A mild month of March has allowed for the girls golf season to operate almost flawlessly, and as the calendar turns to April, a couple of prep golfers in Colorado have already posted some remarkable numbers — including a freshman from Colorado Academy who made her high school debut one to remember.

What’s certainly true about this upcoming season is that the race to the championships in the Class 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A classifications are going to be heated, with dozens of last year’s top players from the state tournaments returning for action. Last year’s 3A champ Hope Torres (Prospect Ridge) and Class 5A defending champ Brenna Higgins (Valor Christian) will be the first to admit everyone is looking to hunt them down this season. Torres and the Miners are playing in 2A this spring.

League play has started and a few bigger tournaments have played out. While Colorado Preps will take a look at the weekly action from now until May, here’s a recap of the early tournaments that have been completed.

The Big Kahuna (Colorado Preps’ biggest tournament of the week)

Fifteen-year-old phenom Sophia Lee of Colorado Academy has already made waves in junior play, especially in 2024, and her first couple of tournaments this spring in high school play have rendered similar successes. She won the Broomfield Chilly Chili Invitational on March 15 with an even-par 72 at Eagle Trace, beating the competition by five strokes. Cherry Creek and Valor Christian went 1-2 as teams, even without their top flight players.

Adjacent Fairways

Makena Thayer, a state contender in 3A, won the Devils Thumb Invitational on March 24 with a round of 78. She also won a very competitive Tiger Tourney on Monday at Bookcliff, finishing at an even 71 in the 16-team tournament.

Cherry Creek, behind Tatum Platt’s even-par 72, won the 20-team City League Invitational on Wednesday at City Park. Mullen showed well, placing second by just seven strokes behind the Bruins.

Two players, Sterling’s Macie Doherty and Riverdale Ridge’s Brynn Balliet, were considerably better than the rest of the field at Quail Dunes on April 1, going 75 and 79, respectively, at the 14-team Fort Morgan Invite. Doherty then shot even-par 72 at Cheyenne Shadows, as Littleton star Zoe Bar-Or carded a 73, to give the Vanguard tournament a spicy finish on Monday.

Mega Bonus (rounds under par)

(No Laying Up)

Just five days before the Chilly Chili, Lee shot a 5-under 66 at Rolling Hills to win the first Metro League match. Her round included eagles on the par-4 10th and the par-5 18th. On April 1, she shot 2-under 70 to win another Metro League battle at Broadlands (PRA’s Torres also went 1-under at Broadlands, thanks to five birdies).

Rock Canyon’s Ashleigh Wilson began her Continental League season with a splash March 13, shooting 8-under 64 at Aurora Hills to beat fellow state-title contenders Maddie Makino (Legend) and Kaylee Meyering (Ponderosa) by several strokes. Her round included an eye-popping 10 birdies. Also on Monday, Wilson carded a 70 (2-under) at South Suburban for her second league tournament victory.

Windsor’s Macy Kleve, who finished second at 4A state behind graduated state champion Logan Hale, has played well so far and enjoyed a 4-under 68 at Pelican Lakes in the first Northern Conference match of the season March 17. There was no shortage of luck on that day for the senior, as she birdied six holes.

An up and down day for Vista PEAK’s Sophia Capua turned out pretty darn good March 18 at Meadow Hills, as the junior overcame four bogeys and a double-bogey by nailing down an eagle on a par-4 and five other birdies, totaling 1-under 70 to win a City League match.

Fossil Ridge’s Ellie Barry carded a 1-under 71 on Wednesday as her team hosted the PSD Invite at Harmony Club. Barry made eagle on the par-5 fifth hole and had four other birdies.

Salida’s Kyndra Johnson sparkled Wednesday at La Junta Golf Club, firing a 2-under 70 on the strength of three birdies and just one bogey, to win the Tri-Peaks league match.

Ralston Valley junior Addison Hines mixed enough ‘great’ holes in her round at Applewood to finish 2-under 69 in a Jeffco League match Wednesday. She had seven birdies.

Air Academy freshman Landry Frost played well at the lengthy Cherokee Ridge (played at 5,636 yards), carding a 1-under 73 to win the Lady Titan Invite hosted by The Classical Academy on Monday.