Grady, the Colorado PGA Assistant Professional Champion this year, birdied his first three holes Thursday and finished with four birdies and two bogeys on the day. He trails leader Evan Wartgow of Fort Atkinson, Wis., by two shots.

The tournament will continue through Sunday. The champion this week, if eligible, will earn a berth in the 2017 PGA Professional Championship, set for June 18-21 in Sunriver, Ore.

Here are the scores of all the Coloradans competing in the event this week:

2. CU men’s assistant coach Pat Grady, Colorado National GC 70
69. Somin Lee, Valley CC 76
90. Remington Post, Hiwan GC 78
 

The University of Colorado men’s golf assistant coach cruised to victory Tuesday in his CPGA debut, at the National Car Rental Colorado PGA Assistant Professional Championship at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster.

Grady (left), a former two-time CGA Player of the Year, shot back-to-back rounds of 5-under-par 67, giving him a 10-under 134 total and a five stroke victory. He won $1,050. In each round, Grady carded six birdies and a bogey.

Brian Zeigler of Red Sky Golf Club placed second at 139 after closing with a 67. Former two-time CWGA Player of the Year Somin Lee of Valley Country Club and Derek Rush of Cherry Hills Country Club tied for third place at 141.

The top four finishers — Grady Zeigler, Lee and Rush qualified for the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship set for Oct. 27-30 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

National Car Rental Colorado PGA Assistant Professional Championship
Aug. 1-2, 2016 (final) at Legacy Ridge GC in Westminster

Top 10 Finishers — 1. Pat Grady 67-67–134; 2. Brian Zeigler 72-67–139; 3. Somin Lee 68-73–141; 3. Derek Rush 71-70–141; 5. Remington Post 72-70–142; 6. Caine Fitzgerald 73-70–143; 6. Blake Sharamitaro 71-72–143, 8. Kyler Booher 71-73–144, 9. Brandon Bingaman 71-74–145; 9. Geoff Keffer 76-69–145. For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 
 

University of Colorado men’s assistant coach Pat Grady (left), who won the CGA Player of the Year award in both 2007 and ’08, grabbed the lead with a 5-under-par 67 on Monday. He made six birdies on the day.

And Somin Lee, the CWGA Player of the Year in 2011 and ’12, is in second place after carding a 68. The Valley Country Club apprentice assistant professional carded seven birdies on Monday, including on her 17th and 18th holes.

Both Grady and Lee are competing in their first Colorado PGA tournament.

With one round remaining, five players share third place at 71: Blake Sharamitaro, Kyler Booher, Christopher Williamson, Derek Rush and Brandon Bingaman.

Play will conclude on Tuesday.

The top four finishers will earn spots in the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship set for Oct. 27-30 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

National Car Rental Colorado PGA Assistant Professional Championship
Aug. 1-2, 2016 at Legacy Ridge GC in Westminster

Top 10 After Round 1 — 1. Pat Grady 67; 2. Somin Lee 68; 3. (tie) Blake Sharamitaro, Kyler Booher, Christopher Williamson, Derek Rush and Brandon Bingaman 71; 8. (tie) Remington Post and Brian Zeigler 72; 10. (tie) Zachary Anderson, Andrew Hebert, Caine Fitzgerald and Justin Blomberg 73. For complete results, CLICK HERE.

The first stage of LPGA (and Symetra) Tour Q-school begins Thursday and continues through Sunday (Aug. 6-9) as the process of determining the most worthy golfers gets underway.

Qualifying for the LPGA is the first on the docket for the world’s major tours. With there no longer being a direct route to the PGA Tour through Q-school, the Web.com Tour is now the immediate goal of men’s Q-school participants in the U.S.

The four-stage Web.com qualifying process begins on Sept. 2. There are six “pre-qualifying” tournaments in September, 11 first-stage events in October, five second-stage tourneys in November, and the qualifying finals set for Dec. 10-15 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Making it to that final stage guarantees some Web.com Tour status for 2016, but considerable priority is given to players who finish in the top 45.

The Champions Tour holds regional qualifying in November and the finals Dec. 1-4 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The European Tour conducts three stages of qualifying, beginning Sept. 15 and concluding with the finals Nov. 14-19 in Girona, Span.

While the competitors with strong Colorado ties who are entered in Web.com, Champions and European qualifying won’t be finalized until later dates, many of the locals who will be competing in LPGA/Symetra Tour Q-school are coming into focus.

The first of three stages of LPGA qualifying will be held in Rancho Mirago, Calif., this week. A total of 288 players are entered for stage 1, and the top 60 and ties will advance to stage 2.

Among the players with major Colorado connections in the field in Rancho Mirage are former University of Denver golfer and former Pueblo resident Kimberly Kim, who won the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 14; two-time CWGA Player of the Year Somin Lee, of Denver; former state high school champion Lindsay McGetrick; Colorado Springs resident Paige Crawford; and former University of Colorado golfer Kristin Coleman.

