It was a fairly slow week on the girls golf schedule, with things picking up next week for final tune-ups ahead of regional action (which starts May 13 and runs through May 15). The play at a couple of major events, however, didn’t disappoint, and players stretching all the state’s borders put up some solid numbers.

The Big Kahuna

All eyes were on the Boulder Country Club on Monday for the Showcase Invitational, and the best of the best certainly didn’t disappoint. Seven teams across Class 5A, 4A and 3A finished within 32 strokes of each other on the 5,800-yard course, though Valor Christian (235) went relatively uncontested with its 15-stroke team victory (Holy Family was second at 250, Fossil Ridge third at 253 and Erie fourth at 254). Among the top 11 players, all who finished at 81 or better, were three seniors, five juniors, a sophomore and two freshmen.

And it was Valor’s Brenna Higgins who emerged as medalist, carding an even-par 72 with five birdies included in her round. Erie’s Logan Hale turned in a 74, and St. Mary’s Academy’s Maddy Bante was third with a 76.

Elsewhere

Class 3A Rye captured the team title at the Pueblo Girls City Championship, shooting 252 as a team Thursday to defeat Pueblo West (257).

Battle Mountain’s Makena Thayer, a sophomore, carded a solid 79 at Eagle Ranch on Thursday, winning the Vail Mountain School Invite.

Brighton’s Raleigh Puzio shot 75 at a pretty lengthy Coyote Creek on Thursday, winning the Frederick Golden Eagle Open by a single stroke.

Fairview’s Ava Hickey was fourth at the Showcase and followed that up with an even-par 70 Wednesday at Flatirons to win a Front Range League event. That included the rare eagle on the par-4 third hole.

Littleton’s Zoe Bar-Or shot 72 at Applewood on Wednesday, nailing down four birdies to earn medalist honors for the Jeffco League 4A event.

Chaparral’s Brooke Hudson edged Rock Canyon’s Ashley Chang by a single stroke on Tuesday at Meadow Hills, using a birdie-par-eagle start to her round to eventually finish at 2-over 73. Chang went birdie-par-birdie over those same three holes. Rock Canyon won the Continental League match.

Northfield’s Chanel Carlacci won yet again, shooting 79 at Aurora Hills on Tuesday to top another Denver City League tournament.

While Manitou Springs won the Tri-Peaks League match at La Junta Golf Club on Monday by 10 strokes, the Mustangs’ Addison Dorsey (75) and Salida’s Kyndra Johnson (76) battled to the end at the top of the leaderboard. On Thursday, the pair traded places as Johnson shot 75 at Salida Golf Club to win. A one-hole playoff was needed to determine the league’s individual champion and it was Dorsey claiming that victory. The Spartans won the team Tri-Peaks crown after a solid day at their home course. Dorsey’s win gives the Mustangs their first individual league champion in program history.

Niwot’s Wendy Cheruiyot, a freshman, won the R2J Invite on Monday at the Olde Course, carding an 80.

Karsyn Hulen (Cheyenne Mountain) and Karina Panyavong (Riverdale Ridge) tied for medalist honors at Monday’s Bruin Invitational at Overland Park, shooting matching 76s.

Hunting the Mega Bonus

(No Laying Up)

(Editor’s Note: The No Laying Up series Strapped features the journey of Big Randy and Neil Schuster playing three rounds of golf on a budget. The deal is that if either of them shoots a round under par, they win the Mega Bonus, which doubles their budget for the full trip. An avid No Laying Up fan, Colorado Preps editor-in-chief Dan Mohrmann likes to track high school players going for the Mega Bonus. They will be featured weekly in Adam’s golf recap.)

Higgins certainly didn’t need to put the rest of Colorado on notice, but the Eagles junior did precisely that this week. In addition to the Showcase win, she shot 2-under 69 at Applewood on Wednesday, winning the Jeffco League 5A event with an eagle and five birdies. She was 6-under through seven holes at one point.