The former University of Denver golfer earned fully-exempt status for the first half of the 2019 season on PGA Tour Latinoamerica on Friday by finishing eighth out of 81 players in one of the final PTLA Q-school tournaments.

Korte (left) shot rounds of 69-67-70-76 for a 2-under-par 282 total in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The winner — American Patrick Flavin (273) — will be fully exempt for the entire season, while those who finished second through 11th will have spots at least for the first half of the year. The season begins March 27 in Panama.

Despite the 76 in the final round, Korte carded an eagle on the par-4 16th hole. For the tournament, he posted two eagles, 17 birdies, 13 bogeys and three double bogeys.

Last week, three other players with strong Colorado ties earned some status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Former Fort Collins resident Tom Whitney will be exempt for the first half of the season, while former Colorado State University golfer Blake Cannon and Castle Pines resident Josh Seiple will have conditional status.

Fan Places Third on The Cactus Tour: Former University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan finished third on Wednesday at The Cactus Tour event in Sun City, Ariz.

Fan, who won a Cactus Tour tournament last summer as a rookie pro, recorded rounds of 69-70-71 for a 6-under-par 210 total. She ended up three strokes behind winner Linnea Johansson of Sweden.

Aspen’s Morris Prevails: AJ Morris of Aspen won a one-day event on the West Florida Golf Tour at Tampa Palms Country Club on Wednesday. Morris shot a 4-under-par 72 and beat Tim Rosenhouse of Dix Hills, N.Y., and Scot Paul Ferrier in a playoff to earn $1,000.

Bruun (left) finished tied for 27th — out of an original field of 115 — on Thursday at the five-round Q-school tournament in Marrakesh, Morocco. By making the 72-hole cut but placing 26th or lower, she’ll earn category 9b status on the LET next year. Had she ended in the top 25, she’d have received more preferable category 8 membership.

Bruun, a native of Norway who wrapped up her DU career in May 2017, played in two events on the LET in 2018, but missed the cut in both. She finished 37th at the 2017 Q-school finals.

At the Q-school in 2018, Bruun went 71-72-76-70-69 for a 2-under-par 358 total. That left her 24 strokes behind qualifying medalist Bronte Law of England, a former UCLA golfer.

Bruun, who made a hole-in-one on Wednesday, double bogeyed her first hole of Thursday’s round, but went 5 under in her final 14 holes. From her fifth through ninth holes, she went 4 under, culminating with an eagle.

Two other former DU golfers have been regulars on the LET in recent years — Eleanor Givens and Tonje Daffinrud. Daffinrud finished 49th on the 2018 LET money list, while Givens was 72nd.

For all the scores from the final stage of LET Q-school, CLICK HERE.
 

It’s getting to be a very enjoyable habit for Mary Weinstein.

Receiving player of the year awards is always a good sign, and the Highlands Ranch resident has done it with regularity in recent golf seasons.

In both 2015 and ’16, Weinstein was named what is now known as the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Girls Player of the Year. Then in 2017, she landed the CWGA Player of the Year honors as fellow Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho was given the CWGA’s highest honor, the President’s Award, after dominating Colorado women’s golf for four straight years. And this fall, Weinstein has earned the CGA Women’s Player of the Year honor for 2018.

That’s quite a four-year run of Colorado golf awards for the University of Denver junior.

“I’m so blessed to be named the CGA Women’s Player of the Year,” Weinstein (left) said in a recent text. “It is a dream come true, as I used to look up to legendary players like Becca Huffer (the 2008 CWGA Player of the Year who recently earned her LPGA Tour card, along with Kupcho) when I was a junior golfer and now I am humbled with this honor once again.

“I would like to thank the CGA for this award and all the laughs and smiles that the volunteers and staff bring me each tournament,” added Weinstein, who also expressed gratitude for the support of her parents, her coach Terry Stearman and the DU women’s golf program.

Also earning a CGA women’s POY honor for 2018 was Kristine Franklin of Colorado National Golf Club, who was named Senior Player of the Year. For the CGA men’s players of the year story, CLICK HERE.

Weinstein, who’s in her second year at DU after transferring from Regis, was a factor in most of the tournaments in which she competed in 2018. The 20-year-old finished second in the CGA Women’s Match Play, qualified for her second straight U.S. Women’s Amateur, placed fourth in the CGA Women’s Stroke Play and shot an 8-under-par 64 at a fall tournament for DU.

