The University of Colorado sophomore recorded two top-10 finishes during the break, including his 10th-place showing out of a 135-player field on Saturday at The Goodwin at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.

The performance comes on the heels of the Englishman’s career-best second-place finish last weekend at the Kansas State Bighorn Invitational.

O’Loughlin (pictured in a CU photo by Chip Bromfield), carded scores of 73-66-70 in San Francisco, which gave him a three-day total of 4-under-par 209. He made 13 birdies over the course of 54 holes. It was his third top-10 of the season for the sophomore, who also ended up fifth in the season-opening Miranda Invitational in September. Norman Xiong of Oregon claimed the individual title Saturday with a 198 total.

CU put three players in the top 30 as the Buffs tied for sixth in the 26-team field. Also finishing highly for Colorado were senior Yannik Paul of Germany (20th place at 212) and freshman Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction (27th place at 213).

Northern Colorado, led by Joshua Matz, finished 25th as a team on Saturday.

The Goodwin
March 29-31, 2018 (final) in San Francisco
6. (out of 26 teams) Colorado 287-278-288–853
10. Daniel O’Loughlin 73-66-70–209
20. Yannik Paul 70-72-70–212
27. Trevor Olkowski 71-66-76–213
92. Spencer Painton 73-76-74–223
101. John Souza 77-74-74–225

25. Northern Colorado 302-303-294–899
92. Joshua Matz 72-79-72–223
99. Coby Welch 78-71-75–224
101. Sam Marley 75-78-72–225
118. Andrew Romano 77-77-75–229
133. Li Chen 80-77-80–237

Also
65. Coloradan Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 70-75-74–219
101. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 76-73-76–225
 

Kupcho, the 2012 CGA Player of the Year whose sister Jennifer recently finished runner-up in the women’s ACC tournament, closed with a 1-under-par 71 Sunday at the Big Sky tournament in Boulder City, Nev. That left him at 5-under-par 211 overall, five strokes behind individual champion Evan Russell of Hartford.

As a team, UNC ended up fourth out of eight teams in the Big Sky as the Bears’ 1-over-par 865 total was 23 back of winner Idaho.

Paul, who made an eagle and two birdies Sunday at the Pac-12 meet in Salt Lake City, fired a 2-over-par 73. His 2-under-par 282 total left him 10 behind champion Jon Rahm of Arizona State. The best previous individual finish for CU in its first four Pac-12 Championships was a 12th by David Oraee two years ago.

Team-wise, Colorado tied for six out of 12 teams on Sunday, posting a 39-over-par 1,459 total. Stanford claimed the title at 1,402.

CU will host the 2017 Pac-12 Championships April 28-30 at Boulder Country Club. It will be the first time the Buffs’ men’s golf team has hosted a conference championship since the 1972 Big Eight tournament.

Meanwhile, the Summit League Championship started Sunday in Newton, Kan., and the University of Denver sits in fourth place out of nine teams after round 1, at 18-over-par 306, leaving the Pioneers 14 shots behind leader South Dakota State. Sophomore Chris Korte, the 2015 CGA Stroke Play champion who was named a second-team All-Summit League selection, shot an even-par 72 and shares third place individually. Zach Schroeder of IPFW leads the way at 70.
 

Men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship
April 29-May 1, 2016 (final) in Salt Lake City, Utah
6. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 360-363-371-365–1459
7. Jeremy Paul 67-68-74-73–282; 35. Ethan Freeman 75-73-76-70–294; 36. John Souza 76-70-74-75–295; 38. Philip Juel-Berg 72-77-70-77–296; 41. Wilson Belk 74-75-78-70–297; 67. Ross Macdonald 72-77-77-84–310.

Men’s Big Sky Conference Championship
April 29-May 1, 2016 (final) in Boulder City, Nev.
4. (out of 8 teams) Northern Colorado 285-296-284–865
6. Steven Kupcho 68-72-71–211; 11. Joshua Matz 73-76-66–215; 15. Li Chen 74-74-72–220; 17. Conner Barr 70-74-77–221; 38. Sam Marley 80-78-75–233.

