Between them, Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster and Becca Huffer of Denver have won four state high school titles and four CWGA Player of the Year awards.

And now, both are in very good position heading into the final three rounds of the LPGA Q-Series where 2019 Tour cards will be distributed.

With the top 45 finishers and ties after Saturday’s eighth round of the Q-Series landing LPGA berths, Kupcho sits in fourth place out of 102 players in Pinehurst, N.C. And Huffer is tied for 14th place.

Kupcho, the No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world, shot a 1-under-par 71 on Wednesday at Pinehurst No. 7 and checked in at 9-under-par 351 overall, four behind leader Klara Spilkova. Huffer fired a fifth-round 68 and stands at 361. As of Wednesday, the players at 367 were tied for 44th place.

Kupcho, the senior from Wake Forest who won the NCAA Division I individual title in May, made four birdies and three bogeys on Wednesday. Huffer (pictured below), the 2013 CoBank Colorado Open champion, went bogey-free on Wednesday, making four birdies on the day.

Amateurs — such as Kupcho (pictured above in a photo courtesy of her family) — who go on to earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections (Note: The first four rounds were played at Pinehurst No. 6, and the final four are being held at Pinehurst No. 7):

4. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72-68-67-71–351
14. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76-70-70-68–361
77. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75-74-72-79–375
77. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79-67-76-74–375

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

Both teams are coming off successful seasons with the Avalanche making the play-offs and the Nuggets being one win away from a play-off berth.

The CGA joins the Colorado Avalanche’s Charity Challenge for the 2018-2019 season. Tickets start at just $25 and include games against the Pittsburg Penguins, Montreal Canadians, St. Louis Blues and a rematch of the First Round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Play-Offs against the Nashville Predators.

With each ticket sold, a minimum of $5 is donated back to the CGA. Other local charities are also competing with the CGA to sell the most tickets with the winner receiving the grand prize of a $10,000 donation.

CGA Members can also get out to cheer on the currently undefeated Denver Nuggets with this new partnership. Discounts vary per game and section. The selected home games are announced monthly.

Upcoming games for the month of November include the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

For Avalanche tickets click HERE.

For Nuggets tickets click HERE.

McCambridge (pictured in a school photo) posted rounds of 71-72 for a 1-under-par 143 total and a three-stroke victory. She set the school’s women’s record by two shots for a 36-hole tournament score and became the first women’s golfer at the UW-Stout to match or break par on back-to-back tournament days.

McCambridge tied for an individual college title almost two years ago during her freshman season. But that event featured a 25-golfer field, while the one that finished Sunday had 75 players.
 

CGA MEMBERS:

As the Official Luxury Vehicle of Topgolf Centennial, we invite you to The BMW Performance Drive – an exclusive opportunity to test-drive the newest line of BMWs featuring xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive, including the first-ever BMW X2 and the all-new BMW X4.
 

RESTRICTIONS APPLY. Customer must register and attend The BMW Performance Drive to be eligible for the $1,000 Credit. Attendee will receive an email with details for the $1,000 Credit. Offer valid to registrant or any family member residing within the same household. Customer must present offer email to Co’s BMW Center, BMW of Denver Downtown, Gebhardt BMW, or Schomp BWW in order to redeem offer. Most new 2017, 2018 and 2019 BMW models are eligible for the $1,000 Credit offer. Customer must take delivery by November 30, 2018. Offer is available only at Co’s BMW Center, BMW of Denver Downtown, Gebhardt BMW, or Schomp BMW. For contact details visit bmwcolorado.com. $1,000 credit is applied against MSRP of final purchase, lease or loan, and not against title, tax, destination, or other handling charges. Offer valid on final negotiated price and may be combined with select applicable BMW offers available at the time of purchase. Offer may not be applied to prior purchases or on previously ordered vehicles. BMW Financial Services not required for funding of lease or purchase to take advantage of this offer. BMW NA Company vehicles, retired AMP vehicles, retired Extended Test Drive vehicles, Center Employee Lease vehicles, European Delivery vehicles, USAA, Daily Rentals, and EPP do not qualify. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other driving event offer, Drive for Team USA, Ultimate Driving Experience, Golf Cup Offer, USAA Military Program or any Event related or closing / conquest cash offers. Please see your participating center for full details. ©2018 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

Caddie programs come in all shapes in sizes. Here in Colorado, we are fortunate to have some incredible caddie programs. The Colorado Golf Association’s own is the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy located at the home course of the CGA, CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora as well as chapters at Meridian Golf Club in Parker and Grand Junction’s Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado Golf Courses. 

The Solich Academy, founded in 2012, has 52 kids enrolled in this year’s program.  These 8th & 9th graders are selected based on academic excellence, character and financial need. These kids then receive an educational grant following their weekly completion of leadership training, volunteer service and, as expected, completed caddie rounds. 

During the summer the kids get to learn the game of golf in a way that can only be done on course with a golfer’s bag on their shoulder.  Caddies are free to the golfers they are looping for.  While a tip is always a bonus, each caddie receives an evaluation from the golfer they are looping for.  After two summers, the kids then have the opportunity to move on to other successful caddie programs across the Denver area.

