Both University of Denver teams will be in action before the month ends, and by this time in Feburary all nine NCAA Division I programs based in Colorado will have started their spring schedules. The DU women, recently picked to finish No. 1 in the Summit League by its coaches, will be the first local team to tee it up in competition as the Pioneers will face Arizona State and Georgia in a three-school match on Sunday (Jan. 27) in Gold Canyon, Ariz.

This spring will be notable in several respects from a Colorado perspective, including:

— Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster will be defending her NCAA Division I women’s individual title in May as a Wake Forest senior before she begins her LPGA Tour career. This week, Kupcho regained the No. 1 spot in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, a position she held for 15 weeks in 2018.

— Former University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi, who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in the Centennial State the past two years, likewise earned her LPGA Tour card in November through her performance in the Q-Series. But, unlike Kupcho, Choi elected to forego her remaining college eligibility to join the LPGA circuit as soon as possible. That will leave CU without its top player going into the spring.

“That’s a tough one to lose, but it’s exciting she gets to start her LPGA career,” CU coach Anne Kelly said recently on CUBuffs.com regarding Choi.

Junior Kirsty Hodgkins, like Choi an Australian, will likely take over the No. 1 position for the Buffs.

— Dawn Shockley, who grew up in Estes Park and played her college golf at DU, seems to be making an impression as the women’s coach at Oregon State. At midseason, the Beavers are ranked No. 25 in the nation, according to Golfstat.

While there are plenty of college veterans that figure to shine for Colorado-based DI teams, several freshmen demonstrated great promise in their first semester as college golfers, in the fall. That includes Colorado State University players Oscar Teiffel and Davis Bryant, who had the Rams’ top two scoring averages in the autumn. Another promising freshman is former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang, who posted a 71.25 scoring average in her first semester at Harvard.

Looking ahead to the spring, here’s a brief preview of the Colorado-based DI programs, broken into several categories:

SPRING SEASON OPENERS

— DU Women: Jan. 27 dual match vs. Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.
— DU Men: Jan. 28-29 at Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson, Ariz.
— CU Women: Feb. 3-5 at Northrop Grumman Invitational in Palos Verdes, Calif.
— CU Men: Feb. 7-9 at Amer Ari Intercollegiate in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
— UNC Men: Feb. 11-12 at Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational in St. George, Utah.
— CSU Women: Feb. 18-19 at The Rebel Beach in Las Vegas, Nev.
— CSU Men: Feb. 20 dual match vs. Denver in Palm Desert, Calif.
— UNC Women: Feb. 23-24 at GCU Invitational in Phoenix.
— Air Force Academy Men: Feb. 23-25 at Loyola Invitational in Goodyear, Ariz.

NATIONAL TEAM RANKINGS

Men
47. Colorado State (Golfstat; 51st Golfweek)
73. Colorado (Golfstat; 81st Golfweek)
118. Northern Colorado (Golfstat; 122nd Golfweek)
137. Denver (Golfstat; 149th Golfweek)
203. Air Force Academy (Golfstat; 204th Golfweek)

Women
36. Colorado (Golfweek; 42nd Golfstat)
69. Colorado State (Golfstat; 74th Golfweek)
79. Denver (Golfweek; 81st Golfstat)
149. Northern Colorado (Golfstat; 150th Golfweek)

NATIONAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (in top 250)

Men
91. Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah (Golfweek; 202nd Golfstat)
111. Daniel O’Loughlin, CU (Golfstat; 139th Golfweek)
118. Oscar Teiffel, CSU (Golfweek; 145th Golfstat)
120. Coby Welch, UNC (Golfstat; 160th Golfweek)
150. Davis Bryant, CSU (Golfstat; 189th Golfweek)
241. Trevor Olkowski, CU (Golfstat)

Women
11. Robyn Choi, CU (Golfstat; 20th Golfweek; will not compete in spring as she’s become an LPGA Tour member)
57. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest (Golfweek 72nd Golfstat)
72. Kirsty Hodgkins, CU (Golfweek; 73rd Golfstat)
87. Mary Weinstein, DU (Golfweek; 121st Golfstat)
97. Former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang, Harvard (Golfweek; 179th Golfstat)
190. Katrina Prendergast, CSU (Golfstat)

TEAM VICTORIES IN FALL
— CU Men (2): Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational; Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.

— CSU Men (2): Ram Masters Invitational; Paintbrush Invitational.

— CSU Women (1): Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate.

INDIVIDUAL VICTORIES IN FALL
— Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah (2): Showdown in the Rockies; Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.  

— Ellen Secor, CSU (1): Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate.

— Daniel O’Loughlin, CU (1): Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.

— Oscar Teiffel, CSU (1): Paintbrush Invitational.

— Trevor Olkowski, CU (1): Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (tied for title before losing to Dunkle in a playoff, though both are officially credited with a win.)

