There was plenty at stake and every stroke made a difference on a tightly packed leaderboard at U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying Wednesday at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.

When everything sorted itself out, two former Colorado 5A state high school champions and two international players landed spots in the national Women’s Am, which will be held Aug. 6-12 in Kingston Springs, Tenn.

With the top four finishers out of a field of 50 at Walnut Creek advancing, University of Colorado golfer Gillian Vance from Lakewood and University of Denver player Mary Weinstein from Highlands Ranch made the grade along with Sara Camarena of Mexico and Annabelle Ackroyd of Canada.

It was the second USGA championship in two days for which Ackroyd qualified in Colorado. She advanced to the U.S. Girls’ Junior Tuesday at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.

This will be the second straight U.S. Women’s Amateur for Weinstein and the first for Vance.

“We had a great season as a team for CU this past year (finishing 19th in the NCAA Finals),” Vance said. “That was fun, but this is like a whole new level for me. I feel like I’ve really done something for myself. I’m just on Cloud Nine right now.”

Added Weinstein: “It means so much” to go back to a second straight Women’s Amateur. “Last year didn’t go as well as I had hoped and planned (she failed to make match play). This year I went in with a different mindset and I really wanted to qualify so I could do my best and make up for last year. It really did mean a lot for me to make it this year.”

Camarena earned medalist honors Wednesday at Walnut Creek with a bogey-free 2-under-par 70. Vance and Ackroyd tied for second place at 71. (The top qualifiers are pictured, from left: Vance, Camarena and Ackroyd.)

Vance made two birdies and one bogey on the day, avoiding a playoff by sinking a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 17. 

“I was kind of missing a lot of putts all day,” she said. “I had a lot of birdie chances and kept leaving them just short or burning edges. I finally made one on 17. That gave me the boost I needed because 72 was a playoff. 

“This was very much one of my better (recent rounds). I’ve only gone under par once in a collegiate event in three years.”

Meanwhile, Ackroyd rallied on Wednesday after being 4 over par through four holes by playing the next five holes in 5 under, including making an eagle on No. 6. And, after a bogey on No. 16, she birdied the 18th.

Three players finished tied for fourth place at even-par 72, forcing a three-person-for-one spot playoff. Kelsey Webster of Boulder, who will be a CU teammate of Vance starting in the fall, was eliminated on the first extra hole as she missed the green in regulation and made bogey.

On No. 11, the second playoff hole, Weinstein (left) drained a 40-foot birdie that was matched by Jessica Sloot of Fruit Heights, Utah, a Colorado State University golfer who holed a 20-footer to extend the playoff. Then on the third hole of the playoff, on No. 12, Sloot hit her tee shot into a bunker on the par-4 and missed a 7-foot par putt, making bogey. Weinstein two-putted for 20 feet for par to advance.

“To qualify for the U.S. Women’s Am two years in a row is amazing for me,” said Weinstein, a former Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Girls Player of the Year who will be a junior at DU in the fall. “It’s one of the top tournaments on my entire schedule this year.”

Weinstein played her final seven holes of regulation in 2 under par, including making a 15-foot putt for birdie on 17.

Sloot will be the first alternate from the Walnut Creek site and Webster the second.

The upcoming U.S. Women’s Amateur will be the fourth USGA championship for Vance and the third for Weinstein. Both qualifiers from Colorado are 20 years old.

“This is one of my biggest accomplishments (in golf),” said Vance, a senior-to-be at CU. “I’m am just so excited. I’m not really sure what’s going to happen the next couple of years with golf and I’m trying to figure it out right now. This was a really good boost that I needed. I’m going to have so much fun out there, and I know that. My family, I don’t think we’ve gotten to do something like this since junior golf, so it will be a really good time.

“We got to nationals (as a team for CU), which was so much fun. It’s just been an incredible year, especially getting to go to the U.S. (Women’s) Amateur. Now it’s just icing on the cake.”

U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifying
At Par-72 Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster

ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Sara Camarena, Mexico City 70
Gillian Vance, Lakewood 71
Annabelle Ackroyd, Canada 71
Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch 72
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Jessica Sloot, Fruit Heights, Utah 72
Kelsey Webster, Boulder 72

For all the scores from Wednesday’s qualifyng tournament, CLICK HERE.
 

