AURORA — Monday marks the official start of the 2015-16 season with the beginning of boys golf practice around the state. This will be CHSAA’s 95th season of activities.
Boys golf teams from Class 3A, 4A and 5A — there are 181 in all — are set to begin their respective seasons. The first contest is permitted on Aug. 13.
The sport’s regionals will be completed by Sept. 25, with all state championship tournaments on Oct. 5-6.
The 5A tournament is set for Fort Collins Country Club, 4A is at Fox Hill Country Club in Longmont, and 3A’s will be held at Eagle Ranch Golf Course in Eagle.
The five locals competing at the U.S. Junior Amateur golf tournaments completed their second rounds on Tuesday, but none of the five advanced to the match play portion of the event.
Three boys and two girls from local high schools took part in the tournaments, which are week-long stroke- and match-play events that culminate on Saturday.
A total of 64 players from the respective fields of 156 golfers qualify for the match-play bracket.
The boys tournament ran into some rough weather on Tuesday. Cherry Creek’s Subin Lee was able to finish his round, but Davis Bryant of Eaglecrest and Coby Welch of Valor Christian had to try to play through it.
The tournament, held at Colleton River Plantation in Bluffton, S.C., was suspended twice — first for nearly an hour-and-a-half at 12:59 p.m. because of dangerous weather, then again at 2:43 p.m. for the same reason. Play didn’t resume until 5:15 p.m., and then was suspended due to darkness at 6:27 p.m.
Ultimately, the senior-to-be Welch finished at 14-over with a two-day score of 158, including a second-round score of 83. He tied for 121st place.
Bryant, who will be a sophomore this fall, finished in a tie for 137th at 17-over (161). He shot an 80 in the second round spanning Tuesday and Wednesday.
Lee finished at 22-over for the tournament for a two-round total of 166, and tied for 149th overall. He shot an 88 on Tuesday after shooting 78 on Monday. Lee will be a senior in the fall.
Gillian Vance of Dakota Ridge, the defending Class 5A champion who graduated in the spring, finished in a tie for 117th place at 13-over (153) for the two-day stroke play event. She shot a 73 on Tuesday, which followed Monday’s round of 80.
Vance is headed to the University of Colorado in the fall.
Morgan Sahm, who will be a senior at Grandview in the fall, finished at 15-over (155) for the tournament. She shot a 78 on Tuesday, and a 77 on Monday to place in a tie for 128th.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Amateur championship tournaments are next month. A number of golfers from local high schools have qualified.
A total of five golfers from local high schools took part as the U.S. Junior Amateur golf tournaments began play on Monday.
Three boys competed at Colleton River Plantation Club in Bluffton, S.C.: Subin Lee of Cherry Creek, Coby Welch of Valor Christian, and Davis Bryant of Eaglecrest.
The two girls played at Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.: Gillian Vance, a recent Dakota Ridge graduate, and Morgan Sahm of Grandview.
In the boys tournament, Valor Christian’s Welch shot a 3-over 75 and sits in a tie for 58th. Cherry Creek’s Lee carded a 6-over 78, leaving him in a tie for 101st, and Eaglecrest’s Bryant shot a 9-over 81, and is in a tie for 132nd.
The leaders, a group of three, finished 4-under on the first day.
The girls tournament was suspended at 3:05 p.m. because of dangerous weather near Tulsa with Vance on the 12th hole and Sahm on the 14th. When play resumed at 5:45 p.m., Grandview’s Sahm finished at 7-over 77, which currently has her in 115th place. Vance, the Dakota Ridge grad, finished at 10-over (80), and is in 138th.
A few golfers were still on the course during the first round when play was suspended due to darkness at 7:38 p.m. The leaders are at 4-under.
Both tournaments follow the same format: A total of 156 golfers compete in stroke play over two rounds on Monday and Tuesday, with the field then cut to 64 for match play Wednesday through Saturday.
Bryant finished in a tie for 30th at the Class 5A state tournament as a freshman last season at 14-over. Lee, who will be a senior this fall, finished in a tie for 58th (+21) in 5A. Welch, who will also be a senior, tied for fourth place at the 4A championships last fall at 2-over.
