Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo tied for sixth at the PGA Tour Champions’ Allianz Championship, the event he won last year.

Meanwhile, former University of Denver women’s golfer Tonje Daffinrud posted her best showing ever on the Ladies European Tour by sharing sixth place at the season-opening Oates Vic Open in Australia.

And Pat Hamill (pictured), founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and the CEO of Oakwood Homes, teamed with PGA Tour player Matt Every to likewise tie for sixth in the Pebble Peach pro-am competition. Despite Every missing the cut by 10 shots, he and Hamill carded rounds of 62-68-67-64 for a 26-under-par 261 total, which left them seven strokes behind winners Ken Duke and amateur partner Carson Daly. Hamill and Every played with former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird and his partner on Sunday.

Daffinrud, who placed 10th at the women’s NCAA finals as a DU senior in 2014, shot rounds of 70-74-70-69 for a 9-under-par 283 total at the Vic Open. In ending up seven strokes behind champion Melissa Reid, Daffinrud earned 10,290 euros.

As for Toledo, who’s won four times in his Champions career, he carded scores of 69-67-66 for a 14-under-par 202 total in Boca Raton, Fla. Scott McCarron prevailed at 17-under 199.
 

With the LPGA Tour playing its season opener this week, every major tour in the world will be underway for 2017. And if recent developments are any indication, it will be an eventful year for players with strong Colorado connections.

For example:

— Former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird (pictured) posted his second top-10 finish in four starts on the 2016-17 PGA Tour wraparound season by placing ninth Sunday in the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, Calif.

The three-time Tour winner shot rounds of 68-66-71-69 for a 14-under-par 274 total, leaving him six strokes behind winner Hudson Swafford.

Laird placed eighth in the Safeway Open in October.

— World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, a graduate of Boulder High School and the University of Colorado, doesn’t play a lot anymore on PGA Tour Champions, where he’s far and away the record-holder for career victories with 45. But even at 71 years old, he still has his moments.

At last week’s Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii, Irwin shot better than his age not once but twice in the tournament, which was shortened to 36 holes due to heavy winds on Saturday. Named the Colorado Male Player of the Century in 2015, Irwin fired a 3-under-par 69 Thursday and a 70 on Friday, making it a remarkable 18 times in which he’s bettered his age on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.

Irwin’s 28th-place finish was his best in a non-team event on the Champions tour since August 2014.

— Shane Bertsch of Parker, who hasn’t competed in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in more than 11 months following a shoulder injury, is back in action at the Web.com Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, which started on Sunday.

When he returns to the PGA Tour, the former Colorado Open champion will have 11 events left on a medical extension, needing to earn at least $612,397 in those events to keep his exempt status.

Also on a medical extension on the PGA Tour is part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler, who when he returns will have 26 tournaments in which to earn $717,890 in order to keep his Tour status. Stadler, hampered by a left hand injury for more than two years, hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour in 18 months, though he finished 41st in the CoBank Colorado Open in July.

Among those joining Bertsch in the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic are two Coloradans who earned Web.com Tour status through Q-school in December, Jim Knous of Englewood and Tom Whitney of Fort Collins. Whitney received a sponsor’s exemption for the event. Former Golden resident Andrew Svoboda, a winner last year on the Web circuit, is also competing in the Bahamas.

Here are some of the other notable things from a Colorado perspective on the world’s major tours in 2017:

— Though former CU golfer Jenny Coleman (left) in all likelihood won’t make it into the field for this week’s Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, she will be the first player with major Colorado connections to compete regularly on the LPGA Tour since 2013. (Sue Kim, who spent one semester at the University of Denver, played on the LPGA Tour regularly as recently as 2015.)

Coleman, who competed for the Buffs from 2010-14, finished 29th in the final stage of LPGA Tour qualifying in December to earn conditional status.

Two former DU golfers, Tonje Daffinrud and Ellie Givens, continue to be regulars on the Ladies European Tour.

— As many as a half-dozen players with strong Colorado ties figure to compete at least a handful of times on the PGA Tour in the current wraparound season.

As noted earlier, that could include two players long sidelined by injuries, Stadler and Bertsch.

