Huffer has eight top three finishes in the Colorado Women’s Open
By Jim Bebbington
Colorado-native Becca Huffer has done so well in the Inspirato Colorado Women’s Open over her career that it has been rare when she hasn’t been in the hunt for the title on the final afternoon.
But the title is never easy to secure, and Huffer on Friday watched a four-stroke lead on the back nine of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club evaporate over the last few holes. She walked to the 18th tee box of the final round tied for the lead with former champion Clariss Guce, who was playing in the final group, one-group behind her.
Huffer had back-to-back missed short par putts on No. 16 and No. 17 after having been up four strokes earlier in the match. After a good drive and layup second shot on the long par 5 No. 18, .Huffer set herself up for a birdie putt with a crisp shot to eight feet on the final green. She then sank the putt to go back up one stroke. She then waited while Guce, playing behind her in the final group, had a 20-foot putt for birdie to tie and rolled her shot just past the cup.
With the victory Huffer won $50,000 and became the only three-time winner of the Colorado Women’s Open in the tournament’s history.
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“I was playing really well, got maybe a little nervous coming up the stretch there,” she said. “I knew I wanted to get a birdie on the last hole so I set myself up with a nice little eight-foot putt and was just trying to clear my mind and hit a good put, and I did.”
Huffer, 35, has been a touring professional golfer for 15 years since a stellar high school career in the Denver area then on the University of Notre Dame golf team. She won the Inspirato Colorado Women’s Open in 2013 and 2019, and has had five more top-three finishes: in 2008 as an amateur and in 2012, 2021, 2023 and 2025.
“I’ve played well here,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of top-three (finishes) at this point, but to get the win is always harder than it sometimes seems.”
Huffer said that after Saturday’s round, in which she was paired with Guce, Guce coached her a little because her drives were inconsistent. Guce pointed out that Huffer’s hands were too far forward, and Huffer said she worked to change that Sunday. She drove well and was set-up for birdie putts for most of the day.
Huffer won the three-day tournament with rounds of 69, 70, 67, finishing at 10-under par.
Day 2 leader Lavanya Gupta, 18, slid back during the front nine as several former champions swarmed to the top of the leaderboard. Gupta shot a round of 2-over par on Friday, dropping to fifth place but winning the low-amateur honors. Gupta, a native of India, is joining the Kansas University golf team this fall.
At one point early in the day the top four positions were all held by players who had won the Inspirato Colorado Women’s Open in the last seven years: Huffer and Guce, 2025 winner Alyaa Abdulghany and 2023 winner Haylee Harford Sanchez.
Harford-Sanchez finished birdie/eagle on Green Valley Ranch Golf Club’s difficult final two finishing holes to finish tied for third.
The final top 10 were:
Huffer has eight top three finishes in the Colorado Women’s Open By Jim Bebbington Colorado-native Becca Huffer has done so well in the Inspirato Colorado Women’s Open over her career that it has been rare when she hasn’t been in the hunt for the title on the final afternoon. But the title is never easy
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