One of the special parts of taking a caddie is time spent with these young men and women. Each of these kids has a unique story and caddying means something different to each and every one of them. For some this is their first job and it teaches them many new skills.

“It’s like a form of responsibility,” said Nelan Benjamin, a first-year caddie, “This is my first job so far, so you get learn a bunch of new things.”

A major objective of starting the Solich Academy was to put kids on a path toward the Evans Scholarship administered by the Western Golf Association.  The WGA awards full tuition and housing scholarships to 60 students annually to the University of Colorado Boulder.  In the 2017-2018 school year, there were 965 Evans Scholars enrolled in leading universities nationwide.  The scholarship is awarded to caddies across the country that exemplify exceptional work ethic, character and academic achievement. The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy has seen 17 graduates go on to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.

One of those is Nate Garcia who went on to caddie at the Denver Country Club and has just finished his freshman year at CU where he is studying political science.

“I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for caddying,” said Garcia.  

The Solich Academy is funded through the generosity of donors around the state.  If you would like to support the caddie program with a gift, please consider donating today: CLICK HERE TO DONATE, or visit CommonGround and take a free caddie today.

Another way you can support the program is through the CGA’s Bandon Dunes Dream Vacation Raffle.  At Bandon Dunes Golf Resort caddies play an important role in a player’s golf experience.  This walking-only golf resort features five distinctly different courses, including two designed by Tom Doak, the same architect who designed CommonGround Golf Course.  (#2 Pacific Dunes and #10 Old MacDonald ranked Golf Digest Top 100 Public Courses)

The CGA and Bandon Dunes are proud to continue the Bandon Dunes Dream Golf Vacation raffle for a third year. The grand prize includes six rounds of golf and caddie fees at your choice of five courses, three-nights’ accommodations, and a $1,000 food/travel credit.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here. Thank you for supporting the Solich Academy and future caddies in Colorado.

No need to register! Just stop by and join us for some family fun, friendly instruction, giveaways and more.

See you there!

The Colorado Golf Association is pleased to announce a unique member event courtesy of our partnership with Vidanta Resorts. Represent Colorado golfers of all abilities to play against other states from the USA and Mexico in this two-person, three-day championship; foursomes (best ball), four-ball (modified alternate shot), and two-person scramble. CGA Members with an active Handicap Index are eligible to participate.

The event will be played April 27 – 29 at the Nicklaus Design and Norman Signature golf courses at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta. Men and women amateur golfers from the United States and Mexico with a verifiable Handicap Index are now invited to register for the tournament.

Tournament packages with accommodations start at $1,894/player or without accommodations available for $995/player. Local Colorado players are already signed up to play. Join us and represent Colorado!

TOURNAMENT PACKAGE INCLUDES

• 2 rounds of golf for players on the Norman Signature Course.
• 1 round of golf for players on the Nicklaus Design Course.
• Welcome reception with domestic beer, house wine and house liquor brands.
• Awards Lunch with domestic beer, house wine and house liquor brands.
• Breakfast and Lunch for 3 days.
• 1 gift bag and 3 competition team shirts for each player, one for each day of competition.
• Prizes for hole-in-one, closest-to-the-hole and prize drawing.
• 4 nights, 5 days of accommodations in a Master Room.
• Shuttle/cab ride from the airport to Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta.
• Package rates do not include airfare.

  CLICK HERE TO REGISTER  

ABOUT GRUPO VIDANTA

Founded in 1974 by the tourism industry’s leading visionary, Daniel Chávez Morán, Grupo Vidanta is the preeminent developer and resort operator in Mexico and Latin America specializing in vacation destinations, luxury hotel brands, golf courses, real estate, tourism infrastructure and entertainment. The company owns and operates multiple properties in Mexico’s most sought-after beach destinations including Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Acapulco, Puerto Peñasco, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlán. Vidanta’s portfolio is also comprised of six distinct resort hotel brands – Grand Luxxe, The Grand Bliss, The Grand Mayan, The Bliss, Mayan Palace, and Sea Garden. From AAA Five Diamond award-winning hotels to an internationally recognized collection of golf courses throughout Mexico, Grupo Vidanta continually pioneers innovative partnerships, including collaborations with Cirque du Soleil to create JOYÀ (a first-of-its kind experience in Riviera Maya); Nicklaus Designs to develop three renowned Jack Nicklaus golf courses; and Greg Norman Golf Course Design to debut the newest pro course in the collection at Nuevo Vallarta. In addition to being the largest golf course developer in Mexico, Grupo Vidanta has also developed Mexico’s first privately built and owned airport in Puerto Peñasco.

Frequently named among the “Best Companies to Work for in Mexico,” Vidanta maintains a strong commitment to its 15,000 employees, and surrounding communities, through its progressive mission dedicated to environmental and philanthropic efforts, including its long-established non-profit foundations, Fundación Vidanta and Fundación Delia Morán. For more information, visit www.grupovidanta.com.