Flaxbeard, Braecklein set pace at Colorado Junior PGA
By Gary Baines – 6/15/2020
The Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs proved a formidable test on Monday as no player in the boys or girls field for the Colorado Junior PGA Championship broke par in round 1.
In fact, just one boy and one girl matched par on the opening day of the 54-hole event, the first of four major championships for the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.
Charlie Flaxbeard, 15, of Greenwood Village fired an even-par 71 to take a one-stroke lead in the boys tournament, while Aubri Braecklein of Northglenn carded a 71 to go up by three in the girls event.
Flaxbeard was 2 under par through 16 holes on Monday, but bogeyed his last two. For the day, he posted four birdies and four bogeys.
Sharing second place among the boys are Walker Franklin of Westminster and Max Heupel of Littleton. Franklin, a University of Louisville signee, overcame a double-bogey 7, adding two birdies and a bogey. Heupel, meanwhile, was 4 under par through 13 holes, but played his last five in 5 over.
On the girls side, Braecklein, who competed in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open earlier this month, overcame a triple bogey on her first hole by chalking up five birdies to go with two bogeys the rest of the way.
Grace Smith of Edwards holds second place at 74 after a two-birdie, five-bogey day. Another stroke back is Ashley Kozlowski of Littleton, who will be playing college golf at Purdue beginning in the fall.
The tournament will continue through Wednesday.