Thorncreek hosted the first of two Colorado-based Sub-Regional DCP competitions on Saturday, with Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora doing the second on Aug. 25.

The competitors have already advanced from Local Qualifying as eight such events were held in Colorado this year, including one during U.S. Senior Open week at The Broadmoor Golf Club earlier this summer. And at Thorncreek and Murphy Creek, the top two finishers in each of eight age/gender divisions are punching their tickets to the Regional Qualifying, which will be conducted on Sept. 29 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, site of the recent PGA Championship. There, just the winner in each age/gender division will earn a spot in the DCP National Championship, set for April 7 at Augusta National on the Sunday preceding the 2019 Masters.

Last year, Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs became the fourth Coloradan ever to compete in the nationally-televised DCP National Championship. He finished sixth in the boys 14-15 division.

In DCP competitions, contestants score points in each discipline — driving, chipping and putting — which are added together for a cumulative total.

In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.

Among the 14 Coloradans who advanced to Regional Qualifying on Saturday (in addition to two out-of-state golfers) was Sofia Choi of Littleton (the girls 14-15 champion), who also made it to Regionals last year. Choi won Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Junior Series Championships in both 2016 and ’17.

Here are the Drive Chip & Putt Regional Qualifiers from the Thorncreek GC Sub-Regional on Saturday:

Score: Drive-Chip-Putt=Total

Boys 7-9
Benjamin Pederson, Arvada 20-35-55–110
Grady Ortiz, Colorado Springs 20-31-45–96

Boys 10-11
Gregory White, Centennial 31-40-50–121
Jake Dost, Parker 39-35-47–121

Boys 12-13
Reese Knox, Peyton 45-45-42–132
Carter Surofchek, Colorado Springs 32-40-45–117

Boys 14-15
Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial 47-45-60–152
Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 47-37-60–144

Girls 7-9
Jadie Wilson, Denver 17-3-60–80
Amalei Lagrimas, Castle Rock 18-26-36–80

Girls 10-11
Emmalee Johnson, Denver 18-18-60–96
Addison Hines, Arvada 21-11-60–92

Girls 12-13
Ali Mulhall, Mesquite Nevada 44-23-55–122
Rylee Salome, Los Lunas, N.M. 36-30-45–111

Girls 14-15
Sofia Choi, Littleton 52-45-60–157
Grace Ha, Greenwood Village 40-31-60–131
 

Among those making the grade on Wednesday in the 15-18 qualifying tournaments for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships were both Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado 2017 Players of the Year, Davis Bryant of Aurora and Hailey Schalk of Erie.

The Junior Worlds are scheduled for July 10-13 in the San Diego area.

Bryant advanced by finishing second in the boys 15-18 qualifier at Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield, while Schalk placed first in the girls 15-18 tournament at her home course, Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.

Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, a University of Denver recruit, earned medalist honors at Broadlands with a 5-under-par 139 total for two days (71-68). In making his first Junior Worlds, the Colorado State University-bound Bryant went 70-70–140 for the second and final spot in his division.

In the girls 15-18 tournament at Colorado National, Schalk and University of Colorado recruit Kelsey Webster of Boulder earned the available national berths. Schalk carded scores of 71-66 for a 7-under-par 137 total over two days and went bogey-free on Wednesday. Webster, who finished third earlier this month in the 5A girls state high school tournament, shot a 5-under-par 31 on the front nine Wednesday en route to a 67 and a 140 total.

On Tuesday at Colorado National, Jessica Mason of Westminster and Sofia Choi of Littleton advanced in the girls 13-14 division. Mason led the way in the qualifier with a 3-over-par 75, while Choi shot a 76 and won a playoff with Kaylee Chen of Denver. And in the girls 11-12 tournament at the same course, Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village (9-over-par 81) and Brooke Hudson of Parker (84) are headed to San Diego.

Another Coloradan who also is bound for Junior Worlds is Hadley Ashton of Erie, 11, who earlier qualified in Texas.

