Boys golf produces the first state champions of the high school athletic year in Colorado, so there’s always something special about it.

And the 2018 state tournaments didn’t disappoint in producing memorable results:

— There was Aspen, a school that uses the nickname “Skiers”, winning its first state team championship in boys high school golf as it prevailed in the 3A tournament at Boulder Country Club.

“We’ve been looking for that banner for a long time,” coach Mary Woulfe said. “We put the banners up in the gym for the state championships, and there’s been a big hole missing for us. We’ve had a lot of really good teams and we’ve had great teams in years Kent Denver has just buried us. It’s been like, ‘Wow, what do we need to do?’ But the guys knew we were on a mission for this.”

— There was senior Dillon Stewart of Fossil Ridge filling a hole on his golf resume by rallying from four shots behind on the final day to win his first state title in his final day of high school golf. That victory at the 5A meet at Colorado Springs Country Club was a fitting culmination to a golf season in which Stewart won individual and team championships at the Junior America’s Cup and notched two victories in AJGA events. And to add to Stewart’s accomplishment, he led Fossil Ridge to its first state team title in boys golf.

“It feels great, especially after what happened last year (finishing second to Davis Bryant, who’s now playing at Colorado State University),” Stewart said. “I give credit to him — he’s a good player — but I’m finally kind of doing what he did in taking second his junior year and winning his senior year. It feels good this time. And we won as a team this year, so it feels even better.”

— There was senior Jackson Klutznick of Kent Denver, once a standout tennis player, who made such a successful transition to high-level golf that he won the 3A individual title Tuesday in Boulder.

Klutznick was once the top-ranked tennis player in the state for boys age 12-14, but something his tennis coach told him caused him to give up that sport and put much more emphasis on golf.

“He told me that when I’m playing tennis, I need to be hating the person on the other side of the net,” Klutznick noted on Tuesday. “I came down to the decision, I didn’t want to do that. That’s not me. I golf, you’re telling (your playing partners) they hit a great shot or an awesome putt. You’re not trying to bring them down. I thought that was a much more positive mindset to be in than trying to hate the person I’m playing against.”

(At left, Klutznick is congratulated by coach Bob Austin.)

— And then there was Montrose sweeping the team and individual championships in the 4A meet at The Club at Flying Horse in Colorado Springs. The Indians won the team title for the second straight year, while junior Micah Stangebye prevailed by five to become the school’s first individual state champion in boys golf.

Here’s a look at how the three boys state tournaments went down on Tuesday:

— 3A AT BOULDER COUNTRY CLUB: On a day that only one player broke par — Billy Howenstein of host Dawson, with a 1-under 69 — Klutznick emerged from the battle of attrition with the individual trophy. The senior shot a 2-over-par 72, giving him a winning total of 1-under 139, good for a three-stroke victory.

“This means a lot,” said Klutznick (left), who finished fourth in the 3A state tournament each of the past two years. “I was going through a time (this past summer) where I really didn’t want to play anymore. I was done. I had too much practice with no results. I had eight or nine tournaments planned and I told my dad I’m not playing in any of them.

“But in the middle of the (high school) season, I realized it’s not so much about where you end up as it is being surrounded by people you want to be there with. These are some of the nicest guys I’ve ever played with in my life. It was unbelievably meaningful
to have my team behind me and so many good people behind me. It really meant a lot.”

Klutznick overcame a double bogey on No. 8 — where he hit a ball out of bounds — to play his final 10 holes in 1 under. He pitched to within a foot of the hole on the par-5 12th to make birdie and go ahead for good, and added another birdie on 16 before three-putting for bogey on 18 where the champion had already been decided.

“I’m so proud of Jackson,” said Bob Austin, who has coached Kent Denver to eight state team titles, though the Sun Devils finished second on Tuesday. “He’s worked as hard as anybody I’ve ever had.