Kim (pictured) is trying to revive a career which also included playing on the LPGA Tour in 2011, and being runner-up in three USGA championships: the 2006 and 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

The second stage of LPGA qualifying will take place Oct. 22-25 in Venice, Fla. Assuming they don’t earn 2016 LPGA cards by finishing in the top 10 on the 2015 Symetra Tour money list, here are the players with strong Colorado ties currently exempt into stage 2: former CU golfers Jenny Coleman (who competed in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Emily Childs; former CWGA Player of the Year Becca Huffer; former DU golfer Katie Kempter, who held an LPGA Tour card in 2010 and who won a Symetra Tour event this year; and Carleigh Silvers of Greeley.

The top 80 finishers and ties from stage 2 will advance to the Q-school finals, set for Dec. 2-6 in Daytota Beach, Fla. The number of LPGA Tour cards awarded there hasn’t been finalized, but last year 45 players earned some LPGA status.

In 2014, five local players made it to the LPGA Q-school finals — former CU golfer Emily Talley, former DU golfer Sue Kim, Huffer, Childs and Silvers — with Talley just missing earning her LPGA card by finishing 58th.
 

There was good-natured roughhousing among some of the boys, plenty of laughing and giggling by both the girls and boys, and pretty good golf along the way too.

Such is the nature of the CJGA 10 & Under Junior Series Championship. While there’s certainly a competitive tournament going on, there was no lack of youthful playfulness Wednesday at the Fowler Par-3 Course at Boulder Country Club.

“These tournaments are fun, and I play with all my friends,” noted 9-year-old Anna Jordaan from Cherry Hills Country Club.

Among some of the highlights of the day:

— In addition to sharing some laughs with some of her young golf buddies, Jordaan (left) won the girls 10 & Under Junior Series title two years after older sister Marie claimed the same championship.

Asked what Marie’s reaction might be to Anna duplicating her feat, the younger Jordaan said, “I’m moving up and she would probably get mad. She’ll probably think (she still has bragging rights because) she won it first.”

Jordaan posted the victory Wednesday — her fourth of the CJGA season — by shooting a 76. Sofia Choi of Highlands Ranch Golf Club took second place at 78, while Katelyn Lehigh of the Olde Course at Loveland finished third at 84.

— After playing with Brayden Bozak the last two years as Bozak won back-to-back 10 & Under Junior Series titles, Traejan Andrews (left) of Boomerang Golf Links prevailed by five strokes in the boys competition Wednesday.

“I’ve always wanted to win this event,” said the 10-year-old Andrews, who notched his third win of the year on the CJGA circuit. “I played with Brayden Bozak the two years before this and he won both times, so I’m really happy I won this year. I’m just really proud of myself.”

And, for the record, the Windsor resident finished a stroke lower than Bozak’s totals each of the last two years.

Andrews claimed the boys championship by shooting a 7-over-par 61 at the Fowler Course. Gage Messingham of The Heritage at Westmoor and Jake Chesler of the CJGA Club tied for second at 66.

— One of the most successful players ever in the Junior Series Championship, three-time 14-18 winner Somin Lee, returned to the event, albeit as an interested observer. Lee had planned to caddie for Andrew Jang, who takes lessons from Lee’s dad, but when she learned that wasn’t allowed, she became a rapt spectator. In case you’re wondering, Jang (left, with Lee) shot 70 and finished seventh in the boys tournament.

Lee, a two-time CWGA Player of the Year, will soon depart for her senior season as a golfer at Pepperdine University.

Wednesday’s tournament marked the third and final CJGA Junior Series Championship of 2014. On Tuesday, Ross Macdonald of the Country Club at Castle Pines and Jennifer Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course won the 14-18 championships. And last week, Jack Castiglia of Fossil Trace Golf Club and Amy Chitkoksoong of Murphy Creek Golf Course claimed the 11-13 titles.
 

CJGA 10 & Under Junior Series Championship
At Par-54 Fowler Par-3 Course at Boulder CC

BOYS
Traejan Andrews, Boomerang GL – 31-30–61
Gage Messingham, Heritage at Westmoor – 33-33–66
Jake Chesler, Cjga Club – 33-33–66
Maxwell Lange, Rolling Hills CC – 34-33–67
Alex Chitkoksoong, CommonGround GC – 33-35–68
Luke Olkowski, Bookcliff CC – 33-36–69
Andrew Jang, Family Sports GC – 34-36–70
Trey Kirschner, West Woods – 37-33–70
Camden Braidech, Lone Tree Golf Club – 34-37–71
Liam Wood, Cjga Club – 36-35–71
Mason Macias, Family Sports GC – 35-39–74
Jack Rottschafer, South Suburban GC – 34-42–76
Yusuke Ogi, Fox Hollow – 38-40–78
Bielly Phasay, Riverdale GC – 39-40–79
Greg Woodley, Cjga Club – 40-39–79
Trey Grube, Meridian GC – 42-41–83
Elijah Knudsen, Fox Hill CC – 44-40–84
Benjamin Chin, Meridian GC – 43-44–87
Zane Aiken, Cjga Club – 44-47–91

GIRLS
Anna Jordaan, Cherry Hills CC – 37-39–76
Sofia Choi, Highlands Ranch GC – 41-37–78
Katelyn Lehigh, Olde Course at Loveland – 44-40–84
Ashleigh Wilson, Highlands Ranch GC – 44-42–86
Chunya Bead Boonta, Commond Ground GC – 45-44–89
Sarah Murphy, Cjga Club – 45-45–90
Joie Chun, Lonetree GC – 52-60–112
 

But that’s exactly what’s happening next week, weather-permitting. And if early-week conditions do cause rescheduling, things could be even more condensed.

