The 2013 USGA championship season wrapped up last week, and it certainly included its share of highlights for golfers with strong Colorado connections.
The USGA conducted 14 national championships for which Coloradans tried to qualify. And while there were no victories — or extremely close calls — for players from the Centennial State, there were plenty of notable moments.
Here are a smattering:
— Just a couple of weeks after becoming only the third player ever to win a specific CGA championship four consecutive years — in his case, the CGA Mid-Amateur — Keith Humerickhouse (pictured below) of Eagle made some noise in the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
The left-handed former pro defeated two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Tim Jackson of Germantown, Tenn., in the round of 32 by a 1-up margin.
“To beat him, it’s pretty special for sure,” Humerickhouse said of Jackson, the 1994 and 2001 U.S. Mid-Am champion. “He’s so steady. I knew he was going to hit fairways all day long.”
Unfortunately for Humerickhouse, he didn’t have long to savor the win as he played a round-of-16 match that same afternoon, and his run ended there.
— Part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy advanced to match play in both the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, but in each case she lost to players who would go on to win the national championship. Ellen Port, the 2012 champ, beat Hardy in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Senior Am, and Julia Potter ousted Hardy in the round of 32 at the Mid-Am.
— The team representing Colorado (pictured at top) tied its best showing ever in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship by placing sixth in the 52-team field.
High school golfers Hannah Wood and Jennifer Kupcho were joined by former University of Denver player Melissa Martin in forming the Colorado contingent. Wood and Kupcho tied for 11th place individually.
Colorado also placed sixth in the 2009 USGA Women’s State Team.
— Speaking of Wood, she made it to the round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links after getting into the field at the last minute as an alternate, driving to Oklahoma and competing without the benefit of a practice round.
— As for Kupcho, the 16-year-old qualified for four USGA championships in 2013 (Women’s Publinks, Girls’ Junior, Women’s Amateur and Women’s State Team). She advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and also had her strong showing in the Women’s State Team.
— Spencer Painton of Aurora, who later would go on to win the Class 5A state high school individual title, made it to match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur, but lost in the round of 64 to Scottie Scheffler of Dallas, who would go on to win the national title.
With Painton and Josh Seiple of Castle Rock advancing to match play, it marked the first time since 2009 (Wyndham Clark and Brendan Connolly) that two Coloradans accomplished that feat in the same U.S. Junior Am. And Seiple was the first Coloradan since Clark (2009 and ’10) to qualify for two consecutive U.S. Junior Ams. Clark went to the round of 16 in 2009 and to the round of 64 in 2010.
A third 2013 qualifier for the Junior Amateur, Jake Kelley, was a high school teammate of Painton at Regis Jesuit, which recently won its fourth consecutive 5A state team title.
— Speaking of Clark, this year he qualified for his third U.S. Amateur, this time making it to the round of 64 out of the original field of 312.
— In all, players with major Colorado connections made the cut 19 times in USGA championships this year. And that doesn’t include the Colorado squad that placed sixth in the USGA Women’s State Team.
Here’s a quick rundown of which players with strong Colorado ties survived the cuts (36 holes in all-stroke-play events, or to match play in all-amateur championships):
U.S. Open June 13-16 in Ardmore, Pa. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: former Colorado State golfer Martin Laird (finished 21st).
U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links June 17-22 in Norman, Okla. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Hannah Wood of Centennial (lost in round of 64).
U.S. Women’s Open June 27-30 in Southampton, N.Y. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: none.
U.S. Senior Open July 11-14 in Omaha, Neb. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made the 36-hole cut: Gary Hallberg of Castle Rock (finished 23rd), former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo (finished 30th), Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Hale Irwin (finished 56th).
U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship July 15-20 in Lorton, Va. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Derek Fribbs of Boulder (lost in round of 32), Cameron Harrell of Colorado Springs (lost in round of 64).
U.S. Junior Amateur July 22-27 in Truckee, Calif. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Spencer Painton of Aurora (lost in round of 64), Josh Seiple of Castle Rock (lost in round of 64).
U.S. Girls’ Junior July 22-27 in Fort Wayne, Ind. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (lost in round of 32).
U.S. Women’s Amateur Aug. 5-11 in Charleston, S.C. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: none.
U.S. Amateur Aug. 12-18 in Brookline, Mass. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village (lost in round of 64).
USGA Women’s State Team Sept. 17-19 in Kettering, Ohio — Colorado finish: sixth place.
USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Sept. 21-26 in San Martin, Calif. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy (lost in quarterfinals), Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (lost in round of 64).
USGA Senior Amateur Sept. 21-26 in Cashiers, N.C. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Tom Schultz of Trinidad (lost in round of 64).
U.S. Mid-Amateur Oct. 5-10 in Birmingham, Ala. — Players with strong Colorado ties who made match play: Keith Humerickhouse of Eagle (lost in round of 16).
U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Oct. 5-10 in Asheville, N.C. — part-time Gunnison-area resident Marilyn Hardy (lost in round of 32), Shannon Lutynski of Castle Rock (lost in round of 64), Kelly Schaub of Greeley (lost in round of 64), Stacey Arnold of Westminster (lost in round of 64).