Qualifying for several other age/gender divisions will take place within within the next week. Boys 13-14 and 11-12 will play Friday at Indian Tree Golf Course in Arvada, with two berths at stake in each division. And on June 6 at Family Sports in Centennial, boys and girls 7-8 and 9-10 will tee it up, with one national spot at stake in each division except boys 9-10, where there will be two.

Here are the qualifiers from Tuesday and Wednesday’s tournaments:

Boys 15-18
Tuesday and Wednesday at Broadlands GC in Broomfield
Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 71-68–139
Davis Bryant, Aurora 70-70–140

Girls 15-18
Tuesday and Wednesday at Colorado National GC in Erie
Hailey Schalk, Erie 71-66–137
Kelsey Webster, Boulder 73-67–140

Girls 13-14
Tuesday at Colorado National GC in Erie
Jessica Mason, Westminster 75
Sofia Choi, Littleton 76 (won playoff)

Girls 11-12
Tuesday at Colorado National GC in Erie
Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 81
Brooke Hudson, Parker 84
 

But a Coloradan drew some attention on Sunday by posting a victory in an AJGA event in Williamstown, Mass.

Sofia Choi of Littleton, a 14-year-old who’s in her first year as a member of the Hale Irwin Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course, claimed the girls title against a 15-player field at the AJGA Preview at Waubeeka.

According to the AJGA, Choi set a competitive course record for Waubeeka Golf Links with a 2-over-par 73 in Sunday’s final round. Choi, who counted the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado 11-13 Junior Series Championship among her five wins last year, finished with a 7-over 149 total for two days, good for a nine-stroke victory.
 

It’s the first time two Sub-Regionals have been conducted in Colorado in the same year as CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora hosted one last weekend.

Among those who advanced on Saturday was Sofia Choi of Littleton, winner of the last two girls titles in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 11-13 Junior Series Championships. Choi won the girls 14-15 division on Saturday, a year after advancing to Regionals in the 12-13 division.

Also earning a spot in Regionals on Saturday was Ashton Edwards of Boulder, son of University of Colorado men’s head coach Roy Edwards. Ashton Edwards placed second in the boys 7-9 division on Saturday, behind Max Riley.

The top two finishers in each of eight divisions on Saturday earned trips to the Regionals, set for Sept. 16 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. From there, the top finisher in each division will make it to the 2018 National Championship, set for April 4 at Augusta National Golf Club, site of the Masters.

In three of the first four years the DCP has been held, no Coloradans made it to Nationals, But three in-state junior golfers — Luke Trujillo, Arielle Keating and Caitlyn Chin — went to Nationals in the spring of 2016.

Players who make it to Nationals have to advance through Local, Sub-Regional and Regional Qualifying.

In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the Nationals of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.

Each participant in the DCP is awarded points for each skill based on his or her performance, with the points added together for an overall score.

Here are all those who will advance from Colorado sites to Southern Hills, with their points from each of the three skills (drive, chip and putt) — and their total for the Sub-Regionals at Walnut Creek on Saturday and at CommonGround on Aug. 12:

Drive Chip & Pub Sub-Regionals
AUG. 19, 2017 AT WALNUT CREEK GOLF PRESERVE IN WESTMINSTER
ADVANCE TO REGIONALS
(Drive-Chip-Putt–Total)
Boys 14-15
Joshua Stouder 36-35-60–131
Hunter Khan 42-35-46–123

Girls 14-15
Sofia Choi 33-41-65–139
Rachel Penzenstadler 41-21-55–117

Boys 12-13
Yusuke Ogi 60-36-45–141
Wesley Erling 47-45-37–129

Girls 12-13
Abigail Aeschleman 34-50-55–139
Ali Mulhall 48-27-60–135

Boys 10-11
Kaden Devenport 46-45-55–146
Tucker Jaffe 36-60-35–131

Girls 10-11
Rylee Salome 21-55-45–121
Macy Kleve 21-36-40–97

Boys 7-9
Max Riley 32-55-55–142
Ashton Edwards 21-4-65–90

Girls 7-9
Adrielle Miller 13-41-31–85
Molli Mulhall 22-7-55–84

For all the scores from Saturday, CLICK HERE.
 

