An additional 13 Colorado junior golfers advance to Drive Chip & Putt Regional that Colorado Golf Club will host
By Gary Baines – 08/24/2019
Thirteen more Coloradans, plus three junior golfers from out of state, kept alive their dreams of competing at Augusta National Golf Club, thanks to their performances Saturday at Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton in the second and final Drive Chip & Putt Sub-Regional that will be held in Colorado in 2019.
Those players will join the 16 qualifiers from the Aug. 3 Sub-Regional at Murphy Creek Golf Course in advancing to the first DCP Regional ever held in Colorado. That event is set for Sept. 8 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, the site of next month’s U.S. Mid-Amateur.
At each of 10 Regional Qualifiers, the winners of each age/gender division advance to the DCP National Finals, which will be contested at Augusta National in Georgia on April 5, on the eve of Masters week. There are eight age/gender divisions in each DCP event.
After all three Coloradans who qualified for the 2019 DCP National Finals made it through to Colorado Golf Club from the Aug. 3 Sub-Regional — Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village (girls 12-13 division), Grady Ortiz of Colorado Springs (boys 7-9) and Chunya Boonta of Centennial (girls 14-15) — a group of players looking for their first competitive trips to Augusta National advanced on Saturday.
The age/gender division Sub-Regional champions from Thorncreek were Connor Young of Lakewood (boys 7-9), Kaia Chand of Denver (girls 7-9), Cooper Kelly of Centennial (boys 10-11), Halle Schmahl of Highlands Ranch (girls 10-11), Charlie Doyle of Colorado Springs (boys 12-13), Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nev. (girls 12-13), Zachary Caldarella of Parker (boys 14-15) and Emily Cheng of Colorado Springs (girls 14-15). For all of the Regional qualifiers from Thorncreek, see the list below.
The top point scorers from Saturday (drive+chip+putt) were Cheng (167), Wilson (148) and girls 14-15 runner-up Ali Mulhall of Green River, Wyo. (148). Mulhall’s younger sister, Molli, advanced in the girls 10-11 division.
The top two finishers — out of 14-15, depending on the division — landed spots in the Regionals.
The Sub-Regionals are the second of four stages of the DCP, preceded by Locals and followed by Regionals and the National Finals at the site of the Masters.
In DCP events, contestants score points in each discipline — driving, chipping and putting — based on how they place in each, with the points added together for a cumulative total.
DCP is sponsored by the Masters, the USGA and the PGA of America. The competition is limited to players 7-15. This is the seventh season of the event.
Prior to 2019, only three Coloradans had qualified for the DCP National Finals: Chin, Luke Trujillo and Arielle Keating in 2016, and Kaden Ford in 2017.
Drive Chip & Putt Sub-Regional
Saturday at Thorncreek GC in Thornton
The following players advance to DCP Regionals
(Points noted: Drive+Chip+Putt=Total)
BOYS 7-9
1. Connor Young, Lakewood 26-16-65–107
2. Marcel Barnhill, Pueblo 22-26-55–103
GIRLS 7-9
1. Kaia Chand, Denver 8-31-55–94
2. Abigail Gray, Littleton 17-7-50–74
BOYS 10-11
1. Cooper Kelly, Centennial 16-50-55–121
2. Noah Ramsey, Arvada 28-23-60–111
GIRLS 10-11
1. Halle Schmahl, Highlands Ranch 9-45-60–114
2. Molli Mulhall, Green River, Wyo. 32-41-40–113
BOYS 12-13
1. Charlie Doyle, Colorado Springs 20-55-60–135
2. Gavin Amella, Castle Rock 39-55-40–134
GIRLS 12-13
1. Yana Wilson, Henderson, Nev. 38-50-60–148
2. Brooke Hudson, Parker 28-41-65–134
BOYS 14-15
1. Zachary Caldarella, Parker 48-40-50–138
2. Ben Harding, Longmont 59-21-50–130
GIRLS 14-15
1. Emily Cheng, Colorado Springs 47-65-55–167
2. Ali Mulhall, Green River, Wyo. 61-32-55–148
For all the scores from Saturday at Thonrcreek, CLICK HERE.