On the girls side, Vance won last year’s 5A state tournament, which was shortened by rain. She graduated in the spring, and will head to the University of Colorado this fall.
Sahm finished in a tie for third at that same 5A girls meet last season. Sahm will be a senior this fall.
D’Evelyn will have a host of new faces leading its athletic teams in 2015-16.
On Monday night, Jaguars athletic director Jerry McWhorter announced that the school has hired four new head coaches, including Dan Zinn as boys basketball coach.
Zinn was the head coach at Colorado Academy for nine years, spanning the 2005-06 season through 2012-13. His teams were 92-94 during his time as coach.
D’Evelyn reached the Class 4A Great 8 last season, and will return four of its five leading scorers in 2015-16.
The Jaguars also hired Erik Bell as boys cross country and track coach. He is a current teacher and coach at D’Evelyn, and takes over for Micah Porter, who accepted a job as an advisor at the new Northfield High School earlier this month.
In addition, Paul Witherspoon has been hired as the school’s boys golf coach. Witherspoon has been an assistant for the program in recent years, as well as an boys basketball assistant.
Finally, D’Evelyn has hired Megan Choun as its cheer coach. Choun is currently an elementary school teacher, and is a graduate of D’Evelyn.
The school is still looking for a girls golf coach, McWhorter said. Interested applicants should email him at jmcwhort@jeffco.k12.co.us to apply.
COLORADO SPRINGS — The stories of the individual and team 5A state golf chmapions couldn’t have been written any more differently. But both were equally on display Tuesday at the Country Club of Colorado Springs, the site of the 2014 state championship tournament.
For the Coronado Cougars, the team of Luke Travins, Wes Moran, Austin Burgess and Isaac Petersilie came into Tuesday’s round with a comfortable lead for the team title and were able to play consistent golf and cruise their way to a 21-stroke victory.
Pomona senior Grant Olinger walked off the 18th green with no clue that he sat alone atop the individual leader board.
Oligner finished Thursday with round of 76, good enough to be seven strokes back going into the final day.
“Yesterday I don’t think he had a lot going for him, I mean he was patient but he was right and left and missing short putts,” Pomona golf coach Brian Martin said. “He was frustrated at times but I think he was patient and kept his head in it and he made a birdie on the last hole (on Thursday) to get one back.”
Pomona’s Grant Olinger, the 5A boys golf individual champion. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Martin said Oligner’s range session before Tuesday’s round “wasn’t awesome” but didn’t affect his approach on the course.
Fort Collins’ Hunter Paugh led the field coming into the final round and started the day looking like he had a chance to remain consistent and hold on to his lead.
It wasn’t until a par on No. 11, that the lead began to slip away from him. His initial approach shot on the par five landed just shy of the green, giving him an excellent look at eagle or birdie. His chip went slightly long and his birdie putt missed just right of the hole. He followed that par up with a bogey on 12, dropping him to two over par, tied with Olinger and Petersilie.
At that point, Olinger had battled his way down to +2 overall on the tournament, trailing Paugh by only a stroke. Walking up to 17 – the last par three left to play – he had a prime opportunity to take control of the leader board.
“I hit a six-iron to about 15 to 20 feet (away from the hole),” he said. “I read the break pretty well, it went right to left about four feet and I hit it right in there.”
That birdie turned out to be the difference maker. Olinger finished off a round of 67, putting him in sole possession of first place and forcing him to wait out the remaining golfers.
Petersilie had the first opportunity to pull even. With his team firmly in control of the team title, He was able to be more aggressive than usual and attack the pin on the 18th hole.
His approach shot landed about 20 feet past the flag stick, giving him a shot a birdie. His putt was on line to fall, but got enough of the lip of the putt that it rolled out. Petersilie would par 18, more than enough to seal the team title, but keeping the individual title just out of reach.
“It was in and it came out,” first year Cougars coach Marty Cornell said. “But the thing is, Isaac gave himself a chance and that’s all you can ask for.”
Paugh was the last golfer with a shot to even up or take down Olinger, but bogies on 17 and 18 capped off a tough back nine, dropping him to third place overall.
But the day would belong to Olinger and the Cougars.
