Finishing in the top 10 in a USGA national championship is no small feat. Ask any elite-level golfer with strong Colorado ties.

In the last half-dozen USGA seasons, fewer than 10 times has a player with major Colorado connections either placed in the top 10 in an individual USGA stroke-play national championship or made it to at least the quarterfinals of an individual USGA amateur championship.

That list includes David Duval (second in 2009 U.S. Open), Steve Ziegler (quarterfinalist in 2009 U.S. Amateur), Hale Irwin (fourth in 2011 U.S. Senior Open), Mark Wiebe (eighth in 2012 U.S. Senior Open) and Marilyn Hardy (quarterfinals in 2013 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur).

Yet in this month alone, two players with significant Colorado ties accomplished that feat. Michael Harrington of Colorado Springs made it to the final eight in the U.S. Mid-Amateur in Bethlehem, Pa., last week. And this week, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (pictured above in a USGA photo) advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur — held this year in Deal, N.J. — for the third time since 2009.

The 2014 USGA championship season for non-team events ends today with the finals of the U.S. Senior Amateur and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. After that, all that’s left is the biennial USGA Men’s State Team Championship, set for Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in French Lick, Ind. Steve Irwin, Jon Lindstrom and Nick Nosewicz are scheduled to represent Colorado at that event.

As for the recent USGA quarterfinalists with strong ties to the Centennial State, both Harrington and Eaton earn exemptions into their respective 2015 national championships by virtue of advancing to the final eight this month.

Harrington (left), 42, was playing in his ninth USGA championship, and his third U.S. Mid-Am, but he had never before gotten beyond the round of 16 in match play. Ironically, when he did previously go to the round of 16, he lost to a fellow Coloradan, Rick DeWitt, in the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur. This time around, after qualifying for match play and winning his first three matches, the 2009 CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year fell 5 and 3 to Tom Werkmeister of Kentwood, Mich., who won the 2013 Michigan Open title as an amateur.

For the record, by the way, had Harrington won the title, he would have been the second national Mid-Am champion from Colorado. Bill Loeffler, who has gone on to win three Colorado Open titles, claimed the U.S. Mid-Am title in 1986.

At the Senior Women’s Amateur, Eaton, 55, went 19 holes in the round of 16 to defeat former U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Corey Weworski and earn a quarterfinal spot. But, just as was the case in 2011, Eaton fell in the quarters to Terri Frohnmayer of Salem, Ore.

Eaton, a native of Greeley who now lives in Tempe, Ariz., was competing in her 22nd USGA championship. Besides this year and in 2011, she made the U.S. Senior Women’s Am quarterfinals in 2009. She won 21 CWGA championships before “retiring” from those competitions at the end of the 2013 season. She’s been the CWGA Senior Player of the Year each of the past five years.

Eaton and Harrington are two of the 13 players with strong Colorado connections who in 2014 made cuts during the 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. (Note: Making cuts in this case means advancing to match play in amateur-only events, or surviving 36-hole cuts in open championships).

Here’s the rundown:

U.S. Open — Part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler finished 63rd.

U.S. Women’s Open — Former University of Denver golfer Sue Kim finished 59th.

U.S. Senior Open — Former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo finished 14th.

U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links — DU golfer Elyse Smidinger advanced to match play and lost in the round of 64.

U.S. Amateur Public Links — Chris Korte of Littleton, a current DU golfer, advanced to match play and lost in the round of 64.

U.S. Junior Amateur — Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village advanced to match play and lost in the round of 64.

U.S. Girls’ Junior — Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster tied for eighth place in stroke play, easily advancing to match play, then lost in the round of 64.

U.S. Women’s Amateur — Former University of Colorado golfer Jennifer Coleman made match play, won one match and lost in the round of 32 to Alison Lee, the No. 3-ranked female amateur in the world at the time.

U.S. Amateur — No local players advanced to match play.

U.S. Mid-Amateur — Michael Harrington of Colorado Springs made match play, won three matches and lost in the quarterfinals, which makes him exempt from qualifying next year.

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur — Shannon Langhardt of Lakewood made match play and lost in round of 64.

U.S. Senior Amateur — No local players advanced to match play.

U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur — Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton made match play, won three matches and lost in the quarterfinals for the third time in the last six years, which makes her exempt from qualifying in 2015. Also making match play, but losing in the round of 64 were Christie Austin of Greenwood Village, a former USGA Executive Committee member, and part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy.
 

The 2013 USGA championship season wrapped up last week, and it certainly included its share of highlights for golfers with strong Colorado connections.

The USGA conducted 14 national championships for which Coloradans tried to qualify. And while there were no victories — or extremely close calls — for players from the Centennial State, there were plenty of notable moments.

