By Jim Bebbington
The wind stayed down, and the competitors in the 2026 Brand Asset Partners Colorado Championship did their best to fire at flags on the Todd Creek Golf Club’s tricky green complexes.
Some succeeded.
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Isabelle Lynch, a second-year professional from Minnesota, shot an 8-under par 64 to lead the pack after two days at 11-under. “I haven’t had the strongest season so far, so it feels good to have everything kind of come together at the same time,” Lynch, 24, said.
Her round set the course record for women and tied the men’s record. The course was laid out around 6,700 yards on Wednesday.
Lynch shot an exceptional bogey-free round with six birdies and one eagle. Course conditions were ideal, but Todd Creek’s greens have proven to be the difference makers, requiring precise approach shots in order to make birdies.
Lynch played in the inaugural Colorado Championship last year, and said the experience with the greens enabled her to return this year with a more focused approach.
“Anytime you know the course well enough to have confidence going into a tee shot or an approach shot and just have an understanding of what the greens are going to do, how the ball’s going to bounce, the more experience you have with that… it’s always going to benefit you,” she said.
The Todd Creek greens are proving to be the biggest test.
“Honestly it’s playing pretty different from last year; last year it was pretty firm and the greens were not holding that well,” said Milagros Chavez, who is in the top 5 at 7-under. Her host family has been coaching her on the greens and which sides to miss on, she said.
“If you miss a green on the wrong side it’s very hard to make it up now,” she said.
Princeton University rising sophomore Thanana Kotchasanmanee, an amateur who led after Day 1, started out hot, then gave back most of her gains, to finish at 1-under for the day and 7-under overall. Kotchasanmanee set a boatload of Ivy League collegiate golf records in her first season at Princeton and competed in the U.S. Open earlier this summer, missing the cut at 10-over.
She was occasionally 50 yards or more ahead of her two playing partners off the tee Wednesday.
“I’m just going to focus on my one-shot-at-a-time (for the final two days),” she said. “I’m going to focus on my game, focus on what I’ve been practicing, and I’m just going to focus on that process, and whatever is the result is the result.”
Players are coming off the course focused on their scores and improvement, and praising the second-year tournament’s organizers and support for making it easy to focus on the golf.
“I’m really impressed with the organization and a lot of the volunteers,” Kotchasanmanee said.
The course is in the middle of a 55-and-0ver residential community and residents have flooded the course – most driving their own souped-up golf carts – to volunteer, shuttle and be in the gallery.
Sydney Hackett, a first-year pro who just graduated from Western Kentucky University, was in second place after her morning round at 8-under par.
“I feel like my ball striking has been really good, as of late, and it’s just a matter of putts dropping, and they seem to be dropping this week so far,” she said.
This is the second-to-last event on the ANNIKA Tour calendar, and most players here are using this tournament to get ready for their season finale as well as the beginning of the LPGA Q-School qualification process which begins in September.
The final two rounds are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. For complete scores click here.
Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.
The 1-over cutline at the end of Wednesday brings the best back for final two rounds By Jim Bebbington The wind stayed down, and the competitors in the 2026 Brand Asset Partners Colorado Championship did their best to fire at flags on the Todd Creek Golf Club’s tricky green complexes. Some succeeded. View this
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