DENVER, Colorado — Emma Bunch closed with a final-round 4-under 68 to force a playoff with Tiffany Le, then outlasted her over five extra holes to win the Colorado Championship at Todd Creek Golf Club, claiming her third ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour title of the 2026 season. Additionally, both Bunch and Le earned exemptions into the next Epson tournament, Dream First Bank Charity Classic, on August 28, in Garden City, Kansas.
Bunch and Le finished regulation tied at 12-under 276, with Bunch closing 70-69-69-68 and Le rallying from an opening 75 with rounds of 66-67-68. Both players opened the playoff with birdies on the 18th before the tension set in. The pair played holes 18, 18, 17, 18, and 9 in order. Bunch found the water on the second hole and flew the green on the third extra hole but got up and down each time to match Le’s pars and keep the playoff alive, before finally closing it out with a two-putt par on the fifth hole, the par-4 ninth.
The win is Bunch’s third of the season, following victories at the St. Louis Women’s Championship and the Children’s Hospital of Illinois Championship. “I’m so happy. It was such a great day today, and just all week has been amazing,” Bunch said.
Bunch credited a steady week built around good company and sticking to her plan. “I got to play with one of my really good friends on tour, Katie Lu, the first two days, and I think that just really got me grounded. I was just happy out there the whole week,” she said. “The last couple of days I played with some great girls too, and I think I was just sticking to my game plan, doing all the things I was supposed to. The last five holes after was a grind, but it was fun.”
That aggressive mindset carried directly into the playoff. Bunch had just parred the 18th hole in regulation after nearly reaching the green in two. “I was excited. I had just parred 18 after almost hitting it on the green, so I knew I wanted to stay aggressive. I think that’s what makes me good, when I’m playing well, just staying aggressive,” she said. “I hit a good drive and figured, why not hit it to 18 feet?”
Bunch’s closing kick has become a hallmark of her season, and Saturday was no different. “I definitely got off to a slow start today, and that was kind of annoying. Then I hit some really good shots; I just couldn’t get the putts to fall, so I figured why not just hit them closer,” she said. “That’s kind of what I was doing in Illinois too. Sticking them close and making some putts, it was really fun.”
Le’s runner-up finish included the second-lowest round of the week, a third-round 66, and matched her best result of the season. Jensen Castle and Maisie Filler tied for third at 11-under 277, with Castle jumping six spots in the final round on a closing 68. Angela Heo, of Austin, Texas, rounded out the top five at 10-under 278.
Natalie Vo and amateur Thanana Kotchasanmanee shared sixth at 8-under 280, Vo climbing seven spots with a third-round 66. Canada’s YounSoo Ju, Sarah-Eve Rheaume and Alice Duan tied for eighth at 7-under 281, with Rheaume, also a Canadian, jumping five spots in the final round. Cory Lopez of Monterrey, Mexico, stood alone in 11th at 6-under 282 after a closing 74 dropped him eight spots down the board.
A crowded group tied for 12th at 5-under 283: Reagan Chaney, Bobbi Stricker, Ellie Roth, Kiana Oshiro and Sydney Hackett. Roth, of Plano, Texas, made the biggest move of the group, climbing three spots in the final round.
The Colorado Championship is an official event on the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour, which serves as a developmental pathway for professional women’s golfers to the Epson Tour and LPGA Tour.
Travis Humphrey
ANNIKA WAPT Media & Communications
travis@kgsportsco.com