Coloradan Mary Weinstein, a University of Denver golfer, falls into that category, as does Colorado State University player Katrina Prendergast, who this spring teamed up with Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball national title. Prendergast also competed in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Am.

In all, a field of 50 at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster will vie for four spots in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, which is scheduled for Aug. 6-12 in Kingston Springs, Tenn.

Also in the field at Walnut Creek are each of the top eight finishers from last week’s CGA Women’s Stroke Play: Kristin Glesne (1); Erin Sargent (2), a 2015 U.S. Women’s Am qualifier; Kelsey Webster (3); Weinstein (4); Anna Kennedy (T5); Jaclyn Murray (T5); Jaylee Tait (T7), a 2014 U.S. Women’s Am qualifier; and Caroline Jordaan (T7).

Likewise scheduled to compete on Wednesday are present or recent past girls state high school champions Hailey Schalk, Amy Chitkoksoong and Lauren Lehigh.

University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, a standout from Australia, is also in the qualifying field.

NCAA individual champion Jennifer Kupcho from Westminster, who went to the match play round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur last year, is exempt from qualifying in 2018.

For Wednesday’s tee times from Walnut Creek, CLICK HERE.
 

For an event that in many respects he treated like “just another tournament for me,” Dillon Stewart certainly gave the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior a special performance this week.

In the fourth year of the tournament, the 17-year-old from Fort Collins became the first Coloradan to win the boys title. Last year, Hailey Schalk of Erie was the first in-state golfer regardless of gender to claim the Irwin Colorado Junior championship.

Not only did Stewart (left and below) earn his first AJGA victory, but he won with an exclamation mark. The Fossil Ridge High School senior-to-be shot a 6-under-par 66 in Thursday’s final round at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster to win the boys title by six strokes — four more than the previous boys record for the event.

“It’s kind of just another tournament, but it’s big in the fact that it boosts my confidence a lot,” Stewart said. “I can shoot some low numbers and make some putts and finish strong. The golf course really fit my eye this week.

“It’s pretty special (being the first Colorado boy to win) because we only have one AJGA tournament in the state. You feel like the younger kids, it might motivate them. Having Hale Irwin as the big role model for a whole bunch of Colorado golfers — because he’s probably the best one to come out of the state — it’s pretty special to me being the first one (to win).”

In-state players actually claimed the top two spots in the boys ranks on Thursday. Davis Bryant of Aurora, who had outdueled Stewart for the championships in the 5A state high school meet and the Colorado Junior PGA last year, was runner-up this time around as the tables were turned among the friendly rivals.

“That was nice actually,” Stewart said. “Me and Davis, we’re pretty neck and neck usually. Eisenhower (for the Colorado Junior PGA) and state, it was unfortunate that I was coming up on the losing end of that. So it was nice to put a low number up there when we play together. It felt good.”

Stewart — who has committed to play his college golf at Oklahoma State, which just won its 11th NCAA title — finished with a 10-under-par 206 total this week at Walnut Creek. That tied the tournament record relative to par for 54 holes.

Stewart, wearing an Oklahoma State shirt, bogeyed his first hole on Thursday after missing the green from the native grass. But he played his remaining 17 holes in a bogey-free 7 under par. And he finished things off by pitching to 6 inches for birdie on the 18th hole.

For the tournament, Stewart racked up 18 birdies in three rounds. In the first eight holes alone on Thursday, he drained birdie putts of 30, 18 and 12 feet, along with a couple of short ones.

Bryant (left), who will play for Colorado State University beginning in the fall, closed with a 70 for a 212 total, good for second place.

“I’m bummed I couldn’t challenge Dillon more, but the guy shoots a 66 and finishes at 10 under par, so you can’t really get mad about that,” said Bryant, the 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Boys Player of the Year, “He played well. He drove the ball well, made a lot of putts and didn’t really make any mistakes out there. He had one bogey and that was on the first hole.

“This is my last (AJGA event), and I wanted to finish it with a win,” added Bryant, who notched his second career runner-up showing in an AJGA tournament. “But when a guy shoots 66 on this hard of a golf course, you can’t really get mad. I’m discouraged but I’ll try to beat him next week at Eisenhower (Golf Club for this year’s Colorado Junior PGA).”