Men’s Summit League Championship
May 1-3, 2016 in Newton, Kan.
4. (out of 9 teams) Denver 306
3. Chris Korte 72; 11. Jake Kelley 75; 21. Arti Edelman 78; 37. Adam Ruben 81; 40. Michael Boylan 82.

Men’s Big 12 Conference Championship
April 29-May 1, 2016 (final) in Trinity, Texas
29. Coloradan Wyndham Clark, Oklahoma State 75-78-73-75–301
 

The 2012 CGA Stroke Play champion played his final nine holes in 3 under par on Saturday and finished with an even-par 72, leaving him at 4-under 140 overall. That puts him in a tie for third place, one back of co-leaders Taylor Knoll of Sacramento State and Evan Russell of Hartford. Kupcho (pictured) made four birdies and four bogeys in round 2.

As a team, UNC fell into fourth place in the eight-team event. The Bears are at 5-over-par 581, 14 strokes behind leader Sacramento State.

Meanwhile, at the Pac-12 Championship in Salt Lake City, University of Colorado junior Jeremy Paul remained in the top 10 individually.

Paul shot a 3-over-par 74 on Saturday and dropped into eighth place against a very tough field. He trails leader K.K. Limbhasut of Cal by 11 strokes.

In the team race, the Buffs slipped into eighth place at 29-over-par 1,094. Stanford remains in the lead and will take a 29-under-par 1,036 total into Sunday’s final round.

Men’s Big Sky Conference Championship
April 29-May 1, 2016 in Boulder City, Nev.
4. (out of 8 teams) Northern Colorado 285-296–581
3. Steven Kupcho 68-72–140; 11. Conner Barr 70-74–144; 18. Li Chen 74-74–148; 24. Joshua Matz 73-76–149; 38. Sam Marley 80-78–158.

Men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship
April 29-May 1, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah
8. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 360-363-371–1094
8. Jeremy Paul 67-68-74–209; 34. Philip Juel-Berg 72-77-70–219; 37. John Souza 76-70-74–220; 45. Ethan Freeman 75-73-76–224; 52. Ross Macdonald 72-77-77–226; 57. Wilson Belk 74-75-78–227.

Men’s Big 12 Conference Championship
April 29-May 1, 2016 in Trinity, Texas
26. Coloradan Wyndham Clark, Oklahoma State 75-78-73–226
 

The regular season has ended for all nine NCAA Division I golf programs based in Colorado (five men’s, four women’s), with the last of the bunch wrapping up play on Sunday. Up next, starting as soon as Monday for some Colorado teams, are conference championships, then — potentially — NCAA regionals and finals.

And while there won’t be any Division I tournaments in Colorado in the coming month and a half, both the men’s and women’s NCAA D-II finals will be held in the Centennial State, with the men May 17-21 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club and the women May 18-21 at CommonGround Golf Course. Tickets for those events will be $5 per day or $15 for the week, with the cost good for both sites. For those interested in volunteering for one of the tournaments, CLICK HERE.

As for the local Division I programs, conference championships are scheduled over the coming two weeks. First up are all of the local D-I women’s teams competing Monday through Wednesday at four different sites.

That includes the University of Denver, which will be going for its 13th consecutive conference title, this one at the Summit League tournament in Nebraska City. Also competing those same dates are the University of Colorado women, who are ranked 25th in the nation according to Golfweek and are at the Pac-12 Championships in Pleasantown, Calif.

Here’s a brief rundown on each of the D-I conference championships involving a Colorado team:

— CU women at Pac-12 tournament, April 18-20 in Pleasantown, Calif. Notable: CU hosted the 2015 event at Boulder Country Club, posting its best finish ever in the Pac-12 (fifth). … The 25th-ranked Buffs have recorded four top-four team finishes this season. … Junior Esther Lee leads the Buffs in scoring, at 72.54. She’s posted six top-10 individual finishes this season, including one win in the stroke-play portion of a match-play event. Lee is ranked No. 15 among the nation’s women’s D-I players by both Golfweek and Golfstat.

