Trips to San Diego on the Line

When U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying was held in Colorado last year, no in-state residents met the standard to earn a spot in the national championship.

This year, the field for the Women’s Am qualifier is about a third smaller than last year — but so are the number of national berths at stake.

CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora is scheduled to host the qualifying tournament on Monday (July 10), when 42 competitors are scheduled to compete for four spots in the national championship, set for Aug. 7-13 at San Diego Country Club. That course is where Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Jill McGill won her U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1993.

Several players who have qualified for the U.S. Women’s Am in recent years are in the field, including Colorado State University golfer Katrina Prendergast (2016 qualifier), Erin Sargent of Longmont (2015) and Jaylee Tait of Littleton (2014).

Also scheduled to compete are 2016 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado girls player of the year Mary Weinstein, 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifiers Jaclyn Murray and Shelby Poynter, 5A state high school champion Amy Chitkoksoong, University of Colorado teammates Gillian Vance and Brittany Fan, and Stanford golfer Calli Ringsby.

Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster is exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Am based on her spot in the women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings (now 11th).

Ellen Secor, a CSU teammate of Prendergast, qualified earlier this week for the U.S. Women’s Am. The Portland resident made the grade by shooting an even-par 72 and tying for fifth place in a qualifying tournament in Cameron Park, Calif.

To view Monday’s pairings at CommonGround, CLICK HERE.