LITTLETON – Standing over his final putt, Columbine’s Connor Young had everything he could ask for directly in front of him.

Sink the 10-footer on Hole No. 18 and become Class 5A state champion or miss it and face a playoff against Lutheran senior star Crew Fitzgerald.

The junior overcame his nerves and (somewhat) calmly drained the putt that lifted him over Fitzgerald for his first state championship and the first individual title for the Columbine program in history according to Colorado High School Activities Association records. Young shot 2-under-par over two days at challenging Columbine Country Club.

“That’s what you dream about, having a chance to win it or lose it at the end,” Young said. “You have to capitalize on those moments. …I was definitely shaking over that last putt, but it went down. It was a great day.”

The Columbine Country Club made everybody work for what they got and Young — who had only played the course three or four times previously — found it to be particularly difficult on the back nine.

Before he made the turn, however, Young kept himself in position with three consecutive birdies — and part of a stretch of four in six holes — that proved key, especially with how well Fitzgerald played.

“I went birdie-birdie-birdie on 7, 8 and 9 to get right back in it,” Young said. “That gave me the boost I needed to get rolling and go on to win the whole thing.”

(Courtney Oakes)

Often, the top individual contenders play together in the final group, but Fitzgerald was in the group before Young, which gave him the advantage of knowing what he needed to do. Fitzgerald — who helped Lutheran win the 3A state championship last season before it made the rise to 5A — shot 1-under-par for the day, but missed a birdie putt by inches on No. 18.

That would have put the pressure on Young, who instead just had to make par to seal the title. He did so with a terrific approach shot that set up him up for a clutch putt that he sank as a large gallery held its collective breath.

With one state championship to his credit and one season left, Young can next turn his attention to a repeat bid.
That hasn’t been accomplished in quite some time, as it hasn’t happened in the last decade-plus in 5A.

“I’ll think about that next year when high school golf comes back around,” said Young, who tied for ninth in 2025. “There are some great players in this field, so I’m proud of the way I played and how I persevered through the hardships.”

The team chase also had a somewhat dramatic ending, as Cherry Creek and Lutheran jockeyed all the way through the final round.

The Bruins sealed their second title in the past three seasons when senior Cooper Kelly sank a birdie putt on No. 18.
Kelly — a University of Northern Colorado commit — made birdies on each of the final three holes to give Cherry Creek a final team score of 437, which was two strokes clear of Lutheran.

“I was pretty nervous coming down 16, 17 and 18, but I had my assistant coach with me and it really kept my nerves down,” Kelly said. “To know you are playing for something bigger than yourself is just awesome. I knew I had to do something special for the team and it feels really good to come through.”

Senior David Katcher was part of a seven-way tie for eighth place to help coach Dustin Neel’s Cherry Creek team, which was rounded out by senior James Flaxbeard and sophomore Jackson Robbins, who each tied for 15th.

“They were very resilient, so I was very proud of them,” Neel said of his group. “You just want to be in the mix and then win it at the end and that’s exactly what we did.”

The victory also had a historic angle to it, as Cherry Creek broke the tie for the most all-time state championships in state history.

The Bruins won eight times when there were no classifications — 1957, 1958, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 (fall), 1974 and 1981 — and also in 2023, with the latest championship pushing them past Regis Jesuit and Kent Denver, who remain with nine apiece.

“It’s so special to be part of history like this,” Neel said.

Fitzgerald finished second and was followed by the Fairview brother tandem of Luke and Ash Edwards, who were third and fifth, respectively.