Laird, who already has two top-10 showings, will be a regular.

Former Denver resident Mark Hubbard has struggled in the early going this season, but has shown he has some staying power by keeping his PGA Tour card for three straight years. His best PGA Tour finish is 15th in the 2016 Puerto Rico Open.

Meanwhile, likely getting periodic starts in 2017 will be former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders and current Aspenite Justin Leonard.

— As many as eight players with Colorado connections may compete on PGA Tour Champions in 2017. The one likely to make the most noise, based on last year, is Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe, who posted seven top-10 finishes in 2016. Others likely to play at least periodically in 2017 are Esteban Toledo, Gary Hallberg, Irwin, Mark Wiebe, Steve Jones, Craig Stadler and Mike Reid.

— For the first time in several years, at least two players with strong Colorado connections will compete in the same season on the European Tour. That happened when former CU golfer Sebastian Heisele finished 19th in the final stage of Q-school in November and former DU player Espen Kofstad was 25th. That made both players exempt for the 2016-17 wraparound season.

— Joining Knous, Whitney and Svoboda on the Web.com Tour in 2017 are Coloradans Parker Edens and Michael Schoolcraft, along with current CU senior Jeremy Paul, all of whom have conditional status, like Whitney.

For weekly updates on all the local tour players, CLICK HERE.
 

Former University of Colorado golfer Jenny Coleman (pictured), who finished 31st on the Symetra Tour money list in 2016, shot her second straight round of 71, leaving her at 2-under-par 142, six strokes behind leader Maia Schechter. She shares 10th place.

The top 80 finishers and ties — out of the original field of 193 — after Sunday’s final round will advance to the third and final stage of LPGA qualifying, set for Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Also in the top 80 with two rounds remaining are former University of Denver golfers Ellie Givens (143, 14th place) and Katie Kempter (145, 30th place), Becca Huffer of Denver (146, 50th place), former CU golfers Emily Childs (147, 62nd place) and Alexis Keating (148, 73rd place), and former DU Pioneer Tonje Daffinrud (149, 79th place).

Here are the scores and positions for all the players with strong Colorado connections:

10. Former DU golfer Jenny Coleman 71-71–142
14. Former DU golfer Ellie Givens 68-75–143
30. Former DU golfer Katie Kempter 73-72–145
50. Becca Huffer of Denver 74-72–146
62. Former CU golfer Emily Childs 71-76–147
73. Former CU golfer Alexis Keating 72-76–148
79. Former DU golfer Tonje Daffinrud 74-75–149
149. Former CU golfer Kristin Coleman 77-77–154
154. Former UNC golfer Carleigh Silvers 74-81–155
188. Former DU golfer Kimberly Kim 81-80–161

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

Following up from last week, when we started our two-part retrospective on the top Colorado golf stories of 2014 (CLICK HERE for the first installment), we continue our countdown with the “back nine” — the top nine stories of the year — in reverse order. And at the end, we’ll include a list of honorable-mention selections.

9. The Jennifer Kupcho Express: Jennifer Kupcho won, she won consistently and she won big in Colorado in 2014. It was indeed a remarkable run for the golfer from Westminster who will be playing collegiately at Wake Forest beginning next year. While her most remarkable performance of the year may have come in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, where she finished second as a 17-year-old amateur competing against a field that included plenty of tour pros, that’s just a small part of the story. Kupcho (left) won the 4A state high school meet by 14 shots; the CWGA Junior Stroke Play by nine, the CJGA Tournament of Champions by 12; the CJGA Junior Series Championship by eight; the CWGA Match Play by 6 and 5 in the final, and she took low-amateur honors in the Colorado Women’s Open by 12. All told, she captured three CWGA titles, two major CJGA victories and a state high school crown. She also qualified for two USGA national championships. Kupcho was the youngest CWGA Player of the Year since 1999 and earned her third consecutive CWGA Junior POY honor. Out of state, she tied for eighth place in the stroke-play portion of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and placed eighth in the Girls Junior America’s Cup. Full story: CLICK HERE.