“He’s a tough kid and he hits the shots when he needs to hit the shots. I’m happy to put him up there with the other Kent individual champions (Oliver Jack, Ben Moore, Ethan Freeman twice, Beau Schoolcraft and Kevin Stadler). I’ve been very fortunate to coach a lot of great players at Kent Denver, and his name is among those great players. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Klutznick won just one other individual title this high school season and has no offers to play college golf — at least not yet.

“I was very surprised” to win the state title this week, the 17-year-old from Denver said, noting that this victory stood apart as the biggest thing he’s accomplished in golf.

Junior Walker Franklin of Prospect Ridge was the last major challenger to Klutznick down the stretch on Tuesday. He was even-par for the tournament through 33 holes, but a pulled tee shot and a three-putt from 3 feet on the par-4 16th led to a triple bogey and the end of his title hopes after placing second last year.

“I don’t even know what happened,” he said of the 16th hole. “I just hit a bad tee shot, and a bad shot led into another one. Trying to make a putt, I slammed it by. I just couldn’t control my emotions.

“I’m disappointed. It’s just like a repeat of last year, just not being able to pull through. It just didn’t go my way.”

Franklin finished tied for fourth at 144 with Aspen’s Jack Pevny (left).

Jack Hughes of Aspen ended up taking second place at 142 despite drawing a two-stroke penalty for hitting a wrong ball. Hughes shot an even-par 70 on Tuesday.

Taking third place was the 2017 champion, Davis Long of Peak to Peak, who also carded a second-round 70 to check in at 143.

Peter Grossenbacher of Eaton, who carded a sterling 65 on Monday, struggled to an 82 on Tuesday to share 10th place at 147.

With Aspen (below) putting two individuals in the top four, the Skiers overcame nine-time state champion Kent Denver for the team title. Aspen — with a team comprised of Hughes, Pevny, Dawson Holmes and Dominic Lanese IV — finished with a two-day total of 14-over-par 234, which was nine better than Kent Denver. Holy Family was third at 457.

“Jack Hughes said to me (prior to the season), ‘Mary, our team is going to win a state championship this year,'” Woulfe said. “He’s an exceptional player. He’s always played very aggressively, but there were times today he pulled out an iron because it wasn’t about him, it was about his team. That’s really impressive.

“The big question (about this team) has always been, ‘Are these guys that good?’ And they just proved it today. Kent Denver is incredibly difficult to take down in 3A.”

— 5A AT COLORADO SPRINGS COUNTRY CLUB: Stewart, who will sign a letter of intent this fall to play his college golf at national powerhouse Oklahoma State, showed his stuff on Tuesday by shooting a 5-under-par 66, the best score of the tournament by two strokes.

Stewart trailed by four going into the final round, but rallied by making six birdies and one bogey on Tuesday. And he finished with a flurry, holing a 20-foot birdie from the fringe on No. 17 and getting up and down from a greenside bunker on No. 18, draining a 3-footer for birdie on the final shot of his high school career.

That gave Stewart a two-stroke victory over first-round leader Connor Jones of Mountain Range, who outdueled Stewart for the season-long league title this year.

“There was no doubt in my mind this morning that I could post a good number — and I posted the number I needed to post,” Stewart said. “I knew I had to shoot in the 60s — and not just 69.”

Jones, who was 5 under par for the tournament through 30 holes, held the advantage until well into the back nine. But he played his final six holes in 3 over par, while Stewart birdied his last two.

“The birdie putt I made on 17 was probably the biggest putt I made all week,” Stewart said. “Connor was waiting on the tee box behind us. He saw that from the tee box and was (probably) like, ‘Damn.’ So that was a really good point in the day that kind of shifted things.

“But Connor played really good all year, so I knew it was going to be tough today. Me and him went back and forth in matches all year.”

Stewart finished with a 4-under 138 total at Colorado Springs CC, while Jones checked in at 140 after a closing 72. Ty Findlow of Valor Christian placed third at 144.