Here are a smattering:

— Just a couple of weeks after becoming only the third player ever to win a specific CGA championship four consecutive years — in his case, the CGA Mid-Amateur — Keith Humerickhouse (pictured below) of Eagle made some noise in the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

The left-handed former pro defeated two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Tim Jackson of Germantown, Tenn., in the round of 32 by a 1-up margin.

“To beat him, it’s pretty special for sure,” Humerickhouse said of Jackson, the 1994 and 2001 U.S. Mid-Am champion. “He’s so steady. I knew he was going to hit fairways all day long.”

Unfortunately for Humerickhouse, he didn’t have long to savor the win as he played a round-of-16 match that same afternoon, and his run ended there.

— Part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy advanced to match play in both the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, but in each case she lost to players who would go on to win the national championship. Ellen Port, the 2012 champ, beat Hardy in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Senior Am, and Julia Potter ousted Hardy in the round of 32 at the Mid-Am.

— The team representing Colorado (pictured at top) tied its best showing ever in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship by placing sixth in the 52-team field.

High school golfers Hannah Wood and Jennifer Kupcho were joined by former University of Denver player Melissa Martin in forming the Colorado contingent. Wood and Kupcho tied for 11th place individually.

Colorado also placed sixth in the 2009 USGA Women’s State Team.

— Speaking of Wood, she made it to the round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links after getting into the field at the last minute as an alternate, driving to Oklahoma and competing without the benefit of a practice round.

— As for Kupcho, the 16-year-old qualified for four USGA championships in 2013 (Women’s Publinks, Girls’ Junior, Women’s Amateur and Women’s State Team). She advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and also had her strong showing in the Women’s State Team.

— Spencer Painton of Aurora, who later would go on to win the Class 5A state high school individual title, made it to match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur, but lost in the round of 64 to Scottie Scheffler of Dallas, who would go on to win the national title.

With Painton and Josh Seiple of Castle Rock advancing to match play, it marked the first time since 2009 (Wyndham Clark and Brendan Connolly) that two Coloradans accomplished that feat in the same U.S. Junior Am. And Seiple was the first Coloradan since Clark (2009 and ’10) to qualify for two consecutive U.S. Junior Ams. Clark went to the round of 16 in 2009 and to the round of 64 in 2010.

A third 2013 qualifier for the Junior Amateur, Jake Kelley, was a high school teammate of Painton at Regis Jesuit, which recently won its fourth consecutive 5A state team title.

— Speaking of Clark, this year he qualified for his third U.S. Amateur, this time making it to the round of 64 out of the original field of 312.

— In all, players with major Colorado connections made the cut 19 times in USGA championships this year. And that doesn’t include the Colorado squad that placed sixth in the USGA Women’s State Team.

Here’s a quick rundown of which players with strong Colorado ties survived the cuts (36 holes in all-stroke-play events, or to match play in all-amateur championships):

U.S. Open June 13-16 in Ardmore, Pa. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: former Colorado State golfer Martin Laird (finished 21st).

U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links June 17-22 in Norman, Okla. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Hannah Wood of Centennial (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Women’s Open June 27-30 in Southampton, N.Y. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: none.

U.S. Senior Open July 11-14 in Omaha, Neb. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: Gary Hallberg of Castle Rock (finished 23rd), former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo (finished 30th), Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Hale Irwin (finished 56th).

U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship July 15-20 in Lorton, Va. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Derek Fribbs of Boulder (lost in round of 32), Cameron Harrell of Colorado Springs (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Junior Amateur July 22-27 in Truckee, Calif. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Spencer Painton of Aurora (lost in round of 64), Josh Seiple of Castle Rock (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Girls’ Junior July 22-27 in Fort Wayne, Ind. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (lost in round of 32).

U.S. Women’s Amateur Aug. 5-11 in Charleston, S.C. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: none.

U.S. Amateur Aug. 12-18 in Brookline, Mass. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village (lost in round of 64).

USGA Women’s State Team Sept. 17-19 in Kettering, Ohio — Colorado finish: sixth place.

USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Sept. 21-26 in San Martin, Calif. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy (lost in quarterfinals), Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (lost in round of 64).

USGA Senior Amateur Sept. 21-26 in Cashiers, N.C. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Tom Schultz of Trinidad (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Mid-Amateur Oct. 5-10 in Birmingham, Ala. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Keith Humerickhouse of Eagle (lost in round of 16).

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Oct. 5-10 in Asheville, N.C. — part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy (lost in round of 32), Shannon Lutynski of Castle Rock (lost in round of 64), Kelly Schaub of Greeley (lost in round of 64), Stacey Arnold of Westminster (lost in round of 64).
 

The 2013 USGA championship season wrapped up last week, and it certainly included its share of highlights for golfers with strong Colorado connections.