Coronado entered Tuesday’s round four strokes ahead of Highlands Ranch, but played well early and grew distant from the rest of the pack. For Cornell, it was a great moment to see his team raise the state title trophy, but even more special to do it so close to home.
“That’s a great feeling. I’m a first-year coach, thrown in with these guys and they’re wonderful kids and it was fun,” Cornell said. “(Doing it in Colorado Springs) makes it even more special.”
Coronado won 5A boys golf on Tuesday. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Yale Kim of Dawson School. More photos. (Zach Marburger/CHSAANow.com)
STERLING — A span of 36 holes over two days wasn’t enough to decide the 3A Boy’s Golf state championship at the Northeastern 18 in Sterling. Instead it took a four-hole, three-way playoff for eventual individual champion Yale Kim of Dawson School to separate himself from a tightly knot-field.
“I had a lot of experience playing tournaments,” said Kim, a sophomore. “So I knew that I had to keep my composure and play my game to win.”
Sterling finished with a combined final score of 27 over par to capture the team title. Kent Denver finished second, with an overall score of 32 over par.
Kim, a model of consistency over the two-day tournament, made four straight pars in the playoff to capture the title over Vail Christian senior Cooper Gould and Sterling senior Trey Lambrecht.
All three finished the regulation tournament with a score of two over par.
“Watching him make four pars in a row, in a sudden-death playoff. Just consistent, consistent, consistent,” said Dawson golf coach Arnold Lewis of Kim. “He just outlasted everybody. All day long he just seemed relaxed, and confident, and positive. He’s a champion. I’m so proud of him.”
Unflappable under pressure, Kim shot 35 on the front nine and 38 on the back nine both days. He held a one-stroke lead as late as 16 on Tuesday, but bogeyed the long par-five to drop into a three-way tie.
Lambrecht, who entered the day with a three stroke lead after shooting 68 on Monday, ran into some trouble early with bogeys on one and two to start the round. He continued dropping strokes throughout the round before a pressure-packed birdie putt on 18, set up by an aggressive tee shot over and through some trees, thrust him back into a tie for the lead.
“My coach told me I had to make three to get into the playoff and win it for the team. I’ve played here a few times and usually my line isn’t quite as aggressive, but we were playing a little downwind and I was hitting my driver good all day,” said Lambrecht. “I caught it pretty flush and was able to hit a nice little wedge in there and make that.”
Though Lambrecht didn’t capture the individual title he was craving, he took solace in the fact that he was able to lead Sterling to the overall team championship.
“It was tough playing with the lead. I’ve been in the lead a couple times, but nothing this big,” said Lambrecht. “It was definitely a learning experience. But to make birdie on 18, essentially win it for the team, that was cool. I’ve never really had a clutch putt on that level.
“All in all it was positive week.”
In the end, it was Gould and Kim going head-to-head over the final three playoff holes. The two traded three straight pars, fist-bumping and congratulating each other after a particularly nice putt by Gould came up just short.
Sterling celebrates with the 3A boys golf championship trophy. More photos. (Zach Marburger/CHSAANow.com)
Kim’s birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole lipped out, and just when it looked like the day might continue, Gould’s three-footer for par just burned the edge.
And after a long tournament, and even longer season, Kim, who broke 80 for the first time just a few weeks ago, was suddenly the 3A state champion.
“I had a bit of a slump in the beginning of the year where my average score was about an 81. So I was a little frustrated, but I kind of knew that when the time came I’d play great,” said Kim. “I believed in that.”
A native of South Korea whose parents still live there, Kim said he can’t wait to share the news.
“They’ll probably find out this moment. They’ll be texting right now,” said Kim. “I’m proud to represent South Korea. My friends and family, they always say, ‘You’re going to do it. You’re going to win something big.’
Pueblo South’s golf team, including individual champion Taylor Rodriguez. More photos. (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)
PUEBLO — There was no mystery to which team was going to win the Class 4A state boys golf championship.
Valor Christian was dominant in the first round and then cruised to the title by 23 strokes Tuesday at Walking Stick Golf Course.