In the finals of the CGA Women’s Match Play, Weinstein was 2 under par for 33 holes at The Fox Hill Club, but fell to Texan Kennedy Swann 5 and 3. That marked the Coloradan’s fourth straight top-four finish in a CGA women’s major championship. She’s placed fourth at each of the last two CGA Women’s Stroke Plays and lost in the semifinals last year in the Match Play.

In Colorado-based qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, Weinstein prevailed in a three-way playoff for the fourth and final national berth. She made a 40-foot birdie putt on the second extra to extend the playoff, then two-putted for par on the third playoff hole to advance.

But Weinstein said the thing of which she’s most proud, tournament-wise, in 2018 was the final-round 64 she shot at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott to place third in the Golfweek Conference Challenge. That score set a single-round program record for the DU women’s team, which finished third that week, and helped Weinstein post her best individual showing since joining the Pioneers. The 64 was a personal-best for Weinstein.

“Nothing could beat the excitement I felt when I made the eagle putt on my last hole to shoot 64,” she said.

Weinstein posted another top-five individual college finish in the spring, when he placed fourth in the Summit League Championship.

Elsewhere in 2018, Weinstein tied for 17th place in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, which was the fourth-best showing among amateurs.

As for Franklin, she earns the CGA Women’s Senior Player of the Year Award just a year after returning to competitive golf following an 18-year layoff. This year, the highlight for the Broomfield resident was winning the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play, 32 years after capturing her first CGA/CWGA title, the 1986 CWGA Stroke Play.

A former touring pro in Japan, Franklin (left) defeated five-time champion Kim Eaton, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, on the first hole of a playoff to win the Senior Stroke Play at Greeley Country Club, where Eaton won the same title by 16 strokes in 2012. Franklin joined Jill Gaschler (2015) as the only players who have beaten Eaton in a CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play. Eaton is a four-time quarterfinalist in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. Franklin dedicated the Senior Stroke Play victory to her dad, longtime high school golf coach George Hoos, who was battling leukemia at the time and who passed away a little more than a month later.

Franklin also finished second in the other CGA women’s senior major championship of 2018, the Match Play. In the finals there, she went to extra holes with Tiffany Maurycy of Denver, who prevailed on the 20th hole with a 15-foot birdie.

Also in 2018, Franklin qualified for her second straight U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, this time by placing second in a qualifier in Colorado Springs. At the national championship, she was in a playoff for the final berth into the match-play portion of the event, but failed to advance.

In addition this year, Franklin and partner Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore., tied for second place in the Women’s Trans National Senior Four-Ball, and Franklin placed 10th in the North/South Senior Women’s Am at Pinehurst in North Carolina.

Franklin is the wife of University of Colorado women’s golf assistant coach Brent Franklin; the mother of Walker Franklin, one of the top junior players in the state; and the brother of former University of Denver men’s golf head coach Eric Hoos. This fall, Kristine Franklin served as an assistant coach at Prospect Ridge Academy, where Walker Franklin plays and where Eric is the head coach.
 

Colorado State University men’s golf coach Christian Newton didn’t mince words or equivocate when asked about the performance of freshman Oscar Teiffel in brutal weather conditions this week at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.

“That’s the best competitive round I’ve ever seen — under pressure, playing for the lead, shoot 67 in blowing snow and 35 degrees. That’s as good as I’ve ever seen,” Newton said.

And it’s hard to argue.

Teiffel shot a 5-under-par 67 on a very tough golf course with snow flying and temperatures in the mid-30s to win the individual title at the Paintbrush Invitational at Colorado Golf Club.

And to add to the accomplishment, Teiffel and the Rams (pictured below) also took home the team title while competing against a field that included three Pac-12 Conference schools, including the University of Colorado, which has won twice already this season.

Like CU, CSU has now claimed two team titles in the fall portion of the schedule — one in a tournament it hosts and another in Colorado. The Rams won the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins in September.

This one, though, likely will be etched indelibly in the memory of the CSU players and coaches, given the conditions. All three rounds were played in temperatures between 35-40 degrees, with snow adding an especially unusual element on Tuesday.

“I think it’s the toughest conditions I’ve ever played in,” said Teiffel, who hails from Sweden. “It was snowy for nine holes and it was super cold. I have like three pairs of pants on me right now.”

Teiffel finished with a remarkable — given the conditions — 10-under-par 206 total, which was good for a three-stroke victory. On Tuesday, when eight players shot in the 80s, his 67 was the only score below 70.

