Tested at Altitude

Elite pros and top amateurs converge at altitude for one of the summers most compelling tests

With a month to go, the Colorado Women’s Open is seeing strong interest from professionals and Colorado amateurs alike. The tournament this year is June 3 to 5 and unlike in 2025 it is one of the only women’s professional tournaments underway that weekend – other than the U.S. Women’s Open.

It has long been a strategy of the Colorado Women’s Open organizers to play the same weekend as the U.S. Women’s Open, so that talented players who don’t make the cut there can have the option of playing in Colorado.

The LPGA’s Epson Tour always takes that weekend off. Last year, however, the women’s Texas Open was held at the same time and was affiliated with the Annika Tour, and the two competed to bring in the best talent.

Not so this year. “We’re not opposite an Epson event or Annika so we’re truly the only event in town,” said Kevin Laura, CEO of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, which runs the Colorado Open series.

The tournament traditionally draws a diverse field in which the best young women golfers from Colorado, typically amateurs in high school or college, can test their games against young professionals from around the world. Juliana Hung of Taiwan, who won in 2024, is among those early registered. Last year’s leaderboard was topped by players from California, Colorado and Ohio as well as China, Japan and Sweden.

The winner receives $50,000, which is more than most Epson Tour event winning paychecks. Top Colorado women’s golfers who have registered early include Ashley Tait-Wengert of Morrison, Ashley Kozlowski of Littleton and Elle Higgins from Centennial.

Beyond the prize money and timing advantage, the Colorado Women’s Open continues to build a reputation as one of the most competitive and accessible proving grounds in the women’s game. For many players, it’s more than a tournament-it’s a launchpad.

With a blend of seasoned professionals, rising international talent and Colorado’s next generation of standouts, the event creates a unique ecosystem where experience and ambition collide. College players and elite amateurs aren’t just filling out the field-they’re contending, gaining a real-time look at what the next level demands. That opportunity is part of the draw.

For fans, it’s a chance to see future stars early. For players, it’s a stage to test, prove and accelerate. The Colorado Open Golf Foundation has leaned into that identity, pairing an open, inclusive field with a purse that rivals-and often exceeds-tour-level payouts. The result is a tournament that matters on multiple levels.

Just as important is the growing community around it. Players, sponsors and local supporters have turned the week into a celebration of the women’s game in Colorado. With a wide-open field and global talent, this year’s championship is once again set to deliver.