AUG. 12, 2017 AT COMMONGROUND GC IN AURORA

ADVANCE TO REGIONALS
(Drive-Chip-Putt–Total)
Boys 14-15
Joshua Gallegos 57-55-55–167
Kaden Ford 61-45-40–146

Girls 14-15
Alyssa Chin 31-55-60–146
Emma Bryant 51-40-55–146

Boys 12-13
Riley Stephens 42-55-55–152
Brian Knapp 36-3-55–122

Girls 12-13
Kaylee Chen 54-55-36–145
Avery Sky 38-37-55–130

Boys 10-11
Matai Naqica 50-60-60–170
Mason Smith 31-45-45–121

Girls 10-11
Callia Ward 26-60-60–146
Lillian McDermott 30-45-50–125

Boys 7-9
Collen Todd 28-45-31–104
Santiago Liberto 16-30-46–92

Girls 7-9
Eleanor Warden 23-40-50–113
Allie Smith 11-55-45–111

For all the scores from Aug. 12, CLICK HERE.
 

They went about it in totally different ways, but Gage Messingham of Arvada and Sofia Choi of Littleton arrived at the same outcome on Tuesday afternoon at The Fox Hill Club in Longmont.

Messingham (below in orange) prevailed in a sudden-death playoff to earn the boys title in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 11-13 Junior Series Championship, while Choi lapped the field in claiming victory in the girls division.

Choi (left), 13, became the first player to win the girls 11-13 tournament twice. That’s no small accomplishment considering the likes of Jennifer Kupcho — who recently finished 21st in the U.S. Women’s Open — have claimed the title.

“It’s pretty big,” said Choi, who’s part of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course. “I was just trying to play the best I could.”

This time around, Choi birdied two of the last three holes on Tuesday to win by 18 strokes after rounds of 74-77 left her at 7-over-par 151. It marked her fourth Junior Golf Alliance victory of the season.

“I was just trying to shoot better than yesterday,” said Choi, who recently placed 13th in her age division at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida. “That was my goal.” Though she didn’t quite meet that standard, she finished with the only two rounds in the 70s in the girls field.

Placing second at 169 was Kaylee Chen of Highlands Ranch, the points leader coming into this event. And 9-year-old — and that’s no typo — Hadley Ashton of Erie finished third at 171 after a Tuesday round which featured a pitch-in par on No. 10 and a 7-foot birdie at No. 12.

“It feels good” to place third against girls much older than herself, “but I wish I could have played better today,” said Ashton, whose instructor is Colorado National Golf Club PGA general manager Matt Schalk. He’s the father of Hailey Schalk, who won the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica as a 15-year-old this year.

For the record, at age 9, Ashton (below at left, with Choi and Chen) has already shot a 3-under-par 69 in a practice round for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego, where she finished 28th in her age division.

On the boys side at Fox Hill, the 13-year-old Messingham rebounded from back-to-back double bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes on Tuesday to finish par-birdie in regulation, making a 15-foot putt on 18. Traejan Andrews of Windsor, the 2014 winner of the 10 & under title in this event, went birdie-par-birdie down the stretch to force a playoff. Both players went 77-76 to tie at 9-over-par 153.

In sudden death, with each player facing a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 first hole, Messingham left his attempt about 2 feet short, while Andrews went 3 feet past. Then Andrews, the season-long points leader entering the week, lipped out his par putt, opening the door for Messingham to make his par for the victory.

“This means a lot to me,” said Messingham, who finished second to Andrews in a 10 & under Junior Series Championship three years ago. “I didn’t play too well, but I recovered well, made some putts and shot pretty good.

