CU commit Tyler Long becomes second Coloradan this month to win an AJGA title as he prevails in the Colorado Springs Junior
By Gary Baines – 6/13/2024
It’s not often that a Coloradan wins an AJGA title. For two golfers from the Centennial State to claim AJGA trophies in the course of seven days, that’s extremely rare.
But it’s happened this month, with two local junior golfers prevailing in their home state.
Seven days after Miles Kuhl of Boulder won the boys title at the AJGA Colorado Junior at Walnut Creek in Westminster, Tyler Long of Evergreen managed the same feat at the Colorado Springs Junior at Cheyenne Shadows Golf Course in Fort Carson on Thursday. Long has verbally committed to play his college golf at the University of Colorado, beginning in the fall of 2025.
Long, who placed third at Walnut Creek, held off Gavin Amella of Castle Rock by one in a 1-2 finish by Coloradans. Long went 69-64-71 for a 12-under-par total, making an eagle, 14 birdies and four bogeys over the three days. It was his first AJGA victory.
“It feels really good,” Long told AJGA.org. “I’ve been close and in the final group a few times but haven’t been able to get it done. It feels good now to get it done.”
Long joins Kuhl (2024), Hadley Ashton of Erie (2022), Owen Cornmesser of Fort Collins (2021), Jack Hughes of Snowmass Village (2019), Dillon Stewart of Fort Collins (2018) and Hailey Schalk of Erie (2017) as Coloradans who have won Colorado-based AJGA events since 2017.
Gianna Singh of Elk Grove, Calif. (71-70-69) won the girls division, prevailing by four strokes. The top Coloradan among the girls was Addison Hines of Arvada, who carded scores of 73-74-74 to place 12th.
For the scores from the Colorado Springs Junior, click on the following: BOYS, GIRLS.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com