The CGA, CWGA and CJGA honored more than 100 of the year’s top performers Sunday at the Colorado Golf Awards Brunch at Pinehurst Country Club in Denver.
Among those saluted were the players of the year, headed by Zahkai Brown (CGA) and Somin Lee (CWGA). Brown, a senior on the Colorado State University golf team, staged a big final-round comeback to win the CGA Stroke Play Championship. Lee, a freshman on the Pepperdine University golf team, claimed the CWGA Match Play title, defeating CWGA Stroke Play champion Brooke Collins in the final.
In addition to the traditional awards given out, a new honor, named for former CGA director of youth programs Dustin Jensen, went to a junior golfer who has displayed outstanding character, unique dedication and perseverance. The inaugural Dustin Jensen Award was presented to Dani Urman, a junior at Cherry Creek High School. (Urman is pictured above with Jensen.)
Urman battled back from bone cancer, but not before it resulted in her left knee and part of her thigh bone being replaced by a titanium rod. Despite needing a golf cart to make it around the golf course — and using crutches to get to and from her ball — Urman finished 16th individually in the 5A girls state high school tournament and helped Cherry Creek claim the team title.
Also recognized Sunday were the CJGA’s best, both on the course and in the classroom.
Here’s a brief rundown on Sunday’s honorees:
— CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year: The CGA Stroke Play Championship dates back to 1937, but seldom has a champion rallied in the final round from the size of deficit Brown (pictured at left) faced this year. The CSU golfer trailed by six with 18 holes remaining, but a front-nine 30 and a 66 overall, combined with a 75 by 54-hole leader David Schroeder gave Brown a three-stroke victory.
The Arvada golfer also was medalist in U.S. Amateur qualifying, then finished 13th in the stroke play portion of the Amateur itself before losing in the first round of match play.
In addition, Brown placed third in the CGA Public Links Championship and was a semifinalist in the CGA Match Play.
— CWGA Player of the Year: After two straight years of being CWGA Junior Player of the Year, Lee graduated to the association’s top player honor regardless of age. In winning the CWGA Match Play, the Denver-based golfer defeated Collins — winner of the 2011 CWGA Stroke Play — in the finals at CommonGround Golf Course.
Lee (pictured at left) also was the low amateur finisher in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, sharing sixth place overall. And she was medalist in U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links qualifying and made it to the round of 32 at the national tournament.
— CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Former CGA Player of the Year Steve Irwin earned the 25-and-older honor this time around. The former University of Colorado golfer posted top-10 finishes in the CGA Stroke Play and Mid-Amateur and was a quarterfinalist in the CGA Match Play. But by far the highlight of his year was qualifying for the U.S. Open, a tournament his father, Hale, won three times.
Making it to the U.S. Open — where Steve missed the cut — earned him spots in the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
— CWGA Senior Player of the Year: Ever since she turned 50, Kim Eaton has won this award, now making it three straight. The only difference this time around is that she wasn’t also the CWGA Player of the Year.
Eaton posted a top-10 finish in the CWGA Stroke Play, but where she really made her mark was in USGA championships. She made it to the quarterfinals of the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and to the round of 32 the next week at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.
In the CWGA Brassie Championship, Eaton teamed with Tami Holt to win the title by 10 shots.
— CGA Senior Player of the Year: Harry Johnson nearly made some history in late September. Just shy of his 62nd birthday, Johnson led the CGA Mid-Amateur — a tournament for players 25 and older — on the final nine holes. Alas, a 5-foot par putt that horseshoed out of the cup on the 17th hole proved the difference as he finished a stroke behind champion Keith Humerickhouse.
Johnson was also second-low amateur at the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open and made it to the quarterfinals of the CGA Senior Match Play. He earned the senior title at the CGA Western Chapter Championship.
— CWGA Junior Player of the Year: This was a breakout year for Allie Johnston of Castle Rock, who will be playing her college golf at Texas-San Antonio starting in 2012. Johnston dominated the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, winning by eight strokes the week after claiming an American Junior Golf Association tournament title.