“This pretty much is the biggest thing I’ve won. My confidence was high. I just went into it thinking I could win.”

The victory was the third of the season in Junior Golf Alliance events for Messingham, who recently competed at the Optimist International Junior. (Messingham is pictured at left with Andrews.)

Liam Wood of Boulder, who won the 10 & under Junior Series title in 2015, finished third at 155 at Fox Hill after closing with a 79 on Tuesday.

The Junior Series Championships for other age divisions will take place later this week, with the 10 & under event set for Wednesday (Aug. 9) at Pinehurst Country Club’s Pfluger 9, and the 14-18 tournament scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 12-13) at Pelican Lakes in Windsor.

JGAC 11-14 Junior Series Championship
At Par-72 The Fox Hill Club in Longmont
BOYS
T1 Gage Messingham Arvada, CO 77-76–153 +9
T1 Traejan Andrews Windsor, CO 77-76–153 +9
3 Liam Wood Boulder, CO 76-79–155 +11
T4 Maxwell Lange Golden, CO 83-73–156 +12
T4 Nicholas Pevny Aspen, CO 78-78–156 +12
6 Blake Sullivan Castle Pines, CO 82-76–158 +14
T7 Ryan Falender Colorado Springs, CO 78-83–161 +17
T7 Alex Chitkoksoong Aurora, CO 76-85–161 +17
9 Christopher Gunlikson II Longmont, CO 80-82–162 +18
10 Benjamin Chin Jr Greenwood, CO 80-83–163 +19
11 Jake Chesler Firestone, CO 76-88–164 +20
12 Charlie Flaxbeard Greenwood Village, CO 83-82–165 +21
13 Yusuke Ogi Arvada, CO 85-85–170 +26
14 Hunter Swanson Denver, CO 87-86–173 +29
15 Luke Cushman Castle Rock, CO 89-85–174 +30
16 Trey Kirschner Arvada, CO 86-89–175 +31
17 Matai Naqica Centennial, CO 92-87–179 +35
18 Will Balliet Thornton, CO 97-97–194 +50

GIRLS
1 Sofia Choi Littleton, CO 74-77–151 +7
2 Kaylee Chen Highlands Ranch, CO 87-82–169 +25
3 Hadley Ashton Erie, CO 86-85–171 +27
4 Bead Boonta Centennial, CO 90-82–172 +28
5 Timbre Shehee Mead, CO 88-85–173 +29
6 Abigail Aeschleman Highlands Ranch 90-88–178 +34
7 Emily Cheng Colorado Springs, CO 93-93–186 +42
8 Amira Badruddin Parker, CO 98-91–189 +45
9 Gisella Lagrimas Castle Rock, CO 98-92–190 +46
10 Brooke Hudson Parker, CO 95-106–201 +57
 

Liam Wood of Boulder, who won the 10 & under Junior Series title in 2015, shares the top spot in the boys tournament after Monday’s opening round, and 2014 10 & under champion Traejan Andrews of Windsor is a shot behind.

And in the girls tournament, defending 11-13 champion Sofia Choi of Littleton built a 12-stroke lead at the halfway point. If Choi prevails, she’ll become the first two-time winner of the girls 11-13 Junior Series Championship.

The 13-year-old Choi, winner of three JGAC tournaments this year, made four birdies in Monday’s round of 2-over-par 74. She’s a dozen strokes up on Hadley Ashton of Erie and 13 ahead of third-place Kaylee Chen of Highlands Ranch, the season-long points leader in the division.

In the boys tourney, Wood shot a 4-over-par 76 and shares the lead with Jake Chesler of Firestone and Alex Chitkoksoong of Aurora.

Chitkoksoong made an eagle on Monday, while Chesler had two birdies and Wood one.

Andrews, the points leader in the division, and another two-time winner in 2017, Gage Messingham of Arvada, are tied for fourth place at 77, one behind the leaders.

The tournament will conclude on Tuesday for both boys and girls.

