Ethan Freeman had a couple of reasons to be glad he made it into the field for the CJGA’s 14-18 Junior Series Championship after originally being an alternate.
The first was that the tournament delayed the removal of his wisdom teeth, albeit only for three days.
The second was the really important one as getting into the event allowed Freeman to claim one of the biggest victories of his golf career.
The Glenmoor Country Club golfer and fellow 16-year-old Taylor Dorans of Eagle Trace Golf Club earned their respective championships in decidedly different fashion Tuesday at Columbine Country Club.
Freeman (pictured above) went wire-to-wire in winning the boys division, while Dorans rallied from a six-stroke deficit with 10 holes remaining to claim the girls title.
For his part, Freeman becomes the first winner of two different age divisions of the Junior Series Championship. He earned the championship in the 11-13 tournament in 2008. “It’s fun to see that you played well when you were young and you keep getting better and keep playing well as you continue to grow,” he said.
Freeman, who won the Class 3A state high school title as a sophomore for Kent Denver last fall, birdied his second, third and fourth holes Tuesday en route to his second consecutive 1-under-par 71, which gave him a three-stroke victory.
Steve Connell of Riverdale Golf Club started birdie-eagle in the second round and shot 69, leaving him with a 1-over-par 145 total, good for second place. Chris Beabout of South Suburban Golf Course (76-72–148) placed third.
After going the first half of the year without a victory, Freeman (pictured at left) has now won his last two events.
“It felt good to win that last tournament, and it feels really good to win here and keep it going,” he said. The 3A state high school championship “is my biggest win and also my most prominent win. That’s what really got my name out there. But this is a really good win also. I’m really happy with it.
“At the beginning of the summer I was struggling a little bit. I met with my coach and I started hitting it better and then I started putting it better and it all came together these last two rounds.”
While Freeman had a relatively easy go of it in claiming the boys title Tuesday, the girls competition was another matter.
Dorans (pictured at left) made up eight strokes in the last 10 holes on Kathleen Kershisnik of Columbine to win by two. A 30-foot eagle on No. 17 proved the difference for Dorans, who carded a 2-over-par 75 for a two-day total of 7-over 153.
While Dorans played her last eight holes in 2 under par, Kershisnik went 7 over in her last 10 on her home course. Kershisnik’s 81 Tuesday left her in second place at 155. Shinwoo Lee of Kennedy Golf Course (80-78–158) finished third.
“I didn’t really think about winning or losing today,” said Dorans, a junior-to-be at Broomfield High School. “I just thought about playing golf and having a good time. I’ve been playing good, so I just kind of attacked the course as best as I could. I played well today, so I was real happy with it.”
Dorans sank long putts on each of the last three holes — 10 feet on 16, 30 feet on 17 and 8 feet on 18 — to nail down the title. After joining Kershisnik in the lead with the par putt on No. 16, Dorans pulled ahead on the next hole.
On that par-5, the Erie resident hit a hybrid from 200 yards that stopped 30 feet from the cup, then she sank the putt for eagle. After Kershisnik made par, Dorans was up by two shots.
“Eagles are kind of unexpected,” said Dorans (pictured at left). “I was just trying to get it close and make birdie, but it dropped so …”
But on No. 18, Dorans had to work for a par. After leaving her approach in a bunker short and left of the green, she blasted to 8 feet and let her putter work its magic again. Kershisnik also managed a par, but the win was Dorans’.
Down the stretch, despite how tight things were, Dorans didn’t know exactly how things stood with Kershisnik.
“I had no idea,” said Dorans, who called Tuesday’s victory one of her biggest. “I knew it was close, but I didn’t know if we were even or if she was beating me or I was beating her. It wasn’t really what I was thinking about. I don’t like to keep numbers and stuff like that because I get too far ahead of myself and I get too nervous.”
CJGA Junior Series Championships for other age groups will be held next week, with the 11-13 year olds competing Aug. 8-9 at the Homestead Golf Course, and the 10-and-unders playing Aug. 10 at Boulder Country Club.
CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship
At Columbine CC in Littleton
BOYS (PAR-72)
Ethan Freeman, Glenmoor Country Club, 71-71–142
Steve Connell, Riverdale Golf Club, 76-69–145
Chris Beabout, South Suburban Golf Course, 76-72–148
Jake Staiano, Glenmoor Country Club, 74-75–149
Matthew Weiss, Meridian Golf Club, 76-74–150
Caleb Barker, Perry Park Country Club, 75-76–151
Adair Warren, Indian Peaks Golf Club, 76-76–152
Blake Basham, Lone Tree Mens Golf Club, 78-75–153
Cameron Harrell, Pine Creek Golf Club, 77-76–153
Colin Prater, Broadmoor Golf Club, 79-74–153
Randy Urso, Commonground Golf Course, 75-78–153
Dylan Mitchell, Lakewood Country Club, 73-81–154
Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo Country Club, 76-78–154
Ryan Schmitz, Colorado Golf Club, 76-79–155
Benjamin Moore, Glenmoor Country Club, 77-79–156
Josh Gardella, Ridge at Castle Pines North, 79-77–156
Ethan Yamada, Omni Interlocken Resort, 81-76–157
Matthew Vacek, Indian Peaks Golf Club, 75-82–157
Dylan Wonnacott, Fox Hill Country Club, 80-78–158
Jack Adolfson, Fox Hill Country Club, 80-78–158
Max Urman, Meridian Golf Club, 81-77–158
Spencer Painton, Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, 84-74–158
Connor Klein, Lone Tree Mens Golf Club, 78-81–159
Kyler Dunkle, The Club at Pradera, 85-74–159
Sam Rock, Coal Creek Mens Golf Club, 81-78–159
Austin Nonte, Springs Ranch Golf Club, 79-81–160
John Hadfield, South Suburban Golf Course, 84-77–161
Kolton Kyne, Divide Ranch and Club, 82-79–161
Ben Schaefer, Columbine Country Club, 81-81–162
Hayden Nicholaides, South Suburban Family Sports, 82-82–164
Austin Rowe, Columbine Country Club, 85-81–166
Matthew Goddard, Ptarmigan Country Club, 79-87–166
Jack Lazzeri, Columbine Country Club, 83-84–167
William Hoff, Oak Brook Golf Course, 88-82–170
August So, Aspen Junior Golf Foundation, 84-87–171
Kyle Tobin, Colorado Golf Club, 83-90–173
Jackson Vacek, Harmony Club, 92-82–174
Austin Raap, Highlands Ranch Golf Club, 93-83–176
Erik Young, Commonground Golf Course, 85-91–176
Austin Lienemann, South Suburban Family Sports, 101-94–195
Connor Alexander, Castle Pines Golf Club, 101-98–199
GIRLS (PAR-73)
Taylor Dorans, Eagle Trace Lga, 78-75–153
Kathleen Kershisnik, Columbine CC Lga, 74-81–155
Shinwoo Lee, Kennedy Lga, 80-78–158
Jennifer Kempton, Lone Tree Lga, 85-81–166
Rachel Reiling, Meadows Wga, 82-86–168
Alexandra Briggs, Hyland Hills Wga, 92-81–173
Samantha Barker, Perry Park CC Wga, 87-89–176
Sarah Hankins, Thorncreek Wga, 89-87–176
Holly Schaefer, Columbine CC Lga, 91-87–178
Dani Urman, Meridian Golf Club, 96-83–179
Margot Leibold, Wellshire Women, 96-85–181
Sydney Gillespie, Valley CC Wga, 91-93–184
Jenni j Chun, Lone Tree Lga, 97-94–191
Sonny Ann Scheer, Red Hawk Ridge Wga, 96-95–191