“I had no idea what to expect before I went out,” said Teiffel, who notched his second top-10 finish of the season in major tournaments. “At first I was thinking 3 over was going to be a good score. But I got into a good flow, made a few putts and played pretty good. I’m happy with my score.

“I knew it was going to be tough for everyone. I didn’t have any expectations of myself. I was just going to accept whatever happened.”

Teiffel’s victory marks the first individual win by a CSU player since Blake Cannon won two events in a row two years ago.

As for capturing a title so early in his college career, Teiffel said, “It feels fantastic. You don’t get wins very often in this sport. When you do it’s pretty special. To do that so quickly after coming over here to college is also pretty cool. It’s an individual sport, but you’re playing as a team and it’s nice to win as a team as well.”

Indeed, on two days that very few golfers would even consider playing, the Rams finished with a 6-over-par 870 total for three rounds, which earned them an eight-stroke team victory over Oregon.

“Today was one of the better rounds that I’ve ever seen out of a team,” Newton said of his CSU squad, which shot a 1-over 289 on Tuesday. “We preached resiliency this whole week. (The CSU players) did a wonderful job. I’m very proud of them.”

Perhaps it has something to do with the makeup of the five players who constituted the Rams’ team this week. Four of the five are from places where it’s not unusual for golfers to battle the elements. As noted, there was Teiffel (left) from Sweden. And then there were three Coloradans — AJ Ott, Davis Bryant and Jake Staiano. And Californian Cullen Plousha rounded things out.

“When it starts getting windy, rainy and this cold, I think it really gives us an advantage,” said Bryant, who like Teiffel is a freshman. “I know Oscar has played in a lot of weather like this. And Jake, me and AJ have in similar stuff to this throughout our time living in Colorado. So I think it definitely helped us. And we’re a tough team mentally.”

As for the aforementioned Coloradans, Ott (below) finished ninth individually at 1-over-par 217, while Bryant was 17th at 221 and Staiano 32nd at 227. But they weren’t the top Colorado resident on the final Paintbrush scoreboard. That honor went to the University of Northern Colorado’s Coby Welch, who placed fifth on Tuesday at 2-under 214.

Remarkably, Welch was 5 under par through 11 holes of Tuesday’s round, but bogeyed three of his last seven to shoot 70.

“I just keep going as if it weren’t snowing,” Welch said. “I keep playing. There’s nothing I can do about it. I try to stay as focused as I can.

“I’m very happy with (the finish). I felt like I played well. Everyone was going to miss some short putts because of the greens and the snow — and I missed a few of those — but that’s OK. I felt like I played well. I hit the ball well and my short game was very good at this tournament.”

It was Welch’s third top-five individual finish of the season, with all three coming in Colorado as he placed third in both the Ram Masters and the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.

Meanwhile, Welch’s UNC squad placed an impressive third out the 12 teams at the Paintbrush. The Bears checked in at 19-over-par 883, 13 behind CSU. Joining Welch in the top dozen individually for UNC were Joshua Matz (sixth at 215) and Li Chen (12th at 219).

CU, meanwhile, tied for fourth at 887 in its fall season finale. Daniel O’Loughlin had another strong showing for the Buffs, placing sixth individually at 215.

The host University of Denver ended up 12th on Tuesday with a 929 total. DU’s Roy Kang, competing only as an individual this week, finished 10th individually at 218.

Teiffel became the second Scandinavian player to win the individual title in the two years the Paintbrush Invitational has been held. DU’s Petter Mikalsen, of Norway, claimed the top spot two years ago. Last year’s Paintbrush was canceled due to snow.

With the U.S. Mid-Amateur being held at Colorado Golf Club next September, the Paintbrush Invitational will take a one-year hiatus from the schedule before an anticipated return in 2020.

This year’s Paintbrush marks the seventh and final NCAA Division I invitational — men’s and women’s combined — that is being held in Colorado during the fall college season.

Paintbrush Invitational
Oct. 8-9, 2018 (final) at Colorado GC in Parker
1. (out of 12 teams) Colorado State 287-294-289–870
1. Oscar Teiffel 70-69-67–206
9. AJ Ott 73-74-70–217
17. Davis Bryant 71-76-74–221
32. Jake Staiano 74-75-78–227
39. Cullen Plousha 73-78-78–229
Competing Only as Individuals
25. Andrew Lafferty 80-71-73–224
30. Akedanai Ponghathaikul 74-75-77–226
47. Jack Ainscough 75-76-80–231

