Sometimes, there’s not much Colorado flavor on the leader board for the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.
In the past three years combined, for instance, just two Coloradans have posted top-five finishes in the tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. Last spring, in-state players were completely shut out of the first five.
But this year is shaping up to have much more local pizzazz on the menu, at least based on the scoreboard going into Friday’s final round. Three of the top five players after Thursday’s second round are Coloradans.
Becca Huffer (pictured above) of Denver, making her professional debut this week, stands in second place, two strokes behind leader Joy Trotter of Chino Hills, Calif. Trotter, the 2011 runner-up, has posted rounds of 69-71 for a 4-under-par 140 total. Meanwhile, Ashley Tait of Littleton and amateur Somin Lee of Denver share fourth place, four back of Trotter.
Huffer, Tait and Lee have combined to win six girls state high school titles in Colorado, two CWGA Player of the Year awards, and three CWGA Match or Stroke Play Championships. Another two-time state high school champ, Kelly Jacques of Longmont, is also within striking distance at 2-over-par 146, in seventh place.
Thursday was stellar at times for both Huffer and Tait. Huffer birdied five of her first six holes and seven overall in round 2, while Tait went bogey-free in carding her best round ever in roughly nine appearances in the Colorado Women’s Open. On Thursday, Tait was the only player in the field to shoot in the 60s.
“June will be a really busy month for me, so it’s nice to be home,” said Tait, a three-time state high school champion at Mullen who now competes on the Symetra Futures Tour. “It doesn’t really feel like I’m at a tournament this week. It’s nice to sleep in your own bed and eat dinner with your family. And my whole family can finally get out and watch me play.
“My entire family is here. Grandparents, uncles, siblings — everyone was out to watch me today. It was real fun.”
Especially after her score improved by eight strokes compared to Wednesday. Now Tait is in line for her third top-10 showing at the Colorado Women’s Open after she placed third in 2008 and ninth last year.
There will be plenty at stake on Friday for the top Coloradans. Huffer will be seeking to win her professional debut, and both she and Tait would get a big boost from the $11,000 payday that goes to the low pro. And Lee, a freshman at Pepperdine, is attempting to become just the second amateur to win the Colorado Women’s Open.
Huffer, the 2008 runner-up at the Women’s Open, led the tournament after her torrid start on Thursday. During her five-birdies-in-six-holes stretch to begin her round, the recent Notre Dame graduate drained putt after putt from more than 15 feet.
“I got a lot of long putts to go in on the front nine,” the Littleton High School graduate said. “It was like, ‘Oh, another one went in.’ That was kind of a fun front nine. Then it was more like back to reality on the back nine.”
Indeed, the 21-year-old went 4 over par in a five-hole stretch on the back, culminating with a four-putt double bogey on No. 16. She rebounded with a 20-foot birdie on No. 17.
“It’s a little disappointing that I dropped back, but I still ended up at 2 under, so it’s OK,” said Huffer, who shot a roller-coaster 70 on Thursday. “I stayed up there (on the leader board) at least.”
Meanwhile, everyone is chasing Trotter (pictured at left), a four-time winner this year on the women’s Cactus Tour. The 21-year-old former UC-Irvine golfer has made just one bogey in 36 holes at GVR this week. So a year after finishing a stroke behind champion Jessica Carafiello, Trotter is set for another strong showing at the Colorado Women’s Open.
“It’s one of my favorite tournaments,” she said. “It’s a great course. I look forward to this tournament every year.”
She was especially eager to play on Thursday when the pins were set up very accessible.
“It’s one of those rounds where you’re licking your lips the whole time because the pins were all in the middle (of the greens) and you wanted to go for all of them,” she said. “But at the same time you can’t overhype yourself.”
Chip Shots: Barring a major change on Friday, the winning score this week will be far better than a year ago, when 5 over par won the Colorado Women’s Open. … The 47 championship players who posted a 10-over-par 154 or better survived the 36-hole cut on Thursday. Among the notable players who fell short was Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore (79-78–157). … A year after her friend Jody Conradt, the former longtime women’s basketball coach at the University of Texas, made a hole-in-one at the Colorado Women’s Open, Cindy Figg-Currier saw her playing partner ace the 156-yard fifth hole at Green Valley Ranch. Amateur Keith Lawton of Caste Rock used an 8-iron to accomplish the feat. … Tee times for Friday’s final round will run 7 to 9:05 a.m., off both the first and 10th tees. The leader will go off No. 1 at 9:05 a.m.
For Colorado Women’s Open scores, CLICK HERE.
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2012 HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open
When: Wednesday through Friday (May 30-June 1). Tee times Friday run from 7 to 9:05 a.m.
Where: Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).
Format: 54 holes of stroke play. Most of the professionals will play with amateur partners, competing simultaneously in the championship and in a best-ball pro-am team event.
Purse: $73,000 total — including the pro-am — with $64,000 going to the pros and $9,000 in prizes to the amateurs.
Starting Field: Approximately 116 players for the championship, 150 overall.
LPGA Champion in Field: Among those competing is Cindy Figg-Currier, winner of an LPGA event in 1997 and more than $1.9 million in her LPGA career.
Friday Tee Times: CLICK HERE.
Fan Information: The tournament is open to spectators free of charge.
