AURORA — She’s a freshman, shorter than many of her counterparts, left-handed and sports glasses, but Amy Chitkoksoong could just as easily jump into a phone booth and climb out with powers once she grabs her golf bag.
They were on display Monday on No. 9 at CommonGround Golf Course. The Grandview 15-year-old was on her 18th hole of the day in the first round of the Class 5A championships.
There she was, getting ready for her next shot when a microburst, part of a storm that was brewing and blowing through the course at the old Lowry Air Force Base site, arose with suddenly strong winds. Chitkoksoong said she heard a loud “snap!” and was stunned to see a large tree limb come flying.
“It almost killed me,” she said afterward. “It dropped in front of me and I saw it coming.”
Unaffected, she finished the hole, carded a 4-over-par 76 and was happy the storm only occurred during her last two holes.
“It went pretty well,” she said. “And with the weather, anything in the 70s is good.”
Introduced to golf at age 7, Chitkoksoong took to it like a natural. She regularly hit the local junior circuit and has jumped to the schoolgirl level in stride. Longtime Wolves coach Mary Danielson said Chitkoksoong set a tournament record at Broomfield with a 69 in her first prep outing this spring and soon thereafter fired a career-best 68 at Aurora Hills Golf Course.
“I like how you’re not only competing so much against others, but you’re competing against yourself,” she said.
Operating out of her home course, Murphy Creek Golf Course, Chitkoksoong unseated teammate Morgan Sahm, a senior who will play at Northern Colorado, as Centennial League champion. Chitkoksoong said she enjoys “the competitive vibe” between Sahm and herself.
“Amy has been there all season,” Danielson said. “She’s the whole combo.”
Admittedly “a little nervous being a freshman, once I got comfortable,” Chitkoksoong said, “I relaxed and started to play my own game.”
She has maintained straight A’s all school year and has a long-term goal of studying and playing at Stanford.
But there is much to do before that. Her practice regimen, aided by her family, already is considered legendary.
“When I’m not sleeping, I’m playing golf,” she said.
Playing well and adding some trophies also is on her horizon, and they go beyond hardware with only her name on it.
“I would like the team to take it all,” Chitkosoong said.
Team scores
Regis Jesuit 230, Grandview 238, Ralston Valley 244, Arvada West 249, Cherry Creek and Rock Canyon 250.
Top individuals
Mary Weinstein, Regis Jesuit 71
Delaney Elliot, Monarch 75
Jordan Remley, Ralston Valley 75
Morgan Sahm, Grandview 75
Amy Chitkoksoong, Grandview 76
Jaclyn Murray, Regis Jesuit 76
Amish Singh, Smoky Hill 79
Jennifer Hankins, Legacy 79
Joanna Kempton, Heritage 79
Leigha Devine, Fossil Ridge 79