3. Northern Colorado 298-291-294–883
5. Coby Welch 71-73-70–214
6. Joshua Matz 73-70-72–215
12. Li Chen 73-70-76–219
60. Nick Sharp 81-78-79–238
68. Marcus Tait 90-78-76–244
Competing Only as Individual
23. Jack Castiglia 79-74-70–223

4. Colorado 295-293-299–887
6. Daniel O’Loughlin 69-70-76–215
17. Trevor Olkowski 74-73-74–221
28. Kristoffer Max 73-73-79–225
39. John Paterson 79-77-73–229
51. Ross Macdonald 79-78-76–233
Competing Only as Indivdual
17. Andre Leveque 77-73-71–221

12. Denver 312-309-308–929
30. Jun Ho Won 75-74-77–226
44. Esteban Missura 81-73-76–230
60. Cal McCoy 79-73-86–238
68. Carson Griggs 77-89-78–244
72. Jackson Solem 82-90-77–249
Competing Only as Individuals
10. Roy Kang 72-72-74–218
32. Eric Hagen 78-74-75–227
57. John Sand 83-76-76–235

Also
39. Coloradan Tyler Severin, Wyoming 76-78-75–229
 
For complete results, CLICK HERE.

On a 36-hole day that was played in 35-40-degree conditions, Colorado State and the University of Colorado are among the top three teams in the 54-hole event that will conclude on Tuesday, weather-permitting.

When play ended on Monday evening due to darkness, with some players having yet to complete round 2, CSU held a one-stroke lead over Loyola Marymount and a four-shot advantage over third-place CU.

Northern Colorado holds fifth place in the 12-team field, at 15 over. The host University of Denver is in 12th place at 45 over par.

Six players from Colorado-based teams are in the top 10 individually after Monday’s action. CU’s Daniel O’Loughlin and CSU’s Oscar Teiffel share second place at 5-under-par 139, which leaves them three behind leader Riley Elmes of Loyola Marymount, who shot a pair of 68s.

Also in the top 10 are UNC’s Li Chen (sixth at 143); DU’s Roy Kang and UNC’s Joshua Matz (seventh at even-par); and UNC’s Coby Welch (ninth at 1 over).

For all the scores from the Paintbrush Invitational, CLICK HERE.
 

In two appearances — six rounds — of playing in the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Fazio layout, Weinstein has posted scores including a 68, a 66 and a 64.

That 8-under-par 64 — her best round as a college player and a program record at the University of Denver — came in Wednesday’s final round of this year’s Conference Challenge and led to her best individual finish since transferring from Regis to DU in the summer of 2017.

Weinstein, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Girls Player of the Year in 2015 and ’16, placed third Wednesday at Red Sky with a 10-under-par 206 total for three rounds. That left the junior (left in a DU photo) behind only two UCLA players — champion Mariel Galdiano (203) and Patty Tavatanakit (205) — in the Pioneers’ season opener.

Weinstein, a U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier this year and the CGA Women’s Match Play runner-up, closed out the tournament with an eagle on the 542-yard second hole — her 18th — after earlier making seven birdies and a bogey. The 64 was the low round of the tournament.

Weinstein led DU to a third-place finish in the 18-team event that the Pioneers won last year. They ended up at 9 over par, 41 shots behind champion UCLA.

Women’s Golfweek Conference Challenge
Sept. 24-26 2018 at Par-72 Fazio Course (final) at Red Sky GC in Wolcott
3. (out of 18 teams) Denver 293-295-285–873
3. Mary Weinstein 68-74-64–206
19. Sophie Newlove 70-76-72–218
32. Alyson Bean 78-72-74–224
40. Camille Enright 79-73-75–227
79. Alison Armstrong 77-85-76–238
Competing Only As Individual
32. Trussy Li 77-72-75–224

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

The host Buffaloes stand at 8-under-par 568 for the first two rounds. Utah, which won last year’s playoff with the Buffs, trails by three going into the last day at CNGC (pictured in a CU photo).

Northern Colorado, the only other school from the Centennial State fielding a full team for this year’s event, sits in 13th place in the 16-team field, at 610.

Several local players are in contention for the individual title with one round remaining. Kyler Dunkle of Utah, a longtime Coloradan until moving away after winning last month’s CGA Amateur, shares the lead with CU’s Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction and Daniel O’Loughlin. The three are at 5-under-par 139. Dunkle won the individual title at Colorado National last year.

Tee times for Tuesday’s final round will run 7:55 to 8:35 a.m.

For scores from the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, CLICK HERE.
 