TOP INDIVIDUAL FALL STROKE AVERAGE FOR EACH TEAM

CSU Men: Oscar Teiffel 70.77
UNC Men: Coby Welch 70.83
CU Men: Daniel O’Loughlin 71.2
CU Women: Robyn Choi 71.44
DU Women: Mary Weinstein 72.42
CSU Women: Katrina Prendergast 72.67
DU Men: Jun Ho Won 73.22
Air Force Academy Men: Luke Trujillo 74.4
UNC Women: Beah Cruz 75.0

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

CU Women: Pac-12 in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., April 15-17.
CSU Women: Mountain West in Rancho, Mirage, Calif., April 15-17.
UNC Women: Big Sky in Boulder City, Nev., April 19-21.
DU Women: Summit League in Newton, Kan., April 21-23.
CU Men: Pac-12 in Eugene, Ore., April 22-24.
CSU and Air Force Men: Mountain West in Tucson, Ariz., April 26-28.
UNC Men: Big Sky in Boulder City, Nev., April 26-28.
DU Men: Summit League in Newton, Kan., April 28-30.

NCAA REGIONAL SCHEDULE

Women: May 6-8, sites TBD (must earn selection).
Men: May 13-15, sites TBD (must earn selection).

Following up from earlier this week, when we started our two-part retrospective on the top Colorado golf-related stories of 2018 (CLICK HERE for the first installment), we continue our countdown with the top dozen stories of the year — in reverse order. And at the end, included is a list of honorable-mention selections.

12. Stewart Signs With No. 1-Ranked College Team in Nation: It’s not often that a Colorado golfer signs a national letter of intent with the No. 1-ranked college program in the nation. But such was the case in November when Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins put his John Hancock on the dotted line with Oklahoma State. Stewart, who graduated from Fossil Ridge High School this month, will be headed to Stillwater for the fall semester next year. The Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boys Player of the Year is one of at least nine Colorado residents or JGAC members from the Class of 2019 who are headed to NCAA Division I golf programs. READ MORE

11. Another National Honor for Colorado PGA: Dating back to the late 1950s, members of the Colorado PGA or the Section itself have won 19 national awards from the PGA of America. Ten of those 19 have come since 2007, including this year’s Herb Graffis Award for player development, which the CPGA received for the second time since 2011. READ MORE

10. New CGA President Janene Guzowski Continues Trend in Colorado: The last several months of this year have proven to be a major boon for women in leadership roles in Colorado golf. Janene Guzowski is the new president of the CGA, Janet Moore is the new president of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, and Molly Greenblatt has become the new chairperson of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation. And that’s in addition to Suzy Whaley being elected the first national president of the PGA of America. READ MORE

9. Colorado, Hiwan Shine as Girls Junior Americas Cup Hosts: The Girls Junior Americas Cup — a team competition featuring players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico — is hosted just once every 18 years by Colorado, and 2018 was the Centennial State’s turn. Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, where the Colorado Open was held from 1964 to ’91, was a fitting mountainous setting for the event. While Mexico swept the team and individual titles, Colorado posted its best finish since 2013 by placing fifth out of 18 teams. Staff and volunteers from the CGA and the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado played major roles in running this major junior event. READ MORE

8. Colorado Sweeps Team, Individual Titles at Boys Junior America’s Cup: At the same time the Girls Junior Amerias Cup was taking place at Hiwan, a Colorado team (left) was making history at the boys Junior America’s Cup in Montana. For the first time in the 44 years in which Colorado has competed in the event, its squad claimed the team title. In fact, a Colorado team had never finished better than third before this year in the competition that includes players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. To add to the feat, Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins won the individual title out of the 72-player field. Joining Stewart on the winning team were Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, Davis Bryant of Aurora and Walker Franklin of Broomfield. Former longtime CGA staffer Dustin Jensen captained the Colorado squad. READ MORE

7. 2 Coloradans Qualify for PGA Tour, 2 More for LPGA Tour: Seldom have players who grew up in Colorado enjoyed so much success in qualifying for the top men’s and women’s golf tours in the world as they did in the final half of 2018. Wyndham Clark and Jim Knous earned promotions to the PGA Tour with their performances on the Web.com Tour regular season and Finals, respectively. And Jennifer Kupcho and Becca Huffer landed spots on the LPGA Tour in 2019 by both finishing in the top 10 in the eight-round LPGA Q-Series, with Kupcho placing second and Huffer 10th. All four Coloradans will be rookies on those top circuits in 2019. In fact, the PGA Tour’s wraparound season began in October, and Knous recorded a top-10 finish in his first event as a member of that Tour. Joining Kupcho and Huffer in earning an LPGA card last month was former University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi.