But for now, Stewart will relish this win as one of the best of his career.

“The AJGA is the biggest junior golf tour around,” he said. “Winning one of these tournaments will help a lot with the confidence. It’s kind of nice to have that one on your record.”

Grant Herrenbruck of Salina, Kan., set the competitive course record with an 8-under-par 64 on Thursday to tie for third place at 215 with Taehoon Song of South Korea and Buena Park, Calif.

Walker Franklin of Broomfield played his final 11 holes in 3 under par to shot 73 and tie for fifth place at even-par 216.

Grewal Runs Away With Girls Title: While no Coloradan prevailed this year in the girls competition, the winner on Thursday is no stranger to the spotlight. Champion Savannah Grewal (left) of Ontario, Canada won the 2017 Drive, Chip & Putt national title in the girls 14-15 category on the Golf Channel at Augusta National on the eve of the Masters.

But Thurday marked the first AJGA victory for Grewal, who is No. 70 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

“It feels great,” she said. “I felt really confident in my game heading into this event. I stayed calm, trusted myself and trusted my gameplan. It all worked out. Everything kind of came together here.

“I’ve come close to winning a couple of times, so I’ve kind of proven to myself that I know now that I have it in me to win. It feels really good. I’m happy.”

Grewal made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole Thursday to shoot a 3-under-par 69, which gave her a 1-under 215 total and a seven-stroke victory — the record margin for this event regardless of gender.

The 16-year-old, who has committed to play collegiately at Clemson, made four birdies and one bogey in the final round. She finished fourth in this event last year.

Thursday’s victory is big, but it doesn’t quite rank up there with winning the Drive, Chip & Putt national title on the 18th hole at Augusta National last year.

“The whole thing was incredible, a dream come true for me,” Grewal said, noting it was her first time competing in the event. “To win on the 18th green at Augusta is a pretty big deal, and also because I was the first Canadian to win. That felt really nice too.”

At Walnut Creek, Sara Camarena of Mexico City finished a distant second among the girls with a 222 total after closing with a 75.

Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, the 2017 4A girls state high school champion, led the way for Coloradans by placing third at 223. She shot a 74 on Thursday despite a triple-bogey 7 on the eighth hole, where she thinned a 40-yard shot into the hazard. She then finished her round with 10 consecutive pars.

“It was intersting to say the least,” Lehigh said. “It was an adventure.”

Lehigh (left) led after the first day, but was happy with a third-place finish, by far her best in an AJGA event.

“I feel really good about it honestly, especially after that second day (a 79),” she said. “I ended with nine three-putts for the tournament. With that going on, I’m feeling really good about how I finished. This is by far the best finish I’ve had in an event like this.”

Meanwhile, Schalk tied for ninth place in her title defense, going 73-80-76 for a 229 total.

The Hale Irwin Colorado Junior is conducted annually by the American Junior Golf Association with the help of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado and local volunteers from the CGA and JGAC.

For the scores for the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, CLICK HERE.
 

Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, who has verbally committed to play golf for 2018 NCAA champion Oklahoma State starting next year, retained the lead among the boys at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.

Stewart shot his second straight 2-under-par 70 on Wednesday, which leaves him with a two-stroke lead heading into Thursday’s final round. He birdied his first three holes on Wednesday and two of his last three, and finished day 2 with seven birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.

Davis Bryant of Aurora, who edged Stewart for the 5A boys state high school title in the fall, matched the low round of the tournament with a 3-under-par 69 on Wednesday to check in at 142, two back of Stewart. Bryant, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 2017 Boys Player of the Year and a Colorado State University signee, carded six birdies and three bogeys on the day.

Rounding out the players under par through 36 holes is Walker Franklin of Broomfield, the 3A state high school runnerup in 2017. He shot a 71 on Wednesday and holds third place at 143. Franklin eagled the 392-yard, par-4 first hole on Wednesday and bogeyed his last, with 16 pars in between.

In the girls competition, Savannah Grewal of Ontario posted her second straight 73 to grab a one-stroke lead at 2-over-par 146. She made a birdie and two bogeys on Wednesday.

