Hailey Schalk of Erie, Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, Kelsey Webster of Boulder and Emma Bryant of Aurora will have a distinction only eight other players in Colorado golf history can claim.
They’ll represent the Centennial State in a Girls Junior Americas Cup held in Colorado.
It happened previously only in 1982 and 2000, both at Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy. Among the Colorado competitors in 2000, for example, was current University of Denver women’s golf head coach Lindsay Kuhle, then known as Lindsay Hulwick.
There’s something special any year about representing your state in such a major event, but to do so in your home state makes the occasion particularly memorable.
The 41st Girls Junior Americas Cup will be hosted by the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado and Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, the site of the event next week. Opening ceremonies and a formal practice round are set for July 24, with championship rounds scheduled for July 25-27. The GJAC is open to the general public, free of charge.
Many of the best girls players from the western U.S., Canada and Mexico will compete in the event. Eighteen four-person teams will be in the field, with team and individual competition on tap. Each team represents a state, region or country.
Colorado’s squad will feature a diverse group, age-wise, as there’s one player who’s graduated from high school and is headed to the University of Colorado (Webster), one that’s going to be a high school senior (Lehigh), one a junior (Schalk) and one a sophomore (Bryant).
Among them, they’ve won five Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors (four by Schalk and one by Bryant) and four girls state high school titles (two by Schalk, one by Lehigh and one by Bryant).
Schalk and Lehigh also played on Colorado’s 2017 GJAC team — along with Jaclyn Murray and Charlotte Hillary — that finished sixth, and Schalk also participated in 2016.
Here’s a brief rundown on the Colorado representatives this year:
— Hailey Schalk of Erie: At 16, will be playing in her third GJAC. … Was the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Girls Player of the Year for 2017. … Has won four Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors — one in 2016, two in 2017 and one in 2018. … Won the 3A girls state high school title in 2017 and ’18 as a freshman and a sophomore at Holy Family. … Won the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior girls title in 2017.
— Kelsey Webster of Boulder: Will be competing in her first Girls Junior Americas Cup. … Will play golf at CU beginning in the fall. … Finished third in the CGA Women’s Stroke Play last month. … Placed third as a Fairview senior at the 5A girls state high school tournament. … Tied for fourth in U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying last month at Walnut Creek. … This month, finished 64th out of a field of more than 150 players in the girls 15-18 division of the IMG Academy Junior World Championships. … Qualified for the 2018 Optimist International Junior Golf Championship.
— Lauren Lehigh of Loveland: Will be playing in her second Girls Junior Americas Cup. … Has verbally committed to play her college golf at the University of New Mexico beginning in 2019. … Won the 4A girls state high school title in 2017 and finished second this year while representing Loveland HS. … Placed third last month in the girls division of the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. … Recently competed in the national Girls Junior PGA Championship, finishing 111th. … Won the Big I Junior Classic state title in 2017. … Finished third in the Colorado Junior PGA Championship last month. … Qualified for the 2018 Optimist International Junior Golf Championship.
— Emma Bryant of Aurora: Will be playing in her first Girls Junior Americas Cup. … Won the 5A girls state high school title by seven strokes as a freshman at Eaglecrest. … Won the girls championship in the Colorado Junior Match Play last year. … Finished fourth among girls at both Colorado Junior PGA and Colorado Junior Amateur this year. … Qualified for the 2018 Optimist International Junior Golf Championship.
For a story on the boys who will represent Colorado at the Junior America’s Cup in Montana, CLICK HERE.
********************************
GIRLS JUNIOR AMERICAS CUP: THE ESSENTIALS
What: The 41st Girls Junior Americas Cup competition.
Where: Hiwan Golf Club (left) in Evergreen.
When: Championship rounds July 25-27. Tee-time range each day: 7-8:30 a.m. Practice rounds July 23-24.
Fan Information: The public can attend the event free of charge.
Opening Ceremonies: July 24, 5 p.m.
Closing Ceremonies and Awards Presentation: July 27, approximately 1:30 p.m.
Format: 54 holes stroke play. Team and individual competition. The low three scores for each team each day count toward the team total.
Participating Teams: Colorado, Arizona, Alberta (Canada), British Columbia (Canada), Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico, Montana, Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, San Diego, Southern California, Southern Nevada, Sun Country (New Mexico), Utah, Washington and Wyoming. For all the individual competitors, CLICK HERE.
Defending Team Champion: Southern California, which also won in 2016. (Colorado tied for sixth in 2017.)
Previous Years Colorado Hosted GJAC: 1982 and 2000, both at Eisenhower Golf Club at Air Force Academy.
Best Finish by Colorado Team: Won in 1993 with a team of Jennifer Kern, Heather Stock, Ann Grooms and Jennifer McCormick. Kern claimed the individual title that year.
Other Notable Coloradans Who Have Played in GJAC: Jennifer Kupcho, Jill McGill, Paige Spiranac, Ashley Tait, Becca Huffer, Kelly Jacques, Hannah Wood and Somin Lee.
Service Project: This year’s GJAC will include a service project, with the Special Olympics of Colorado Golf Clinic set for July 25. Competitors there will assist Special Olympians as they putt, chip and take full swings at the clinic.
Host Course: Hiwan was home of the Colorado Open from 1964 through 1991. Junior tournament-wise, the club has hosted the 1965 U.S. Girls’ Junior, the 1976 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2006 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions, the 2007 AJGA Rolex Girls Junior and the 2011 boys Junior America’s Cup. Among those who have competed in tournaments at Hiwan in the last dozen years are Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler (in 2006); Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Cheyenne Woods and Kimberly Kim (in 2007); and Bryson DeChambeau (in 2011).
Additional Information About GJAC: CLICK HERE.