6. Gearing Up for Rules Changes: With the modernized Rules of Golf set to take effect on Jan. 1, the USGA and its affiliated Allied Golf Associations have been very busy trying to bring members up to speed on the changes. For the CGA, that effort has included weekly “Ready for the 2019 Rules” videos and four-hour Ready for the Rules seminars held at various locations around the state late in 2018 and also planned for the first several months of 2019. READ MORE

5. Year 1 of New-Look CGA: Our No. 1 story of 2017 in Colorado golf was the unification a year ago of the CGA and CWGA after both associations had celebrated their 100th anniversaries as separate — but complementary — organizations serving golf in Colorado. With 2018 being their first full calendar year together, things have gone, by just about any measure, extremely well. All of which is very good news, considering how many golfers the new-look CGA serves as members. There’s still work to be done, but it’s certainly been a stellar first year together.

4. CSU Golfers Claim USGA National Title: Golfers with strong Colorado ties don’t often get to say they’re reigning USGA national champions, but Colorado State University golfers Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor (left) earned that honor by winning the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title in early May in Tarzana, Calif. The two never trailed in the first four matches they played at El Caballero Country Club. In the title match, they were 2 down with four holes left, but a big-time rally down the stretch netted them a 1-up victory over teenagers Yachun Chang of Chinese Taipei and Lei Ye of China — and the national championship. The victory was believed to be the first USGA national amateur championship by a person or team with strong Colorado ties since Jill McGill won the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. READ MORE

3. Vickers Passes Away: There are almost 12 dozen people in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, but even in that select group, there are some that took it to the next level. A good rule of thumb as to who those people are is if they’ve also been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. There are less than a dozen people who are members of both Halls of Fame. One of them passed away in September — 93-year-old Jack Vickers. Vickers made his mark in a variety of sports, but likely will be most remembered as the founder of Castle Pines Golf Club and The International that hosted PGA Tour events for 21 years. No less than Jack Nicklaus, who designed Castle Pines, paid tribute to Vickers the day he died. Vickers’ International ran from 1986 through 2006. It featured a unique modified Stableford scoring system, which promoted aggressive play as a birdie and a bogey were worth more than two pars. The tournament produced quite a few big-name champions, including Greg Norman, Davis Love III (twice), Phil Mickelson (twice), Vijay Singh and Ernie Els. READ MORE

2. Kupcho Phenomenon Continues: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster may very well accomplish great things in the coming decades, but even long into the future, 2018 will be a year she’ll remember fondly. Here’s a brief rundown of what she accomplished: The Wake Forest golfer won an NCAA Division I individual title a year (left) after placing second. She became the first Colorado resident to win the prestigious individual championship on the women’s side. She helped three U.S. national teams capture international team titles in 2018 — at the Curtis Cup, the Arnold Palmer Cup and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In the latter event, Kupcho finished second individually out of a field of 170. She also placed second at the eight-round final stage of LPGA Q-school. After concluding her college career in May, she’ll immediately begin her LPGA career. Kupcho finished an LPGA career-best 16th this year in the LPGA Marathon Classic. Overall in 2018, she won three individual college titles. Kupcho also claimed the prestigious Mark H. McCormack Medal, becoming the first American to win the women’s McCormack honor as the top female player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings as of the conclusion of the U.S. Women’s Amateur. And she was named the world female Amateur of the Year by digital new magazine Global Golf Post. READ MORE

1. U.S. Senior Open a Hit at The Broadmoor: It had been almost four years since Colorado had hosted a big-time tour-level event — the kind that attracts 100,000-plus fans. But the drought ended this year when the U.S. Senior Open (pictured at top) was conducted at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. And the results didn’t disappoint. The announced attendance for the week was 134,500, the most for the Senior Open since the 157,126 in Omaha, Neb., in 2013. David Toms, who won the 1999 Sprint International at Castle Pines but hadn’t captured a title on the PGA Tour or PGA Tour Champions in seven years, captured the victory at the Senior Open by one stroke. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe placed fifth, marking his second straight top-5 performance in the U.S. Senior Open. Shortly after the conclusion of the championship, the USGA announced that the U.S. Senior Open will return to The Broadmoor in 2025.

Honorable Mention

— Lauren Howe, who grew up in Colorado, was a finalist in the U.S. Girls’ Junior as a 15-year-old and went on to win an event on the LPGA Tour, was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

— Patrick Reidy became the fifth 50-something player in the last six years to win the Colorado PGA Professional Championship.

— Players from Texas swept the two CGA women’s major titles in 2018, giving Texans three consecutive such championships. Emily Gilbreth, a lifetime Houstonian before moving to Denver, won the 2017 CGA Women’s Match Play; Kristin Glesne of San Antonio the 2018 CGA Women’s Stroke Play; and Kennedy Swann the 2018 CGA Women’s Match Play.

— Former BYU golfer Justin Keiley won his second straight Rocky Mountain Open, defeating former Montrose resident Brandon Bingaman in a playoff after the latter shot a course-record 11-under-par 60 in the final round at Tiara Rado in Grand Junction.

