JGAC Player of Year, junior major champs and 2 past Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalists among record 21 golfers in current class for CGA’s Hale Irwin Player Program
By Gary Baines – 4/12/2021
No one who grew up in Colorado has a more impressive competitive golf resumé than Hale Irwin.
Simply put, the World Golf Hall of Famer and three-time U.S. Open winner is the gold standard in the game for the Centennial State.
Therefore, it’s only fitting that a program named in Irwin’s honor — one sponsored by the CGA and designed to nurture the budding careers of promising, determined and passionate junior golfers in the state — would have very high standards.
And so it has been over the last nine years since the Hale Irwin Player Program was launched in 2012, with he first season taking place in 2013. Among those who have been participants in the program are Jennifer Kupcho, an LPGA player currently ranked No. 12 in the world among women; Hannah Wood, a CGA Women’s Stroke Play champion who qualified for a U.S. Women’s Open; Mary Weinstein, a three-time CGA Women’s Player of the Year; and former CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Jake Staiano.
And no doubt many of the current junior golfers in the Hale Irwin Player Program have similar lofty aspirations. Already, some have recorded very notable accomplishments in the game at a young age.
For instance:
— Two years ago, Bead Boonta of Centennial finished second in the girls 12-13 division at the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals, the best-ever showing by a Coloradan in the event — regardless of age.
— Hunter Swanson of Denver is the reigning Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Boys Player of the Year.
— At least two Irwin Players have made formal commitments to play college golf beginning in the fall — Emma Bryant of Aurora (University of Denver) and Merielle Gojo of Cherry Hills Village (Colorado State University-Pueblo).
— Wes Erling of Colorado Springs, Kaylee Chen of Highlands Ranch and Bryant have JGAC major titles to their credit, with Bryant having won two in addition to a 5A state high school championship.
— Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, though just an eighth-grader, has already competed in two Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals — the only Coloradan to have qualified twice for DCP Nationals.
And those are just a smattering of the highlights for current Hale Irwin Player Program golfers.
The program grants those selected free unlimited use of the practice range and Kids Course at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora — and of the championship course on a space-available basis. Participants also receive help with their games on a variety of levels, including fitness and nutrition. And all of them are expected to “give back” by volunteering with the CGA’s Community and Wellness Programs and helping out as scorekeepers for JGAC 10 & under tournaments.
CommonGround, a public facility that opened in 2009, is owned and operated by the CGA, which administers the Irwin Player Program. Program candidates are evaluated based on their golf skill and their character, as exhibited through community service, academic performance and general demeanor.
In 2021, a record 21 junior golfers will participate in the Hale Irwin Player Program, including three newcomers and siblings Caitlyn and Benjamin Chin.
Included as part of the program, players will have access to supervised practices and on-course coaching, will learn with the Vision54 curriculum, and will participate in fitness and nutrition sessions.
Instructor Elena King and her team from ExperienceGolf work considerably with the Irwin Players on the course regarding Vision54, a holistic approach to the game which focuses on the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of golf, along with the technical. Meanwhile, nationally-recognized golf fitness guru Dee Tidwell provides guidance on fitness and nutrition to the Irwin Players.
The Irwin Player Program is named in honor of the most successful golfer with Colorado roots. A Boulder High School and University of Colorado graduate, Irwin has won five USGA championships: three U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens. Overall, he’s claimed 20 titles on the PGA Tour and a record 45 on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, and he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2019, Irwin presented the first two Hale Irwin Medals — which recognize outstanding Colorado golfers who “exhibit competitiveness, resiliency and a proven record of winning” — to Dale Douglass and Kupcho.
In Colorado, Irwin claimed the 1962 CGA Junior Match Play title, the 1963 state high school championship, three straight CGA Amateurs (1963, ’64 and ’65) and the CGA Match Play in 1966. He won the NCAA individual title in 1967 while competing for CU.
Steve Irwin, Hale’s son and one of the top amateur players in the state, was instrumental in the establishment of the Irwin Player Program. The visionary behind the program was former Cherry Hills Country Club PGA head golf professional Clayton Cole.
Here are the junior golfers — and some of their golf accomplishments — who will participate in the Hale Irwin Player Program at CommonGround in 2021:
Abigail Aeschleman of Highlands Ranch, a sophomore at Mountain Vista High School — 2021 will mark her fourth year in the program. She notched four top-10 finishes in Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado events in 2020. She placed 13th in the JGAC Tour Championship, a major.
Traejan Andrews of Windsor, a junior at Northridge High School in Greeley — 2021 will mark his seventh year in the program. He recorded four top-10 showings in JGAC events in 2020, including in two majors. He placed ninth in the 4A state high school tournament.
Madeline Bante of Englewood, a freshman at St. Mary’s Academy — 2021 will mark her third year in the program. She finished in the top 10 in six JGAC events in 2020.
Bead Boonta of Centennial, a sophomore at Cherokee Trail High School — 2021 will mark her sixth year in the program. She played in just one JGAC tournament in 2020, finishing 15th. In 2019, she placed second in the girls 12-13 division at the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals, the best-ever showing by a Coloradan in the event — regardless of age. And she won the 13-14 girls qualifying for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in 2019.
