Meridian Golf Club PGA Assistant leads a trio of national qualifiers alongside Justin Carlock, PGA, and Ben Lanting, PGA, at Meadow Hills

Keffer's first round 67 featured six birdies. After making the turn following a stretch that included a bogey at the 14th and consecutive birdies on holes 15 and 16, Keffer continued to find scoring opportunities on his closing nine, adding birdies on holes 3, 6 and 8 to finish the day at 3-under-par.

Lanting took a steadier route to his 67, playing bogey-free golf throughout the opening round. He picked up birdies at the 12th and 18th before making the turn, then added another at the par-5 6th on his closing nine to finish at 3-under.

Roberts also reached 3-under despite an eventful opening nine. He made birdies at 10 and 13 before a bogey at the 15th. Roberts answered with a birdie at the par-5 16th, but a double bogey at the par-3 17th brought him back to even. He responded immediately with a birdie at the 18th before making the turn, then built momentum on his closing nine with birdies at 1, 8, and 9 to secure his first-round 3-under 67.

Justin Carlock and Chris Kennedy had matching first rounds of 2-under-par, 68. Carlock reached 5-under-par early in his round following a birdie at the 10th, but gave three shots back before making the turn. He caught fire again on his closing nine, recording birdies at 1, 6, 7 and 8 to remain firmly in contention. Kennedy took a steadier path to 68, making a birdie at the par-5 16th on his opening nine before adding birdies at 2 and 6 around a bogey at the 8th on his closing nine.

Jeff Carter sat at 1-under-par 69 after a first round highlighted by a birdie at the par-3 17th on his opening nine and consecutive birdies on holes 3 and 4 after making the turn. Bill Hancock rounded out the top 10 at even-par 70, rebounding from a bogey on the 10th and later picking up a birdie at the par-3 17th.

With Belz at 5-under, Pearson one shot back at 4-under and four players sitting just two shots off the pace at 3-under, there was little separation among the championship contenders heading into the final round. Eight players began the final round within three shots of the lead, setting the stage for a tightly contested race to the finish.

The final round began just like the opening day, hot and humid with light winds, meaning scoring conditions were once again favorable. The leaders took advantage of the morning conditions, and with play once again beginning on Hole 10, the championship leaderboard quickly began to tighten as the contenders worked their way through their opening nine.

Will Grady made the biggest move of the morning. Beginning the day at 3-under-par and two shots behind overnight leader Brian Belz, Grady played holes 10 through 18 in 3-under-par 32 to surge to 6-under-par for the championship and take the lead at the turn. After opening with a par at the par-5 10th, Grady birdied the 11th and added another at the par-3 13th. He remained bogey-free from there before closing his opening nine in style, making birdies at the 16th and 18th around a bogey at the 12th. With four birdies against just one bogey, Grady moved to the top of the leaderboard with nine holes remaining in the 36-hole championship.

Ryan Pearson remained firmly in the hunt at 5-under-par with nine holes to play, one shot behind Grady. Pearson's opening nine was considerably more eventful. He bogeyed 10 and 11 before answering with a birdie at the par-3 13th. Another bogey at the 15th dropped him further back, but Pearson responded in a big way, hitting his 6-iron from 205 on the par-5 16th to 3 feet and knocking in the eagle putt. He followed it up with a birdie at the 18th to keep him within one shot of the lead heading to the final nine holes.

Justin Carlock also continued his climb up the leaderboard with a clean opening nine. Starting the day at 2-under-par, Carlock birdied the par-5 10th and added another at the 18th, surrounding those two birdies with seven pars for a bogey-free opening nine. That moved him to 4-under-par overall, just two shots behind Grady as the leaders made the turn into the final 9 holes of the championship.

Ben Lanting and James Roberts joined Carlock at 4-under-par for the championship, each playing the opening nine in 1-under-par.

With the final groups moving to their back nine, Grady held the championship lead at 6-under-par, Pearson was one back, and Carlock, Lanting and Roberts were all just two shots off the pace. Belz remained within striking distance at 3-under, leaving six players separated by only three shots as the championship entered its final stage.

Grady, meanwhile, entered the final nine in the strongest position of the four after his brilliant 3-under 32 on holes 10 through 18 moved him to 6-under-par and into the outright lead. His momentum continued immediately after the turn, as he birdied the par-4 1st to reach 7-under-par for the championship and strengthen his hold on the top spot.

The closing stretch, however, proved costly. Grady gave the shot back with a bogey at the par-3 2nd before settling down with pars on holes 3 and 4. A bogey at the par-4 5th dropped him back to 5-under, but with the championship still within reach, Grady steadied himself with three consecutive pars on holes 6, 7 and 8. Needing something on his final hole, he was unable to find the closing birdie and closed with a bogey at the 9th, leading to a solo fourth-place finish and the first alternate position for the National Championship in November.

The Colorado Section will send 3 eligible* qualifiers to the National Assistant PGA Professional Championship scheduled to be played November 12-15, 2026 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Colorado Assistant PGA Professional Championship Eligible Player Qualifiers & Alternates:
1. Ryan Pearson, PGA (Meridian Golf Club) - 66-67—133 (-7)
T2. Ben Lanting, PGA (Bear Creek Golf Club) - 68-66—134 (-6)
T2. Justin Carlock, PGA (Eaton Country Club) - 67-67—134 (-6)

1st Alt. Will Grady (Eagle Springs Golf Club) - 67-68—135 (-5)
2nd Alt. Chris Kennedy (Murphy Creek Golf Course) - 68-71—139 (-1)
3rd Alt. Geoff Keffer, PGA (Lakewood Country Club) - 67-73—140 (E)
4th Alt. Matt Hardman (Eagle Springs Golf Club) - 70-71—141 (+1)
5th Alt. Jeff Carter, PGA (Murphy Creek Golf Course) - 69-75—144 (+4)

*Only Class A Members and Class B Associates who are currently in Level 2 of the PGA Program or higher are eligible to qualify for the National Assistant PGA Professional Championship.