— Three Colorado courses — Castle Pines, Ballyneal and Cherry Hills — are ranked among the 150 Greatest International Courses, according to Golf Digest.

— Kaden Ford of Colorado Springs finished sixth — tying the best showing ever by a Coloradan — in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta. At the 2019 National Finals, three Coloradans will compete — Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, Chunya Boonta of Centennial and Grady Ortiz of Colorado.

— The University of Denver women’s golf team saw its remarkable string of league tournament championships end at 14, though the Pioneers’ Sophie Newlove claimed the individual title at Summit League Championship.

— CU’s Robyn Choi qualified in Colorado for the U.S. Women’s Open for a second straight year. Choi later earned her LPGA Tour card at the final stage of Q-school.

— Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, who won the CGA Amateur in August, claimed the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational championship for the second straight year for his second individual college title in eight days.

— Doug Rohrbaugh, who was paired with Scott McCarron and Miguel Angel Jimenez at the Senior PGA Championship, became the first golfer to sweep the Colorado PGA Player of Year and Senior Player of Year honors in the same season. Like Rohrbaugh, Colorado PGA professional Chris Johnson qualified for two PGA Tour Champions majors in 2018 — the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championship.

— Nicholas Pevny of Aspen captured a national title, prevailing in the boys 12-13 age division of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships in Florida.

— Former Parker resident Elizabeth Wang finished 34th — fourth among amateurs — at the U.S. Women’s Open. Wang also made it to the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and to the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Wang, now playing for Harvard, defeated Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster in 19 holes in the round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Am.

— Fort Collins resident Dillon Stewart became to first Coloradan to win the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior boys title. Later, he captured a second AJGA championship, this time in Montana, and won 5A state high school individual and team titles.

— New Colorado resident Dan Erickson shot a 9-under-par 61 — a course record by two strokes at Fort Collins Country Club — en route to qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, where he made match play but bowed out in the round of 64 at Pebble Beach.

— Hadley Ashton of Erie finished fifth in the girls 9-10 division at the prestigious IMG Academy Junior World Championships.

— Thirty-two years after winning her first CGA/CWGA title, Kristine Franklin earned her second, this time overcoming five-time champion Kim Eaton in the Women’s Senior Stroke Play.

— Greg Condon of the southern Colorado town of Monte Vista shared stroke-play medalist honors in the U.S. Senior Amateur, while Scott Sullivan of Grand Junction advanced to the match play round of 16.

(Note: This story was updated on Jan. 2)

The fall portion of the college golf season wrapped up last week for the Division I programs based in Colorado.

There were plenty of highlights for teams and players with major connections to the Centennial State and, probably not coincidentally, many of those superlatives took place in tournaments held in Colorado.

As we enter intermission for a 2018-19 season that won’t resume in earnest until February in most cases — or late January at least — we’ll revisit some of the top local moments from the fall Division I schedule:

— The University of Colorado men’s squad claimed two team titles in September — at the season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Air Force Academy, and at their own Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie.

— Not to be outdone, the Colorado State University men also won twice team-wise in the fall. The Rams claimed their fifth straight title as they hosted the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins, then prevailed in winter-like conditions at the Paintbrush Invitational in Parker.

— On the women’s side, CSU accomplished a momentous feat by earning a team victory at a major invitational for the first time in over eight years. It came at the University of Denver’s Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch, the Rams’ third tournament under new head coach Laura Cilek.

— At that same event, CSU junior Ellen Secor claimed the first individual victory of her college career. Secor subsequently was named the Mountain West Conference’s Women’s Golfer of the Month for October. And notably, one of the two players who tied for second in Highlands Ranch, a stroke behind Secor, was CSU’s Katrina Prendergast, Secor’s teammate when the two won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball national championship in May. (The two are pictured, with Secor at left.)

— Kyler Dunkle, who grew up in Colorado and won the CGA Amateur in August, had a stellar fall individually as a senior at Utah. Dunkle won the individual title at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational for the second straight year. And this time, it was his second college win in eight days. Dunkle finished the fall with three top-four finishes.

— Also at CU’s Simpson Invitational, Buffs sophomore Trevor Olkowski technically tied for the individual title — and it will go down as a victory — though Dunkle beat him in a playoff by making a 6-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole. (Below, Olkowski is pictured with Dunkle, in the red shirt.)

— Junior Daniel O’Loughlin, a CU teammate of Olkowski, recorded an outright individual victory at the season opener at the Air Force Academy. O’Loughlin notched four top-10 finishes in five fall tournaments.

— One of the more remarkable performances of the fall was by CSU freshman Oscar Teiffel, from Sweden. In a final round of the Paintbrush Invitational in which temperatures hovered in the mid-30s and it was snowing more than a little, Teiffel carded a stellar 5-under-par 67 at Colorado Golf Club. The three-stroke victory was the first for Teiffel in his young college career.