DU’s Weinstein Tied for Lead at Red Sky: In another NCAA Division I tournament being held in Colorado, the defending champion University of Denver women are in fourth place after Monday’s first round of the 54-hole Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott.

The Pioneers opened with a 5-over-par 293 and trail leader UCLA by 16 strokes.

DU’s Mary Weinstein, from Highlands Ranch, shares the individual lead after making six birdies in a round of 4-under-par 68.

Also at that figure are UCLA’s Clare Legaspi and Patty Tavatanakit, and Campbell’s Stacey White.

For all the scores from the Golfweek Conference Challenge, CLICK HERE.
 

CSU has won the Ram Masters team title four consecutive years, and it appears primed to make it five in a row.

The Rams posted a stellar 14-under-par 266 total in round 2 on Monday afternoon at Fort Collins Country Club to open up an 11-stroke lead in the 17-team event.

CSU, which set a tournament record with a 17-under-par total in last year’s Ram Masters, is already at 13-under 547 with one round remaining. Illinois State checks in second at 558.

The University of Northern Colorado shares third place with South Dakota at 568, while the University of Denver is in seventh place at 573 after its first day of competition for the season.

CSU has four players in the top 11 in the 96-player field. Parathakorn Suyasri holds second place at 6-under-par 134, which leaves him one back of leader Dan Starzinski of Wyoming. Three Colorado residents are also in the top 11 for CSU: Jake Staiano (136, third place after a second-round 65); AJ Ott (138, seventh place) and freshman Davis Bryant (139, 11th place).

Ott and Staiano finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in last year’s Ram Masters.

Meanwhile, Joshua Matz is leading the way for UNC at 138 (seventh place), while Coloradan Coby Welch checked in at 139 (11th place).

Pacing DU individually is freshman Cal McCoy (142, 19th place), another Colorado resident.

Also in Fort Collins: The host CSU women, in their season opener, sit in 10th place out of 13 teams after Monday’s opening round of the Ptarmigan Ram Classic at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins. The Rams shot a 17-over-par 305 and trail leader Boise State by 12. Northern Colorado stands in 12th place at 309. Haley Greb is leading CSU individually (16th place, 74), while Beah Cruz shares sixth place at 72 for UNC.
 

RAM MASTERS INVITATIONAL
Sept. 17-18, 2018 at Par-70 Fort Collins CC
1. (out of 17 teams) Colorado State 281-266–547
2. Parathakorn Suyasri 68-66–134
3. Jake Staiano 71-65–136
7. AJ Ott 72-68–140
11. Davis Bryant 72-67–139
27. Cullen Plousha 72-71–143
Competing Only as Individual
27. Jack Ainscough 71-72–143
42. Andrew Lafferty 74-71–145
42. Oscar Teiffel 75-70–145
61. Akedanai Ponghathaikul 74-74–148

3. Northern Colorado 288-280–568
7. Joshua Matz 68-70–138
11. Coby Welch 72-67–139
49. Marcus Tait 77-69–146
55. Li Chen 73-74–147
85. Jack Castiglia 75-78–153

7. Denver 288-285–573
19. Cal McCoy 70-72–142
27. Jun Ho Won 74-69–143
42. Esteban Missura 72-73–145
42. Carson Griggs 74-71–145
55. Jackson Solem 72-75–147
Competing Only as Individual
27. Roy Kang 71-72–143
42. Eric Hagen 73-72–145
80. John Sand 75-77–152

Also
19. John Paterson, Colorado 74-68–142
61. Andre Leveque, Colorado 73-75–148

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

PTARMIGAN RAM CLASSIC
Sept. 17-19, 2018 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins
10. (out of 13 teams) Colorado State 305
16. Haley Greb 74
22. Jessica Sloot 75
41. Katrina Prendergast 78
41. Ellen Secor 78
60. Sydney Smith 81
Competing Only as Individual
55. Saga Traustadottir 80

12. Northern Colorado 309
6. Beah Cruz 72
27. Morgan Sahm 76
55. Marisa Hisaki 80
60. Nicole Polivchak 81
60. Aili Bundy 81
Competing Only as Individuals
55. Jenna Chun 80

Others
27. Coloradan Erin Sargent, Wyoming 76
55. Coloradan Sarah Hankins, Wyoming 80

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Starting on Friday (Sept. 7), in the span of just over a month, seven multi-day NCAA Division I events will be held in Colorado, and there’s another one of the single-day variety. There are five on the men’s side and three on the women’s.

In fact, in the same week, Colorado State University is hosting both a men’s and a women’s tournament, though they finish on different days (Sept. 18 and 19).