Team-wise, Stewart’s Fossil Ridge squad prevailed by five for the school’s first state title in boys golf. It finished at 24-over-par 450, a handful of strokes ahead of Lakewood, six better than Arapahoe, and eight better than Regis Jesuit, which had won seven of the past eight state titles.

— 4A AT THE CLUB AT FLYING HORSE IN COLORADO SPRINGS: The big prizes went to Montrose on Tuesday at Flying Horse.

Stangebye, who led by four going into the final round, wasn’t seriously challenge as he was steady as a rock in a 1-under-par 71 day. The junior finished with four birdies and three bogeys on Tuesday, giving him a 4-under 140 total for the tournament.

Stangebye’s two rounds — 69-71 — were the best two of the week at Flying Horse.

Mac Konrad of Pondersa took second place at 145 after closing with a 72, while TJ Sheehee of Mead was third at 147 after a second-round 73.

With Montrose putting four players in the top 25 individually, the Indians successfully defended their 4A team title. This time, they finished at 19-over-par 451, six strokes better than runner-up Steamboat Springs. Palmer Ridge (468) placed third.

Here are the top team and individual finishers at the three tournament:

CLASS 5A AT COLORADO SPRINGS CC
Team
1. Fossil Ridge 229-221–450
2. Lakewood 223-232–455
3. Arapahoe 229-227–456
4. Regis Jesuit 231-227–458
5. Valor Christian 236-223–459
Individual
1. Dillon Stewart, Fossil Ridge 72-66–138
2. Connor Jones, Mountain Range 68-72–140
3. Ty Findlow, Valor Christian 74-70–144
4. Ryan Liao, Lakewood 71-74–145
5. Brandon Bervig, Liberty 72-74–146
6. Tarek Salem, Highland Ranch 73-75–148
T7. Jonas Graham, Chaparral 77-73–150
T7. Bo Wardynski, Regis Jesuit 77-73–150
T7. Ryder Heuston, Fairview 76-74–150
T10. Chris Kennedy, Smoky Hill 77-74–151
T10. Carson Kerr, Grand Junction 76-75–151
T10. Caleb Busta, Arapahoe 75-76–151
T10. Riley Rottschaefer, Arapahoe 76-75–151

CLASS 4A AT THE CLUB AT FLYING HORSE IN COLORADO SPRINGS
Team
1. Montrose 221-230–451
2. Steamboat Springs 229-228–457
3. Palmer Ridge 234-234–468
4. Ponderosa 241-236–477
5. Mullen 239-240–479
Individual
1. Micah Stangebye, Montrose 69-71–140
2. Mac Konrad, Ponderosa 73-72–145
3. TJ Shehee, Mead 74-73–147
T4. Jack Rotermund, Steamboat Springs 73-76–149
T4. Traejan Andrews, Northridge 73-76–149
6. Hunter Swanson, Northfield 77-74–151
T7. Mario Dino, Mullen 79-73–152
T7. Jake Chesler, Frederick 78-74–152
T7. Kellen Kudrna, Mead 74-78–152
T10. Oliver Rotermund, Steamboat Springs 77-76–153
T10. Drew Laake, Palmer Ridge 79-74–153
T10. Ethan Whidden, Durango 76-77–153

CLASS 3A AT BOULDER COUNTRY CLUB
Team
1. Aspen 214-220–434
2. Kent Denver 215-228–443
3. Holy Family 225-232–457
4. Eaton 235-237–472
5. The Classical Academy 242-234–476
Individual
1. Jackson Klutznick, Kent Denver 67-72–139
2. Jack Hughes, Aspen 72-70–142
3. Davis Long, Peak to Peak 73-70–143
T4. Jack Pevny, Aspen 68-76–144
T4. Walker Franklin, Prospect Ridge 71-73–144
T6. Jacob Mason, Holy Family 74-71–145
T6. Billy Howenstein, Dawson 76-69–145
T8. Jeffrey Zhou, Kent Denver 75-71–146
T8. Liam O’Halloran, The Classical Academy 72-74–146
T10. Carlo Pine, Telluride 70-77–147
T10. Westin Pals, Lutheran 75-72–147
T10. Peter Grossenbacher, Eaton 65-82–147

When Eaton senior Peter Grossenbacher bogeyed two of his first three holes to start the 3A boys state high school tournament on Monday at Boulder Country Club, he didn’t despair.