— DU women at Summit League tournament, April 18-20 in Nebraska City. Notable: In the last dozen years, the Pioneers have won two Summit League titles, plus nine in the Sun Belt Conference, and one in the WAC. DU prevailed by 18 strokes last year. … Denver has two top-four finishes to its credit, both coming in Colorado, including a win in DU’s Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in October. … Freshman Kathi Baratta, a first-team All-Summit League pick, leads DU in stroke average at 76.1.

— Colorado State women at Mountain West Conference tournament, April 18-20 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Notable: The Rams placed sixth at the 2015 conference tourney. … CSU notched two top-four finishes during the regular season. … Freshman Katrina Prendergast leads CSU in stroke average at 73.76. Her best finish is a fifth-place showing.

— Northern Colorado women at Big Sky tournament, April 18-20 in Boulder City, Nev. Notable: 2015: UNC finished sixth in last year’s Big Sky Championships. … The Bears placed in the top three in two of their last three tournaments. … Junior Kala Keltz from Montrose claimed an individual title on Tuesday at the Montana State Bobcat Invitational. Also recently posting a high individual showing was UNC’s Amanda Myers, who was runner-up in a tournament last month.

— CSU and Air Force Academy men at Mountain West Conference tournament, April 22-24 in Tucson, Ariz. Notable: CSU was fifth and Air Force 10th in last year’s MWC meet. … Colorado State has posted five top-four finishes this season, including two victories. … CSU senior Dominic Kieffer leads the Rams in stroke average, at 71.9, having notched four top-six individual finishes. … Air Force posted two top-three team showings this season. … Of golfers who have competed in more than 20 rounds, Sunwoo Choi leads the Falcons in stroke average at 73.9. He has two top-10s to his credit.

— UNC men at Big Sky tournament, April 29-May 1 in Boulder City, Nev. Notable: Last year, UNC placed sixth in the conference tournament. … The Bears’ top team showing this season has been a runner-up. … Coloradan Steven Kupcho, the 2012 CGA Player of the Year, will wrap up his college career this spring. He placed fourth in a tournament in February.

— CU men at the Pac-12 tournament, April 29-May 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Notable: The Buffs will host the 2017 Pac-12 Championships next April 28-30 at Boulder Country Club. … CU, ranked 60th in the nation by Golfstat, has posted five top-four team finishes this season, notching two victories. … Junior Jeremy Paul (70.45) and senior Philip Juel-Berg (71.87) both average under 72 for the Buffs. Each has an individual victory in a large-scale tournament this season. … CU placed 11th in the league tournament last year.

— DU men at Summit League tournament, May 1-3 in Newton, Kan. Notable: The Pioneers’ top team showing of the season was a fifth place at the Pacific Invitational in October. … 2015 CGA Stroke Play champion Chris Korte, a sophomore, leads the Pioneers’ regulars in stroke average at 74.9. … Last year, DU placed fifth in the league championship. … The Pioneers just signed Roy Kang of North Vancouver, B.C., to a national letter of intent. Kang, who tied for third in the 2015 Junior America’s Cup, will join DU in the fall.
 

When it comes to running LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Northern Colorado, Kim Stiner says her husband, Gale, is known as “Coach Fun”.

Which, of course, makes him perfect for the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program based at the Olde Course in Loveland.

The national LPGA-USGA Girls Golf concept has been a big hit in recent years — it’s grown from 5,000 participants to about 50,000 in just the last five years — and a big reason is that key ingredient: the fun part.

“We focus hard on making it fun,” said Kim Stiner, the LPGA head professional at the Olde Course and the director of LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Northern Colorado. “Gale says it’s almost like we trick them into learning through fun. We use contests, games, anything we can think of. If you’re just hitting balls on the driving range, it can get pretty boring, so you need to push creativity. A big part of the success is the fun the kids have.”