Here’s the rundown:

MEN

Sept. 7-9, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower Golf Club north of Colorado Springs.

Sept. 17-18, Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins Country Club.

Sept. 24-25, Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.

Oct. 1 — University of Northern Colorado individual event, Greeley Country Club.

Oct. 8-9, Paintbrush Invitational, Colorado Golf Club in Parker.

WOMEN

Sept. 17-19, Ptarmigan Ram Classic, Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins.

Sept. 24-26, Golfweek Conference Challenge, Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott.

Oct. 5-7, Ron Moore Intercollegiate, Highlands Ranch Golf Club.

Of the six of those team events that were conducted in 2017 — the Paintbrush Invitational was canceled due to weather — four Colorado-based schools claimed either team titles outright or were tied for the top spot at the end of regulation.

The University of Denver women won the Women’s Golfweek Conference Challenge and the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, while the Colorado State University men won for the fourth straight year at their Ram Masters Invitational. The University of Colorado men were tied at the end of regulation at their Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, though Utah defeated CU in a team playoff.

This season, every Colorado-based DI team except one (the CU women) will compete in at least one tournament in the Centennial State.

Here’s a brief look at the nine Division I golf programs in Colorado.

CU MEN

Season Opener: Sept. 7-9, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 7-9, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC.
— Sept. 24-25, Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Colorado National GC.
— Oct. 8-9, Paintbrush Invitational, Colorado GC.

Conference Championship: April 22-24, Men’s Pac-12 Championship, Eugene, Ore.

Notable: Coloradans on the active fall roster include Wilson Belk (Colorado Springs), Cole Krantz (Windsor), Ross Macdonald (Castle Rock) and Trevor Olkowski (Grand Junction). … Coloradan Oliver Jack, the 2016 3A state high school champion from Kent Denver, was scheduled to join the Buffs this fall, but he was involved in an automobile accident over the summer. CU coach Roy Edwards said Jack remains in the hospital recovering and has deferred his enrollment at CU until the spring semester of 2019. … Among CU’s key losses from last season were then-seniors Yannik Paul, Spencer Painton and John Souza. Paul had a CU single-season-record 70.24 stroke average last season. Painton is a student-assistant coach this season. … Last spring, CU posted its best finish in the Pac-12 tournament since joining the conference by placing second.

CU WOMEN

Season Opener: Sept. 10-11, Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, Albuquerque, N.M.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado: None.

Conference Championship: April 15-17, Women’s Pac-12 Championship, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

Notable: The Buffs, who finished 19th at the NCAA Division I Finals last spring, are 21st in the national preseason women’s college rankings published by Golfweek’s Lance Ringler, who puts junior Robyn Choi as a third-team preseason All-American. … Choi, who has qualified for the last two U.S. Women’s Opens, finished 21st individually in the Women’s NCAA Division I Finals in May. She recently advanced to Stage II of LPGA Q-school. … Junior Kirsty Hodgkins represented Australia in last week’s Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, finishing 92nd individually out of 170 players. … Coloradans on CU’s roster include Jaclyn Murray (Grand Junction), Gillian Vance (Lakewood) and Kelsey Webster (Boulder). … A key loss to graduation was Brittany Fan, who had the second-best stroke average on the team last season.

CSU MEN

Season Opener: Sept. 7-9, Carpet Capital Collegiate, Rocky Face, Ga.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 17-18, Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC.
— Sept. 24-25, Colorado Mark Simpson Invitational, Colorado National GC.
— Oct. 1, UNC Individual Event, Greeley CC.
— Oct. 8-9, Paintbrush Invitational, Colorado GC.

Conference Championship: April 26-28, Mountain West Conference Championship, Tucson, Ariz.

Notable: CSU is No. 28 in the nation in preseason rankings published by Golfweek’s Lance Ringler. … Coloradans on the roster include Davis Bryant (Aurora), AJ Ott (Fort Collins) and Jake Staiano (Cherry Hills Village). … Ott won the CGA Match Play and qualified for the U.S. Amateur over the summer. … For the first time in seven years, the Rams won’t play in the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational to start the season, instead competing in a tournament in Georgia this weekend. … CSU has finished second in the Mountain West Conference tournament each of the last two years. … The Rams lost 2017-18 seniors Max Oelfke and Colton Yates, who ranked second and fifth on the team in stroke average, respectively.