Add up all of the above, and local schools recorded five team victories in the fall, and local players posted six individual wins — or, in Olkowski’s case, a tie for first.

— Junior Robyn Choi, the top player for the CU women, didn’t manage an individual victory in the fall, but certainly made a few runs at it. In all, she had three top-six finishes in three fall tournaments. And, perhaps most impressively, she earned her LPGA card for 2019 by finishing 45th in the final stage of Q-school, the Q-Series.

— Coby Welch, a junior at the University of Northern Colorado who went to the U.S. Amateur in August, had a strong fall, notching three top-five individual finishes — all coming in Colorado. He was third at both the Gene Miranda and Ram Masters, and fifth at the Paintbrush Invite.

— Freshmen had the top two stroke averages for CSU in the fall: Teiffel (70.77) and Aurora resident Davis Bryant (72.13).

— Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch, a junior at the University of Denver, shot a program-record 8-under-par 64 to close out the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott. The stellar final round gave Weinstein her best individual finish — third place — since transferring from Regis to DU in the summer of 2017.

— Luke Trujillo, a freshman from Colorado Springs, leads the Air Force Academy golf team in stroke average after the fall season with a 74.4 norm.

— Beah Cruz, a sophomore from Vacaville, Calif., recorded two top-10 individual finishes for the University of Northern Colorado women in the fall — a sixth and a ninth.

— Meanwhile, in a matter not directly related to performance, this season a DU women’s player is carrying a golf bag at each tournament that honors Danny Dietz, a Navy Seal and former Littleton resident who was killed in combat in 2005 during the war in Afghanistan. Coach Lindsay Kuhle went to Heritage High School with Dietz, knows his family, and came up with the idea to pay tribute to Dietz through the Folds of Honor Foundation program. Dietz’s story was part of the book and movie “Lone Survivor”.

Below are the rankings for the Colorado-based NCAA Division I teams as of the end of the fall season (updated Nov. 14):

Men
Colorado State ( 47th Golfstat, 51st Golfweek)
Colorado (73rd Golfstat, 81st Golfweek)
Northern Colorado (118th Golfstat, 122nd Golfweek)
Denver (137th Golfstat, 149th Golfweek)
Air Force Academy (203rd Golfstat, 204th Golfweek)

Women
Colorado (36th Golfweek, 42nd Golfstat)
Colorado State (69th Golfstat, 74th Golfweek)
Denver (79th Golfweek, 81st Golfstat)
Northern Colorado (149th Golfstat, 150th Golfweek)

And here are the rankings of local players in the top 250 in the nation:

Men
91. Longtime Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah (Golfweek)
110. Daniel O’Loughlin, CU (Golfstat)
118. Oscar Teiffel, CSU (Golfweek)
120. Coby Welch, UNC (Golfstat)
189. Davis Bryant, CSU (Golfweek)
238. Trevor Olkowski, CU (Golfstat)

Women
11. Robyn Choi, CU (Golfstat)
57. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest (Golfweek)
72. Kirsty Hodgkins, CU (Golfweek)
87. Mary Weinstein, DU (Golfweek)
97. Former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang, Harvard (Golfweek)
192. Katrina Prendergast, CSU (Golfstat)
 

Over the last 15 days, the junior has played 11 competitive rounds against some of the best women’s competition around. Eight came in the LPGA Q-Series, in which she finished tied for 45th, earning one of the final LPGA Tour cards available for 2019.

Then the two-time U.S. Women’s Open qualifier flew from Pinehurst, N.C., to Hawaii to compete for CU in the Nanea Pac-12 Preview, which started less than 48 hours after the eight-round Q-Series concluded.

Not only did Choi (left in an LPGA photo) make it in time, she finished fifth individually in the 60-player event, joining fellow Australian Kirsty Hodgkins in posting top-five showings on Wednesday.

Hodgkins’ third-place performance marked her second top-five in eight days and the seventh of her career. Hogdkins recorded rounds of 76-69-70 for a 4-under-par 215 total, which left her two strokes behind co-champions Yu-Sang Hou of Arizona and Tze-Han Lin of Oregon.

As for Choi, she’s finished no worse than sixth in her three fall college starts this season, going sixth, third and fifth. This week, she carded scores of 70-74-72 for a 3-under 216 total.

As a team, CU tied for third, accounting for its best team showing of the fall season, which concluded for the Buffs on Wednesday. Colorado finished with a three-day total of even-par 876, two strokes behind champion Arizona and tied with nationally top-ranked Southern California.

Dunkle Notches Another Top-Five Finish; CSU Fifth as Team: Elsewhere, 2018 CGA Amateur champion Kyler Dunkle of Utah posted a top-five finish on Wednesday at the Saint Mary’s Invitational in Pebble Beach, Calif., where Colorado State University placed fifth in the 18-team tournament.