Johnston also placed second individually at the prestigious Mary Cave Cup and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Publinks and the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
— CGA Junior Player of the Year: Steven Kupcho of Greeley finished his junior career on a high note. Shortly after winning his second consecutive Colorado Junior PGA Championship, Kupcho cruised to a six-shot victory in the CGA Junior Stroke Play. In addition, the current University of Northern Colorado golfer placed seventh in the CGA Stroke Play and tied for second in the CJGA Tournament of Champions.
— CWGA Most Improved Junior Player of the Year: Taylor Buck of CommonGround Golf Course took her handicap from a 2.0 in mid-March to a plus-1.9 in mid-September to claim this CWGA honor.
— Jim Topliff On-Course Rules Official of the Year — Greg With from Ptarmigan Country Club.
— Dustin Jensen Award (for a junior golfer who displays outstanding character and unique dedication to the game of golf) — Dani Urman.
Here are the other junior players and scholars recognized by the CJGA:
2011 CJGA ALL-STARS (pictured)
Jack Adolfson
Christian Agelopoulos
Delaney Benson
Lindsey Benson
Katie Berrian
Jack Castiglia
Amy Chitkoksoong
SeungHa Choi
Jenna Chun
Troy Dangler
Delaney Elliott
Chase Federico
Ethan Freeman
Cameron Harrell
Tanner Jenson
Allie Johnston
Caroline Jordaan
Marie Jordaan
Kathleen Kershisnik
Cade Kilkenny
Jackson Klutznick
Jennifer Kupcho
Steven Kupcho
Shinwoo Lee
Shannon Lubar
Jimmy Makloski
Sydney Merchant
Benjamin Moore
Cole Nygren
AJ Ott
Adara Pauluhn
Christopher Raap
Calli Ringsby
James Ringsby
Henry Rock
Morgan Sahm
Amisha Singh
Dani Urman
Gillian Vance
Mary Weinstein
Coby Welch
Tyler Zhang
Ben Zimmerman
2011 CJGA ACADEMIC ALL-STARS
Girls 14-18
Andrea Ballou
Mackenzie Cohen
Samantha Barker
Alexandra O’Laughlin
Na Youn Kim
Alexandra Briggs
Jamie Griffin
Megan McCambridge
Sonny Scheer
Margo Liebold
Alexandra Trask
Margret Geolat
Heather Kroll Schoonover
Allie Johnston
Kelly Moran
Calli Ringsby
Girls 11-13
Jennifer Kupcho
Adara Pauluhn
Julia Bossi
Delaney Benson
Emilee Strausburg
Madison McCambridge
Hannah More
Kylee Sullivan
Abigail Humbach
Mariah Ehrman
Nicole Backman
Zarena Brown
Sydney Gillespie
Kacey Godwin
Girls 10 & Under
Lindsey Benson
Katie Berrian
Boys 14-18
Steven Kupcho
Gustav Lundquist
Graham McCoy
Kevin Wohlfarth
David Oraee
Austin Rowe
Lawrence Anaya
Kobe Padilla
Nicholas Reisch
Jackson Stimple
Patrick Kundracik
Benjamin Rippley
Joseph Lee
Bejamin Garcia
Alec Walters
Kyle Strain
Austin Preiss
Andrew Howe
Hunter Lee
Jack Adolfson
Hayden Nicholaides
Blake Young
Alexander Liss
Alex Langdon
Scott Rosas
Ryan Pettegrew
James Clements
Peter Catterall
Colin Prater
Kolton Kyne
Michael Allgood
Sam Rock
Todd Millard
Dylan Wonnacott
Jack Cummings
Steven Gritz
Colby Bundy
Jackson Elliott
Grant Rogers
Boys 11-13
Davis Bryant
John Staiano
Brendan Benson
Kevin Liao
Nicholas Villano
Arthur Zabronsky
Cameron Allen
AJ Ott
Tyler Zhang
Luke Travins
Nicholas Leibold
Boys 10 & Under
Ryan Liao
Roger Nakagawa
Rhett Fruitman
Daniel Pearson
Henry Rock
Roman Hamilton