CSU WOMEN

Season Opener: Sept. 17-19, Ptarmigan Ram Classic, Ptarmigan CC.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 17-19, Ptarmigan Ram Classic, Ptarmigan CC.
— Oct. 5-7, Ron Moore Intercollegiate, Highlands Ranch GC.

Conference Championship: April 15-17, Women’s Mountain West Conference Championship, Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Notable: CSU will start the season with a new head coach as Laura Cilek replaces Annie Young (READ MORE). Pro golfer Zack Byrd will be her assistant coach. Byrd most recently played on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. … Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May, and Prendergast finished second last week in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open. Secor won the Oregon Women’s Public Links title in 2018 and placed 13th last week in the CWO. … The Rams didn’t lose any seniors to graduation in 2018. … CSU finished third in the Mountain West Conference tournament last spring, marking the Rams’ best showing in that event since 2010.

UNC MEN

Season Opener: Sept. 7-9, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 7-9, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC.
— Sept. 17-18, Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC.
— Sept. 24-25, Colorado Mark Simpson Invitational, Colorado National GC.
— Oct. 1, UNC Individual Event, Greeley CC.
— Oct. 8-9, Paintbrush Invitational, Colorado GC.

Conference Championship: April 26-28, Big Sky Championship, Boulder City, Nev.

Notable: Coloradans on the roster include Jack Castiglia (Lakewood), Li Chen (Westminster), Barrett Jones (Eagle), Owen Pasvogel (Colorado Springs), Marcus Tait (Littleton) and Coby Welch (Highlands Ranch). … Welch qualified for the U.S. Amateur this summer, a year after Chen did likewise. … Castiglia won the Colorado Junior Match Play in early August. … In the spring, UNC won its first conference title since 2014 in capturing a Big Sky crown and advancing to NCAA Regionals. … The Bears lost Sam Marley and Andrew Romano, who were seniors last season.

UNC WOMEN

Season Opener: Sept. 10-11, Hobble Creek Classic, Orem, Utah.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 17-19, Ptarmigan Ram Classic, Ptarmigan CC.
— Oct. 5-7, Ron Moore Intercollegiate, Highlands Ranch GC.

Conference Championship: April 19-21, Women’s Big Sky Conference Championship, Boulder City, Nev.

Notable: Coloradans on the roster include Aili Bundy (Fort Collins), Jenna Chun (Highlands Ranch) and Morgan Sahm (Centennial). … UNC finished ninth last year at the Women’s Big Sky Conference Championship. … The Bears lost Christina Ferreira, who was a senior last season.

DU MEN

Season Opener: Sept. 17-18, Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 17-18, Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC.
— Oct. 8-9, Paintbrush Invitational, Colorado GC

Conference Championship: April 28-30, Summit League Championship, Newton, Kan.

Notable: Coloradans on the roster include Cal McCoy (Highlands Ranch) and Jackson Solem (Longmont). … DU lost two of its mainstays from Regis Jesuit High School, Chris Korte and Jake Kelley, both of whom were seniors last season. … Denver finished second in last year’s Summit League Championship. … Brandon Wilkins becomes Erik Billinger’s assistant coach after previously being an assistant at Abilene Christian.

DU WOMEN

Season Opener: Sept. 24-26, Golfweek Conference Challenge, Red Sky GC in Wolcott.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 24-26, Golfweek Conference Challenge, Red Sky GC in Wolcott.
— Oct. 5-7, Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, Highlands Ranch GC.

Conference Championship: April 21-23, Women’s Summit League Championship, Newton, Kan.

Notable: Head coach Lindsay Kuhle recently signed a new contract with DU that extends to 2023. … DU will defend team titles at two Colorado-based tournaments, the Women’s Golfweek Conference Challenge at Red Sky in Wolcott, and its own Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate at Highlands Ranch Golf Club. Those are the Pioneers’ first two tournaments of the season. … Mikayla Tatman, a former CSU golfer and a former intern for the CGA and the Colorado PGA, joins Kuhle’s staff as an assistant coach. Tatman, runner-up in the 2014 CWGA Stroke Play, has been a teacher and instructor for ExperienceGolf at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. … Also helping out with the DU women’s squad — on a volunteer basis — will be PGA professional Don Hurter from Castle Pines Golf Club. … One Coloradan is on the roster, Mary Weinstein (Highlands Ranch). Weinstein finished 17th last week at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY MEN

Season Opener: — Sept. 7-9, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC.

Division I Tournaments in Colorado:
— Sept. 7-9, Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC.

Conference Championship: April 26-28, Mountain West Conference Championship, Tucson, Ariz.

