For a couple of players who have come ever so close to winning major statewide junior championships in the last year, Sunday was very satisfying.
AJ Ott (left) of Fort Collins, the runner-up in both the CGA Junior Stroke Play and the 5A state high school tournament, claimed victory in the boys division of the CJGA Tournament of Champions at Ballyneal in Holyoke.
“This feels really good, especially after state,” the left-hander said. “It feels good to finish one off after being second a couple of times this summer. So it’s nice.”
And Morgan Sahm of Centennial, second in the CJGA Junior Series Championship and third in the weather-shortened 5A girls state high school meet, prevailed in the girls tournament at Ballyneal.
“I feel really good,” she said. “It was a really hard course for sure — one of the hardest I’ve played — and I thought I played pretty well for how hard it was.”
Ott’s 4-under-par 67 on Sunday was the best round of the tournament — by two strokes — as he rallied from three shots behind to prevail by one over Troy Dangler of Grand Junction.
Sahm (left) didn’t relinquish the lead in the girls event, winning by four over Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch.
Ott, a senior at Fort Collins High School who will sign a letter of intent with Colorado State University next month, posted a 1-under-par 141 total for two days. Dangler, a University of Denver recruit, closed with a 70 to check in at 142.
Jackson Solem of Longmont, the 4A state champion, came in third at 146 after a 70 on Sunday.
Defending champion and first-round leader Coby Welch of Highlands tied for fifth at 149 after a final-round 78.
Ott birdied the third hole from 25 feet and eagled the par-5 fourth from a similar distance en route to being 5 under par for the day through 13 holes. He was tied with Dangler through 12, but Ott’s birdie on 13 and Dangler’s bogey there — his only bogey of the day — putt Ott up for good. Ott made a key up-and-down from the native on No. 15, sinking a 15-footer for par to remain ahead.
All told, Ott called the 67 at Ballyneal one of his best rounds.
“It’s definitely up there,” he said. “It’s the type of course you’ve really got to pick your spots and you can get some really unlucky bounces. It was really solid. I shot 4 under on the front and just stayed steady on the back. It was one of my better rounds probably.”
Sahm, a senior at Grandview High School who has verbally committed to play her college golf at the University of Northern Colorado, won the girls competition with an 11-over-par 153 total after carding a 75 on Sunday.
Weinstein, the CWGA Junior Stroke Play champion, made four birdies on Sunday and closed with a 74 for 157 overall. Caroline Jordaan of Cherry Hills Village came in third at 159.
Sahm, who qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior this year, didn’t make any birdies on Sunday, but didn’t have anything worse than a bogey for the entire tournament. That’s saying something, considering she hadn’t seen the course before Saturday’s first round.
“I stayed consistent and that helped a lot,” she said. “This (win) is pretty high up on the list (of her golf accomplishments) I would say. I’m really happy about it.”
Still, Sahm and Weinstein were tied after 15 holes Sunday, but Sahm was steadier down the stretch.
CJGA Tournament of Champions
At Par-71 Ballyneal in Holyoke
Boys
AJ Ott, Ft. Collins, Colo. 74-67–141
Troy Dangler, Grand Junction, Colo. 72-70–142
Jackson Solem, Longmont, Colo. 76-70–146
Daniel Pearson, Longmont, Colo. 79-69–148
Coby Welch, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 71-78–149
Isaac Petersilie, Colorado Springs, Colo. 75-74–149
Cole Krantz, Windsor, Colo. 81-71–152
Trevor Olkowski, Grand Junction, Colo. 81-72–153
Timothy Amundson, Littleton, Colo. 77-77–154
Samuel Taylor, Nederland, Colo. 79-76–155
Tyler Zhang, Lone Tree, Colo. 85-71–156
Davis Bryant, Aurora, Colo. 77-83–160
Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins, Colo. 83-77–160
Austin Burgess, Colorado Springs, Colo. 85-78–163
Christopher Raap, Parker, Colo. 85-78–163
Kyle Pearson, Highlands Ranch, Colorado 92-76–168
Subin Lee, Greenwood Village, Colo. 83-86–169
Nick Visocky, Loveland, Colo. 96-90–186
Girls
Morgan Sahm, Centennial, Colo. 78-75–153
Mary Weinstein, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 83-74–157
Caroline Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 81-78–159
Delaney Elliott, Superior, Colo. 82-78–160
Delaney Benson, Littleton, Colo. 83-78–161
Amy Chitkoksoong, Aurora, Colo. 86-76–162
Cassie Kneen, Parker, Colo. 83-79–162
Lauren Lehigh, Loveland, Colo. 81-83–164
Tabitha Diehl, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 81-83–164
Erin Sargent, Longmont, Colo. 82-84–166
Kelsey McKenna, Colorado Springs, Colo. 85-81–166
Jaclyn Murray, Grand Junction, Colo. 87-81–168
Sarah Hunt, Parker, Colo. 90-81–171
Andrea Hoos, Thornton, Colo. 88-85–173
