An opportunity to represent Colorado was something Castle Rock’s Ella Scott and a group of young golfers couldn’t pass up.

Thanks to the Colorado Golf Association and the USGA, that opportunity has been presented.

Team Colorado was launched in 2024 to expand the pipeline for young elite golfers through the U.S. National Development Program, which was started by the USGA. The team is made up of eight boys and eight girls and is selected by a CGA committee.

“I think this is something that kind of changed the world of junior golf all over the U.S., especially in Colorado,” said Scott, a senior at Valor Christian with a Class 5A state title to her name. “I think it just creates a really good, big goal for a lot of the up-and-coming junior golfers in Colorado, which is awesome.”

Team Colorado is set to begin its second season and will be led by coach Kelli McCandless. McCandless is a well-known LPGA teaching professional and in 2020 created Golf Barn Parker, an indoor teaching studio for junior golfers.

McCandless inquired about Team Colorado last summer and was looking to help out with the program. But when the team was looking for a coach, several of her friends sent the job opening her way and felt she would be a perfect candidate.

“It just seemed like it was a great fit,” McCandless said. “I love working with really dedicated athletes, and I feel like with my background, I’ve got a lot to offer, and a lot of mistakes that I’ve made in my career and my pathway to get to where I’m at and how to overcome those mistakes. And it just kind of seemed like the greatest little fit.”

To be part of Team Colorado, the golfer must be a U.S. citizen and Colorado resident; be 13 years old by Jan. 1, 2026; have not reached their 19th birthday by July 20, 2026; and must not be enrolled in college for the 2025-2026 school year. A CGA membership, including a handicap index, is also required.

McCandless feels the program is about teaching and preparing her team for the future. The team presents golfers with a chance to learn from mistakes and how to deal with them on and off the course.

“I feel like not only is it good to get the fine details of things that are going on and issues within their swing,” McCandless said. “But (also) finding the ways to help them overcome those mistakes on the golf course, I think, is pretty vital.”

Scott, who is set to begin her second season on the team and will continue her golf career at North Carolina State, enjoys the team aspect of Team Colorado, which golfers usually don’t get to enjoy as much due to the individual nature of the sport.

“I think it’s been really huge in the community like this because golf is such an individual sport,” Scott said. “So it’s been really cool to be, like, these are my teammates and that’s how it’s going to be in college. That’s really exciting.”

One of her teammates is ThunderRidge senior Austin Hunt, who is also set for his second season on Team Colorado. Hunt echoed a lot of the same excitement that Scott and McCandless have shown.

“It’s a lot of fun being able to represent the state and be on a team with a bunch of some pretty close friends and some really good players,” said Hunt, who will be playing at the University of Denver in the fall.

“It’s really cool when you go to an out-of-state tournament and you got the Colorado flag on the bag.”

Another benefit of being with Team Colorado is the involvement of the CGA and the USGA. Both organizations have been pivotal in the growth of junior golf on the state and national level.

“They’ve been the biggest part by a mile,” Scott said about the program’s success. “The CGA did an awesome job of talking with people from other states. It’s been super cool even going into this year seeing all that they have like planned out for us, whether that’s team camps or the webinars in conjunction with the USGA, all those things. They provided us with incredible resources that are honestly unmatched to anything else that is out there.”

Hunt also sees the impact of the USGA.

“I think one of the big reasons that the USGA started this was that most countries have a national team and a development program. And the U.S. didn’t have quite as much of that as some other countries did,” he said. “And to be able to develop us as athletes to get to the next level is super cool.”

Team Colorado’s schedule doesn’t truly get going until the high school season is over. Last year, they traveled to Arizona to compete in the Junior Americas Cup, volunteered at camps around the state and enjoyed on-course training.

“Right now we’re getting together about once a month, sometimes twice, ” McCandless said. “As far as tournaments are concerned, the thing that we have coming up in the summer is the Team America’s Cup. The girls will be in Salem, Ore., and then the boys will hopefully be in Guadalajara, Mexico.”

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Another strong finish for CU men’s golf

The CU Buffs men’s team used a strong final round on Tuesday to vault into third place at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate in Tucson.

Junior Ty Holbrook led the Buffaloes by finishing the tournament tied for third with a 7-under 209 over three rounds. His final-round 66 was tied for the lowest round of the day.

Senior Hunter Swanson tied for eighth after firing a 1-under 71 to complete a 6-under 210. Swanson reached an impressive milestone, becoming the 17th player to join CU’s “10,000 Stroke Club.” He has played in 46 tournaments, finishing under par in 20 and even in two others.

“This accomplishment means a whole lot to me because I’ve worked so hard from my freshman year on to help out the team as much as possible,” Swanson said about joining the exclusive club.

The Buffaloes on March 26-28 compete at Stanford’s “The Goodwin.”  Colorado finished second in the event last year.

***

What they’re saying

 “Night, night! Send me to the championship, boys!”

– Max Homa, after his team, Jupiter Links, clinched a spot in the TGL finals 

***

Skins game

Odds to win Valspar Championship

Xander Schauffele +1000

Matt Fitzpatrick +1300

Akshay Bhatia +1700

Jacob Bridgeman +1700

Viktor Hovland +1700

Justin Thomas +2000

Brooks Koepka +2500

***

This week in golf

PGA Tour

VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Palm Harbor, Fla.

Course: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead). Yardage: 7,352. Par: 71.

Prize money: $9.1 million. Winner’s share: $1,638,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, Noon-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf), 1-4 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Viktor Hovland.

LPGA Tour

FORTINET FOUNDERS CUP

Site: Menlo Park, Calif.

Course: Sharon Heights GC. Yardage: 6,542. Par: 72.

Prize money: $3 million. Winner’s share: $450,000.

Television: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf).

Defending champion: Yealimi Noh.

LIV Golf League

LIV GOLF SOUTH AFRICA

Site: Midrand, South Africa.

Course: The Club at Steyn City. Yardage: 7,557. Par: 71.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-6 a.m. (FS1), 6-9 a.m. (FS2); Saturday, 4-7 a.m. (FOX); Sunday, 4-9 a.m. (FS1).

Defending champion: New event.

DP World Tour

HAINAN CLASSIC

Site: Hainan Island, China.

Course: Mission Hills Resort (Haikou). Yardage: 7,637. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.55 million. Winner’s share: $425,000.

Television: None.

Previous winner: Marco Penge.

PGA Tour Champions

COLOGUARD CLASSIC

Site: Tucson, Ariz.

Course: La Paloma CC. Yardage: 6,586. Par: 71.

Prize money: $2.2 million. Winner’s share: $330,000.

Television: Friday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 8-10 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay); Saturday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf), 4-5 p.m. (Golf app); Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf).

Defending champion: Steve Alker.