Emma Bryant of Aurora, a senior at Eaglecrest High School — 2021 will mark her second year in the program. Bryant has signed to play her college golf at the University of Denver starting in the fall. Bryant, younger sister of 2019 CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year Davis Bryant, won her second JGAC major by prevailing in the 2020 Tour Championship. That was one of two victories in JGAC events last year as she finished third on the JGAC Tour girls points list. She won the girls title at the 2017 Colorado Junior Match Play and the 2018 5A state high school championship. She represented Colorado in the 2018 Girls Junior Americas Cup competition.
Aiden Casey of Denver, a seventh-grader at Denver Green School Southeast — 2021 is his first year in the program. He played in three JGAC events in 2020, with a best finish of 35th.
Kaylee Chen of Highlands Ranch, a junior at Cherry Creek High School — 2021 will mark her fourth year in the program. She won one JGAC event and finished runner-up in two majors in 2020, with third- and ninth-place showings in the other two. Overall, she notched six top-10 finishes in JGAC events last year. She won the Colorado Junior Amateur on the girls side in 2019 and qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior. She’s finished second on the JGAC Tour girls points list each of the past two years.
Benjamin Chin of Greenwood Village, a sophomore at Cherry Creek High School — 2021 will mark his second year in the program. He posted one victory and three top-10s in JGAC events in 2020. He’s the older brother of fellow Irwin Player Program member Caitlyn Chin.
Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village, an eighth-grader at Challenge School — 2021 will mark her fourth year in the program. Last year, she recorded two top-10s in JGAC events. In 2019 she became the first Coloradan to compete in two Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals. She was the top player in the JGAC’s 14-18 Series girls points list in 2019, winning six JGAC events, including the 14-18 Series Junior Championship. And she placed third in the girls 10-12 competition at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship.
Sofia Choi of Littleton, a junior at Mullen High School — 2021 will mark her fifth year in the program. She placed in the top 10 in all three of her JGAC events in 2020, including two majors. Her best showing was a sixth place in the Colorado Junior PGA Championship. In 2019, she won the IMG Academy Junior World qualifying tournament and placed second in the 4A state high school tourney.
Wes Erling of Colorado Springs, a sophomore at Pine Creek High School — 2021 is his second year in the program. He won two JGAC events in 2020, including the Tour Championship, a major. He also had two eighth-place showings, including at the Colorado Junior Amateur. At the 5A state high school meet, he tied for fourth place. In 2019, Erling qualified for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships and the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship.
Merielle Gojo of Cherry Hills Village, a senior at Cherry Creek High School — 2021 will mark her fifth year in the program. She will play college golf at CSU-Pueblo starting in the fall. In 2020, she recorded three top-10 finishes in JGAC events.
Alena Kasanicky of Longmont, an eighth-grader at St. Vrain Community Montessori School — 2021 will mark her first year in the program. She posted seven top-10s in 11 JGAC events in 2020, including in both of the majors in which she competed.
Max Lange of Golden, a junior at Lakewood High School — 2021 will mark his fourth year in the program. He competed in all four JGAC majors in 2020, with a best showing of ninth in the Colorado Junior Match Play. He notched three top-10s for the year in JGAC events. Lange was runner-up in the 2019 Colorado Junior Match Play.
Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland, a junior at Loveland High School — 2021 will mark her fifth year in the program. She won one JGAC event in 2020 and placed in the top 10 in all 10 of her JGAC starts last year. She finished seventh in the JGAC Tour Championship and ninth in the Colorado Junior Match Play and ended up seventh on the 2020 JGAC Tour girls points list. Katelyn is the younger sister of former JGAC Girls Player of the Year Lauren Lehigh, who now plays at the University of New Mexico.
Kyle Leydon of Commerce City, a sophomore at Brighton High School — 2021 will be his third year in the program. He recorded three top-10 finishes in JGAC events in 2020. And he was named the JGAC’s most-improved male player of 2019.
Pratham Parmar of Greenwood Village, a sophomore at Cherry Creek High School — 2021 will mark his first year in the program. He was named the JGAC’s most-improved male player of 2020 after finishing second on the 14-18 Series boys points list. He had six top-10 finishes last year in JGAC tournaments, with one victory.
Hunter Swanson of Denver, a junior at Northfield High School — 2021 will mark his fourth year in the program. He was named the JGAC Tour Boys Player of the Year in 2020 after placing first on the JGAC Tour boys points list. He finished runner-up in the Colorado Junior Amateur, fifth in the JGAC Tour Championship, sixth in the Colorado Junior PGA and ninth at the Colorado Junior Match Play in addition to winning two JGAC tournaments in 2020. Swanson finished 18th out of a boys field of 235 at the High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. In the 4A boys state high school meet, he tied for sixth place a year after being runner-up.
Natalie Tatar of Denver, a junior at St. Mary’s Academy — 2021 will be her third year in the program. She finished first on the JGAC’s 14-18 Series girls points list in 2020. She posted two victories and nine top-10s overall. Tatar tied for eighth place in the 2019 state high school tournament.
Talen Turnbaugh of Castle Rock, a freshman at Douglas County High School — 2021 will mark his second year in the program. He recorded two top-10 finishes in 2020 JGAC events, including a runner-up.
Jeffrey Zhou of Greenwood Village, a senior at Kent Denver — 2021 will mark his fifth year in the program. He recorded two top-5 finishes in JGAC events in 2020 and he placed in the top 20 in three JGAC majors last year. Zhou placed eighth at the 3A state high school tournament a year after ending up fourth.