After all, he just thought about Tiger Woods, who won the 1997 Masters after playing his first nine holes in 4 over par at Augusta National.

“I had a picture of Tiger Woods on my cart. I was just looking at him,” Grossenbacher noted on Monday. “He won his first major at the Masters (despite that slow start). Even if I would have double bogeyed 1, I could have still shot low today. It was fun — really fun.”

Indeed, what’s not fun about rallying to shoot a 5-under-par 65 — the best competitive round of his life by four and the best round of any type by two — and leading after the first round of the 36-hole state meet?

Oh, and by the way … that includes a cool 6-under-par 29 on the back nine.

“I came out here in the practice rounds and had pretty good scores — 69 and 70 — but today it felt like I was just seeing it and feeling it. It was awesome,” Grossenbacher said.

“I haven’t prepared for a tournament more than I have this one. I worked so hard leading up to it the last two or three weeks. I’m just happy I made it happen. It’s the best place to do it.”

On a day that three boys state high school tournaments cranked up, Grossenbacher posted the best score at any site on Monday.

Not coincidentally, the player in second place at the 3A state tournament came out of the same first-round pairing. That would be senior Jackson Klutznick of Kent Denver, who carded a 67. And while Grossenbacher shot a 29 on the back nine, Klutznick wasn’t shabby either, with a 31. (The two are pictured at left, with Grossenbacher in the white shirt.)

“We were making a joke throughout the round that it was kind of a (Rory) McIlroy and (Patrick) Reed scenario” from the 2016 Ryder Cup, Klutznick said. “It was really a good time. We were having a bunch of fun.

“The back nine was probably one of the better rounds I’ve ever played, especially with (Grossenbacher) playing as well as he did. We definitely fed off each other.”

After making the turn at 1 over par, Grossenbacher birdied No. 10 from 15 feet. Then on the 523-yard 12th, he took such an aggressive line that he thought he may have driven the ball out of bounds, so he hit a provisional. But it turned out his original ball was just 145 yards from the flag, meaning his unleashed a drive in the 375-yard range. He ended up making eagle from 20 feet.

“Something started clicking after that eagle,” he said. “I knew I was right back in it. I was 2 over through 3, so after being 2 under, I felt I had a bunch of room to run.”

So he added birdies on 13, 15 and 16 — all from inside of 10 feet.

“It doesn’t really come as a surprise almost because I’ve been thinking about it and visualizing this course in my head for so long,” Grossenbacher said. “I told my brother I was going to shoot 66 today. It’ll be fun to call him and tell him I shot 65.

“Up until now this is definitely one of the biggest moments of my life. I really want to get it done tomorrow (and win the title). It would mean the world to me. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything this bad.”

Grossenbacher (left) has won six individual titles in eight high school tournaments this season, including his second straight regional title.

Meanwhile, Klutznick also kick-started his round with an eagle on No. 12, with his putt coming from 14 feet. He backed that up with a 6-foot birdie on No. 13 and a 10-footer at No. 14.

“(Grossenbacher) was playing absolutely lights out and he kept making these long putts,” Klutznick said. “I was realizing I had to make them too. That’s just how that works. It was just back and forth with the putting is what it came down to.

“The back nine was probably one of the better rounds I’ve ever played, especially with him playing as well as he did. We definitely fed off each other.”

The only other player to break par at Boulder Country Club on Monday was Jack Pevny of Aspen, who carded a 68.

