Several Colorado junior golfers came close to qualifying, but unlike in April, there will be no Coloradans in the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship national finals on the eve of the 2017 Masters.
At least assuming no alternates get into the field.
Fifteen Coloradans competed Saturday in regional qualifying at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., but none won his or her age division — which was what was necessary to qualify for the finals, which will be held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia on April 2.
This marks the third time in the four years of the DC&P Championships that Coloradans have been shut out of the finals. But three in-state junior golfers — Luke Trujillo, Arielle Keating and Caitlyn Chin — went to nationals this past spring.
Here were the Coloradans who had the highest finishes Saturday at regionals:
— Landon Houska of Fort Collins, playing in regionals for the second straight year, finished second in the boys 7-9 division, seven points behind national qualifier Carter Gaede.
— Matai Naqica of Centennial tied for second in the boys 10-11 division, 10 points behind national qualifier Liam Hartling.
— Jake Chesler of Firestone placed second in the boys 12-13 division, 14 points behind national qualifier Evan Chien.
— Gracie Olkowski of Grand Junction finished third in the girls 14-15 division, 38 points behind national qualifier Megan Ahmadi.
Here’s how all the Coloradans fared on Saturday, with their points from each of the three skills (drive, chip and putt) — and their total.
Boys 7-9 — 2. Landon Houska, Fort Collins 32-23-50–105; 7. Preston Brooke, Arvada 27-4-36–67.
Boys 10-11 — T2. Matai Naqica, Centennial 48-22-37–107; 5. Benjamin Starr, Cherry Hills Village 27-17-50–94.
Boys 12-13 — 2. Jake Chesler, Firestone 58-30-45–133; 9. Ben Harding, Longmont 11-26-60–97.
Boys 14-15 — 4. Jack Hughes, Aspen 52-27-45–124; 6. Davis Long, Lafayette 35-31-51–117.
Girls 7-9 — 6. Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 6-19-41–66; 7. Livia Pett, Denver 13-7-40–60.
Girls 10-11 — 10. Brooke Hudson, Parker 0-12-26–38.
Girls 12-13 — 6. Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland 32-2-45–79; 7. Sofia Choi, Littleton 27-19-30–76.
Girls 14-15 — 3. Gracie Olkowski, Grand Junction 41-22-60–123; 7. Marie Jordaan, Cherry Hills Village 43-14-32–89.
For all the results from the regional qualifying at Riviera, CLICK HERE.
All the regional competitors advanced through both local and sub-regional qualifying events.
In all, 40 boys and 40 girls will compete in the national finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, which is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15.
