outlasted Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Janet Moore and Christie Austin, who have won the Mashie six times together, in 23 holes.

And Elliott and Hooper — the top seeds from Superior and Spokane, Wash., respectively — edged Tiffany Maurycy of Cherry Creek Country Club and Holly Schaefer of Columbine Country Club, 1 up.

The two teams made up of college players will square off on Wednesday in the championship flight finals of the four-ball match play tournament. The two-course event will conclude at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster.

The Women’s Mashie featured a starting field of 103 two-person teams and 13 different divisions of competition.

For all the results from Mashie, CLICK HERE.