8. Locals Headed for Top Tours: The last several months have produced a big crop of players with strong Colorado connections who have qualified for golf’s top tours — many for the first time. Here’s a quick rundown:

— Denver native Mark Hubbard earned PGA Tour status by finishing in the top 25 on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, also landed exempt status on the PGA Tour for the first time thanks to his 2014 performance on the Web.com Tour. Full story: CLICK HERE.

— Former University of Denver golfer Espen Kofstad regained a spot on the European Tour by finishing 10th in Q-school. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Not long after winning his second consecutive Colorado PGA Professional Championship — and becoming what is believed to be the oldest champion in the event’s history (age 52) — Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale earned conditional status on the 2015 Champions Tour by finishing 12th, thanks to a playoff, at the Q-school finals. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Tonje Daffinrud, who turned pro this year after placing 10th in the NCAA Women’s Finals for DU, qualified for the Ladies European Tour by finishing fifth on the Access Series 2014 Order of Merit. Full story: CLICK HERE.

— Former Fort Collins resident Drew Stoltz earned conditional status on the Web.com Tour by making it to the final stage of Q-school. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

7. Stadler’s Breakthrough: Part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler broke through in February for his first victory on the PGA Tour, out-dueling Bubba Watson down the stretch to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Stadler, who has claimed titles at the Colorado Open and the CGA Match Play (twice), went on to be in the same field as his dad, Evergreen resident Craig Stadler, in the Masters, where Craig won in 1982. Kevin Stadler, a Kent Denver High School graduate, placed eighth at Augusta National, marking his best finish ever in a major championship. He won more than $2.3 million on the PGA Tour in 2014, not counting what he made for placing second in the French Open. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

6. Clark Shines at College Level as Redshirt Freshman: Wyndham Clark (left) of Lone Tree made a splash on the national scene a couple of times during the year. The 2010 CGA Stroke Play champion earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors during his redshirt freshman season at Oklahoma State. Full story: CLICK HERE. This despite the passing of his mother, Lise, at age 55 in 2013 after a battle with breast cancer. Clark also played in the match-play finals of the NCAA Championships, where OSU fell to Alabama and finished second in the nation as a team. Despite the loss, Clark won all his individual matches (3-0) in the match-play portion of the NCAA tournament. Full story: CLICK HERE. In addition, Clark, a two-time Colorado state high school champion, also represented the U.S. in the Palmer Cup, a Ryder Cup-like competition between the top college players from America and Europe. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

5. 50 Years and Counting for Colorado Open: The HealthOne Colorado Open celebrated its 50th year in 2014, and what a 50-year run it has been. Since debuting in 1964 (the tournament wasn’t held one year, 2003), a long list of golf luminaries have participated in the event, including Sam Snead, Phil Mickelson, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Fred Couples, Mark O’Meara, Dave Stockton, Dave Hill, Don January, Steve Jones, Dow Finsterwald, George Archer, Al Geiberger, Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington and Peter Jacobsen. All told, participants in the Colorado Open have accounted for more than 35 major championship victories. And there are 10 Colorado Open champions who have now won at least one PGA Tour event. Former athletes John Elway, John Brodie and Rick Rhoden have also competed. Full story: CLICK HERE. The Colorado Open wasn’t the only Colorado Open Championship to celebrate a notable anniversary in 2014 as the Women’s Open was held for the 20th time.

4. Vickers Given His Due: It’s difficult to overstate the impact Jack Vickers has had on the Colorado golf scene, given that without him the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines wouldn’t have existed. As it is, the Vickers-founded tournament (and Castle Pines Golf Club) produced 21 Tour events from 1986 through 2006 — many of them very memorable. Champions of the tournament include Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Davis Love and Vijay Singh. Therefore, it was no small matter when in September, Vickers was the 11th recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award. Seeing who had previously won the honor speaks to its stature: Gene Sarazen (1996), Byron Nelson (1997), Arnold Palmer (1998), Sam Snead (1998), Jack Burke (2003), Pete Dye (2005), Deane Beman (2007), Jack Nicklaus (2008), President George H.W. Bush (2009), and Gary Player (2012). Full story: CLICK HERE. 