“This course, if you’re not on your game, it’s going to eat you alive,” said Prospect Ridge’s Walker Franklin, who sits in fifth place at 71 despite a double bogey on the 12th hole that Grossenbacher and Klutznick eagled. “So being three or four back is normally like being one or two behind on another course. So it’s not that big of a difference.”

In the 3A team competition, Aspen shot a 4-over-par 214 and leads nine-time state champion Kent Denver by one going into the final round. Holy Family is third at 225.

As for the other two boys state tournaments:

— 5A at Colorado Springs Country Club: Connor Jones of Mountain Range was the only player to break par on Monday as he shot a 3-under-par 68. Jones, who finished sixth last year at state, eagled the 404-yard, par-4 third hole and added two birdies and a bogey. Jones had also holed out for eagle on the same hole in Sunday’s practice round.

Ryan Liao of Lakewood is Jones’ closest pursuer as he trails by three after an even-par 71.

Tied in third place at 72 are Dillon Stewart of Fossil Ridge and Brandon Bervig of Liberty. Stewart, who shot a 63 in winning a regional tournament, is in the midst of an outstanding season, having won the individual and team titles at the Junior America’s Cup along with two AJGA championships.

Lakewood leads the team competition at 10-over-par 223, while Arapahoe and Fossil Ridge sit at 229. Regis Jesuit, winner of seven of the last eight 5A titles, shares fourth place with Cherry Creek at 231.

— 4A at The Club at Flying Horse in Colorado Springs: Micah Stangebye of Montrose opened up a four-stroke lead by shooting a 3-under-par 69 at Flying Horse. Stangebye, who tied for fourth place last year, birdied three of the first four holes and finished the day with six birdies, a bogey and a double bogey.

Three players share second place at 73 — Traejan Andrews of Northridge, Mac Konrad of Ponderosa and Jack Rotermund of Steamboat Springs. Rotermund was 3 under par through 11 holes, but went 4 over the rest of the way.

Montrose, winner of the 4A team title last year and the runner-up in 2016, grabbed an eight-stroke lead on Monday by firing a 5-over-par 221. Steamboat is second at 229 and Palmer Ridge third at 234.

In all three state tournaments, the individual leaders will tee off for Tuesday’s final round at 10:57 a.m.

Here are the leaders at the three tournaments:

CLASS 5A AT COLORADO SPRINGS CC
Team
1. Lakewood 223
2. (tie) Arapahoe and Fossil Ridge 229
4. (tie) Cherry Creek and Regis Jesuit 231
Individual
1. Connor Jones, Mountain Range 68
2. Ryan Liao, Lakewood 71
T3. Brandon Bervig, Liberty 72
T3. Dillon Stewart, Fossil Ridge 72
T5. Noah Dibiase, Lakewood 73
T5. Tarek Salem, Highland Ranch 73
T7. Cade Kilkenny, Cherry Creek 74
T7. Ty Findlow, Valor Christian 74
T7. Walker Fuller, Regis Jesuit 74
10. Caleb Busta, Arapahoe 75

CLASS 4A AT THE CLUB AT FLYING HORSE IN COLORADO SPRINGS
Team
1. Montrose 221
2. Steamboat Springs 229
3. Palmer Ridge 234
4. Mullen 239
T5. Northridge 241
T5. Ponderosa 241
Individual
1. Micah Stangebye, Montrose 69
T2. Jack Rotermund, Steamboat Springs 73
T2. Mac Konrad, Ponderosa 73
T2. Traejan Andrews, Northridge 73
T5. Kellen Kudrna, Mead 74
T5. Ryan Lords, Montrose 74
T5. TJ Shehee, Mead 74
8. Nick Vaver, Centaurus 75
T9. Clay Whitton, Evergreen 76
T9. Ethan Whidden, Durango 76
T9. Oliver Gibbons, Green Mountain 76
T9. Rhett Johnson, Mullen 76

