The city of Pueblo and Arapahoe High School are getting this CJGA Tournament of Champions thing down pat.
The last two years the event has been held, Pueblo-area residents have won the boys division of the invitation-only tourney, while Arapahoe golfers have captured the girls titles.
On a chilly Sunday at the Broadmoor Golf Club’s East Course in Colorado Springs, Glenn Workman of Pueblo West followed the example Pueblo’s Jimmy Makloski set last year by earning the Tournament of Champions trophy. And Hannah Wood of Centennial gained the girls crown a year after Arapahoe teammate Claudia Davis did likewise.
On Sunday, the two 16-year-olds won by significant margins in the event that for the second straight year was shortened from 36 to 18 holes because of sub-par weather.
Workman, the third-place finisher in the 4A state high school tournament on Tuesday, shot a 2-under-par 70 Sunday to claim the title by three. And Wood, who placed third in the girls 5A tournament in May, carded a 1-over-par 73 to post a five-stroke victory.
“After Jimmy won it last year, I saw how successful he was and how awesome it was to win that,” Workman said. “So it just feels great.”
Indeed, Makloski parlayed his 2011 season-ending Tournament of Champions victory into 2012 wins in the CGA Junior Stroke Play, the CJGA Junior Series Championship and the AJGA Junior at Fox Hill.
Workman (pictured at left), a junior at Pueblo West who calls Desert Hawk his home course, played the Broadmoor for the first time on Sunday. But on a layout that typically requires some local knowledge to be successful, he made four birdies and would have broken 70 if not for a three-putt bogey on No. 18.
“I’m pleased,” said Workman, who called Sunday his biggest victory. “I putted my brain off (needing less than 30 putts for the round). I just kept it together and played a good round of golf.”
Jack Cummings of Omni Interlocken Golf Club took second on Sunday with a 73. Two-time 3A state high school champion Ethan Freeman of Glenmoor Country Club and Dylan Wonnacott of The Fox Hill Club shared third place at 74.
With all that Makloski has done in 2012, and with fellow Pueblo golfers winning the 4A state high school title (Jacob Allenback) and the Tournament of Champions (Workman) early this fall, it’s been quite a run for junior players from Pueblo.
“I think we take golf more seriously now because we’ve got good facilities down in Pueblo,” Workman said. “And the people are great, the pros are great. They all help us out. Everyone is just fantastic down there.
“It’s more of a family atmosphere in Pueblo.”
Whatever the case, Workman certainly has made an impression with his play recently.
“It seems like I’ve been in the hunt and never really came through with it,” he said. “This year I think I’ve changed a little bit because I’ve finally come out of that mold and started playing the game I know how to play. And I stopped thinking about all the big guns that come out here from up north and I just kind of believe in myself.”
In the girls competition on Sunday, Wood (pictured at left) carded four birdies in her round of 73. The junior at Arapahoe, who finished second to Calli Ringsby in the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, was five shots better than Ringsby on Sunday. Ringsby, who swept the CWGA Junior Stroke Play and Junior Match Play titles this year, managed two birdies in her round of 78.
“I was so worried about this tournament because school is so stressful,” said Wood, a U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship qualifier this year. “It felt kind of good to play a decent round of golf in the middle of the fall. And to beat Calli is pretty cool because she’s really good. So it feels great.”
Wood was taking the tournament seriously enough that even with the weather being so poor on Saturday, she still went out to hit balls.
“It was 32 degrees and the wind chill was about 28,” she said. “I was at (South Suburban) Family Sports under the heat hitting balls because I wasn’t too sure about my swing. I’m glad it worked out today.”
Sydney Merchant of Red Rocks Country Club finished third on Sunday with an 81. Defending champion Davis, Woods’ Arapahoe teammate, tied for seventh place at 86.
(Pictured at top is competitor Morgan Sahm hitting a shot near a buck Sunday at the Broadmoor.)
CJGA Tournament of Champions
At Par-72 Broadmoor GC-East Course in Colorado Springs
BOYS
Glenn Workman, Desert Hawk Golf Course 35-35–70
Jack Cummings, Omni Interlocken Resort GC 36-37–73
Dylan Wonnacott, The Fox Hill Club, 39-35–74
Ethan Freeman, Glenmoor CC 37-37–74
Chris Korte, The Links Golf Club 40-35–75
Joshua Seiple, Castle Pines Golf Club 39-36–75
Colin Prater, Broadmoor GC 39-38–77
Ross Macdonald, Ridge at Castle Pines North 42-35–77
Benjamin Moore, Glenmoor CC 41-37–78
Jimmy Makloski, Pueblo CC 37-42–79
Andrew Romano, Colorado Golf Club 42-37–79
Spencer Painton, Green Valley Ranch Golf Club 37-42–79
Randy Urso, CommonGround GC 38-42–80
Quade Mitchell, Highlands Ranch Golf Club 41-40–81
Dylan Mitchell, Lakewood Country Club 39-42–81
Jake Staiano, Glenmoor Country Club 40-41–81
Hunter Lee, Highlands Ranch Golf Club 42-40–82
Kyler Dunkle, The Club at Pradera 42-40–82
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC 42-42–84
GIRLS
Hannah Wood, South Suburban Family Sports 37-36–73
Calli Ringsby, Denver CC Lga 39-39–78
Sydney Merchant, Red Rocks CC Lga 42-39–81
Taylor Dorans, Eagle Trace Lga 41-41–82
Jennifer Kupcho, Commonground Golf Course 46-37–83
Morgan Sahm, Saddle Rock Golf Course 43-41–84
Alexandria Trask, Colorado National Wga 42-44–86
Claudia Davis, Glenmoor CC Wga 41-45–86
Sarah Hankins, Thorncreek Wga 43-44–87
Jordan Sunset, Boulder CC Wga 42-45–87
Sydney Gillespie, Valley CC Wga 45-43–88
Jennifer Kempton, Lone Tree Lga 47-44–91