3. Year of the Oddity: To say that there were some odds-defying feats in Colorado golf in 2014 would be a vast understatement. Here are some of the oddities that happened this year:

— In April at Gypsum Creek Golf Course east of Glenwood Springs, Fred Kessler from Gypsum and Dan Eby from Avon, playing in the same group, both aced the 151-yard 17th hole — with consecutive shots. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— In July during a practice round for the HealthOne Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, Micah Rudosky and his son Jakob each made a hole-in-one during the same round while playing in the same group. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Also at the Colorado Open, amateur Cole Nygren of Longmont pulled off one of golf’s rarest feats. He holed a 3-wood from 296 yards for an albatross — a double eagle — on the par-5 ninth hole. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— In September at the Ram Masters Invitational college tournament at Fort Collins Country Club, there were three holes-in-one in less than an hour on the same hole, the ninth. Drew McCullough of Wyoming, Shane Fontenot of McNeese State and Pierre Tillement of George Washington pulled off the feat. McCullough went on to win the individual title at the tournament. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— In October, Denver resident Connie Gallagher made what is believed to be the first hole-in-one on a par-4 by a female in the history of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Gallagher aced the fourth hole from 253 yards. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Later in October, University of Colorado men’s head coach Roy Edwards and assistant coach Brandon White not only made holes-in-one on the same day and at the same course (Boulder Country Club’s Fowler Course), but they did it within a minute of one another on adjacent holes. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

2. Flood Recovery: For some Colorado golf courses, it was a matter of days or weeks to get back to normal following the devastating floods of September, 2013, when close to 15 inches of rain fell in six days in some areas of Colorado. But for many other facilities, recovery continued into 2014. A partial list of courses significantly affected includes Coal Creek in Louisville, CommonGround in Aurora, Mariana Butte in Loveland, Pelican Lakes in Windsor, Estes Park Golf Course, the Lake Estes Executive 9-Hole Course, Evergreen Golf Course, Twin Peaks in Longmont and Flatirons in Boulder. Perhaps the two courses that withstood the most damage were Coal Creek and CommonGround (above), which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA. CommonGround returned to 18-hole status for its championship course on May 29. Full story: CLICK HERE. And officials hope to finally reopen Coal Creek, with an estimated reconstruction cost of $5.6 million, sometime late in the spring of 2015. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

1. BMW Championship the Best of the Best: The BMW Championship, hosted by Cherry Hills Country Club in the first week of September, earned the No. 1 spot on our list for two main reasons: First, it marked the first time Colorado had hosted a PGA Tour event since 2006 — and it was a FedExCup Playoff event at that; Second, all its net proceeds benefit the Evans Scholarship for caddies, including those attending school at the University of Colorado. In both regards, the tournament was a major success. All of the top 10 players in the World Golf Ranking competed, and seven of the top 15 in those rankings finished in the top 10 at Cherry Hills. Billy Horschel won the tournament and went on to claim the FedExCup title the following week. Full story: CLICK HERE. The penultimate playoff event drew close to 126,000 fans over six days. With former CU Evans Scholar George Solich serving as general chairman, the BMW Championship was not only named the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year (CLICK HERE), but it raised a record $3.5 million for the Evans Scholars, which is a flagship program for both the CGA and CWGA (CLICK HERE). (The BMW Championship awards ceremony is pictured, at top, with Horschel in the red pants and Solich standing second from the right.)

Honorable-Mention Selections

— University of Colorado-bound Ross Macdonald became the first player since the 1980s to win consecutive CGA Junior Stroke Play Championships.

— Golf World magazine included four “locals” among its list of the “100 Best Modern Players” (since 1980) on the PGA Tour: David Duval (No. 8), Hale Irwin (35), Craig Stadler (42) and Steve Jones (83).

— Coloradan Mark Wiebe played in the 500th PGA Tour event of his career, competing in the British Open.

— Eric Hoos exited after a 15-year run as University of Denver men’s golf coach, and was replaced by Erik Billinger.

— Sammie Chergo, who coached the DU women’s team to two top-10 finishes in the NCAA finals, became head coach at Oregon State.

— Three Colorado-based golfers earned spots in out-of-state halls of fame: 11-time LPGA Tour winner Shirley Englehorn (LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame), Mark Wiebe (San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame) and Lynn Zmistowski (Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame).