Sara Camarena of Mexico City, ranked No. 84 in the girls Rolex AJGA rankings, shares second place at 147 with Paige Harrison of Castaic, Calif. Camarena had a rough finish on Wednesday, going 5 over in her final three holes.

First-round leader Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, the 2017 4A girls state high school champion, holds fourth place at 149 after struggling to a 79 on Wednesday.

Defending champion Hailey Schalk of Erie, winner of the last two 3A state high school titles, posted a second-round 80 and sits at 153, in eighth place.

For the scores for the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, CLICK HERE.
 

Two Colorado high school seniors-to-be who are headed to some prominent NCAA Division I golf programs in 2019 are proving their worth in the early going of the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.

Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins, who plans to sign a National Letter of Intent this fall with Oklahoma State — the NCAA champion — shot a 2-under-par 70 to grab a two-stroke lead in the boys division.

And Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, who has verbally committed to University of New Mexico, matched that 70 to set the pace by one in the girls division.

Stewart (left) finished day 1 with four birdies and two bogeys and posted the only subpar round of the day for the boys. The 17-year-old played his final six holes in 2 under.

“I don’t really like to think of this as a huge tournament” despite a quality field from all over the U.S., Stewart said. “I just think of it as another tournament, really. Obviously there’s going to be some better players, some better competition, and they set up the course pretty tough for us. It’s more toward a college level is how they set it up. The greens are firm and fast. Other than that, it’s just another tournament for me.”

Walker Franklin of Broomfield and Ty Findlow of Lone Tree share second place at 72 with Elliott Horton of Edmond, Okla. Among those at 73 is Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado 2017 Boys Player of the Year Davis Bryant of Aurora, who was running on empty after playing 36 holes — and failing to advance — at U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying in Portland on Monday. He flew back to Denver early Tuesday to make his 12:10 p.m. tee time in the AJGA event.

“Not too bad for like five hours of sleep, waking up at 3 a.m., flight leaving at 6, getting (to DIA) at 9:30, racing across town, warming up, getting a turkey sandwich before I teed off,” said Bryant (left). “All in all, I’m pretty pleased with it. I’ve got to lower the expectations a little bit with how hard the golf course plays and obviously what happened yesterday and in the last 15-20 hours.

“I need bed and I need a good dinner.”

The Colorado State University signee began and finished the day with a birdie and ended up with four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.

“Now that I’m in the tournament, three shots back of the lead, I’ve got two days to win a tournament I’ve been trying to win for a while,” the 18-year-old said. “I’ll try to make it happen.”

Stewart, who finished second behind Bryant at the 5A state high school meet last fall, still has one more year of high school remaining. Then it’s off to join the Oklahoma State men’s golf team, which just won its 11th national title, this one on its home course. The Cowboys earned 10 tournament victories this past season, the most for any NCAA-winning program since 1977.

“I’m super excited, with them trying to do again what they did this year,” Stewart said of OSU. “The big picture (in going to Oklahoma State) is, college is a step toward what I want to be — play professionally. I feel like Oklahoma State is going to give me the best chance” of achieving that goal and being successful at it.

Also on the boys side at Walnut Creek on Tuesday, defending champion Artem Yalovenko, a native of Russia who now lives in Florida, shot a first-round 76 in his title defense despite a birdie on the final hole.

In the girls division, Lehigh, the 2017 4A state high school individual champion, shot her 70 despite missing three putts of 3 feet or less. She finished with five birdies — including a 70-footer on No. 5 — and three bogeys.

“The score was good and I was hitting the ball really well, but I also know it could have been a heck of a lot better,” the 17-year-old said.

Being in the running for the title at an AJGA event that features players from 17 states and four countries is important to Lehigh.

“It would mean a lot” to be in contention, she said. “Being committed (to the University of New Mexico), just proving to them that they made the right choice there is important.”

The only other girls player to post a subpar round on Tuesday was Abby Glynn of Topeka, Kan., who carded a 71.

Hailey Schalk of Erie, who last year became the first Colorado resident to win a title in the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, opened with a 73 after going birdie-bogey on her final two holes. She shares third place with Canadian Savannah Grewal.

“I think it would be awesome to (successfully) defend my title in this,” said Schalk, who’s won 3A state high school titles as a freshman and a sophomore. “I’m obviously trying to win and want to win, but I’m just trying to play good golf like I have been recently. Today, I had just one birdie (a 20-footer on 17), which wasn’t very good.”