The Junior Series Championships for other age divisions will take place later this week, with the 10 & under event set for Wednesday (Aug. 9) at Pinehurst Country Club’s Pfluger 9, and the 14-18 tournament scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 12-13) at Pelican Lakes in Windsor.

For the scores from Fox Hill click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.

Walker Franklin of Broomfield, who made a hole-in-one on the 13th hole on Wednesday, placed sixth out of 141 players in the boys 14-15 division. Franklin shot rounds of 76-68-74 for a 218 total. That left him four strokes out of first place.

In the same division, Jordan Jennings of Montrose was 12th at 223, while Connor Jones of Westminster was 20th at 226.

In the top 25 in the girls 13-14 tournament, Sofia Choi of Littleton was 13th out of 73 competitors with a 230 total (75-80-75), while Eva Pett of Denver was 17th at 233, and Emma Bryant of Aurora 23rd at 235.

The third of three weeks of Optimist tournaments will take place next week as boys 16-18 and girls 15-18 tee it up Sunday through Wednesday (July 30-Aug. 2).

Here are the scores for the local players the last two weeks at the Optimist:

JULY 25-27

Boys 14-15
6. Walker Franklin of Broomfield 76-68-74–218
12. Jordan Jennings of Montrose 71-74-78–223
20. Connor Jones of Westminster 77-71-78–226
44. Jack Hughes of Snowmass Village 77-76-80–233
44. Jack Pevny of Aspen 73-84-76–233
63. Brayden Weiss of Superior 75-82-83–240
73. Mario Dino of Denver 81-77-92–250
(Missed Cut)
100. Thomas Hicks of Greenwood Village 80-86–166
126. Tyler Tyson of Arvada 84-89–173
126. Dawson Hussong of Montrose 84-89–173

Girls 13-14
13. Sofia Choi of Littleton 75-80-75–230
17. Eva Pett of Denver 81-74-78–233
23. Emma Bryant of Aurora 78-80-77–235
27. Brittlynn O’Dell of Grand Junction 78-82-76–236
49. Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland 88-82-79–249
63. Anju Ogi of Arvada 90-92-81–263
71. Sydney Taylor of Fort Collins 97-109-105–311

JULY 20-23
Boys 12-13
“¨11. JGAC member Parker Paxton of Riverton, Wyo. 73-75-78–226″¨
30. Jake Chesler of Firestone 76-75-82–233″¨
56. Maxwell Lange of Golden 80-83-83–246
63. Traejan Andrews of Windsor 82-79-87–248
“¨74. Gage Messingham of Arvada 89-84-84–257

Girls 10-12
“¨23. Abigail Aeschleman of Highlands Ranch 82-87-89–258
“¨30. Bead Boonta of Centennial 99-88-88–275
“¨31. Timbre Shehee of Mead 96-87-95–278

Boys 10-11
“¨28. Austin Barry of Fort Collins 88-86-85–259
29. Kaden Devenport of Windsor 88-90-82–260
44. Jake Dost on Parker 105-99-97–301″¨

Jordan Jennings came a long way to compete in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 11-13 Junior Series Championship — from Montrose, to be precise — but he made the trip well worth it.

The 13-year-old eighth-grader (left) not only won the boys tournament Sunday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, but in doing so he became the first two-time champion — boy or girl — in the history of the 11-13 Junior Series Championship.

“It feels good to defend my title and become (the first) kid in Colorado to do it,” Jennings said. “This was one of the big tournaments I was aiming for.”

Meanwhile, Sofia Choi of Littleton claimed the girls title with a five-shot cushion at CommonGround.

Jennings closed with a 3-under-par 68 Sunday, leaving him in a tie at 3-under 139 with first-round leader Ryan Sangchompuphen (left) of Denver, a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround.

In the playoff — at the 10th hole at CommonGround — both players hit excellent approach shots on the par-4. But after Sangchompuphen’s 9-foot birdie attempt skirted the right side of the cup, Jennings tapped in his birdie from a mere 2 feet to repeat as champion.