— Denver’s Nick Mason qualified for the U.S. Open.

— The CGA announced that CommonGround Golf Course will host a new AJGA event, the AJGA Hale Irwin Junior, in June 2015.

— In just the second CGA Match Play final since 1981 to go extra holes, Cody Kent defeated Jacob Allenback in 37 holes.

— CSU-Pueblo’s Leina Kim leads the NCAA Division II women’s ranks in scoring average after fall competition (71.2).

— Colorado caddie Melyzjah Smith earned an Evans Scholarship at CU thanks to a hole-in-one Hunter Mahan made at the 2013 BMW Championship near Chicago.

— Seventeen caddies, believed to be a record-sized class, received Evans Scholarships at CU, including 15 teenagers from Colorado.

— For the last time, qualifying for the men’s and women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links were held in Colorado, while the first qualifiers for the men’s and women’s U.S. Four-Balls were contested as the USGA made changes to its championship schedule.

— Josh Seiple of Castle Rock was named to the AJGA All-American second team.

— Former CU golfer Emily Talley finished second in the inaugural Big Break Invitational on the Golf Channel.

— Becca Huffer of Denver won the Michigan PGA Women’s Open.

— Former DU golfer Sue Kim made her third cut in three tries at the U.S. Women’s Open. Greeley’s Carleigh Silvers also qualified for the event.

— A victory on the Symetra Tour narrowly eluded Littleton’s Ashley Tait, who lost in a playoff to Madison Pressel in the Decatur-Forsyth Classic.

— The University of Northern Colorado men won the America Sky Conference title, with Coloradan Ben Krueger capturing the individual title.

— Golf magazine readers named the Broadmoor North America’s top resort.

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bob Byman was on the 1974-75 Wake Forest squad that PGATour.com named the top college golf team of all time.
 

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.
 

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 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 (pictured) 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.
 

The Pioneers have known nothing but success in their conference tournaments for the last decade, having put together an amazing run of 10 consecutive conference team titles.

They’ve won in the Sun Belt Conference (nine times), they’ve won in the Western Athletic Conference (once) and this week coach Lindsay (Hulwick) Kuhle’s squad will take aim at the Summit League crown, which will be decided from Monday through Wednesday (April 21-23) in Keller, Texas.

Kuhle (pictured above), the 2005 CWGA Stroke Play winner, has been involved in most of DU’s run of conference championship dominance, having been an assistant coach or associate head coach under Sammie Chergo for seven of the victories before taking the Pioneers to the WAC title last year as a rookie head coach.

And DU has not only claimed team victories at conference championships during the last decade. The Pioneers have also won six individual titles during that span: Emily Hoeper (2005), Stephanie Sherlock (2007 and 2008), Kimberly Kim (2010), Rachael Watton (2012) and Tonje Daffinrud (2013).

Daffinrud, then a junior, ran away with the WAC title a year ago, winning by six strokes. And before departing the DU program later this spring, she’ll try to make it two in a row, this time in the Summit League. She owns a 72.05 season-long stroke average — the best among league players by almost three shots — and has posted top-eight finishes in each of her last five stroke-play events. Daffinrud is ranked 15th in the nation among women collegians by Golfstat and 24th by Golfweek.

“I would love to win Summit League titles both as a team and as an individual,” Daffinrud said. “A win would give myself and the team great confidence going into the NCAA Regionals and ideally, into the NCAA Championships.”

Should Denver claim the Summit League title, it will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA regionals.

There are eight teams in the Summit League tournament, mostly from the Midwest, but DU placed first in the preseason league polls, both on the women’s and men’s sides. In fact, Denver ranks among the top 45 women’s teams in the nation. And DU claimed all five spots on the all-league women’s first team (Daffinrud, Mariell Bruun, Elyse Smidinger, Isabel Southard and Watton), a first in Summit League history.

All nine NCAA Division I golf programs in the state (five men’s and four women’s) will compete in their conference championships over the next week.

