Future Buff Hailey Schalk learned a lot from playing with the pros

There was a professional sporting event in Colorado this past week.

The first professional sporting event since the start of the pandemic brought in some of the best women's golfers from around the world.

The No. 15 ranked player in the world Carlota Ciganda battled rising star, and Colorado native, Jennifer Kupcho down the stretch of the Colorado Women's Open and there was almost a sense of normalcy in it.

Kupcho ended up pulling out the victory, her first win as a professional, but those two were not the only stars in the field.

There were other ladies that we will see on the LPGA Tour this season including Jenny Coleman, a CU alumni that just earned her LPGA Tour card, among many others.

Coleman played with one of the women that has received lots of attention in the state over the past few months, 18-year-old Hailey Schalk.

Schalk was gunning for her fourth individual state title in as many years in 2020, a record that hasn't been set, before her season was cut short due to the pandemic. In fact, she won every tournament during her high school career besides one.

But she has been forced to shift her focus to beyond high school titles, she will be enrolling at Colorado this Summer and is already expected to be one of the top players on the team.

She put her skills to the test this past week, playing in the Colorado Open against some of the top ladies from around the world.

"It was really cool, playing with Jenny and stuff," Schalk said. "I definitely learned a lot from her with her short game and stuff like that, like what I need to work on. And it's really cool to just see those players out there and learn from them. I think that's really helpful. And I really enjoyed it."

Although it didn't go to plan, Schalk took away some positives and learned a lot from the fellow Buffalo Coleman.

"Definitely her short game and her putting and chipping and stuff, just how consistent she was and she didn't make a lot of mistakes," Schalk said of Coleman. "So if she missed the green, she got up and down and that's definitely something I need to work on and needed to work on that for a while now."

After a 4-over 76 in the first round, Schalk knew she had to go low to make the cut and get into contention. She eagled her third hole of the day, a 494-yard par 5, to get off to a hot start. But the wind picked up and she wasn't able to carry that momentum through the rest of the round. She shot 7-over and finished 11-over for the tournament and T92 in a 121 person field.

She was bombing her driver past Coleman on many holes and has the skillset to be able to compete. But she says the professionals are so consistent with their short game, she has a long way to go to get to that point.

"I think just the mistakes part because I was making a lot of stupid mistakes," Schalk said. "And so I definitely just need to clean up my game a little bit. It was interesting to watch her and see how she isn't really making those mistakes and that's what gets you to the next level."

Short game will be the focus for Schalk as she prepares for her college career. She will have a lighter (than normal) schedule this summer as there aren't that many tournaments to play in.

"So I definitely just need to work on my short game," Schalk said. "The rest of my game is really good. Honestly, I hit the ball really well but when it gets, you know, like 120 yards in, it's a big mess. So that's definitely my focus right now."

The Buffs return their best player, Kirsty Hodgkins, from last season as she was awarded an extra season of eligibility. They return their entire roster, besides some expected attrition.

"I am most excited for the team aspect and improving my short game. I am excited to learn from the coaches especially," Schalk said about joining the Buffs. "I think they will really help me improve with my mental game and my overall game in general. I am most excited about the team aspect because I haven’t experienced that as much and I love playing as a team."

The addition of Schalk should make them primed for a big season.

Notable forever and current CU Buffs at Colorado Women's Open:

Jenny Coleman -10 5th

Brittany Fan -1 T15th

Kristin Coleman +3 T26th

Kelsey Webster (current Buff) +3 T26th

Erin Houtsma +11 T92nd