Notable: A year after playing four tournaments in Colorado, Air Force has just one this fall season, its own Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational this weekend. … The one Coloradan on the roster is former 4A state high school champion Luke Trujillo (a freshman from Colorado Springs). … Air Force finished 10th last season in the Mountain West Conference Championship. … Air Force lost Dane Hankamer and Todd Millard to graduation.
 

This summer marks the 24th year the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open has been held. In that time, there’s been a grand total of one amateur who has won the overall title — Paige Mackenzie, current co-host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, in 2006.

The reason that’s pertinent now is that an amateur — Colorado State University senior Katrina Prendergast to be precise — leads by two after Wednesday’s opening round of the $150,000 CWO at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

There’s obviously still a long way to go — two more rounds — but the opportunity is there to join some elite company.

“I don’t really think about that honestly,” the 20-year-old said on Wednesday evening. “I just take it day by day. If I get there, I get there, but one day at a time.”

Prendergast, who hails from Sparks, Nev., was the only player to shoot in the 60s on Wednesday as she posted a 4-under-par 68. That puts her two ahead of the five players who sit in second place.

This year has already been a special one for Prendergast (pictured above), who teamed up with fellow Ram golfer Ellen Secor to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in May. Not coincidentally, Prendergast and Secor were in the same threesome in Wednesday’s first round.

“I love playing with Ellen,” Prendergast said. “She’s got a great personality, always outgoing and out there. She’s so fun to play with. I’m glad I got to play with her today.”

Prendergast and Secor have qualified in Colorado for the last two U.S. Women’s Four-Balls together, going on to make it to the round of 16 in 2017 before winning this year.

On Wednesday, Secor shot a 75, playing her final 10 holes in 2 under par. Prendergast, who tied for second earlier this month in the Utah Women’s Open after a final-round 63, two-putted for birdie on the 18th hole at GVR to finish with five birdies and one bogey.

“The putter is a little hot right now, which is good,” she said. “We want to keep it that way. I’m coming here feeling good.

“This is a good start. I got up and down basically everywhere (she missed a green), which helped me out. I gave myself chances when I needed to. I had one bogey on 9 — a mess-up on the tee. Other than that it was a good day.”

Another player with strong ties to a Colorado-based college program is among those tied for second place after round 1. That would be former University of Denver golfer Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (left), who was the low amateur in this tournament two years ago. Joining her at 70 on Wednesday were Kendra Dalton of Wake Forest, N.C., Swede Jessica Vasilic, Mary Fran Hillow of Charleston, S.C., and Natalie Vivaldi, who played three seasons at the University of Colorado before transferring to San Diego State.

In all, just eight players shot sub-par rounds on Wednesday, and no one went very deep.

“They set out a good challenge with the greens,” Dreesbeimdieke said. “That’s probably why the scores are a little higher. They’re pretty quick, I’m not going to lie. They’re quicker than they were yesterday. And some of the pins out there are not that easy. They’re on some slopes, (and) it can get away from you if you’re not careful.”

Dreesbeimdieke, a native of Namibia — just northwest of South Africa — who now lives in Juno Beach, Fla., turned pro just about a month ago and is making the CWO her third event as a professional. She competed in Stage I of LPGA Tour Q-school last week and failed to advance.

“I’m really excited” about this new phase in her life, she said. “In my mind I have a lot to learn, so easing into my pro career is what I’m planning to do. Obviously it’s going to be a lot harder — and it has been. It’s been a learning experience. It’s very different suddenly playing for a paycheck. But I’m patient with myself. I’m only human. I have a lot of nerves. I’m trying to play really well, I’m trying to be perfect. I’m kind of learning that’s not how golf is.”

Dreesbeimdieke birdied her first two holes on Wednesday and was 3 under through 5, but needed a 4-foot birdie on 18 to shoot 70.

Only one player with strong Colorado connections has won the Colorado Women’s Open since 2005 — Becca Huffer in 2013. But there are several “locals” in contention after round 1. Besides Prendergast, Dreesbeimdieke and Vivaldi, there’s former CU golfers Brittany Fan (72) and Esther Lee (73).

Notable: Prendergast (68) leads the low-amateur competition by four after round 1. In second place is Aneta Abrahamova of Slovakia. … In the pro-am team competition, title sponsor CoBank’s squad shares the lead with Massage Envy at 9-under-par 63. … The championship field will be cut to the low 40 players and ties after Thursday’s second round. … The winner of the tournament — or the low pro, should an amateur prevail — will earn $50,000.

For scores from the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.