Here’s the schedule, noting the Colorado-based schools playing:

April 20-22 — Big Sky Women in Chandler, Ariz. (Northern Colorado)

April 21-23 — Summit League Men in Tyler, Texas (Denver)

April 21-23 — Summit League Women in Keller, Texas (Denver)

April 24-26 — Mountain West Women in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Colorado State)

April 25-27 — Pac-12 Men in Marana, Ariz. (Colorado)

April 25-27 — Pac-12 Women in Corvallis, Ore. (Colorado)

April 25-27 — Mountain West Men in Tucson, Ariz. (Colorado State and Air Force)

April 25-27 — America Sky Men in Angels Camp, Calif. (Northern Colorado)

Here’s a rundown:

April 20-22 — Big Sky Women in Chandler, Ariz.

Notable — Northern Colorado is ranked 210th/211th among the nation’s Division I women’s teams. … UNC, the 2012 champion, finished third in the 2013 Big Sky Championship. … Since-graduated Carleigh Silvers was UNC’s top individual last year, placing fifth. … Colorado Springs resident Paige Crawford, who plays for Montana State, is defending her conference title this week after winning by seven strokes last year.

April 21-23 — Summit League Men in Tyler, Texas

Notable — Denver, ranked 127th/131st in the nation, won its opener and notched one other top-five finish this season. … Senior Oskar Arvidsson leads Denver in season-long scoring average with 72.47. He has one win and three other top-10s this season. … Joining Arvidsson on the all-league first team is teammate Ole Ramsnes. … Arvidsson finished fifth individually at the Western Athletic Conference Championships last year. … DU placed seventh in the 10-team conference race in 2013.

April 21-23 — Summit League Women in Keller, Texas

Notable — See story above.

April 24-26 — Mountain West Women in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Notable — Colorado State recorded one top-five finish during the regular season, a fourth-place showing at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational. The Rams are ranked 122th/129th in the nation. … Emily Roering owns the team’s top scoring average at 76.9, having posted one top-five finish. … Colorado State finished seventh in last year’s eight-team MWC tournament. … Roering led the way for CSU individually, placing 19th.

April 25-27 — Pac-12 Men in Marana, Ariz.

Notable — This tournament is unusual in that it’s a 72-hole event, with the best five scores from six players each day counting toward the team total. … Colorado has posted seven top-four team finishes this season, including in each of its last four tournaments. The Buffs are ranked 53rd/59th in the country. … German twins Jeremy Paul (72.03) and Yannik Paul (72.63), both freshmen, lead CU in season stroke average. Paul won a tournament this spring and is ranked 126th in the nation by Golfstat and 174th by Golfweek. … Colorado finished 10th in last year’s Pac-12 Championships. … The Buffs put one player in the top 25 individually in 2013 as Philip Juel-Berg placed 24th.

April 25-27 — Pac-12 Women in Corvallis, Ore.

Notable — Colorado has recorded two top-three finishes this season and is ranked 47th/58th in the nation. … Senior Jennifer Coleman leads the team in stroke average at 74.0. She’s finished in the top three individually in two of her last three tournaments and ranks 107th/121st in the country. … Coleman placed third individually against a very strong field in last year’s conference championship. … As a team, the Buffs ended up ninth in 2013.

April 25-27 — Mountain West Men in Tucson, Ariz.

Notable — Air Force Academy senior Kyle Westmoreland has notched five top-seven finishes this season, including a victory at the season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. He ranks third in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average at 71.7. Nationally, Westmoreland is 109th in the country according to Golfstat. … Junior Cameron Harrell leads the way for CSU in stroke average at 72.24. … Air Force has won two tournaments this season, the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and the Snowman Getaway. … CSU is ranked 103rd/104th in the nation, while Air Force is 137th/142nd. … Air Force finished fourth and Colorado State placed fifth in the nine-team 2013 conference championships. … Westmoreland was the top local individual in 2013, finishing eighth.

April 25-27 — America Sky Men in Angels Camp, Calif.

Notable — Northern Colorado has posted three top-three team finishes this season, including a win at the Border Olympics. … The Bears are ranked 152nd/153rd in the country. … In the last five tournaments, five UNC players have finished in the top two individually, with Ben Krueger doing so twice, Steven Kupcho twice and Conner Barr once. … Krueger, a Colorado Springs resident, placed third individually last year at the conference tournament. … UNC ended up fifth in the 12-team America Sky field last year.
 

