CU’s Hodgkins fires 65 for qualifying medalist honors at CGA Women’s Match Play; Moore leads way in stroke-play round for senior championship
By Gary Baines – 7/13/2020
Last month, University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins made a run at the CGA Women’s Stroke Play title before eventually finishing in fourth place, three shots back of champion Aubri Braecklein.
This week, the Australian is back for another attempt at a CGA championship, this time in the 105th CGA Women’s Match Play. And on Monday she started off on the right foot by earning qualifying medalist honors in the stroke-play portion of the event at Saddleback Golf Club in Firestone.
Hodgkins, playing out of Colorado National Golf Club, fired the best score of the day by four shots, posting a 7-under-par 65 that included an eagle on the par-4 12th and seven birdies, along with two bogeys.
That will give Hodgkins, the 2019 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open low-amateur, the No. 1 seed in match play, which begins on Tuesday morning with the round of 16 and continues in the afternoon with the quarterfinals.
Erin Sargent of Twin Peaks Golf Course, the runner-up in this event last year, also broke 70 on Monday, carding a 3-under 69 that included an eagle and four birdies.
Defending champion Mary Weinstein of the University of Denver Golf Club at Highlands Ranch, a DU golfer, shot a bogey-free 71 on Monday to match the score of 2020 CGA Mid-Amateur Stroke Play champion Erin Houtsma of Colorado National.
Braecklein, the 17-year-old from Northglenn who is attempting to sweep the CGA women’s major titles this year, fired a 72 on Monday, along with 2018 5A girls state high school champion Emma Bryant of Aurora.
A score of 78 or better was required to make the 16-player championship bracket.
Meanwhile, in the senior championship, which is being held concurrently at Saddleback, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Janet Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club landed medalist honors with a 3-over-par 75 in stroke play on Monday. Moore, a five-time winner of the CGA Women’s Stroke Play during the 1990s, recorded one birdie and four bogeys.
Defending champion Kristine Franklin of The Ranch Country Club, carded a 78 on Monday, the same as Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Christie Austin of Cherry Hills, who won the Senior Match Play in 2007.
Four-time champion Kim Eaton, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer who resides in Arizona, posted a 79 on Monday along with Deb Pearson of Colorado Springs Country Club.
The eight-person Senior Match Play will open with the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Both the open-age and senior championships title matches will be contested on Thursday.
To see all the scores and brackets for the CGA Women’s Match Play — the oldest CGA women’s championship — CLICK HERE.