Dunkle notched two wins in the fall college season, including one at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, and three top-five individual finishes in five fall events.

CSU recorded a stellar 5-under-par 279 — the second-best round on Wednesday — to check in at 853, 22 strokes behind team champion Southern California. Freshman Oscar Teiffel, who won the Paintbrush Invitational last month, placed 12th individually on Wednesday to lead the Rams.

Nanea Pac-12 Preview

Nov. 5-7, 2018 (final) in Kailua Kona, Hawaii
3. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 290-293-293–876
3. Kirsty Hodgkins 76-69-70–215
5. Robyn Choi 70-74-72–216
18. Haley Nist 70-76-74–220
31. Malak Bouraeda 74-74-77–225
53. Gillian Vance 76-81-78–235

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Saint Mary’s Invitational
Nov. 5-7, 2018 (final) in Pebble Beach, Calif.
5. (out of 18 teams) Colorado State 284-290-279–853
12. Oscar Teiffel 69-72-70–211
15. Davis Bryant 72-72-68–212
30. AJ Ott 71-72-73–216
39. Jack Ainscough 72-76-70–218
56. Jake Staiano 78-74-71–223

Also
4. Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 71-68-69–208

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

It’s been a heady time for the best of the best in Colorado golf.

Earlier this year, two twentysomethings born and raised in the Centennial State earned PGA Tour cards for the first time: Wyndham Clark and Jim Knous.

And on Saturday, two of their female counterparts — Colorado natives who grew up in the state — followed suit on the LPGA side.

Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster and Becca Huffer of Denver not only obtained LPGA Tour cards for 2019 through the inaugural Q-Series that concluded on Saturday in Pinehurst, N.C., they did it with plenty of room to spare.

With the top 45 finishers and ties in the eight-round Q-Series landing LPGA status, Kupcho, the NCAA individual champion from Wake Forest, finished second out of 102 players. She played her last eight holes at Pinehurst No. 7 in 4 under par en route to a 2-under 70 on Saturday. Her 17-under-par 559 total left her a stroke behind medalist Jeongeun Lee 6 of South Korea. (Kupcho is pictured above in an LPGA photo.)

“It’s amazing,” Kupcho said by phone on Saturday afternoon. “It was a marathon out there, and I was just kind of plugging along as each day went by. I’ve been shooting for this goal for so long that it’s awesome to just be able to go back to school knowing that I have what I’m going to do after college already in the bank.”

As for Huffer, the 2013 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion and Symetra Tour veteran also landed in the top 10, in 10th place. She closed with a 73 to post a 3-under-par 573 total.

“Going into this week I knew I could do it,” Huffer said, also by phone on Saturday. “I just played my game. I’m excited to get it all done.”

Also earning a card on Saturday was University of Colorado junior Robyn Choi, who’s qualified in Colorado for the last two U.S. Women’s Opens. Choi birdied two of her last three holes on Saturday to land an exemption on the number, tying for 45th place.

After also coming into the final day in 45th place, Choi played her first eight holes in 4 over par. But she went 2 under par the rest of the way to tie for the final qualifying spots. Choi closed with a 2-over-par 74 to finish at 10-over-par 586.

Choi accomplished the feat of qualifying for the LPGA Tour despite starting 79-79 in the Q-Series. The rest of the way, she posted scores of 67-76-74-69-68-74.

While Huffer (left in an LPGA photo) will start her rookie LPGA season early in 2019 given that’s she’s long been a pro, Kupcho confirmed on Saturday that she’ll defer becoming an LPGA member until after her final college season at Wake Forest wraps up in May. Kupcho, who will graduate in May with a degree in communications, has finished sixth, second and first individually in her first three NCAA championships.

“I was always going to go back (to school), no matter what,” she said. “I just want to get the degree and get out and have that as a backup.”

Choi (below in an LPGA photo) will have the same option as Kupcho. Amateurs were given the possibility of a deferment for the first time this fall.

By winning the 2018 McCormack Medal as the top women’s amateur in the world, Kupcho would have automatic spots in next year’s U.S. Women’s Open and Ricoh Women’s British Open — but only if she remained an amateur. But she said she plans to go pro before the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open (May 30-June 2), so she’ll need to qualify to get in the field. Kupcho has played in two U.S. Women’s Opens, finishing 21st in 2017.

In a year in which she won an NCAA individual title, has been the No. 1-ranked women’s golfer in the world, helped three U.S. national teams to titles in international competition and posted her first top-20 finish in an LPGA event, Kupcho achieved a bigger-picture goal on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Littleton native qualified for the LPGA Tour in her first try, and made it look relatively effortless. Kupcho’s only over-par score in the Q-Series came on opening day, when she carded a 1-over 73. She finished 27 strokes ahead of the final players who earned their LPGA cards. Her runner-up showing will give her priority getting into LPGA tournaments over players who finished below her in the Q-Series.

