Walker & Higgins Claim Victory at the Mizuno Colorado PGA Junior Invitational

Colorado PGA Junior Golf (COPGAJR) held its final Major Championship of the season Saturday and Sunday, October 7-8, at Denver Country Club in Denver, Colorado. 39 of the Colorado Section's top boys and 20 of its top girls arrived this weekend in hopes to be crowned the Mizuno Colorado Junior Invitational Champion. While players were entering the beautiful grounds of Denver Country Club they were also greeted with tee gifts from Josh Knipp of Mizuno including a sweatshirt, umbrella, and a sleeve of golf balls.

Noah Richmond putting on 18 of the final round

Saturday started out as a pretty chilly morning. As the players were arriving you could feel the nerves and the excitement in the air. Tee times began at 9:00 AM, most players were seeing the course for the first time and truly did not know what to expect. The course was in amazing condition for the players which made play a little difficult for everyone in the field. But there was no funny business happening on the golf course. At the end of the day Saturday Clint Summers III was currently in the lead shooting a 71. Sam Walker and Billy Ver Straate tied with both of them shooting 72. For the girls our leaders were Madeline Bante and Ashleigh Wilson tied after both of them shooting a 75. Sophia Lee leading behind them shooting a 78. Going into Sunday for their final round the trophy was still up for grabs from anyone.

Madeline Bante holding her finish, waiting for the putt to drop

Sunday morning came quick and in no time Denver Country Club was filled with players coming in full blast ready to complete their final day of the tournament. The facility slowly became filled with supportive spectators and DCC Members coming out and cheering on the players final day. Sunday was a warmer day for our players quickly drying up the course from the morning dew that came making greens faster and faster as the day went on. The leaderboard for both our boys and girls was hot, as it was filled with plenty of movement, leaving anyone in the running. After battling it out on 18, Brenna Higgins was crowned as our girls Jr. Invitational champion shooting a 78-76 totaling 154 for both days. As play wrapped up for the boys, it looked like a playoff hole would come into play. Sure enough, Sam Walker and Tyler Long found themselves in a tie for 1st place once all participants had turned in their scores. Walker and Long found themselves back on number 18, heading into an official playoff. All eyes were on these players, patiently waiting to see which boy would be crowned. Tyler Long walked away with a bogey while Sam Walker walked away with a par after shooting 72-71 totaling 143 for both days making him the boys Jr. Invitational Champion.

Sam Walker making the turn on his final round

Brenna Higgins putting on 18 waiting to see if her lead is going to hold.

For both Higgins and Walker, our champions, this was their first Colorado PGA Jr. Major victory. "I was in the second group of leaders and since my first round wasn't great I thought I was so out of it." Higgins stated. Brenna had said the hardest part of the course was "placing yourself on the right spot of the greens. They were super big and had a lot of slope which made the past two days very tricky." Sam had said, "I typically go into my rounds thinking they made birdie on this hole so I need to birdie the next hole. So I went into today focusing on my own game and not worrying about my competitors." Very similar to Brenna, Sam had said, "the hardest part about this course were the greens. The greens were super fast and firm all weekend."

Our top 10 boys and top 5 girls finishers

None of this would've been possible without our amazing partners, and host Steve David, PGA and Denver Country Club. Josh Knipp our Mizuno rep had said, "This partnership has been great and it is fun to see the growth of junior golf. Mizuno golf is all about the youth alliance strategy and finding ways to help the growth of junior golf." Steve David, PGA, Head Professional of Denver Country Club said, "We are extremely proud of junior golf inside and outside of the club. Our mission is to embrace the game both young and old and its a pleasure of ours to host the premier juniors here in Colorado."

After their rounds were complete, Walker and Higgins were presented with a 2023 Major Champion headcover, courtesy of Scott Walter, PGA of Winston Collection, and their name on the COPGA Jr. Invitational trophy. The duo are also surely excited about the prospect of their victory attracting attention from college coaches, thanks to the COPGA Junior Golf Partnership with Junior Golf Hub.

The Colorado PGA Junior Golf Tour would like to take another opportunity to thank our partners; Mizuno, BioSteel, Junior Golf Hub, and UCCS for their continued support of our 2023 Major Championships. We would also like to thank Denver Country Club, PGA Head Professional Steve David, his staff, and the Denver Country Club Membership for hosting our event this week.

