About 220 people attended Sunday’s 2013 Colorado Golf Awards Brunch at Pinehurst Country Club, where the CGA and CWGA honored many of their best.
Among those recognized were former University of Colorado golfer Derek Fribbs of Colorado National Golf Club, and Colorado State golfer Christina Spinzig of Hiwan Golf Club, the players of the year for the CGA and CWGA, respectively.
Fribbs won the final CGA Public Links Championship and advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links.
Spinzig claimed the CWGA Match Play title after one of the most lopsided finals in the 98-year history of the championship.
Several of the honorees were no strangers to earning player-of-the-year awards at the annual brunch. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton was recognized as CWGA Senior Player of the Year for the fifth consecutive time, and two of those years she was also overall CWGA Player of the Year. All told, this was Eaton’s ninth time being honored as CWGA Player of the Year or Senior Player of the Year.
During her acceptance speech on Sunday, Eaton announced that she’s retiring from CWGA championship competition, though she’ll continue to play tournament golf nationally and in her new home state of Arizona.
Keith Humerickhouse of Glenwood Springs Golf Club was the CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and for the third time in the last four.
At age 16, Jennifer Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course earned the CWGA Junior Player of the Year award for the second straight season.
And Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course, who recently turned 64, was the CGA Senior Player of the Year for the second time in the last three years.
Here’s a rundown of the 2013 honorees that were recognized on Sunday:
— CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year: Derek Fribbs (left) of Colorado National Golf Club. This marks the eighth time since 2000 that a CU golfer — or former Buff golfer — has earned the CGA Player of the Year honor, which is named for former CU coach Les Fowler. On that list, Fribbs joins Matt Call, Ben Portie, Kane Webber, Steve Irwin, Derek Tolan and Pat Grady (twice).
Fribbs put on quite a show in winning the final CGA Public Links Championship, shooting rounds of 65-66-62 for a 17-under-par 193 total, good for a six-stroke victory. He was also medalist in U.S. Amateur Public Links qualifying, going on to the round of 32 at that national championship.
Fribbs finished third in the CGA Stroke Play and went to the semifinals of the CGA Match Play, losing in 21 holes to former CU teammate David Oraee, the eventual champion.
— CWGA Player of the Year: Christina Spinzig (left) of Hiwan Golf Club. Spinzig, now a senior on the CSU golf team, left no doubt in winning the CWGA Match Play title this year, beating Michaela Breit 10 and 9 in the 36-hole final. The margin of victory was the largest in a CWGA Match Play final since at least 2005, before which record-keeping is incomplete.
Spinzig also had a strong showing in the CWGA Stroke Play, placing fourth.
— CGA Senior Player of the Year: Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course. Johnson also claimed this honor in 2011. This year, he became just the fifth person to win the CGA Senior Stroke Play and Senior Match Play titles in the same calendar year. And in both cases, he’s one of the oldest champions in the history of the events. Johnson also won the Colorado-based qualifying tournament for the USGA Senior Amateur. And he made it to the round of 32 at the CGA Match Play.
— CWGA Senior Player of the Year: Kim Eaton of Riverdale Golf Courses. In claiming this honor for the fifth consecutive year, Eaton swept the CWGA Senior Match Play and Senior Stroke Play titles. In both cases, she won going away — 6 and 5 in the Match final, and by 10 shots in the Stroke Play.
The two wins give Eaton 21 CWGA championship titles in her career.
But Eaton, now a full-time resident of Arizona, also had plenty of success outside of Colorado. In all, she won six state championships in 2013 — two state senior titles each in Colorado and Arizona, plus one in California. She also captured the open-division Arizona State Amateur Stroke Play championship.
In addition, Eaton advanced to the round of 64 of the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur.
— CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Keith Humerickhouse of Glenwood Springs Golf Club. Humerickhouse accomplished quite a feat in 2013, tying an all-time CGA championship record by winning a specific title for four consecutive years — in his case, the CGA Mid-Amateur.
Beyond that, Humerickhouse advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, beating two-time national Mid-Am champion Tim Jackson in the process.
— CGA Junior Player of the Year: Spencer Painton of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. Painton had a stellar fall, winning three significant titles — the 5A state high school championship, the CJGA Tournament of Champions and the CJGA Collegiate High School Invitational.