Including the playoff, Jennings birdied four of his last five holes on Sunday — and six overall for the day. Down the stretch, he sank birdie putts of 12 feet, 20 feet, a tap-in, and 2 feet.

“I told my dad with four holes left, ‘I’m going to make four birdies in the last four holes (of regulation).’ I came up a little short,” he said with a smile.

For Jennings, Sunday marked another highlight of a memorable summer. In late July, he finished third out of a field of 88 in the boys 12-13 division for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He hopes to add another highlight next month when he competes against older players in the final JGAC major of the year, the Junior Tour Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club.

Sangchompuphen, who had shot a 6-under-par 29 on the back nine Saturday, dropped into a playoff with Jennings after posting a 38 on that same nine on Sunday. He had been 7 under par overall through 29 holes, but gave back four strokes on the three-hole stretch from 12 through 14 Sunday.

Jeffrey Zhou of Greenwood Village finished third among the 18 boys with a 140 total. Traejan Andrews of Windsor was fourth at 142.

In the girls tournament, Choi, 12, went wire-to-wire for the victory. She matched the best round of the tournament by firing a 4-over-par 75 on Sunday, giving her a 12-over-par 154 total. She highlighted the second round with birdies on two par-3s.

Choi (left), who finished 23rd in her age group at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina last month, called Sunday’s win the biggest of her young career. Still, she took her success all in stride.

“It’s really fun, but it’s like any other tournament,” she said of the Junior Series Championship. “I was hitting it really, really good today.”

The victory was the seventh-grader’s fifth of the year in JGAC’s tournaments.

Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland took second place at 159 after also carding a 75 on Sunday, making four birdies in the process. Anju Ogi of Arvada placed third in the 10-player field with a 162 total after shooting a second-round 79.
 

Pevny, McClain Victorious in 14-18 Tourneys: The 14-18 Junior Series Championship also concluded on Sunday, with Jack Pevny of Aspen and Natasha Brandy McClain of Castle Pines claiming the boys and girls titles, respectively, at Pelican Lakes in Windsor.

Pevny prevailed out of an eight-player field by shooting back-to-back rounds of 76, giving him an 8-over-par 152 total. He made 15 pars, two bogeys and a double bogey on No. 18 Sunday.

Ben Carrington of Littleton placed second, four behind Pevny, after closing with a 75 Sunday that featured three birdies.

The girls 14-18 tournament came down to a playoff, with McClain overcoming first-round leader Jessica Zapf of Windsor for the top spot.

McClain closed with a 78, while Zapf had an 80, leaving both at 13-over-par 157.

Aili Bundy of Fort Collins missed the playoff by two strokes after playing the last three holes in 4 over par. She finished third at 159 after posting the best score of the tournament, a second-round 76.

In the 10 & Under Junior Series Championship, held last month in Boulder, Andre Dumonteil of Centennial and Ashleigh Wilson of Highlands Ranch won the boys and girls titles, respectively.

JGAC Junior Series Championships

* — indicates won playoff
11-13 Boys (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. *Jordan Jennings, Montrose, CO, 71-68-139 -3
2. Ryan Sangchompuphen, Denver, CO, 66-73-139 -3
3. Jeffrey Zhou, Greenwood Village, CO, 67-73-140 -2
4. Traejan Andrews, Windsor, CO, 73-69-142 E
5. Gage Messingham, Arvada, CO, 68-75-143 +1
6. Nicholas Pevny, Aspen, CO, 74-75-149 +7
7. Luke Wright, Littleton, CO, 76-75-151 +9
8. James Clark, Lamar, CO, 75-78-153 +11
9. Jeffrey Nelson II, New Castle, CO, 82-75-157 +15
10. Tyler Tyson, Arvada, CO, 80-78-158 +16
11. Thomas (TJ) Hicks, Greenwood Village, CO, 81-78-159 +17
12. Mario Dino, Denver, CO 81-79-160 +18
13. Jake Chesler, Firestone, CO, 82-79-161 +19
T14. Zaden Gomez, Westminster, CO, 89-76-165 +23
T14. Yusuke Ogi, Arvada, CO, 85-80-165 +23
16. Zachary Tyson, Arvada, CO, 87-81-168 +26
17. Alex Chitkoksoong, Aurora, CO, 83-87-170 +28
18. Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 91-85-176 +34