With this tournament closing out our season we want to thank all families and players, none of this would be possible without you guys. We hope you guys have an amazing off season and we cannot wait to see you soon!

Leaderboard Photo Album

< Older Post

Newer Post >

THE COLORADO PGA JUNIOR GOLF TOUR, POWERED BY CITYWIDE BANKS, A DIVISION OF HTLF BANK

By Erinn Lopez • 06 Feb, 2024

Citywide Banks, A Division of HTLF Bank, Signs Three Year Commitment

Colorado Launches State Team as Part of the USGA's U.S. National Development Program

25 Jan, 2024

Seven states will participate in the initial pilot phase beginning in 2024

Big Game, Small World at Castle Pines

29 Sep, 2023

Girls 10-11 overall winner Anna Midyett is congratulated by George Solich after her win during the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt Regional Qualifier at Castle Pines Golf Club on September 24, 2023 in Castle Rock, Colorado. The win eas her second age class overall win. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images for Drive, Chip & Putt)

Back-To-Back Major Victories for Wilson & Kuhl

By Sam Crawford • 29 Sep, 2023

Colorado PGA Junior Golf (COPGAJR) held its third Major Championship of the season Tuesday through Thursday, July 25-27, at Lake Valley Golf Club in Niwot, Colorado. 32 of the Colorado Section's top boys and 30 of its top girls arrived Tuesday to battle head-to-head in hopes of being the last player standing atop our match play bracket at the Mizuno Colorado PGA Jr. Match Play Championship. Players walking onto the property were greeted with tee gifts from Mizuno and Josh Knipp including both a duffle bag perfectly suited for traveling the junior circuit and a COPGA Jr. Golf bucket hat. The pageantry of a major championship set the stage for a fantastic week, but it was the juniors who would provide the spectacle as the tournament began.

Wilson, Kuhl Claim Mizuno Colorado Junior PGA Championship

By Sam Crawford • 29 Sep, 2023

Colorado PGA Junior Golf (COPGAJR) held its second Major event of the summer Monday through Wednesday, July 10-12, at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster, Colorado. Some of Colorado's most elite boys and girls competed for three days, battling it out for honors and the chance to qualify for the National Junior PGA Championships. Monday provided beautiful blue skies and great course conditions for the juniors. On day two weather warmed up further, reaching 95 degrees which created challenging speed on the greens. Difficulty and warm weather continued into the final day giving way to light rain which rolled in during the afternoon, providing a cool-off for the golfers. The course staff did an amazing job at maintaining stellar course conditions, thanks to the hard work of golf course superintendent Paul Sibley and his entire staff.

Klein, Lee Win Mizuno Aurora Junior Championship

27 Jun, 2023

Aurora, Co. – The Colorado PGA Junior Golf (COPGAJR) held its first Major event of the summer Tuesday through Thursday at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora, Colorado. Both boys and girls competed these three days to battle it out for first place. Tuesday provided beautiful blue skies and great course conditions for the juniors. Day two weather was certainly a concern, as the forecast suggested storms rolling in, but thankfully the storms held off and the juniors were able to finish their rounds with no weather delays! Unfortunately, those storms did end up providing a substantial amount of rain for the Aurora area over night, and the final day of the tournament had to be cut down to an 8 hole event for our players. Unfortunately fairways, bunkers and even bridges in between holes were completely flooded, which lead to the decision of only playing 8 on the final day. The course staff did an amazing job at keeping the course in the best condition it could possibly be thanks to the hard work of golf course superintendent Eric Strasheim, Patrick Kilbride, PGA, and their entire golf staff.

New for 2023, The Colorado PGA's Junior Player Pathway Model

By Christian Lovallo • 23 Nov, 2022

New for the 2023 season, the Colorado PGA has developed a new "Player Development Model" for all levels of juniors golfers in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. The COPGA wants to ensure that juniors are being given the correct avenue to succeed through non-competitive playing opportunites as well as various levels of tournament play. Below, you will find our new 2023 Player Pathway diagram, goals, mission and more information on our new "Player Development Model."