Schalk, the JGAC Girls Player of the Year in 2017, is coming off a sixth-place finish last week in the AJGA Las Vegas Junior at Reflection Bay.

“I think it’s really awesome to be able to travel wherever — even here — and have a ton of competition from all over,” said the 16-year-old. “That’s really cool.”

For scores from the AJGA Hale Irwin Junior, CLICK HERE.
 

Schalk will be back to defend her title this coming week as the event is held for the fourth time, with Walnut Creek Golf Preserve hosting for the second straight year.

And among those hoping for a Colorado breakthrough on the boys side will be Davis Bryant of Aurora, who earned the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Boys Player of the Year honors for 2017 as Schalk landed the Girls POY award.

But it certainly won’t be easy if Bryant is to become the first Colorado resident to win the Irwin tournament. You see, he’s in Portland, Ore., on Monday, playing 36 holes in a U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying tournament, then will have to hurry home for Tuesday’s first round at Walnut Creek.

Irwin tournament actitivities began Sunday with a qualifying tournament that finalized the field. Things will continue with a Junior-Am and practice rounds on Monday, then the 54-hole tournament will run Tuesday through Thursday for both boys and girls.

A total of 71 boys and 24 girls are scheduled to tee it up beginning on Tuesday.

Among the boys in the field, in addition to the Colorado State University-bound Bryant, are defending champion Artem Yalovenko from Russia and Windermere, Fla.; former boys Colorado state high school champions Bryant and Luke Trujillo of Colorado Springs; University of Denver signee Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch; Oklahoma State commitment Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins; U.S. Junior Amateur qualifiers TJ Shehee of Mead and Bryant; and Walker Franklin of Broomfield.

For the girls, among those signed up are state high school champions Schalk, Emma Bryant of Aurora (Davis’ younger sister), Amy Chitkoksoong of Aurora and Lauren Lehigh of Loveland; Sofia Choi of Littleton; who recently won an AJGA title in Massachusetts; and 2017 AJGA Hale Irwin Junior runner-up and U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifier Charlotte Hillary of Cherry Hills Village.

All told, four countries (the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Taiwan) will be represented, along with 17 states.

Irwin, a Boulder High School and University of Colorado graduate, has lent his name to the tournament. He’s won 20 times on the PGA Tour — including three U.S. Opens — and a record 45 times on PGA Tour Champions. Irwin, who turned 73 on Sunday, claimed an NCAA individual title in 1967 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.

For more information about the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, CLICK HERE.

Murdock, a University of Wyoming golfer from Laramie, shot a 4-under-par 68 at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster to lead the way out of 84 players in the first of three U.S. Open Local Qualifying tournaments that will be held in Colorado this year.

Also advancing to the second and final stage of qualifying — 36-hole Sectionals — on Monday were professional Steven Kupcho of Westminster, college golfers Josh Seiple of Castle Rock and Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction, and pro Zahkai Brown of Golden. Kupcho, Seiple and Olkowski matched 69s in favorable weather conditions, while Brown carded a 70 and prevailed in a three-man playoff for the final Sectional berth.

(Pictured are, from left, Kupcho and Murdock.)

It was the second consecutive year of advancing to Sectionals from Walnut Creek for Seiple and Brown, the medalist at this site last year and the 2013 CoBank Colorado Open champion.

The 36-hole Sectional Qualifying in the U.S. will be contested on June 4 at 10 sites in the U.S., plus one in England that day and one in Japan on May 21. From there, the top finishers will land berths in the Open itself, set for June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

To earn medalist honors, Murdock made an eagle (on his ninth hole, No. 18), four birdies and two bogeys on Monday.

Seiple, a University of Mississippi golfer, chalked up six birdies and three bogeys. Olkowski, a University of Colorado freshman, punched his ticket into Sectionals with a four-birdie, one-bogey day.

Kupcho, the former CGA Amateur of the Year and now a pro since 2016, successfully negotiated a USGA qualifier for the first time after numerous tries at events including the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Amateur Public Links, U.S. Junior Amateur, etc.

