When the Fox Hill Club in Longmont hosts U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying on Tuesday (June 27), significant changes will be in play.
Let’s count the ways:
— Perhaps the most notable alteration will be that the qualifying tournament will be reduced from the 36 holes it long had been, to 18 holes starting this year.
— Also, the maximum age for competitors has been raised from 17 to 18.
— And the maximum Handicap Index allowed for players has been lowered from 6.4 to 4.4.
But the bottom line in all this is the same: There will be three national berths at stake on Tuesday, with the top finishers out of the field of 84 advancing to the Junior Am, set for July 17-22 at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan.
One Coloradan who qualified for the U.S. Junior Am each of the last two years — Davis Bryant of Aurora (2015 at Fox Hill), who recently won the Colorado Junior PGA Championship, and Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction (2016 at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve) — are aiming for a return trip.
Also entered on Tuesday are Kyle Pearson, the 5A state high school champion who just finished runner-up in the CGA Match Play; former 4A champ Jackson Solem, who just won his third straight Big I Junior Classic state title and who will be competing on his home course; 3A state champ Oliver Jack; and other NCAA Division I signees Daniel Pearson and Cole Krantz.
For Tuesday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
