With victory at CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play, Kris Franklin runs CGA senior major win streak to 4 for the second time in her career
By Gary Baines – 8/6/2025
LONGMONT — Kris Franklin is going where no one — aside from herself — has ever gone before regarding CGA/CWGA women’s senior majors.
Prior to 2020, no one had ever won more than three consecutive CGA women’s senior majors in Colorado. But that summer Franklin captured her fourth straight, setting a new standard.
And on Wednesday at The Fox Hill Club, Franklin matched that feat.
The Westminster resident, a member at The Ranch Country Club, won the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play, giving her a single-year sweep of the association’s women’s senior majors (the stroke play and match play) for the third time, having previously accomplished the achievement in 2019 and ’24.
“It feels good,” the 59-year-old said.
This time around, in addition to husband Brent caddying for her as usual, Franklin’s brother, Eric Hoos, watched her complete another single-season sweep. Hoos, a former University of Denver men’s golf head coach who won the 1991 Ben Hogan Wichita Charity Classic on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour, hopes to return to competitive golf next year after dealing with some shoulder issues.
“Kris has done so well, it’s kind of inspirational,” Hoos said.
Franklin, a former pro who returned to high-level competitive amateur golf seven years ago, has had quite a run over that time. Wednesday marked her fifth CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play title — only Kim Eaton and Lynn Larson (six each) have won the event more — to go along with four Senior Match Plays, a Mid-Amateur and Mashie and Dunham Chapman team championships. She also captured the CGA Women’s Stroke Play crown in 1986 as Kris Hoos.
Add them all up and that’s an impressive 13 CGA/CWGA titles, with the last dozen coming in the last seven years.
“It is difficult (to put together a streak like that), but she’s playing so well,” said Eaton, who herself has captured six CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Plays and six Senior Match Plays. “I foresee her winning more.”
Husband/caddie Brent Franklin discusses the path forward with Kris at the par-5 14th hole on Wednesday.
At Fox Hill, Franklin fended off Haejeong Son of Castle Rock and two former champions in this event — six-time winner and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Eaton, and two-time champ Marilyn Hardy, who lives with husband Jim in the mountains near Gunnison during the warm-weather months.
It wasn’t a flawless performance by Franklin, who had enough errant tee shots on the back nine Wednesday to get in plenty of work on her recovery shots. But her rounds of 73-74 gave her a 3-over-par total and a three-stroke victory.
“There was so much oil (leaking) that Brent had to top me off because I was going to burn up,” Franklin said with a smile. “Normally my driver is so good and then the other stuff can be a little faulty. But all of a sudden, everything started going. But luckily my lag putting was really good and that held me in it. I’ve always been a good putter, but the (U.S. Senior Women’s Open) last year really did a number on me. To come back and feel like I’ve got something again, I’m just happy. And to have it under pressure is good.”
Runner-up Haejeong Son tries to coax in a putt on the 16th hole.
Franklin was even par for the day through 10 holes on Wednesday, but bogeys on 11 (over the green with her tee shot on the par-3) and 12 (errant drive and tree trouble) narrowed her lead to one stroke over Son. But a par on 13 by Franklin after her tee shot went into a fairway bunker, then a 25-foot birdie on 14 pushed the lead back to three, where she started the day. And her advantage never dipped below two shots again.
Son (76-74), who plays out of Blackstone and Black Bear, finished solo second, three back of Franklin.
“That feels great,” she said. “I played with the hot shots (Franklin, Eaton and Hardy). I’m so glad I had a chance to play with them. I got nervous a couple of times, but I think I played pretty good.”
Asked if she thought she had a chance to win when she got within one of Franklin, Son said, “Not really. (Kris) was great yesterday, and three strokes (behind going into the day), it’s not easy for me to catch her. It was hard, but I didn’t give up. That’s good for me. I’m so proud of myself.”
Six-time champion Kim Eaton chipped in for birdie on the 10th hole on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Eaton (78-74) and Hardy (77-75) tied for third place at 8 over par, five behind Franklin.
Next up for the champion will be her fourth trips — respectively — to the U.S. Senior Women’s Open (Aug. 21-24 in San Diego) and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur (Sept. 13-18 in Hot Springs, Va. Despite her putting woes a year ago at the Senior Women’s Open, Franklin made the cut and finished 54th at a championship where such luminaries as Annika Sorenstam and Juli Inkster compete. Among those also qualifying for the Senior Women’s Open this year are Coloradans Sherry Andonian Smith and Kelly Green. At the Senior Women’s Am, Hardy, Son and Louise Lyle of Colorado Springs are in the field with Franklin.
Two-time CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play winner Marilyn Hardy tied for third place with Eaton this time around.
Looking further down the road, next year Franklin will attempt to win her fifth consecutive CGA women’s senior major title, as she tried to do in 2020, when she finished six strokes behind Hardy in the Women’s Senior Stroke Play.
“I know when I was going for my fifth (straight last time), I was thinking about it. And I think that messed me up,” Franklin said. “So the first drive in the (CGA Women’s Senior Match Play) next year is all I’m thinking about. It’s going to be one shot at a time. You can’t win it at the start.”
Here are the winners of all the flights at the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play at Fox Hill:
CHAMPIONSHIP
Gross
Kris Franklin, Westminster 73-74–147
Net
Haejeong Son, Castle Rock 69-67—136
FIRST
Gross
Susan Jennings, Loveland 72-81–153
Net
Karlin Hayes, Golden 73-76–149
SECOND
Gross
Paige Rodriguez, Louisville 78-83—161
Net
Gretchen Munderloh, Denver 76-67–143
THIRD
Gross
Molly Huntsman, Denver 86-82–168
Net
Mari Johnson, Longmont 76-69–145
FOURTH
Gross
Terry Kelly, Westminster 89-93–182
Net
Deb Sturm, Englewood 69-79–148
FIFTH
Gross
Judy Maillis, Highlands Ranch 91-98—190
Net
Marcia Hall, Denver 75-76–151
MASTERS (70 and Older)
Gross
Sandy Bickel, La Porte 83-79— 162
Net
Audrey Boop, Fort Collins 75-71–146
For all the scores from The Fox Hill Club, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com