Wyndham Clark has played a grand total of 17 official rounds of college golf — six tournaments.

But, despite a redshirt season as a true freshman, the Greenwood Village resident appears to be a quick learner, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed his career over the last five years.

Competing for one of the top programs in the country, Oklahoma State, Clark was more than a steady performer during the just-completed fall season. He was a standout.

The 19-year-old redshirt freshman shares the best scoring average for the Cowboys so far this season, with a 70.33. And that was while playing a schedule featuring some of the top tournaments of the fall.

Clark, a two-time 4A state high school champion at Valor Christian, has posted these individual finishes in four fall tournaments: 21st, fourth (Jack Nicklaus Invitational), fourth (U.S. Collegiate Championship) and second (Royal Oaks Intercollegiate). Oklahoma State won team titles in two of those events.

Five of Clark’s last eight tournament rounds have been in the 60s, including a fall-closing 65.

So where does that leave him in the overall scheme of college golf at its mid-season intermission?

He’s ranked sixth in the nation individually by Golfweek magazine, and 20th by Golfstat.

“(Senior Ian Davis) has really taken over and has been our best player this fall, but it’s been exciting to see Wyndham’s improvement,” first-year OSU men’s head coach Alan Bratton told Golfweek. “He had a rough first year (as a true freshman last season), but has played very well this fall. I think he’s just scratching the surface of what kind of player he can be.”

Considering the foundation Clark built in Colorado — and nationally — as a young player, his performance shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. After all, here’s a golfer who won the CGA Stroke Play at age 16, becoming that tournament’s youngest champion since Bob Byman won in 1971. Before turning 20, he’s competed in three U.S. Amateurs. And in his final high school tournament, he shot 64-64 at the 2011 4A state meet to win by eight strokes.

But as golfers make jumps from one level to another, it’s not always easy to predict how they’ll fare. Clark played in just two tournaments as a true freshman last season before redshirting. But he’s certainly broken from the gate very quickly in his second year in Stillwater.

While Clark has been the top college performer with strong Colorado ties so far this season, he’s certainly not alone in having had a strong fall.

Here are others who are ranked among the top 200 men’s college players in the nation: Colorado State junior Cameron Harrell (ranked 76th by Golfstat, 116th by Golfweek); University of Oklahoma senior Michael Schoolcraft, a former teammate of Clark’s at Valor Christian (112th by Golfweek, 167th by Golfstat); Air Force Academy senior Kyle Westmoreland (119th by Golfstat, 192nd by Golfweek); Colorado Mines junior Jordan Arndt (130th by Golfstat); Colorado Mesa freshman Colin Prater (131st by Golfstat).

And here are the locals in the nation’s top 200 on the women’s side: University of Denver senior Tonje Daffinrud (pictured at left) (25th by Golfstat, 31st by Golfweek); University of Colorado senior Jennifer Coleman (93rd by Golfweek, 150th by Golfstat); Pepperdine junior Somin Lee, a Denver resident (144th by Golfweek, 195th by Golfstat); CU sophomore Jamie Oleksiew (149th by Golfweek, 231st by Golfstat); CU senior Kristin Coleman (159th by Golfweek, 249th by Golfstat).

As for national team rankings, here’s the rundown for Colorado-based NCAA Division I men’s programs: Colorado (ranked 82nd by Golfstat, 84th by Golfweek); Colorado State (90th by Golfstat, 98th by Golfweek); Denver (115th by Golfstat, 118th by Golfweek); Air Force (125th by Golfweek, 158th by Golfstat); Northern Colorado (155th by Golfstat, 168th by Golfweek).

And for in-state NCAA Division I women’s programs: Denver (40th by Golfstat; 42nd by Golfweek); Colorado (49th by Golfstat; 51st by Golfweek); Colorado State (103rd by Golfstat; 111th by Golfweek); Northern Colorado (208th by Golfstat; 209th by Golfweek).

All the Colorado-based Division I college teams will begin their “spring” season in February, with the exception of the UNC men, who will resume tournament action in early March.