“This should open some floodgates and give me confidence,” said Kupcho, who finished eighth last summer in the CoBank Colorado Open. “I haven’t been sucessful in qualifiers in my career; it’s different than playing a four-round tournament. So this is a pretty big day for me. I gotten over the first hurdle.”

On Monday, Kupcho advanced to Sectionals with a day that featured an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys. The eagle came on the 554-yard, par-5 sixth hole (his 15th of the day). He hit an 8-iron to 10 feet and drained the putt.

“That was big,” the 25-year-old said. “Otherwise I would have been in a playoff.”

In the three-man playoff for the final Sectional berth, Brown and Colorado State University golfer AJ Ott of Fort Collins birdied the first extra hole, while professional Anthony Aguilar from Arvada made par and was eliminated, ending up the No. 2 alternate.

On the third playoff hole, the par-5 18th, Brown two-putted for birdie, while Ott missed a 10-foot birdie attempt and was slotted in as first altenate.

In regulation, Brown eagled the sixth hole and added three birdies and two bogeys.

The U.S. Open is the only USGA championship that utilizes a two-stage qualifying process, with most entrants having to successfully negotiate Local and Sectional Qualifying in order to make it into the field for the second men’s major of the year.

Two more 18-hole Local Qualifying tournaments are scheduled in Colorado, with five more players at each site advancing to Sectionals. There’s one at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora on Wednesday and one at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins on May 15.

U.S. Open Local Qualifying
At Par-72 Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster
ADVANCE TO SECTIONALS
John Murdock, Laramie, Wyo. 68
Steven Kupcho, Westminster 69
Josh Seiple, Castle Rock 69
Trevor Olkowski, Grand Junction 69
Zahkai Brown, Golden 70
ALTERNATES (In Order)
AJ Ott, Fort Collins 70
Anthony Aguilar, Arvada 70

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

The odds are slim, but the potential rewards are big for those who beat them.

Yes, it’s U.S. Open qualifying time.

The U.S. Open is the only USGA championship that utilizes a two-stage qualifying process, with most entrants having to successfully negotiate Local and Sectional Qualifying in order to make it into the field for the second men’s major of the year.

As usual, three of the 112 Local Qualifying sites are based in Colorado this year. First up is an 18-hole qualifier at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster on Monday (May 7). Then there’s one at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora on Wednesday (May 9) and at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins on May 15.

At each of the three sites, 84 golfers will compete for five spots — plus two alternates — in the 36-hole Sectional Qualifying, which will be held June 4 in the U.S. From there, the top finishers will land berths in the Open itself, set for June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

All told, according to the USGA, 8,537 golfers will compete at Locals for 500 spots into Sectionals.

Among those teeing it up at Walnut Creek are last year’s Local medalist at the site, 2013 CoBank Colorado Open winner Zahkai Brown of Golden; two-time Colorado Open champ and 2002 U.S. Open qualifier Derek Tolan of Denver; 2017 Sectional qualifiers Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village, Josh Seiple of Castle Rock and Rich Lash of Denver; Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield, who tied for third place at last year’s qualifying at Walnut Creek; and recent Big Sky Conference champion Andrew Romano of Lone Tree.

In the field at CommonGround are Ross Macdonald of Castle Rock, runner-up in the Pac-12 Conference meet; fellow 2017 Sectional qualifiers Jackson Solem of Longmont, Andy Connell of Denver and Daniel Pearson of Longmont; former Colorado Open champion Scott Petersen; PGA Tour Canada player Michael Schoolcraft of Denver; 2017 CGA Amateur champion Glenn Workman of Pueblo West; reigning Colorado PGA Professional champion John Ogden of Cherry Hills Village; and 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Boys Player of the Year Davis Bryant.

And at Collindale, contestants include Parker Edens of Greeley, who has made it to Sectionals from the site four consecutive years, twice claiming medalist honors; fellow 2017 Sectional qualifier Hunter Paugh; 2011 Colorado Open champion Ben Portie of Westminster; Nick Mason, who has competed in five PGA Tour events, including the 2014 U.S. Open; and longtime mini-tour standout Riley Arp from Fort Collins

For tee times, click on the following: WALNUT CREEK, COMMONGROUND, COLLINDALE.

