The better-ball stroke-play event is limited to golfers with handicaps between 20 and 36. The competition was divided into six flights, with 47 two-person teams competing on Tuesday.

Kardatzke and Ellison (pictured, Kardatzke at left) finished with three net eagles, six birdies and three bogeys for their winning 63.

Here are the best scores from each flight:

NET

First Flight — (tie) Sandy Schnitzer/Bunny Ambrose, Wendy Saltarelli/Caren Paul and Barbara Harrison/Clarissa Gliksman 68.

Second Flight — Heidi Cies/Ann Priestman 66.

Third Flight — Kim Ellison/Jan Kardatzke 63.

Fourth Flight — Virginia Edley/Nancy Thonen 64.

Fifth Flight — Thelma Benefiel/Dee Martinez 69.

Sixth Flight — Rhonda Sparlin/Lesley Ackerman 65.

GROSS

First Flight — Sandy Schnitzer/Bunny Ambrose 89.

Second Flight — Christine Chonka/Tricia Laroche 91.

Third Flight — Linda Gray/CJ Michael 89.

Fourth Flight — Virginia Edley/Nancy Thonen 91.

Fifth Flight — (tie) Margie Doss/Rose Rismanchi and Thelma Benefiel/Dee Martinez 98.

Sixth Flight — Rhonda Sparlin/Lesley Ackerman 95.

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

At 3 over par through 13 holes on Tuesday at Omni Interlocken Golf Club in Broomfield, Guy Mertz wasn’t feeling good about qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur for a second straight year.

But it’s amazing what three birdies in his final five holes — and another on the first hole of a playoff — will do to change your outlook.

Mertz played his final six holes of the day, including the playoff, in 4 under par — and the final three in 3 under — to punch his ticket to the U.S. Senior Am again.

“I’m in shock,” he said of his late comeback. “It was totally unexpected. … I just wasn’t feeling it. I was just a little off. But I did it. It’s unbelievable to me. I stuck with it long enough, I guess. I’m really happy. I guess it proves last year wasn’t a fluke. Two years in a row; it can’t be a fluke, can it? Maybe I’m decent.”

The 59-year-old from Longmont joined Don Eklund of San Diego and Scott Sullivan of Grand Junction in booking return trips to the national championship for amateurs 55 and older.

This year’s U.S. Senior Am will be contested Aug. 25-30 at Eugene Country Club in Oregon.

Eklund, a 61-year-old who used to live in the Vail area, shot a 3-under-par 69 to land medalist honors — and his second trip to the U.S. Senior Amateur. Sullivan earned his third berth in the event thanks to a 71 and despite playing his final three holes in 2 over par. And Mertz, as noted, rallied to qualify through a playoff. (Eklund and Sullivan are pictured above, with the medalist at left.)

Mertz and two other contestants who have likewise previously competed in the U.S. Senior Am — CGA Executive Committee members Kent Moore of Centennial and Gary Albrecht of Denver — posted 72s on Tuesday, then played off for the final spot in the national championship.

Moore and Albrecht hit ideal drives in the playoff, with Albrecht putting his second shot on the par-5 on the green, 60 feet short of the flag, and Moore leaving his second in a greenside bunker. Mertz pushed his tee shot into the rough and had a semi-blind second shot over a knoll, and he hit a 3-wood to 40 yards shot of the hole.

After a mediocre pitch, Mertz (left) drained a 20-foot birdie putt. Albrecht ended up three-putting for par from 60 feet. And Moore, after a good bunker shot to 7 feet, missed his birdie try, leaving Mertz to advance to his sixth USGA championship. He’s previously gone to the now-defunct U.S. Amateur Public Links three times, the 1990 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club, and last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur in Minnesota, where he grew up.

“I didn’t hit a very good pitch, but I hit a really good putt (in the playoff),” said Mertz, the reigning CGA Parent/Child champion with son Nick. “I’d rather have a bad pitch and a good putt than a great pitch and a bad putt.”

After Mertz secured the final qualifying spot on Tuesday, Moore subsequently made a par on the same hole to earn the first alternate position as Albrecht made bogey.

Earlier, Eklund had holed a 100-yard wedge shot for eagle on the eighth hole en route to his 69. He added two birdies and one bogey during a day in which he hit 16 greens in regulation.

“I didn’t see (the wedge shot) go in,” said Eklund, the 2017 San Diego City Senior Amateur champion. “But it never left the flag. I have hole-outs probably two or three times a year, especially with my wedge. I consider myself a very good wedge player.”

As for returning to the U.S. Senior Am after a five-year absence, Eklund said, “It’s going to be a lot better, I can tell you that. I’ve been wanting to go back for six years. The USGA puts on great events. It’s such a treasure to go to one of them. I hear good things about Eugene Country Club and I’m really looking forward to it.”

The same is true for the 60-year-old Sullivan, who recently won the senior division of the CGA Western Chapter Championship. On Tuesday, he carded four birdies and three bogeys in his round of 71. Sullivan previously played in the 2013 and ’15 U.S. Senior Amateurs and the 2010 U.S. Senior Open.

“It will be great” competing in another USGA championship, said Sullivan, who’s won multiple low-amateur/low-senior amateur titles in the Rocky Mountain Open. “I’ve heard great things about Eugene Country Club too. The USGA events are the important ones (on his golf schedule). That’s what I point to. They’re great. Especially at the Senior Open, they treat you like a king. But I just enjoy competition.”

As for Mertz, he’s aiming to make match play at this year’s U.S. Senior Am after falling short last year in Minnesota, where he lived the first 26 years of his life.

“Hopefully when I get there (to Eugene) I won’t be quite as nervous because last year I had a lot of people in Minnesota rooting me on,” he said. “I put more pressure on myself, which is never good.”