CLASS 3A AT BOULDER COUNTRY CLUB
Team
1. Aspen 214
2. Kent Denver 215
3. Holy Family 225
4. Eaton 235
5. Basalt 241
Individual
1. Peter Grossenbacher, Eaton 65
2. Jackson Klutznick, Kent Denver 67
3. Jack Pevny, Aspen 68
4. Carlo Pine, Telluride 70
5. Walker Franklin, Prospect Ridge 71
T6. Jack Hughes, Aspen 72
T6. Liam O’Halloran, The Classical Academy 72
T8. Davis Long, Peak to Peak 73
T8. Jacobo Arango, Kent Denver 73
T10. Dawson Holmes, Aspen 74
T10. Jacob Mason, Holy Family 74
T10. Jimmy Clark, Lamar 74
 

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.

Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood tied for sixth out of 136 players in the girls 15-18 tournament. She carded rounds of 73-80-76-76 for a 17-over-par 305 total. That left her 12 strokes behind champion Jillian Bourdage.

And in the boys 16-18 event, TJ Shehee of Mead and Micah Stangebye of Montrose were among those who tied for eighth place out of 134 golfers.

Shehee went 71-71-75-74 for a 3-over-par 291 total. At that same figure, Stangebye carded scores of 71-73-72-75.

Those two finished 11 strokes behind champion Yuki Moriyama.

In earlier phases of the Optimist International, Nicholas Pevny of Aspen won the boys 12-13 tournament (READ MORE), while Eva Pett of Denver placed sixth in the girls 13-14 division (READ MORE).

Here are the results of the Colorado golfers at the Optimist this week:

Boys 16-18
8. TJ Shehee of Mead 71-71-75-74–291
8. Micah Stangebye of Montrose 71-73-72-75–291
34. Walker Franklin of Broomfield 77-73-76-76–302
Missed 54-Hole Cut
Ryder Heuston of Louisville 73-81-75–229
Bo Wardynski of Parker 77-76-79–232
Blake Schneiter of Grand Junction 80-81-81–242
Tyler Mulligan of Parker 85-82-79–246
Finn Sapp of Avon 81-84-84–249
 
Girls 15-18
6. Caroline Jordaan of Lakewood 73-80-76-76–305
28. Leigha Devine of Windsor 83-76-77-79–315
46. Jessica Zapf of Windsor 80-78-79-85–322
Missed 54-Hole Cut
Emma Bryant of Aurora 82-81-80–243
Meghan Vogt of Broomfield 83-83-80–246
Morgan Ryan of Centennial 82-83-82–247
Jenna Chun of Englewood 83-83-81–247
Katherine Malcolm of Parker 93-83-89–265
Brooke Kramer of Aurora 93-95-88-276

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.

There was certainly no lack of highlights to punctuate the CJGA 11-13 Junior Series Championship that concluded on Tuesday at Deer Creek Golf Club in Littleton.

On Monday, the golfer who would end up winning the girls title, Katie Berrian of Castle Rock, shot a 4-under-par 66, the lowest score of her life — by seven strokes.

Then on Tuesday, boys competitor Elijia Harp of Antonito in southern Colorado made the first hole-in-one of his life, acing the 123-yard 16th hole with a pitching wedge.

And, adding an exclamation mark to the tournament overall, Jordan Jennings of Montrose, playing in the same group as Harp, chipped in for birdie from 25 feet on the final hole to claim the boys title by one stroke. It was the first individual CJGA title this season for Jennings (pictured above) after three runner-ups and a two-person team victory.

“I knew I had to chip it in so I pulled out the pin and I played a little check shot and it rolled in,” the 12-year old said. “I was really happy.”

With the hole-out, Jennings edged another Montrose resident, Micah Stangebye, who had posted a 1-under-par 70 just minutes earlier. Jennings’ 73, which included four birdies, gave him an even-par 142 total. Two strokes back of Jennings and one behind Stangebye was Jack Hughes of Snowmass Village, who closed with a 75. That left Western Slope players with a sweep of the top three boys spots.

