Former Northwestern golfer Jieni Li wins inaugural Colorado Championship at Todd Creek, while ex-CCU golfer Faith Kilgore places 4th; DU grad Chris Korte finishes 2nd in Texas State Open
By Gary Baines – 8/1/2025
Friday marked some “firsts” at Todd Creek Golf Club:
— The inaugural Annika Women’s All-Pro Tour Colorado Championship wrapped up at the Thornton course.
— And Jieni Li of Evanston, Ill., a former Northwestern University golfer, picked up her first victory on the Annika WAPT — and first win as a pro.
Li had posted a runner-up finish last year and four top-15 showings in 2025, but in Colorado she emerged with the trophy — and the $10,000 first prize that went with it.
“It feels amazing,” Li said in an interview posted on the Annika WAPT X site. “I haven’t won for a while, and it’s great to feel (that) again. We had a great crowd out there, so it cheered me up even though I was going through a lot of things on the back nine. It’s been an amazing experience so far.
“I can’t believe that many people came out for us (at Todd Creek) — not just for me but for all the girls who were playing. (They were) cheering us up and all of them were bringing out good energy. It means a lot to all of us.”
Li posted scores of 70-67-70-69 for a 12-under-par total and a four-stroke victory. Over the four days, Li carded 20 birdies and eight bogeys. Angela Kim from Los Angeles placed second, at 8 under, and earned $5,800.
Former Colorado Christian University golfer Faith Kilgore finished fourth at 6 under, going 71-71-71-69. Loveland High School graduate Lauren (Lehigh) Dickey and former University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan checked in at even par and shared 13th place, while Windsor’s Leigha Devine (+2) was 20th.
In the six-player Collegiate Series event, Lauren Greeny of Bozeman, Mont., prevailed with a 3-over-par total, while Logan Hale of Erie (+15) was third and Elle Higgins of Centennial (+18) fourth.
The Colorado Championship marked the 11th event on the WAPT schedule in 2025. The Women’s All-Pro Tour started in 2019, and World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam lent her name to the tour as part of a five-year strategic alliance that began last year.
The idea behind the tour is to provide playing opportunities for female professionals and an additional path for them to reach the Epson Tour and eventually possibly the LPGA Tour. The top five season-long performers on the Annika WAPT earn spots into stage II of LPGA Tour qualifying and Epson Tour status for the following season.
For all the scores from the Colorado Championship at Todd Creek, CLICK HERE.
— Chris Korte Runner-Up in Texas State Open: Elsewhere in professional golf on Friday, Regis Jesuit High School and University of Denver graduate Chris Korte tied for second in the M&P Group Texas State Open at Cascades Country Club in Tyler.
Korte recorded rounds of 62-64-67-66 for a 21-under-par total, finishing a stroke behind champion Matthew Watkins of Rockwell, Texas. Korte and co-runner-up Blake Elliott of Bullard, Texas earned $17,250 each.
Earlier this month, Korte was in contention at the Inspirato Colorado Open (where he eventually placed 18th) and he qualified for both the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship and the Korn Ferry Tour’s Ascendant presented by Blue at TPC Colorado.
For all the scores from the Texas State Open, 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