Castle Rock’s Luke Cushman shares lead at AJGA’s Colorado Springs Junior
By Gary Baines – 7/28/2021
Luke Cushman of Castle Rock put himself in position to become the second Coloradan to win an AJGA title in the Centennial State in 2021.
Cushman backed up his first-round 68 with a 3-under-par 69 on Wednesday, grabbing a share of the lead heading into the final round of the AJGA’s Colorado Springs Junior by Centura Health at The Club at Flying Horse’s Phil Smith Course.
Cushman, who placed third at the Colorado Junior PGA this year, made four birdies and one bogey on Wednesday, giving him a two-day total of 7-under-par 137. Also at that figure is Vincent Cervantes of Chandler, Ariz., who carded a 7-under 65 on Wednesday that included an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys.
Camden Braidech of Scottsdale, Ariz., holds third place at 138 after a 70 on Wednesday, while Carter Surofchek of Colorado Springs is fourth at 140 after posting a 72.
In the girls tournament, Zoe Newell of Oro Valley, Ariz., kept her lead on Wednesday, though it went from three to two strokes.
Newell fired a 3-over-par 75 on Wednesday, leaving her at even-par 144 overall, two strokes ahead of Jacqueline Nguyen of Houston and Nicole Koong of Sammamish, Wash., both of whom posted 74s in round 2.
The top Coloradan among the girls after two days is Sofia Choi of Littleton, who sits in sixth place at 151.
The Colorado Springs Junior by Centura Health is the second of three AJGA events being held in Colorado this year. The AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior was conducted last month at Walnut Creek in Westminster, while the AJGA Junior Open at The Bridges presented by the City of Montrose is set for Aug. 3-5.
For scores from the Colorado Springs Junior, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.
Elsewhere in national and regional junior golf:
At the national Girls Junior PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., both the participants from Colorado missed the 36-hole cut.
Jessica Mason of Northglenn, the Colorado Junior PGA and 4A girls state champion, improved by four strokes over her first-day total by shooting a 5-over-par 78 on Thursday. She finished at 14-over 160.
Aubri Braecklein of Northglenn, the 2020 CGA Women’s Stroke Play champion and winner of the 2021 3A girls state high school title, didn’t turn in a second-round card after posting an 80 on Tuesday.
For all the scores from the Girls Junior PGA, CLICK HERE.