11-13 Girls (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. Sofia Choi, Littleton, CO, 79-75-154 +12
2. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland, CO, 84-75-159 +17
3. Anju Ogi, Arvada, CO, 83-79-162 +20
4. Eva Pett, Denver, CO, 88-78-166 +24
5. Merielle Gojo, Cherry Hills Village, CO, 82-87-169 +27
6. Kaylee Chen, Highlands Ranch, CO, 85-89-174 +32
7. Alyssa Chin, Greenwood Village, CO, 87-90-177 +35
8. Abigail Aeschleman, Highlands Ranch,CO 99-98-197 +55
WD. Zoey Rodriguez, Pueblo, CO
WD. Gisella Lagrimas, Castle Rock, CO

14-18 Boys (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. Jack Pevny, Aspen, CO, 76-76-152 +8
2. Ben Carrington, Littleton, CO, 81-75-156 +12
3. Travis Menke Jr., Denver, CO, 84-80-164 +20
T4. Riley Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 93-82-175 +31
T4. Beam Boonta, Centennial, CO, 84-91-175 +31
WD. Hayden Wehe, Alamosa, CO
JWD. Jacob Mason, Westminster, CO
JWD. Colter Zwieg, Aspen, CO
 
14-18 Girls (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. *Natasha Brandy McClain, Castle Pines, CO, 79-78-157 +13
2. Jessica Zapf, Windsor, CO, 77-80-157 +13
3. Aili Bundy, Fort Collins, CO, 83-76-159 +15
4. Caitlin O’Donnell, Centennial, CO, 85-85-170 +26
5. Katherine Malcolm, Parker, CO, 102-85-187 +43
6. Amanda Westrick, Northglenn, CO, 93-98-191 +47
 

In the 11-13 girls tournament, Sofia Choi of Littleton shot an 8-over-par 79 to grab a three-stroke advantage heading into Sunday’s final round.

Sangchompuphen, a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround, played his final eight holes in 6 under par and shot a 6-under 29 on the back nine Saturday. He finished the day with seven birdies and two bogeys.

Jeffrey Zhou of Greenwood Village eagled his final hole Saturday to shoot 67, good for second place with one round left. Gage Messingham of Arvada also made an eagle en route to a 68, which left him in third place. Jordan Jennings of Montrose, last year’s champ, is fourth in the 18-golfer field after a 71.

In the girls competition, Choi made one birdie in her round of 79.

Merielle Gojo of Cherry Hills Village trails Choi by three, while Anju Ogi of Arvada stands in third place at 83 after closing with a birdie.

Pevny, Zapf Set Pace in 14-18 Tournament: The JGAC 14-18 Junior Series Championship is also being contested this weekend, albeit with much smaller fields, at Pelican Lakes Golf Club in Windsor.

After Saturday, Jack Pevny of Aspen is tops among the eight boys who entered the event as he opened with a 4-over-par 76. Pevny made three birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys on Saturday.

Pevny holds a five-stroke lead over Ben Carrington of Littleton, who carded two birdies in round 1.

In the six-player girls 14-18 tournament, Jessica Zapf, playing in her hometown of Windsor, took the lead with a 5-over-par 77, making one birdie along the way. Natasha Brandy McClain of Castle Pines is two back, in second place.

In the 10 & Under Junior Series Championship, held last month in Boulder, Andre Dumonteil of Centennial and Ashleigh Wilson of Highlands Ranch won the boys and girls titles, respectively.