Beyond that, Painton made it to the round of 64 at the U.S. Junior Amateur, where he fell to the eventual national champion, Scottie Scheffler of Dallas. This fall, Painton signed a national letter of intent with the University of Kansas.
— CWGA Junior Player of the Year: Jennifer Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course. Kupcho, who had never played in a USGA championship before this year, competed in four USGA national tournaments in 2013: the U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the USGA Women’s State Team. Individually, she advanced to the round of 32 at the Girls’ Junior. And, along with Hannah Wood and Melissa Martin, she helped Colorado finish sixth in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship, tying the state’s best showing ever in the event.
Also team-wise, Kupcho joined with Calli Ringsby, Wood and Sydney Merchant in leading the CWGA team to a third-place finish in the Girls Junior America’s Cup, tying the state’s second-best performance ever in that event.
Kupcho won titles in the Colorado Junior PGA and the Big I Junior Classic state tournament, and she was runner-up in the 4A state high school meet and in the girls division of the CJGA Tournament of Champions.
— CGA Jim Topliff On-Course Rules Official of the Year: Tim Daniel of Eaton Country Club.
— CWGA Volunteer Award: Jan Fincher of Lake Valley Golf Club.
— CGA Master Rules Official: Jon Burnett of River Valley Ranch Golf Club.
— CWGA Most Improved Junior of the Year: Kellsey Sample of King’s Deer Golf Club, who lowered her handicap index from 36.8 to 19.1 in 2013.
— CGA/CWGA Development Program Partner of the Year: Aurora Academy.
— Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy Caddie of the Year: Melyzjah Smith.
— CJGA Junior All-Stars (pictured below): Traejan Andrews, Dillon Baker, Katie Berrian, Mia Blackard, Brayden Bozak, Davis Bryant, Emma Bryant, Jack Castiglia, Alyssa Chin, Amy Chitkoksoong, Alex Chitkoksoong, Sofia Choi, Darren Edwards, Sydney Gillespie, TJ Hicks, Oliver Jack, Jordan Jennings, Caroline Jordaan, Marie Jordaan, Anna Jordaan, Cade Kilkenny, Chris Korte, Jennifer Kupcho, Lauren Lehigh, Ross Macdonald, Natasha McClain, Sydney Merchant, Lauren Murphy, Anju Ogi, Gracie Olkowski, Spencer Painton, Calli Ringsby, Ryan Sangchompuphen, Josh Seiple, Amisha Singh, Jake Staiano, Kylee Sullivan, Lauren Sullivan, Brady Wilson, Hannah Wood, Glenn Workman.
— CJGA Academic All-Stars: Pierce Aichinger, Drew Anderson, Dillon Baker, Katie Berrian, Mia Blackard, Tanya Boderck, Brayden Bozak, Davis Bryant, Emma Bryant, Evan Buchalski, Colby Bundy, Mathew Casias, Jack Cavanaugh, Gavin Chamberlain, Alyssa Chin, Ian Coberly, Colt DiGiovanni, Aldan Duval, Mariah Ehrman, Delaney Elliott, Jackson Elliot, Margaret Geolat, Gregory Gibson, Sydney Gillespie, Frederick Gluck, James Guthrie, Empress Hawkins-Kimmel, TJ Hicks, Andrew Hinners, Andrew Howe, Jake Johnson, Max Johnson, Jax Jones, Caroline Jordaan, Cade Kilkenny, Cassie Kneen, Savni Kulkarni, Jennifer Kupcho, Joseph Lee, Hunter Lee, Lauren Lehigh, Nicholas Leibold, Alexander Liss, Ross Macdonald, Matt McCartney, Brandy McClain, Peggy Merrill, Todd Millard, Kelly Moran, Hannah More, Lauren Murphy, Jaclyn Murray, Roger Nakagawa, Spencer Painton, Adara Pauluhn, Daniel Pearson, Kyle Pearson, Ryan Pearson, Oliver Pesso, Henry Rock, Grant Rogers, Bridger Ryan, Morgan Sahm, Raymond Simanjuntak, Amisha Singh, Jared Sloan, Jake Staiano, Jackson Solem, Emilee Strausburg, Kylee Sullivan, Chaad Tam, Luke Travins, Nicholas Villano, Kevin Wohlfarth, Luke Wright, Alex Yano, Jay Yano, Erik Young, Ryan Zetwick, Tyler Zhang.