“When it started out (in the Q-Series), the courses seemed so hard,” Kupcho said. “The first week I was just shooting for par, and I took that mentality the rest of the way. I was able to get a couple of really low rounds that helped boost me and give me that cushion.”

Huffer, who like Kupcho won two state high school titles in Colorado, likewise met the standard with plenty to spare — 13 strokes in her case.

“This year I’ve played really well,” she said. “I was feeling really good about my game. The new format they had for Q-Series, I thought it really worked well for my game — consistency and stuff. I was excited to accomplish my goal.”

Indeed, it’s quite an accomplishment for two golfers who have both been CWGA Players of the Year over the last decade — Kupcho three times and Huffer once.

Kupcho won the CWGA Stroke Play title three straight times (2015-17) and the Match Play twice (2014 and ’16), in addition to the Junior Stroke Play in 2014

Huffer, a Denver native and current Monument resident, demonstrated she might be on the verge of a breakthrough with a strong season on the Symetra Tour. The 2012 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier finished 21st on the 2018 Symetra money list, with three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up and a third place. Huffer, a Littleton High School and Notre Dame graduate, is 28 years old. She won the CWGA Match Play title and Junior Stroke Play in 2005 as a 15-year-old. Huffer reportedly is the first Notre Dame alum to earn an LPGA Tour card.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections (Note: The first four rounds were played at Pinehurst No. 6, and the final four at Pinehurst No. 7):

Earned LPGA Tour Card
2. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72-68-67-71-69-69-70–559
10. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76-70-70-68-72-67-73–573
45. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79-67-76-74-69-68-74–586
Failed to Earn LPGA Tour Card
93. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75-74-72-79-77-76-76–604

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

University of Colorado junior Robyn Choi, who has qualified in Colorado for the last two U.S. Women’s Open, has shot 69-68 the last two days to move up to 45th place. And, coincidentally, the top 45 finishers and ties after Saturday’s eighth round will earn LPGA status for 2019.

Choi made four birdies and no bogeys on Friday at Pinehurst No. 7 and checks in at 8-over-par 512 for seven rounds.

Kupcho and Huffer didn’t complete round 7 before play was suspended due to darkness, so Kupcho will have to go 24 holes on Saturday and Huffer 21. But both are in very good shape to land their cards.

Kupcho, the Wake Forest senior who won the 2018 NCAA individual title, was 3 under par through 12 holes on Friday as she made three birdies and no bogeys on the day and sits at 15 under par overall. The No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world remains near the top of the leaderboard — in third place, two strokes behind leader Sarah Schmelzel.

Huffer, the 2013 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion who’s been a regular on the Symetra Tour in recent years, moved up into 10th place on Friday, when she was 4 under par, having made five birdies in her 15 holes. She checked in at 3 under par overall.

Amateurs — such as Kupcho (pictured above in an LPGA photo) and Choi (left, also in an LPGA photo) — who go on to earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections (Note: The first four rounds were played at Pinehurst No. 6, and the final four are being held at Pinehurst No. 7):

3. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72-68-67-71-69-(-3 through 12)–(-15 overall)
10. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76-70-70-68-72-(-4 through 15)–(-3 overall)
45. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79-67-76-74-69–68–512
95. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75-74-72-79-77-76–528

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

It’s little wonder why the two are both near the top of the scoreboard with just two rounds left in the eight-round final stage of LPGA Tour qualifying.

Kupcho, the NCAA individual champion from Wake Forest, has shot just one over-par round in the six played so far — that being a 1-over 73 on day 1. Over the last four rounds, the world’s No. 1-ranked women’s amateur is 13 under par. Overall, she stands at 12-under 420, in a tie for third place and just two strokes out of the lead held by Sarah Schmelzel and Klara Smilkova.

On Thursday, Kupcho posted a 4-under 32 on her first nine and a 3-under 69 for the day. She ended up with five birdies and two bogeys in round 6, held at Pinehurst No. 7.

With the top 45 finishers and ties after Saturday’s final round earning 2019 LPGA Tour cards, Kupcho is in outstanding shape. As of the end of play on Thursday, a 440 total was in 45th place.

Huffer, the 2013 CoBank Colorado Open champion, is seven shots better than the cut-off point as an even-par 72 on Thursday put her at 1-over 433. Over the last four rounds, Huffer is 8 under par.

On Thursday, Huffer had a three-birdie, three-bogey day. The Coloradan has been a regular on the Symetra Tour in recent years.

Amateurs — such as Kupcho (pictured above in a photo courtesy of her family) — who go on to earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections (Note: The first four rounds were played at Pinehurst No. 6, and the final four are being held at Pinehurst No. 7):

3. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72-68-67-71-69–420
12. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76-70-70-68-72–433
61. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79-67-76-74-69—444
90. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75-74-72-79-77–452

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

Between them, Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster and Becca Huffer of Denver have won four state high school titles and four CWGA Player of the Year awards.

