CU in the Next Round

Former Buffs take another step forward as Erin Houtsma and Kirsty Hodgkins-Redner finish strong to advance to U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur round of 32

By Gary Baines 

Those former University of Colorado golfers, they certainly finished strong on Monday at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. As a result, they’ll have match-play round-of-32 tee times on Tuesday at Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, N.J.

Kirsty Hodgkins-Redner from Lafayette rallied after being 1 down through 17 holes of her round-of-64 match to birdie two straight holes and advance with a 19-hole victory over Erica Whitehouse of Mechanicsville, Va.

Then Erin Houtsma of Denver, who had never before led in her opening match, birdied the 18th hole for a 1-up win over Mary Janiga Kartes of Grand Rapids, Mich.

The winners of those matches will advance to the round of 16 on Tuesday afternoon.

It will be the second straight trip to the round of 32 for Hodkins-Redner, winner of the 2020 CGA Women’s Match Play and the 2025 CGA Women’s Mid-Amateur. Houtsma, meanwhile, is headed to the round of 32 at the national championship for the third time, having advanced as far as the round of 16 in 2019.

On Monday, Hodgkins-Redner was 2 up after 13 holes, but Whitehouse won three of the next four to take the lead going into 18. Hodgkins-Redner then birdied both the 301-yard par-4 18th hole and the 505-yard par-5 first hole to walk away with the victory. The former Buff golfer finished 3 over par through 19 holes, compared to 4 over for Whitehouse.

As for Houtma, winner of the 2005 Colorado Women’s Open and three CGA Women’s Mid-Amateurs, had an ever-so-close match with Janiga Kartes. After Houtsma won the eighth hole with a birdie to knot the match, the two players tied seven of the next nine holes, with Janiga Kartes winning 13 with a birdie and Houtsma No. 14 with a par. Tied going into No. 18, Houtsma’s birdie gave her not only the lead for the first time, but the 1-up victory.

Houtma finished 1 over par for the day, playing her last 15 holes in 2 under.

U.S. WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR RESULTS FOR COLORADANS

Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, N.J.

MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 64 MONDAY

Kirsty Hodgkins-Redner, Lafayette, def. Erica Whitehouse, Mechanicsville, Va., 19 holes

Erin Houtsma, Denver, def. Mary Janiga Kartes, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1 up

STROKE PLAY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Advance to Match Play

21. Kirsty Hodgkins-Redner, Lafayette 72-76—148

40. Erin Houtsma, Denver 79-72–151

Failed to Advance to Match Play

Molly Dorans, Firestone 83-83—166

ALL THE RESULTS

U.S. SENIOR AMATEUR RESULTS FOR COLORADANS

Baltimore Country Club in Lutherville, Md.

Failed to Advance to Match Play

Ed Kerr, Windsor 76-75—151 (Didn’t earn one of the last 3 match-play spots, going par, then bogey, in a 13-for-3 playoff)

David Johnson, Berthoud 75-77—152

Owen Ellis, Boulder 83-82–165

ALL THE RESULTS

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