Pueblo South finished as the state runner-up — and it was the Colts’ Taylor Rodriguez who provided the drama in the final round.
The senior overcame a two-stroke deficit to win the individual gold medal by two strokes over Valor’s Jake Staiano. Rodriguez was a measure of consistency carding back-to-back rounds of 69.
“The key (Tuesday) was just mentally staying in the right frame of mind,” Rodriguez said. “I was just taking it one shot at a time and I was just staying hungry out there and wanting to win.”
Rodriguez’s three under par final round was highlighted by five birdies. In the process, Rodriguez became the first boys state golf champion in the school’s history. South opened in 1959.
“It feels great,” Rodriguez said about making school history. “I’m really happy.”
Veteran South coach D.J. Johnson praised Rodriguez.
“It was a real exciting round,” Johnson said. “Taylor is a very hard worker and he’s just a really steady player and he’s mentally and emotionally strong, and that helped (Tuesday), especially since there was a 15- to 20-mph wind blowing all day long. His mental toughness really helped in this final round.”
Most of the round Tuesday, Rodriguez was blistering and he led by as much as four strokes with two holes to play.
“In 17, I hit in the left bunker and I just wanted to give myself a chance at par,” Rodriguez said. “I was nervous at 18, but I was able to get the job done. This feels great (to be a state champion). I’m happy I could represent Pueblo and my family and my high school so well.”
The 5-foot-5, 150-pound admitted having the state tourney at Walking Stick definitely benefited him.
“I play Walking Stick a lot more than I play Elmwood (Golf Course in Pueblo),” Rodriguez said. “I’m really comfortable out there. I’ve been playing Walking Stick ever since I was little. That really helped me a lot because I knew the course so well. The guys from Valor are all very good players, but fortunately I was able to fend them off and get the win.”
Rodriguez is a four-time state qualifier, finishing ninth as a sophomore, and 11th last season. His sophomore year he also was a key member of the Colts’ state-championship winning team.
“This season the biggest difference was I got a lot stronger in the offseason by going to the gym and getting more athletic and I hit the ball a lot further off the tee,” Rodriguez said.
Valor Christian won the 4A boys golf title. More photos. (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)
Rain pours down on Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo, site of the 4A. More photos. (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)
The class 5A and 4A boys golf state tournaments each battled two weather delays on Monday, slowing the first day of the championships.
Lightning and rain halted the 4A tournament in Pueblo for nearly an hour at 1:48 p.m., and again a 4:03 p.m. The second delay lasted 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, rain and hail struck the Colorado Springs area and delayed the 5A event for an hour and 15 minutes at 2:17 p.m. Lightning caused another delay at 4:14 p.m., this one spanning 35 minutes.
Eventually, both tournaments were able to complete the first day of play.
Fort Collins’ Hunter Paugh led all 5A golfers with a 2-under 69 on the first day in Colorado Springs. Arapahoe’s David Packer is just one stroke back with a 1-under 70, while Grand Junction’s Trevor Olkowski is third at 2-over.
Isaac Petersilie of Coronado, the defending 4A champion who is now in the 5A tournament after his team moved up a class, is among of group of seven golfers who are tied for fourth at 3-over.
Coronado leads the team race at 13-over. Highlands Ranch (17-over) is second, and Boulder (23-over) is third.
The first day of the 4A tournament belonged to Valor Christian, the defending champion. As a team, the Eagles, who finished at 10-under, hold a 14-stroke lead on second-place Pueblo South (4-over). Cheyenne Mountain (13-over) is third.
Individually, Valor Christian teammates Jake Staiano and Coby Welch are tied for the lead at 5-under. Pueblo South’s Taylor Rodriguez is third at 3-under, while Mesa Ridge Braden Bently and Steamboat Springs’ Britt Walton are tied for fourth at 1-under.
The 3A tournament did not have trouble with weather, and completed its round around 3:15 p.m.
Sterling’s Trey Lambrecht led the field after shooting a 4-under 68, while Peak to Peak’s Sam Taylor and Colorado Academy’s Max Messner are tied for second with a 1-under 71.
Sterling led the 3A team race at 6-over, ahead of defending champion Dawson School (12-over) and Kent Denver (16-over).
