First Colorado ANNIKA event leaves players impressed

Jieni Li wins four-day women’s pro tournament at Todd Creek Golf Club

By Jasmine Ying

Jieni Li took home the victory after four days of play at Todd Creek Golf course, finishing the final round 3-under-par, which put her 12-under for the tournament. 

“It was stressful, especially starting the day,” Li said after receiving her award. “But once I got into it, I started to lose my nerves and just kept grinding and kept playing in order to finish strong.”

In addition to the championship trophy, Li earned a $10,000 cash prize and an exemption into the Epson Tour Dream First Bank Charity Classic, which will take place at the end of August in Garden City, Kansas. 

The win marked Li’s first professional title since graduating from Northwestern University last year.

“I really wasn’t expecting to be in the lead after Day 2 because the course was pretty hard,” she said. “I had some pretty lucky shots out there, so on Day 3 I just tried to do the same thing and manage my emotions.” 

Angelina Kim, who placed second overall and also earned an exemption to the Epson Tour event, maintained a steady mindset throughout the tournament as well. 

“It’s been a great week. I played really solid golf and I feel like my game is trending in the right direction as the season comes to an end,” Kim said after the awards ceremony. “I tried not to think about any negativity or doubt myself at all.” 

Support from the local community helped elevate the tournament atmosphere. As the final groups came into hole 18, the green was surrounded by golf carts filled with spectators.

For Faith Kilgore, who placed fourth overall, the crowd helped fuel her performance. 

“I feel like the bigger the crowd is, the more pressure I feel and the better I play,” Kilgore said after finishing on 18. “We started out with maybe five people and then I looked out at 18 and there were probably 50 or more carts out there.” 

Even tournament director Gary DeSerrano was surprised by the turnout. 

“It was an amazing scene on hole 18,” DeSerrano said during the awards ceremony. “I have to say this was probably one of the top two—if not the top—tournament we’ve ever had.” 

“It’s been really nice seeing all the support for women’s golf,” Kim added. “Seeing all the volunteers and everyone in the community show up, it really means a lot to us.” 

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.

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