The field for the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open is often filled with players who aspire to golfing greatness.
This year is no exception, but at least a couple of competitors in this week’s tournament have already made some history in the game.
When the 19th annual Women’s Open is played Wednesday through Friday (Sept. 4-6) at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, two of the most well-known players will be Kimberly Kim and Amy Anderson.
Kim (pictured) won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2006 at the age of 14 years, 11 months and 21 days, becoming the youngest champion in the history of the event, which was first played in 1895. And she still holds that distinction to this day.
Kim went on to play one season of college golf at the University of Denver before turning pro. She competed on the LPGA Tour in 2011, but lost her card after one season.
Anderson, meanwhile, this year completed a college career at North Dakota State in which she established the women’s NCAA Division I record with 20 career victories, breaking the old mark of 17 set by Juli Inkster at San Jose State.
Anderson, the 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion, turned pro a few months ago and last week easily played well enough in the first stage of LPGA Tour qualifying to earn a berth in the second of three stages.
“Being a professional golfer and making it on the LPGA has always been a goal of mine,” Anderson told the Bismarck (N.D.) Tribune. “I’ve been incredibly blessed. I’ve had a lot of success in the past and that’s good for my confidence. I can draw from that in the future.”
While Kim and Anderson have achieved more notoriety than most, there are plenty of other competitors in the Colorado Women’s Open who have impressive credentials.
Among them are two-time Colorado state high school champion Kelly Jacques, who is conditionally exempt on the LPGA Tour this year; fully-exempt 2013 LPGA Tour players Kris Tamulis and Ashli Bunch; Ladies European Tour member Dawn Shockley; former LPGA card-holder Katie Kempter; former Colorado collegians Emily Childs and Alex Stewart, who last week earned berths in the second stage of LPGA Q-school; two-time state high school champ Becca Huffer, twice a runner-up in the Colorado Women’s Open; Emily Talley, who is playing in two of Golf Channel’s “Big Break” competitions this year; University of Denver senior Tonje Daffinrud, recently named by Golf World magazine one of the top 50 female college players to watch this coming season; and former Colorado Women’s Open champions Erin Houtsma and Joy Trotter.
The Colorado Women’s Open will feature a total of purse of $73,000, with $55,000 up for grabs in the championship and $18,000 in the concurrent pro-am. The low professional will receive $11,000.
Traditionally played early in the season, the Women’s Open switched dates with the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open this year in hopes that both would attract better fields.
