Three Coloradans shot even-par rounds of 72 on Tuesday, leaving the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado squad in a tie for third place out of 18 teams after the opening round of the 45th Junior America’s Cup at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash.
Davis Bryant of Aurora, who advanced to the round of 64 at last week’s U.S. Junior Amateur, was joined at 72 by Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins and Cal McCoy of Highlands Ranch, who birdied three of his last four holes. The fourth Coloradan, Jackson Solem of Longmont, who made it to the U.S. Junior Am round of 32, rounded out the scoring with a 4-over-par 76. (The Coloradans are pictured, from left: Solem, McCoy, Bryant and Stewart.)
With the top three scores from each four-person team counting toward the team total each day, Colorado stands at even-par 216 with two rounds remaining. That puts the Coloradans three strokes behind leader Utah, one shot back of second-place British Columbia and tied for third with Southern California.
The Junior America’s Cup features 18 teams and many of the best junior players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Colorado team has been very competitive at the event in recent years, having posted four top-six finishes in the last six years. The 2015 squad, featuring Bryant and Solem for the first of three consecutive appearances, finished third, matching the best showing ever by a Colorado team in the event.
Individually this year, McCoy, Bryant and Stewart share 12th place in the 72-player field, while Solem is 42nd. Bryant, winner of the first two JGAC majors of the 2017 season, and Stewart each made two birdies and two bogeys on the day. McCoy was 3 over through 14 holes, but birdied his 15th, 16th and 18th holes. Davis and Stewart, meanwhile, each played his back nine in 1-under 35. Solem, a former 4A state high school champion, carded one birdie, one bogey and two double bogeys on Tuesday.
Austin Carnese of Oregon and Ty Griggs of Northern California are tied for the individual lead at 4-under-par 68.
Play will continue through Thursday in the 54-hole event.
T3. Colorado 216
T12. Dillon Stewart, Fort Collins 72
T12. Davis Bryant, Aurora 72
T12. Cal McCoy, Highlands Ranch 72
T42. Jackson Solem, Longmont 76
For all the scores from the Junior America’s Cup, CLICK HERE.