The USGA conducted 14 national championships for which Coloradans tried to qualify. And while there were no victories — or extremely close calls — for players from the Centennial State, there were plenty of notable moments.

Here are a smattering:

— Just a couple of weeks after becoming only the third player ever to win a specific CGA championship four consecutive years — in his case, the CGA Mid-Amateur — Keith Humerickhouse (pictured above) of Eagle made some noise in the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

The left-handed former pro defeated two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Tim Jackson of Germantown, Tenn., in the round of 32 by a 1-up margin.

“To beat him, it’s pretty special for sure,” Humerickhouse said of Jackson, the 1994 and 2001 U.S. Mid-Am champion. “He’s so steady. I knew he was going to hit fairways all day long.”

Unfortunately for Humerickhouse, he didn’t have long to savor the win as he played a round-of-16 match that same afternoon, and his run ended there.

— Part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy advanced to match play in both the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, but in each case she lost to players who would go on to win the national championship. Ellen Port, the 2012 champ, beat Hardy in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Senior Am, and Julia Potter ousted Hardy in the round of 32 at the Mid-Am.

— The team representing Colorado (pictured at left) tied its best showing ever in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship by placing sixth in the 52-team field.

High school golfers Hannah Wood and Jennifer Kupcho were joined by former University of Denver player Melissa Martin in forming the Colorado contingent. Wood and Kupcho tied for 11th place individually.

Colorado also placed sixth in the 2009 USGA Women’s State Team.

— Speaking of Wood, she made it to the round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links after getting into the field at the last minute as an alternate, driving to Oklahoma and competing without the benefit of a practice round.

— As for Kupcho, the 16-year-old qualified for four USGA championships in 2013 (Women’s Publinks, Girls’ Junior, Women’s Amateur and Women’s State Team). She advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and also had her strong showing in the Women’s State Team.

— Spencer Painton of Aurora, who later would go on to win the Class 5A state high school individual title, made it to match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur, but lost in the round of 64 to Scottie Scheffler of Dallas, who would go on to win the national title.

With Painton and Josh Seiple of Castle Rock advancing to match play, it marked the first time since 2009 (Wyndham Clark and Brendan Connolly) that two Coloradans accomplished that feat in the same U.S. Junior Am. And Seiple was the first Coloradan since Clark (2009 and ’10) to qualify for two consecutive U.S. Junior Ams. Clark went to the round of 16 in 2009 and to the round of 64 in 2010.

A third 2013 qualifier for the Junior Amateur, Jake Kelley, was a high school teammate of Painton at Regis Jesuit, which recently won its fourth consecutive 5A state team title.

— Speaking of Clark, this year he qualified for his third U.S. Amateur, this time making it to the round of 64 out of the original field of 312.

— In all, players with major Colorado connections made the cut 19 times in USGA championships this year. And that doesn’t include the Colorado squad that placed sixth in the USGA Women’s State Team.

Here’s a quick rundown of which players with strong Colorado ties survived the cuts (36 holes in all-stroke-play events, or to match play in all-amateur championships):

U.S. Open June 13-16 in Ardmore, Pa. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: former Colorado State golfer Martin Laird (finished 21st).

U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links June 17-22 in Norman, Okla. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Hannah Wood of Centennial (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Women’s Open June 27-30 in Southampton, N.Y. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: none.

U.S. Senior Open July 11-14 in Omaha, Neb. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: Gary Hallberg of Castle Rock (finished 23rd), former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo (finished 30th), Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Hale Irwin (finished 56th).

U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship July 15-20 in Lorton, Va. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Derek Fribbs of Boulder (lost in round of 32), Cameron Harrell of Colorado Springs (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Junior Amateur July 22-27 in Truckee, Calif. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Spencer Painton of Aurora (lost in round of 64), Josh Seiple of Castle Rock (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Girls’ Junior July 22-27 in Fort Wayne, Ind. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (lost in round of 32).

U.S. Women’s Amateur Aug. 5-11 in Charleston, S.C. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: none.

U.S. Amateur Aug. 12-18 in Brookline, Mass. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village (lost in round of 64).

USGA Women’s State Team Sept. 17-19 in Kettering, Ohio — Colorado finish: sixth place.

USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Sept. 21-26 in San Martin, Calif. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy (lost in quarterfinals), Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (lost in round of 64).

USGA Senior Amateur Sept. 21-26 in Cashiers, N.C. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Tom Schultz of Trinidad (lost in round of 64).

U.S. Mid-Amateur Oct. 5-10 in Birmingham, Ala. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Keith Humerickhouse of Eagle (lost in round of 16).

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Oct. 5-10 in Asheville, N.C. — part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy (lost in round of 32), Shannon Lutynski of Castle Rock (lost in round of 64), Kelly Schaub of Greeley (lost in round of 64), Stacey Arnold of Westminster (lost in round of 64).