The first round of the 2023 Colorado High School Activities Association girls golf championship has concluded and pairings are being set for tomorrow’s Round 2.
5A Championship
PARKER – Thanks to a hot start, Valor Christian’s Brenna Higgins looked to have taken control of the leaderboard early on in the 5A championship at Black Bear Course. Behind two birdies and an eagle on the front 9, Higgins was 4-under at the turn. Smoky Hill’s Sophia Stiwich, starting on the back 9, kept pace though and turned in five birdies in seven holes to eventually also sit at 4-under through nine holes.
Birdies on holes 4 and 5 saw Stiwich take a one-stroke lead, at 6-under through 13 holes, but a bogey on 6 put Stiwich and Higgins back in a tie for the top spot.
Higgins birdied holes 15 and 17 to pull ahead and then made par on the final hole to hold onto the one-stoke lead at the end of the round. Higgins will enter the second round in first place with a 6-under 66, while Stiwich is second at 5-under 67.
Cherry Creek’s Caitlyn Chin will also enter the second round at under par, as she’s two strokes back from Higgins with 4-under 68. Chin signed for one eagle and three birdies throughout the round.
Valor Christian finished the first day with the lead at 8-over 224, while Cherry Creek is second with a 22-over 238. Only two strokes separate Castle View (26-over 242) and Rock Canyon (28-over 244).
4A Championship
Round 2 Pairings | Round 1 Photo Gallery
THORNTON – Hadley Ashton, the returning champion from 2022, was the early leader in the 4A championship at Thorncreek Golf Club, using a pair of birdies on 1 and 3 to make the turn at 2-under. A bogey on 14 and double bogey on 16 dropped her out of the leader’s spot, but Erie kept control of the leaderboard, as teammate Logan Hale took over the top spot.
Despite a slow start to the day from Hale, she used two bogies and an eagle on three of the last five holes to move into the lead late in the day, finishing round 1 at 1-under 71.
Cheyenne Mountain’s Ava Schroeder was also among the leaders throughout the day, finishing tied for first with Hale at 1-under 71. Schroeder used an eagle on the 15th hole to pull even before a birdie on 17 and par on 18 put her at 1-under for the day. At last year’s tournament, Hale and Schroeder finished tied for seventh overall.
Ashton finished today’s round in third place with a 1-over 73. She enters tomorrow’s second round with a three-stroke lead on Mullen’s Kaitlin Zingler (4-over 76).
In the team race, Erie leads the way with a 7-over 223, while Discovery Canyon is second at 28-over 244. Cheyenne Mountain (32-over 248) sits third with a narrow lead over Mullen (34-over 250), Holy Family (35-over 251) and Durango (37-over 253).
3A Championship
Round 2 Pairings | Round 1 Photo Gallery
ASPEN – Maddy Bante, the defending champion from St. Mary’s, led a close competition through the first round of the 3A state championships at the Aspen Golf Course in Aspen. She will enter the second round with a four-stroke lead after turning in four birdies and a 3-over 74 through today’s play.
Peak to Peak’s Noelle Thompson edged Aspen’s Lenna Persson out of second place by one stroke, as Thompson posted a 7-over 78 and and Persson signed for an 8-over 79, one stroke better than Salida’s Kyndra Johnson (9-over 80).
The team race is a close one too, as Aspen and St. Mary’s carded matching 50-over 263s to share the top spot on the leaderboard. The two teams hold a slight advantage over Peak to Peak, which currently sits third with a 54-over 267.