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Steamboat Springs — Former Steamboat Springs High School golfer Michael Weston will tee off one last time this summer before packing his bags to leave for college.

But Weston is hoping the Colorado Golf Association event at the Pinehurst Country Club will be the start of a new chapter of his golfing career, and he insists that it's not the end. He leaves for the University of San Diego on Aug. 28 and hopes to get a walk-on spot on the university's golf team this season. He knows a top finish this week will help.

"It's going to be a tough event," said Scott Berry, who has been coaching Weston this summer. "There will be a lot of top college players, including some from Boulder and Wyoming. It's going to be a good chance for him to see how he stacks up."

The former Sailor standout qualified to play in this week's four-day tournament based on a 10th-place finish earlier this summer at Coal Creek, which is near Louisville. Weston finished that event with a 74 and is hoping to improve this week on the challenging greens and fairway at the Pinehurst.

"This is a big tournament," Weston said. "I'm hoping for a top finish, but I think the experience of playing in a tournament like this will help me down the road."

Weston headed to Denver on Wednesday for a practice round. Today marks the first official day of the tournament, and the field will be cut to the top 40 golfers after Friday's round. On Saturday, those golfers will make a bid for the title. The tournament is expected to come to a close Sunday.

"I've never played in a tournament with a cut before," Weston said. "I'm not too worried about it. If I play well, it shouldn't be a problem."

After graduating in the spring, Weston has continued to play in a number of high-level tournaments this summer with hopes of elevating his game to the next level. But the 18-year-old is keeping the prospects of playing in college in perspective.

"They have a really good team and really good coaches (at the University of San Diego). It's going to be hard to walk on there, but I have to give it a try," Weston said. "If I don't make the team, it will not be the end of the world. Golf is a lifetime sport, and I plan to keep playing even if I don't make the team."

Berry said walking on at the University of San Diego is a daunting task for any golfer but that it could prove even more challenging for Weston because he's from a mountain town that has a very short golfing season.

"The guys he's competing against have grown up in golf-conducive environments," Berry said. "They might get more repetitions in one year than Michael gets in four."

But Berry said Weston has worked extremely hard this summer and has a passion for the game that could get him to the college level.