U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying
At Par-72 Omni Interlocken GC in Broomfield

ADVANCE TO U.S. SENIOR AMATEUR
Don Eklund, San Diego 34-35–69
Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction 35-36–71
Guy Mertz, Longmont 39-33–72
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Kent Moore, Centennial 36-36–72
Gary Albrecht, Denver 38-34–72

For all the scores from Tuesday, CLICK HERE.

Fifty-five players will be in the field, with the top three finishers earning spots in the Senior Am, which will be contested Aug. 25-30 at Eugene Country Club in Oregon.

Of those 55, almost one-fifth have competed in the U.S. Senior Am just in the last five years.

The list includes Wyoming resident John Hornbeck, the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play champion who has played in three U.S. Senior Amateurs, going to the quarterfinals in 2016. Also, there’s three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk (round of 64 in 2017), Guy Mertz (2017), Robin Bradbury (round of 64 in 2016), Gary Albrecht (2016), Jim Reynolds (2016), Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore (2015), Thomas Roos (2015), and David Delich and Harry Johnson (both 2013 and ’14).

Also competing on Tuesday are Steve Ivan, winner of the 2017 CGA Senior Amateur and runner-up in the 2018 CGA Senior Match Play; Charlie Post, who played in the 2017 U.S. Senior Open; 2015 CGA Senior Amateur winner Bill Fowler; 2014 CGA Senior Match Play champ Tom Musselman and Sean Forey.

For Tuesday’s tee times, CLICK HERE.
 

If it wasn’t already obvious, the multiple layers of clothing, the knit hats and the warming mittens were dead give-aways on Sunday: This was the end of the tournament season for the CJGA.

With rain, strong wind and temperatures in the 40s, the only thing that was missing was snow flurries.

Coby Welch (left) of Highlands Ranch and Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster overcame the nasty weather conditions as well as all of their opponents on Sunday to win the CJGA Tournament of Champions at the Omni Interlocken Golf Club in Broomfield.

Welch and Kupcho both shot 2-over-par 74s in the final round to prevail in their respective divisions.

“It was a struggle having all of the elements,” Kupcho said. “… It was hard to get used to all the different stuff that was going on.”

Kupcho (left), a senior at Jefferson Academy who will sign next month with Wake Forest, ran away with the girls title, prevailing by a dozen shots over friend Gillian Vance of Lakewood, with Morgan Sahm of Centennial another three strokes back. Kupcho posted a two-day total of 2-over 146.

Welch, a junior at Valor Christian, rallied from three down beginning the final day to record a two-shot victory over Valor teammate Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village, who advanced to match play in the U.S. Junior Amateur this year. Jackson Solem of Longmont was another two back. Welch finished with a 3-over 147 total for the tournament.

“It was rough and usually I don’t play too good when it’s cold and rainy, but today was different,” Welch said. “I just stayed patient. I knew the rain would go away eventually. I needed the rain to go away. I didn’t mind the cold too much.”

It marked the third time in major Colorado junior events this year that Valor players have finished 1-2. Twice in those situations, Welch placed second — at both the CGA Junior Stroke Play and the CJGA Junior Series Championship.

That made Sunday all the sweeter, with Welch (left) calling the victory one of the top golf accomplishments of his young career.

“This means a lot,” he said. “All of us that are here have won a tournament so I know that I’m good enough to beat the best.”

Despite the difficult conditions, Welch played the final 11 holes in 1 under par on Sunday after carding double bogeys on Nos. 5 and 7. And he got up and down for par on each of the last three holes, sinking putts of 6, 10 and 8 feet.

“On the finishing holes when I knew I needed to make some putts, I made some clutch par putts,” the 16-year-old said.

Meanwhile, Kupcho picked up yet another victory in an outstanding 2014 season. She’s also won the CWGA Match Play and Junior Stroke Play, the 4A state high school meet and the CJGA Junior Series Championship. The 17-year-old also placed second in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.

On Sunday, she birdied three of the first six holes and finished the day with four birdies and six bogeys. And that was despite having her share of putting problems.

“To continue winning and to win this is nice because I hadn’t won it yet,” Kupcho (left) said of the Tournament of Champions. “Hannah Wood has won it (the last two years), so it’s kind of nice to be like, ‘Yeah I won that too.'”

A 12-shot victory was certainly a nice way to cap off the 2014 Colorado season for Kupcho, who only has one tournament remaining this year — the prestigious Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship Dec. 28-30.

Between now and then, Kupcho will take her official recruiting visit to Wake Forest before signing her letter of intent with the Demon Deacons.
 

CJGA Tournament of Champions
At Par-72 Omni Interlocken GC in Broomfield

BOYS
Coby Welch, Highlands Ranch, CO  73-74–147
Jake Staiano, Cherry Hills Village, CO  74-75–149
Jackson Solem, Longmont, CO  72-79–151
Ji Woo Jang, Aurora, CO  70-83–153
Tyler Zhang, Lone Tree, CO  77-77–154
Cole Krantz, Windsor, CO  72-83–155
Pierce Aichinger, Englewood, CO  76-81–157
Aj Ott, Ft. Collins, CO  80-79–159
Brett Krantz, Windsor, CO  76-84–160
Davis Bryant, Denver, CO  81-85–166
Grant Olinger, Westminster, CO  73-NC–NC
Trevor Olkowski, Grand Junction, CO  81-WD

GIRLS
Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster, CO  72-74–146
Gillian Vance, Lakewood, CO  78-80–158
Morgan Sahm, Centennial, CO  78-83–161
Sydney Gillespie, Highlands Ranch, CO  77-87–164
Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch, CO  85-82–167
Jaclyn Murray, Grand Junction, CO  86-90–176
Kacey Godwin, Denver, CO  93-100–193
Lauren Murphy, Carbondale, CO  79-WD