As things stand, 18-hole U.S. Open Local Qualifying will be held at two sites on Monday (the Broadmoor Golf Club’s West Course in Colorado Springs and Heritage at Westmoor in Westminster) and one on Tuesday (Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins). Then on Wednesday, it’s back to Heritage at Westmoor for 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying.

For the record, Heritage at Westmoor is one of just three courses nationwide that will host both U.S. Women’s Open Sectionals and U.S. Open Locals this year.

The stakes are high for the players competing. The top two performers over two rounds on Wednesday will earn spots in arguably the top tournament in women’s golf, the U.S. Women’s Open, which this year will be contested at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 course in North Carolina June 19-22.

The U.S. Open will be held at the same site the previous week — June 12-15 — but the route there is more involved for most entrants. The 18-hole Local tournaments are the first of two stages of the qualifying process. Those who overcome the Local hurdle will play in one of a dozen 36-hole Sectionals, with the 10 qualifiers in the U.S. scheduled for June 2.

All told, a record 10,127 golfers sent in entries for the U.S. Open, while 1,702 players — also the most ever — signed up for the U.S. Women’s Open.

Given the stakes involved, next week’s qualifying events draw some of the best fields of the year for Colorado-based tournaments.

Here’s a brief rundown on each of the four qualifiers in Colorado:

— U.S. Open Local Qualifying Monday at the Broadmoor’s West Course: As of Friday, the field at the Broadmoor numbered 84, with the top five finishers advancing to Sectionals.

Two-time HealthOne Colorado Open champion Derek Tolan (pictured) of Highlands Ranch and Tom Glissmeyer of Colorado Springs are two of the more notable entrants, having each qualified for the U.S. Open as 16-year-olds (Tolan in 2002 and Glissmeyer in 2003). Both made it to Sectionals from qualifying at the West Course last year, but came up short of making it back to the Open itself.

Other competitors at the Broadmoor this year are Shane Bertsch of Parker, a longtime PGA/Web.com Tour player who competed in the U.S. Open in 1998 and 2013 (he won a Sectional qualifying tournament last year); former CGA Player of the Year Steve Irwin of Arvada, a contestant in the 2011 U.S. Open; and Air Force Academy senior Kyle Westmoreland, one of the co-medalists in Local Qualifying at the West Course last year.

— U.S. Open Local Qualifying Monday at Heritage at Westmoor: This qualifier also features 84 players vying for five spots in the Sectionals.

The field here includes reigning HealthOne Colorado Open champion Zahkai Brown of Arvada; 2013 CGA Match Play winner David Oraee of Greeley; Keith Humerickhouse of Eagle, a former playing professional who has won the last four CGA Mid-Amateurs; University of Colorado freshman Jeremy Paul, a second-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection this year; Scott Petersen of Parker, who won a Web.com Tour event and the Colorado Open in 2000; and Caine Fitzgerald of Parker, who qualified for the 2013 PGA Championship.

— U.S. Open Local Qualifying Tuesday at Collindale: Eighthy-three players are signed up for this site, with the top four finishers moving on to Sectionals.

Former PGA Tour player Leif Olson of Golden will compete at Collindale, along with former HealthOne Colorado Open champion Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Also in this field are Jason Preeo of Highlands Ranch, who made the cut in the 2010 U.S. Open and who advanced to Sectionals last year; 2010 CGA Public Links champion Riley Arp, who likewise made the grade at the Collindale Local Qualifying in 2013; and several college golfers from Colorado State and the University of Northern Colorado (Cameron Harrell, Parker Edens, Steven Kupcho and Ben Krueger among them).

— U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying Wednesday at Heritage at Westmoor: This field will include 57 players who will battle it out over 36 holes for just two Women’s Open berths. Westmoor will be one of 24 Sectional sites internationally.

The great majority of entrants at this site are amateurs — 45, to be exact. Those include some of the top players at Colorado-based Division I universities — including Norwegians Tonje Daffinrud and Mariell Bruun from the University of Denver, and Jennifer Coleman of the University of Colorado — as well as two-time CWGA Player of the Year Somin Lee, who competes for Pepperdine. Daffinrud is ranked No. 15 among the nation’s women’s college golfers by Golfstat.

The four players who qualified in Colorado for the U.S. Women’s Amateur last year — Jennifer Kupcho, Coleman, Jennifer Yang and Hannah Wood — are also in the field.

Some of the top contenders for the state high school titles, which are set for May 19-20, are likewise competing at Westmoor: Wood, Kupcho, Calli Ringsby and Sydney Merchant.

Among the professionals entered is former HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open champion Erin Houtsma. Also playing is Kayla Riede, medalist in the last two U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links qualifiers held in Colorado.