JGAC Junior Series Championships

11-13 Boys (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. Ryan Sangchompuphen, Denver, CO, 37-29-66 -5
2. Jeffrey Zhou, Greenwood Village, CO, 35-32-67 -4
3. Gage Messingham, Arvada, CO, 33-35-68 -3
4. Jordan Jennings, Montrose, CO, 35-36-71 E
5. Traejan Andrews, Windsor, CO, 40-33-73 +2
6. Nicholas Pevny, Aspen, CO, 38-36-74 +3
7. James Clark, Lamar, CO, 41-34-75 +4
8. Luke Wright, Littleton, CO, 38-38-76 +5
9. Tyler Tyson, Arvada, CO, 38-42-80 +9
T10. Mario Dino, Denver, 40-41-81 +10
T10. Thomas (TJ) Hicks, Greenwood Village, CO, 41-40-81 +10
T12. Jeffrey Nelson II, New Castle, CO, 42-40-82 +11
T12. Jake Chesler, Firestone, CO, 39-43-82 +11
14. Alex Chitkoksoong, Aurora, CO, 40-43-83 +12
15. Yusuke Ogi, Arvada, CO, 41-44-85 +14
16. Zachary Tyson, Arvada, CO, 44-43-87 +16
17. Zaden Gomez, Westminster, CO, 43-46-89 +18
18. Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 46-45-91 +20
 
11-13 Girls (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. Sofia Choi, Littleton, CO, 40-39-79 +8
2. Merielle Gojo, Cherry Hills Village, CO, 40-42-82 +11
3. Anju Ogi, Arvada, CO, 44-39-83 +12
4. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland, CO, 40-44-84 +13
5. Kaylee Chen, Highlands Ranch, CO, 45-40-85 +14
6. Alyssa Chin, Greenwood Village, CO, 44-43-87 +16
7. Eva Pett, Denver, CO, 46-42-88 +17
8. Zoey Rodriguez, Pueblo, CO, 43-50-93 +22
9. Abigail Aeschleman, Highlands Ranch, 51-48-99 +28
WD. Gisella Lagrimas, Castle Rock, CO
 
 
14-18 Boys (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. Jack Pevny, Aspen, CO, 39-37-76 +4
2. Ben Carrington, Littleton, CO, 41-40-81 +9
3. Beam Boonta, Centennial, CO, 42-42-84 +12
3. Travis Menke Jr., Denver, CO, 43-41-84 +12
5. Riley Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 45-48-93 +21
WD. Jacob Mason, Westminster, CO
WD. Colter Zwieg, Aspen, CO
 
14-18 Girls (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. Jessica Zapf, Windsor, CO, 40-37-77 +5
2. Natasha Brandy McClain, Castle Pines, CO, 39-40-79 +7
3. Aili Bundy, Fort Collins, CO, 42-41-83 +11
4. Caitlin O’Donnell, Centennial, CO, 42-43-85 +13
5. Amanda Westrick, Northglenn, CO, 49-44-93 +21
6. Katherine Malcolm, Parker, CO, 52-50-102 +30  

Jennings shot rounds of 72-71-76 for a 3-over-par 219 total that left him six strokes behind champion Eric Doyle of San Diego.

Also placing in the top 20 in their division at the international event were Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland and Sofia Choi of Littleton, who were 13th and 18th, respectively, out of 38 competitors in the girls 10-12 tournament.

The tournaments for older boys and girls will be held this week and next week in Palm Beach Gardens.

Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed last week:

Girls 10-12
13. Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland 80-83-79–242
18. Sofia Choi of Littleton 84-80-82–246

Boys 10-11
25. Nicholas Pevny of Aspen 84-74-82–240
39. Yusuke Ogi of Arvada 90-82-87–259

Boys 12-13
3. Jordan Jennings of Montrose 72-71-76–219
38. Jeffrey Zhou of Greenwood Village 83-77-83–247
53. Thomas (TJ) Hicks of Greenwood Village 87-78-83–248