The Northern Colorado chapter (see photos) is one of 10 LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs in Colorado. There are several in the Denver metro area — the one started and operated by the CWGA at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, along with others at The First Tee of Denver, The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, Golden/Westminster, Valley Country Club, and the Family Sports Center in Centennial.

Other sites around the state include Northern Colorado in Loveland, Colorado Springs at Cherokee Ridge Golf Course, Montrose at Black Canyon Golf Club, and the Pueblo YMCA. CLICK HERE to see all the sites and contact information. 

Some of the 2015 programs start as soon as this week. Most at least run through the bulk of the summer when many kids are out of school. At CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA, the program will be held weekly on Friday afternoons beginning June 12.

The CWGA has a big stake in the developmental junior program’s success, not only at CommonGround but around the state. After all, it’s an ideal portal for bringing girls into the game — and helping them develop — through fun activities, instruction and simply playing on the course.

“LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs have great potential for girls to participate together in a group environment and to have fun,” said CWGA executive director Ann Guiberson. “It’s very social. Girls participation in the game is growing, but we have to keep at it. We have to keep encouraging girls.  They are a demographic that can lead the next generation of golf.”

Kim Stiner oversees one of the more successful local LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs. It’s been in place at the Olde Course since 2005.

“The first year, I had no idea what to expect,” Stiner said. “The LPGA said we’d probably have no more than 20 girls. We had 75. I was like, ‘Wow, this is awesome.’ We’ve been as high as the 90s (one year). The last few years it’s been around 50. We haven’t done any advertising other than flyers in schools. It seem to get a lot of word of mouth. It’s a nice size, manageable.

“Before we started this, our town had three courses but not really anything (specifically) for girls. They were just thrown into a mix of mostly boys. With this, we’ve tweaked it over the years and made it our own program. It’s a work in progress. We (Kim and Gale) both call it our labor of love.”

The Northern Colorado chapter draws girls (age 7-17 of any golf skill level) not only from Loveland but from other neighboring communities. And Stiner and her husband, who’s the clubhouse manager at the Olde Course, have certainly seen it pay dividends. For instance, six girls on Loveland-area high school golf teams this week qualified for one of the two state tournaments. (Coincidentally, the 5A state meet this year is scheduled for the Olde Course, on May 18-19.)

But the Northern Colorado chapter draws all sorts of participants.

“Some have maybe been in other programs, others may not have touched a club,” Kim Stiner said. “Some may be entering high school golf. What’s nice is there’s something for everyone (including 3-hole, 6-hole, 9-hole and 18-hole play days). I feel strongly about girls that they’re very social and want to fit in, and we make that possible. They don’t have to worry or stress about not being good enough.”

Different LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs run things differently, but in Loveland, they devote one day per week in June and July to playing on the course, and one to practice, instruction and games.

Moving forward, Guiberson would like to see more coordination among the different programs in the state. “We want to pull all the programs together to see where we can share some best practices and resources,” she said.

Though LPGA-USGA Girls Golf is a countrywide program — grants are provided from the national organizations — it’s administered locally. That takes shape differently at various local chapters.

“We have to do quite a bit locally to get the participants and to knock on doors of school districts and the Girl Scouts to try to get to the audience,” Guiberson said.

Besides having various chapters in Colorado, LPGA-USGA Girls Golf owes some of its organizational success to a Coloradan, former USGA president Judy Bell, a Colorado Springs resident. Bell facilitated the link-up between the LPGA Foundation and the USGA.

“She was of our advocate with the USGA,” said Nancy Henderson, president of the LPGA Foundation. “She was the one who said the USGA needed to partner with us on this program. Since then, we couldn’t have asked for a better partnership. It not only adds credibility, but to have a presence at the U.S. Women’s Open means so much to us.”

Nowadays, about 300 communities around the country have LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs. The initiative, which took form in 1989, has directly affected several big-name players, including one-time participants Brittany Lincicome and Morgan Pressel, both prominent LPGA Tour players.