And now, both are in very good position heading into the final three rounds of the LPGA Q-Series where 2019 Tour cards will be distributed.

With the top 45 finishers and ties after Saturday’s eighth round of the Q-Series landing LPGA berths, Kupcho sits in fourth place out of 102 players in Pinehurst, N.C. And Huffer is tied for 14th place.

Kupcho, the No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world, shot a 1-under-par 71 on Wednesday at Pinehurst No. 7 and checked in at 9-under-par 351 overall, four behind leader Klara Spilkova. Huffer fired a fifth-round 68 and stands at 361. As of Wednesday, the players at 367 were tied for 44th place.

Kupcho, the senior from Wake Forest who won the NCAA Division I individual title in May, made four birdies and three bogeys on Wednesday. Huffer (pictured below), the 2013 CoBank Colorado Open champion, went bogey-free on Wednesday, making four birdies on the day.

Amateurs — such as Kupcho (pictured above in a photo courtesy of her family) — who go on to earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections (Note: The first four rounds were played at Pinehurst No. 6, and the final four are being held at Pinehurst No. 7):

4. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72-68-67-71–351
14. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76-70-70-68–361
77. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75-74-72-79–375
77. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79-67-76-74–375

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster is in excellent shape as rounds of 68-67 over the weekend vaulted the No. 1 women’s amateur in the world into third place in the 102-player Q-Series field.

And with the top 45 finishers and ties after eight rounds earning spots on the LPGA Tour, Becca Huffer of Denver moved into the top 40 on Sunday with her second consecutive 2-under-par 70 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

If the Q-Series had ended on Sunday, a total of 6-over 294 or better would have been enough to earn LPGA Tour cards. Kupcho, the NCAA Division I champion from Wake Forest, shares third place at 8-under-par 280. Huffer is tied for 36th place at 293. (Kupcho is pictured on Sunday in a photo courtesy of her family.)

And the other two competitors with strong Colorado ties are not far off the pace with four rounds remaining. Former University of Colorado golfer Jenny Coleman is tied for 51st at 296, while current CU golfer Robyn Choi is 87th at 301.

After two off-days, the second half of the Q-Series will run Wednesday through Saturday (Oct. 31-Nov. 3) also at the Pinehurst Resort, but on the No. 7 course. Scores are cumulative for the eight rounds of the event.

Amateurs — such as Kupcho — who go on to earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

No one scored better over the weekend than did Kupcho, who along with U.S. Curtis Cup teammate Lauren Stephenson went 68-67 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. On Sunday, Kupcho went bogey-free, making five birdies on the day. The 21-year-old trails Q-Series leader Klara Spilkova by five strokes.

Meanwhile, Huffer, the 2013 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion, made four birdies and two bogeys on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 6 to leave herself in good shape going into the final four rounds.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections:

3. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72-68-67–280
36. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76-70-70–293
51. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75-74-72–296
87. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79-67-76–301

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
     

The Westminster resident (left in a photo courtesy of the Kupcho family) was one stroke off the lowest round of the day on Saturday in shooting a 4-under-par 68 and shares seventh place after the third round of the eight-round event in Pinehurst, N.C.

Kupcho, the NCAA Division I champion from Wake Forest who’s the No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world, used an eagle on her 15th hole Saturday to shoot a 4-under 32 on her back nine. She finished with an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys to check in at 3-under 213 overall. She trails leader Klara Spilkova by eight.

The Q-Series features two 72-hole stroke-play tournaments held on consecutive weeks — Wednesday through Sunday and Oct. 31-Nov. 3, both at Pinehurst Resort. Scores are cumulative over the two weeks, with the top 45 finishers and ties earning LPGA cards. As of the end of Saturday’s round, the players at 5-over 221 and better were inside the top 45.

Amateurs — such as Kupcho — who go on to earn their LPGA Tour cards can defer their acceptance of membership until July 1, 2019. That means they could complete their college seasons before joining the LPGA Tour should they qualify.

Two other players with strong Colorado ties also posted under-par rounds on Saturday, though they remain outside the top 45 in the 102-player field.

University of Colorado golfer Robyn Choi, who started the Q-Series with back-to-back rounds of 79, tied for the low round of the day on Saturday as she made six birdies en route to a 67, leaving her at 225 and in 78th place.

And Becca Huffer of Denver carded a 70 to check in at 223, good for 59th place. One stroke behind her is former CU golfer Jenny Coleman, who recorded a 74 on Saturday.

Here are the round-by-round scores for the players with strong Colorado connections:

7. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 73-72-68–213
59. Becca Huffer of Denver 77-76-70–223
70. Former CU golfer Jenny Coleman 75-75-74–224
78. CU golfer Robyn Choi 79-79-67–225

For complete results, CLICK HERE.