It was the best showing at the GJAC for the CWGA squad since 2013, when the Coloradans placed third.

Despite Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village withdrawing on Thursday and Colorado having to count all of the other three players’ scores toward the team total, the CWGA squad managed its second-best round of the tournament, a 16-over-par 232. That put the Coloradans at 54-over 702 overall.

Southern California won the event — which features 18 teams from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico — by 15 strokes with a 659 total.

Individually, the Coloradans were led by their youngest competitor, 14-year-old Hailey Schalk of Erie, who rebounded from a first-round 83 to finish 20th, with a 16-over 232 total.

Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction was next-best (233, 23rd place), while Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora came in at 239 (39th place). (The Colorado team is pictured above, from left: Murray, Chitkoksoong, Jordaan and Schalk.)

Brianna Navarrosa of Southern California claimed the individual title by four with a 2-under-par 214 total.

Here are the round-by-round scores of the Colorado competititors:

9. Colorado 242-228-232–702
20. Hailey Schalk of Erie 83-75-74–232
23. Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction 80-73-80–233
39. Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora 80-81-78–230
WD. Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village 82-80-WD

For all the scores from the GJAC, CLICK HERE.

The foursome representing the CWGA carded the sixth-best score of the day — out of 18 teams — to jump into 11th place with one round remaining in the competition which features squads from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico.

With Colorado’s best three scores adding up to 12-over-par 228, the team stands at 38-over 470, 31 strokes behind leader Southern California but just four out of sixth place.

Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction, competing in her second GJAC, shot a 1-over-par 73 on Wednesday to vault into 17th place individually at 9-over 153. Hailey Schalk of Erie also jumped considerably in the individual standings, moving up to 34th place after a second-round 75 left her at 158.

Brianna Navarrosa of Southern California is the top individual going into the final round, at 1-under-par 143.

Here are the round-by-round scores of the Colorado competititors:

11. Colorado 242-228–470
17. Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction 80-73–153
34. Hailey Schalk of Erie 83-75–158
41. Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora 80-81–161
44. Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village 82-80–162

Play will conclude on Thursday.

For all the scores from the GJAC, CLICK HERE.
 

When the event is contested July 26-28 in Modesto, Calif., three of the four Colorado players will be age 15 or younger. It’s safe to say that few, if any, of the other 17 teams from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico which will be in the field will feature a younger squad.

The Colorado team will be comprised of 14-year-old Hailey Schalk of Erie, 15-year-olds Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village and Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora, and 17-year-old Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction.

But that doesn’t mean the CWGA squad will be inexperienced. In fact, two of the Coloradans have competed in the Girls Junior Americas Cup previously. Murray played in 2014 and Jordaan last year, when she finished 22nd individually and the CWGA team placed 10th.

Chitkoksoong won the CWGA Junior Match Play last year at age 14. And in May, she finished second individually in the 5A state high school tournament while helping her Grandview squad claim the team title. Chitkoksoong also qualified for the prestigious IMG Academy Junior World Championships this year.

Murray has been on two Regis Jesuit squads that have won state high school team championships. She qualified for the 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior, was runner-up in the 2015 CGA Junior Match Play, and qualified for the 2016 Optimist International Junior Championships.

Jordaan won the 2015 Colorado PGA Junior Championship and finished second at this year’s 4A state high school meet and third at the Colorado Junior Amateur. Last year at the Optimist International Junior tournament, Jordaan placed 17th in the girls 13-14 age group. She was seventh at this year’s AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior.

Schalk was runner-up in the Colorado Junior Amateur and tied for seventh place at the AJGA Irwin Junior — both last month.

To read about the CGA’s boys JAC team, CLICK HERE.