On a day when three players broke 70, Ryan Sangchompuphen of Denver shot a 5-under-par 66 to take the lead after Saturday’s opening round of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s 11-13 Junior Series Championship at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.
In the 11-13 girls tournament, Sofia Choi of Littleton shot an 8-over-par 79 to grab a three-stroke advantage heading into Sunday’s final round.
Sangchompuphen, a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround, played his final eight holes in 6 under par and shot a 6-under 29 on the back nine Saturday. He finished the day with seven birdies and two bogeys.
Jeffrey Zhou of Greenwood Village eagled his final hole Saturday to shoot 67, good for second place with one round left. Gage Messingham of Arvada also made an eagle en route to a 68, which left him in third place. Jordan Jennings of Montrose, last year’s champ, is fourth in the 18-golfer field after a 71.
In the girls competition, Choi made one birdie in her round of 79.
Merielle Gojo of Cherry Hills Village trails Choi by three, while Anju Ogi of Arvada stands in third place at 83 after closing with a birdie.
Pevny, Zapf Set Pace in 14-18 Tournament: The JGAC 14-18 Junior Series Championship is also being contested this weekend, albeit with much smaller fields, at Pelican Lakes Golf Club in Windsor.
After Saturday, Jack Pevny of Aspen is tops among the eight boys who entered the event as he opened with a 4-over-par 76. Pevny made three birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys on Saturday.
Pevny holds a five-stroke lead over Ben Carrington of Littleton, who carded two birdies in round 1.
In the six-player girls 14-18 tournament, Jessica Zapf, playing in her hometown of Windsor, took the lead with a 5-over-par 77, making one birdie along the way. Natasha Brandy McClain of Castle Pines is two back, in second place.
In the 10 & Under Junior Series Championship, held last month in Boulder, Andre Dumonteil of Centennial and Ashleigh Wilson of Highlands Ranch won the boys and girls titles, respectively.
JGAC Junior Series Championships
11-13 Boys (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. Ryan Sangchompuphen, Denver, CO, 37-29-66 -5
2. Jeffrey Zhou, Greenwood Village, CO, 35-32-67 -4
3. Gage Messingham, Arvada, CO, 33-35-68 -3
4. Jordan Jennings, Montrose, CO, 35-36-71 E
5. Traejan Andrews, Windsor, CO, 40-33-73 +2
6. Nicholas Pevny, Aspen, CO, 38-36-74 +3
7. James Clark, Lamar, CO, 41-34-75 +4
8. Luke Wright, Littleton, CO, 38-38-76 +5
9. Tyler Tyson, Arvada, CO, 38-42-80 +9
T10. Mario Dino, Denver, 40-41-81 +10
T10. Thomas (TJ) Hicks, Greenwood Village, CO, 41-40-81 +10
T12. Jeffrey Nelson II, New Castle, CO, 42-40-82 +11
T12. Jake Chesler, Firestone, CO, 39-43-82 +11
14. Alex Chitkoksoong, Aurora, CO, 40-43-83 +12
15. Yusuke Ogi, Arvada, CO, 41-44-85 +14
16. Zachary Tyson, Arvada, CO, 44-43-87 +16
17. Zaden Gomez, Westminster, CO, 43-46-89 +18
18. Jackson Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 46-45-91 +20
11-13 Girls (At CommonGround GC in Aurora)
1. Sofia Choi, Littleton, CO, 40-39-79 +8
2. Merielle Gojo, Cherry Hills Village, CO, 40-42-82 +11
3. Anju Ogi, Arvada, CO, 44-39-83 +12
4. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland, CO, 40-44-84 +13
5. Kaylee Chen, Highlands Ranch, CO, 45-40-85 +14
6. Alyssa Chin, Greenwood Village, CO, 44-43-87 +16
7. Eva Pett, Denver, CO, 46-42-88 +17
8. Zoey Rodriguez, Pueblo, CO, 43-50-93 +22
9. Abigail Aeschleman, Highlands Ranch, 51-48-99 +28
WD. Gisella Lagrimas, Castle Rock, CO
14-18 Boys (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. Jack Pevny, Aspen, CO, 39-37-76 +4
2. Ben Carrington, Littleton, CO, 41-40-81 +9
3. Beam Boonta, Centennial, CO, 42-42-84 +12
3. Travis Menke Jr., Denver, CO, 43-41-84 +12
5. Riley Rottschafer, Centennial, CO, 45-48-93 +21
WD. Jacob Mason, Westminster, CO
WD. Colter Zwieg, Aspen, CO
14-18 Girls (At Pelican Lakes GC in Windsor)
1. Jessica Zapf, Windsor, CO, 40-37-77 +5
2. Natasha Brandy McClain, Castle Pines, CO, 39-40-79 +7
3. Aili Bundy, Fort Collins, CO, 42-41-83 +11
4. Caitlin O’Donnell, Centennial, CO, 42-43-85 +13
5. Amanda Westrick, Northglenn, CO, 49-44-93 +21
6. Katherine Malcolm, Parker, CO, 52-50-102 +30
