Some patterns seem to be developing in Colorado’s junior golf ranks this summer.
Ross Macdonald of the Country Club at Castle Pines won the CGA Junior Stroke Play in June, and Jennifer Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course claimed the CWGA Junior Stroke Play title.
Both are members of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround and both are committed to Division I college programs starting in the fall of 2015 — the University of Colorado for Macdonald and Wake Forest for Kupcho.
And Macdonald, 18, and Kupcho, 17, each earned a victory Tuesday in another one of the state’s top junior stroke-play events, this time at the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship.
And, for good measure, in both the CGA Junior Stroke Play and the boys Junior Series event, Macdonald and one of his high school teammates at Valor Christian, Coby Welch, finished 1-2.
Macdonald (above) birdied his final two holes Tuesday to win the boys Junior Series title by two strokes at Black Bear Golf Club in Parker, while Kupcho posted the only subpar round of the girls tournament and prevailed by eight shots.
“This means a whole lot,” said Macdonald, winner of the last two CGA Junior Stroke Plays. “I’ve never won a Junior Series Championship. I’ve been playing in them since I was 11, so it’s nice to finally crack that streak and win one.”
Meanwhile, Kupcho, 17, won a CJGA Junior Series title for the third time, having claimed the 11-13 age championship in 2010 and the 14-18 championship for the first time two years ago. But in a year full of accomplishments — including winning the CWGA Match Play and Junior Stroke Play, plus the 4A girls state high school title — Kupcho (left) seemed relieved as much as anything after her victory Tuesday.
It’s easy to understand why. In the past three weeks, she’s competed in San Diego at the Callaway Junior Worlds (finishing 29th); in Flagstaff, Ariz., at the U.S. Girls’ Junior (tying for eighth in stroke play before losing in the round of 64); and in Walla Walla, Wash., for the Girls Junior America’s Cup (finishing eighth individually). Then came the Junior Series Championship in Parker.
“It was exciting to do that well in all the national tournaments and represent Colorado like that,” she said. “But I’m definitely worn out. After traveling for three weeks in a row, then coming to this, I’m dead tired now. I need to take a break and start school (at Jefferson Academy on Aug. 13). I’m actually excited for it. I’ll still be practicing obviously but not four hours a day all the time.”
Kupcho (left) fired a 1-under-par 71 Tuesday, leaving her at 1-over 145 for two days. First-day leader Morgan Sahm of Saddle Rock Golf Course took second place at 153, while Gillian Vance of the CJGA Club finished third at 155. Both Sahm and Vance closed with rounds of 80.
“Coming into this, my goal was to shoot under par for the two days,” Kupcho said. “Obviously that didn’t happen. But I came out with a win, so it was exciting.”
In the boys tournament, Macdonald played his final six holes in 3 under par, making birdie putts of 15, 12 and 20 feet on Nos. 13, 17 and 18, respectively. That was good for a 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday and a 3-under 141 total.
His Valor Christian teammate Welch finished second to Macdonald, just as he did in the CGA Junior Stroke Play in June. Welch shot a 71 Tuesday for 143 overall. Tyler Zhang of Lone Tree Golf Club carded the only round in the 60s for the tournament, a 3-under-par 69 on Tuesday, to place third at 144, a stroke ahead of first-day leader Oliver Jack of Glenmoor Country Club.
Both Macdonald (left) and Kupcho had to wait out a 90-minute weather delay on the back nine before closing out their victories. In Macdonald’s case, he had a very good idea of how he stood on the leaderboard after chatting with fellow competitors during the delay.
“I knew 1 under wasn’t safe,” he said. “I knew where everybody was at, and I had a good idea of what I needed to do. I was right in there and I stayed relaxed and enjoyed it. I was hitting good shots, but the putts weren’t going in. The last two (holes) I finally put good strokes on it and they both went in.”
It was a very satisfying feeling after Macdonald struggled with his game in July.
“I wasn’t playing my best golf, but it finally came around this week,” he said. “I kind of found my game. I was playing the golf I played in June and making more birdies and not as many mistakes.”
The 14-18 competition marked the second of three Junior Series Championship tournaments behind held this summer. Last week, Jack Castiglia of Fossil Trace Golf Club and Amy Chitkoksoong of Murphy Creek Golf Course won the 11-13 titles. The tournament for golfers 10-and-under will be Wednesday at the Les Fowler par-3 course at Boulder Country Club.
CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship
At Par-72 Black Bear GC in Parker
BOYS
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines – 71-70–141
Coby Welch, The Links GC – 72-71–143
Tyler Zhang, Lone Tree GC – 75-69–144
Oliver Jack, Glenmoor Country Club – 70-75–145
Isaac Petersilie, Colorado Springs CC – 74-72–146
Li Chen, Legacy Ridge GC – 72-74–146
Philip Lee, Cherry Hills CC – 76-72–148
Aj Ott, Ptarmigan CC – 72-79–151
Braden Bentley, Pueblo CC – 75-76–151
Trevor Glen, Riverdale GC – 78-74–152
Davis Bryant, Green Valley Ranch GC – 78-75–153
Jake Staiano, Glenmoor CC – 75-78–153
Cole Folwell, Boulder CC – 82-77–159
Kyle Pearson, Meridian GC – 82-80–162
Taylor Rodriguez, Walking Stick GC – 82-80–162
Logan Gorman, Fort Carson GC – 88-80–168
Arthur Zabronsky, Family Sports GC – 90-83–173
Jakob Bucher, Club at Flying Horse – 93-86–179
GIRLS
Jennifer Kupcho, CommonGround GC – 74-71–145
Morgan Sahm, Saddle Rock GC – 73-80–153
Gillian Vance, Cjga Club – 75-80–155
Mary Weinstein, Cjga Club – 75-81–156
Samantha Barker, Perry Park CC – 82-77–159
Delaney Elliott, Omni Interlocken GC – 88-76–164
Joanna Kempton, Lone Tree GC – 86-80–166
Mariah Ehrman, Omni Interlocken GC – 82-85–167
Kacey Godwin, Family Sports GC – 79-89–168
Jaclyn Murray, Bookcliff CC – 84-85–169
Jennifer Hankins, Thorncreek GC – 81-88–169
Andrea Hoos, Broadlands GC – 77-93–170
Ashlyn Kirschner, West Woods Wgc – 87-83–170
Kylee Sullivan, Cjga Club – 88-82–170
Anna Kennedy, Denver CC – 82-89–171
Erin Sargent, Twin Peaks GC – 89-85–174
Lauren Murphy, Aspen Glen GC – 90-84–174
Kelsey McKenna, CJGA Club – 89-86–175
Sarah Hankins, Thorncreek GC – 76-WD