For the second consecutive year, the Colorado State University women’s golf teammates took a break from the college season to qualify in Colorado for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

 A year after earning medalist honors at The Ranch Country Club, Prendergast and Secor repeated in that role, this time by shooting a best-ball 6-under-par 66 Tuesday at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster. (The qualifiers are pictured, with Prendergast at left.)

So, a year after not only making it to the national championship but advancing to the match play round of 16, the two Rams will be headed back in hopes of doing even better. The 2018 U.S. Women’s Four-Ball will be held April 28-May 2 at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.

 “The biggest thing is getting redemption,” Secor said on Tuesday. “We played Monica Vaughn (who won the NCAA individual title earlier that month) and Bailey Tardy (now the No. 17 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings) “” probably the top two amateur players in the country “” in the round of 16, and we really want to get redemption and come back and win the (national) Four-Ball. I definitely feel confident, and I know KP does too.”

 It will be the third straight trip to the national Women’s Four-Ball for Secor, a CSU sophomore from Portland, Ore., and the second for Prendergast, a junior from Sparks, Nev. And every previous time competing in the event, they’ve made match play. Overall, it will be each player’s sixth USGA championship, also counting U.S. Women’s Amateurs and U.S. Girls’ Juniors.

On Tuesday at Walnut Creek, Prendergast and Secor went bogey-free, making an eagle (on the par-5 sixth hole, their 15th) and four birdies. Prendergast recorded the eagle, hitting a 3-wood from 219 yards to 5 feet and draining the putt. “That (second) was probably one of the best shots I’ve seen anybody hit in a while,” Secor said.

“Ellen (played well) on the front nine and me on the back nine,” said Prendergast, runner-up last month in the Ptarmigan Ram Classic in Fort Collins. “The eagle really helped boost us. We kind of got it going on the back (playing it in 4 under par). And Ellen finished us off with a birdie on 9, which was our 18th hole. She also made a 25-30 footer on the first hole, which was a great start.”

But Secor was a little concerned when the two Rams were just 2 under par after nine holes.

“I told KP, “˜We’ve got to do something here,'” Secor said. “”˜We’ve got to get to 6 under somehow, some way. We started ham-and-egging it.

“KP came up to me after the round and said, “˜I think we’re a pretty dang good team.’ And I said, “˜Yeah, we really ham and egged it today.’ We were killing it today. We had a little fire in our bellies and got it done.”

Finishing second on Tuesday, good for the first alternate position, were Colorado high school sophomores Hailey Schalk and Charlotte Hillary, who made six birdies (including four in a row) and two bogeys en route to a 68.

Tying for third at 72 were Coloradans Amy Chitkoksoong and Morgan Ryan, and CSU teammates Jessica Sloot and Brooke Nolte, with the latter winning a playoff for the second alternate spot. Sloot and Secor teamed up for the national Women’s Four-Ball in 2016.
 

U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying
At Par-72 Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster
QUALIFIED FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Ellen Secor/Katrina Prendergast 66
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Charlotte Hillary/Hailey Schalk 68
Brooke Nolte/Jessica Sloot 72
FAILED TO QUALIFY
Amy Chitkoksoong/Morgan Ryan 72
Caroline Jordaan/Marie Jordaan 75
Katelyn Lehigh/Lauren Lehigh 77
Taylor Dorans/Molly Dorans 78

The top two-person squad out of the seven entered will earn a spot into the national Women’s Four-Ball, set for April 28-May 2 at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.

Aiming for a second straight trip together to the national Women’s Four-Ball will be Colorado State University teammates Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor, who qualified in Colorado last year and advanced to the match play round of 16 at the national championship in May. In fact, Secor has made match play at the last two national Women’s Four-Balls, pairing with Jessica Sloot in 2016. Sloot will also attempt to qualify on Tuesday, this time with CSU teammate Brooke Nolte.

Likewise in the qualifying field at Walnut Creek (pictured) are three sets for sisters who will compete in the best-ball competition: Taylor and Molly Dorans, Caroline and Marie Jordaan, and Lauren and Katelyn Lehigh. In addition, two highly-regarded high school sophomores will team up in Hailey Schalk and Charlotte Hillary.

For Tuesday’s tee times at Walnut Creek, CLICK HERE.