USGA Spots Hang in Balance

All three of the golfers who won girls state high school titles last month are scheduled to be in the field when Valley Country Club in Centennial hosts a U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifying tournament on Tuesday (June 27).

Among the 33 players entered are Hailey Schalk, who just completed her freshman year at Holy Family High School (3A winner); Lauren Lehigh, a junior-to-be at Loveland High School (4A); and Amy Chitkoksoong, a junior-to-be at Grandview (5A).

Since claiming the 3A state title, Schalk has won the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica, and the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. And Lehigh just won the state Big I Junior Classic.

At stake on Tuesday will be three berths into the national championship, set for July 24-29 at Boone Valley Country Club in Augusta, Mo.

Also in Tuesday’s qualifying field are Jaclyn Murray, the 2017 Colorado Junior PGA runner-up and a 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifier; and Caroline Jordaan, winner of the North American Junior Amateur in January.

Starting this year, the maximum age for the U.S. Girls’ Junior has been raised from 17 to 18, and the maximum Handicap Index for competitors has been lowered from 18.4 to 9.4.

For Tuesday’s qualifying tournament pairings at Valley CC, CLICK HERE.