On the girls side, Berrian’s first-round 66 gave her a four-shot cushion entering the day and a 4-over-par 74 on Tuesday left her with a five-stroke victory. The 13-year-old made two birdies on Tuesday en route to posting an even-par 140 total. It was the fourth CJGA title this year for Berrian (left and below).

“This means a lot,” said the eighth-grader at St. Thomas More Catholic School. “I’ve always wanted to win this since I was 9. Now I finally have the opportunity.”

Hailey Schalk of Erie finished second among the girls despite suffering a quadruple bogey 7 — she hit into the hazard twice on No. 16 — and a double bogey on Tuesday. Schalk carded a 75 to check in at 145. Brittlynn O’Dell of Grand Junction came in third at 148 after a 76 on Tuesday.

Though Berrian played well enough to win on Tuesday, her out-of-the-blue 66 was what set up the victory. On her back nine Monday, she made an eagle and three birdies en route to a 4-under-par 32.

“I’ve never putted like that before,” said Berrian, whose previous best round was a 73. “It was really nice.”

Berrian recently placed a very respectable 15th in the girls 13-14 age group at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida. But her Monday round took things to another level.

“I was pretty confident coming into this week,” she said. “I’ve been playing great lately, hitting it good and putting good. But I surprised myself a little (by shooting that score).”

While Berrian had some cushion coming down the stretch on Tuesday, the same wasn’t the case in the boys tournament. Jennings (below) and Hughes were tied going into the 17th hole, but Hughes made bogey after hitting his approach into a bunker on 17 and parred 18. And Stangebye, who had made up four shots on Jennings on holes 14-17 to draw even, fell victim to Jennings’ final-hole chip-in for birdie.

“I’ve qualified for the Optimist (International) twice and the Junior Worlds once, but this is probably my biggest (golf accomplishment),” said Jennings, a seventh-grader at Columbine Middle School in Montrose.

The 11-13 tournament marked the second of three CJGA Junior Series Championships. Last week at The Ranch Country Club, Coby Welch and Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch won the titles in the 14-18 age group. And the 10-&-under tournament will take place Wednesday at Boulder Country Club’s Les Fowler Par-3 Course.
 

CJGA 11-13 Junior Series Championship
At Deer Creek GC in Littleton

Boys (Par-71)
Jordan Jennings, Montrose, Colo. 69-73–142
Micah Stangebye, Montrose, Colo. 73-70–143
Jack Hughes, Snowmass Village, Colo. 69-75–144
Elijia Harp, Antonito, Colo. 72-78–150
Ryan Liao, Littleton, Colo. 75-75–150
Christian Agelopoulos, Denver, Colo. 79-74–153
Davis Long, Lafayette, Colo. 74-79–153
Ryan Sangchompuphen, Denver, Colo. 76-78–154
Traejan Andrews, Windsor, Colo. 78-81–159
Thomas Hicks, Denver, Colo. 84-81–165
Supawich Beam Boonta, Centennial, Colo. 84-83–167
Jeffrey Nelson, New Castle, Colo. 86-83–169
Medhaj Shrestha, Golden, Colo. 84-88–172
Jake Chesler, Firestone, Colo. 91-83–174
Zaden Gomez, Westminster, Colo. 89-87–176
 

Girls (Par-70)
Katie Berrian, Castle Rock, Colo. 66-74–140
Hailey Schalk, Erie, Colo. 70-75–145
Brittlynn O’Dell, Grand Junction, Colo. 72-76–148
Marie Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 74-78–152
Amisha Singh, Greenwood Village, Colo. 82-71–153
Charlotte Hillary, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 77-86–163
Emma Bryant, Denver, Colo. 84-83–167
Anju Ogi, Arvada, Colo. 85-91–176
Sofia Choi, Littleton, Colo. 88-90–178
Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland, Colo. 94-85–179