No matter what part of the state golf was being played yesterday, red numbers kept popping up on leaderboards.
A heavy tournament load put a lot of kids in action, but the final scores from all around Colorado made one thing abundantly clear.
Golf is easy. Well, sometimes at least.
At Foothills Golf Course, the third Centennial League tournament looked more like a Thursday night men’s league shootout. Arapahoe’s Matthew Wilkinson carded a 6-under-par 66 to claim the win while teammates Graham Dzengelewski (69), Max Zadrvorny (70) and Will Kates (71) were also in red numbers.
Cherry Creek sophomore Charlie Flaxbeard took second with a 68 while his teammate Thomas Hicks shot 71.
Eaglecrest sophomore Andrew White fired a 69 as did Mullen’s Andrew Brady and Mario Dino.
Cheyenne Mountain teammates Campbell Grage and Carter Suorfchek each shot a 2-under-par 69 at the Frederick Classic, but neither player got the win as Frederick’s Jake Chesler cleared them by two strokes. Thursday was the second time this week that Cheyenne Mountain teammates broke into red numbers at the same tournament. Kale Parthen and Brad Helton each went under par at the Pueblo Centennial Invite at Walking Stick.
In the southwest corner of the state Conquistador Golf Course couldn’t contain a hometown kid as Montezuma-Cortez’s Thayer Plewe ended his day with a 3-under-par 69. His lone bogey of the day came on the par-4 second hole.
At Estes Park Golf Course Sterling junior Tayleb Schaefer shot a 2-under-par 69 to win the Estes Park Invite. He was 2-under on the front nine and even made a birdie on No. 12 to get to 3-under. He gave that stroke back with a bogey on the short par-4 14th.
This is Schaefer’s second win of the year. He won the Strasburg Invite back on Aug. 18.
One of the normal behaviors for a high school golf tournament of late has been that teammates have been paired together. The idea is a product of the COVID-19 sports landscape that has altered so much of normalcy in the last six months.
Among the pairings at the first Class 3A Tri-Peaks League tournament at the Trinidad Municipal Golf Course, a senior from Primero High School walks alone.
When Lance Peters walks toward a driving range or a practice putting green, he looks almost out of place. At first glance, he appears to be a tight end that is taking up golf due to the shift of the high school sports calendar. When he rips his driver, however, there is no doubt that his aggressively controlled swing is that of a kid who would rather spend his fall days hunting for birdies than hauling in touchdowns.
“My dad (got me into golf),” Peters said. “When I was little he was always into golf so he got me going and it just stuck.”
Like most kids in their sport of choice, once it stuck and he continued to practice he developed a lot of ability when it came to navigating the course.
His body frame would make a casual observer believe he’s a bomber who enjoys mashing his driver then trying to figure things out from there. While that looks like fun on the professional circuit with the likes of a Bryson DeChambeau, Peters’ game is far more complete. Even on an off day, his irons sound crisp and are rarely off line. His hands are soft enough to control his wedges and navigate his way around the greens.
And his putting? For someone who certainly has the ability to hit the ball hard, he might be far better with the flat stick than anything else in his bag.
“I wish I could say (the best part of my game) was my driving,” Peters said. “But I have to go with my putting right now. It helps me get up and down and save those pars and some bad holes. It helps out.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
In just three events this season, his name has become a fixture at or near the top of the leaderboard. He won his first tournament of the year, the La Junta Stapleford. He shot a casual 5-under-par 67 which was good enough to score 31 points and keep him 10 ahead of Pueblo East’s Evan Smith.
With golf teams around his area somewhat limited, Peters and Primero have joined up with the Tri-Peaks League where he can battle with top-notch players such as Lamar’s Jimmy Clark or St. Mary’s standout Peter Stinar. Peters and Clark shot matching 74’s at the Alamosa Invitational and Clark got the win via handicap hole tiebreaker.
Peters finished third at Monday’s Tri-Peaks Tournament after shooting 80. Clark’s 77 was good enough to get the win, but Peters has shown that he’ll thrive while playing against talented golfers for the duration of the season despite coming from a school with an enrollment of just 86 kids.
“Competition always makes you play better,” he said. “I like that coming from bigger schools.”
Another part of what he feels will make him play better is status as a one-kid team. He is the only golfer to represent Primero this year and as other players in the state are now routinely getting paired with their teammates, Peters is truly out on an island.
“It helps me work harder,” Peters said. “I don’t have a lot of distractions and that can actually be a lot of fun.”
Peters finished 27th at the 3A state tournament at Eisenhower Golf Course last year. He’s hoping he can play well through the season and be someone that other players will have to worry about this year when the 3A tournament heads to Dos Rios in Gunnison.
TRINIDAD — Lamar’s Jimmy Clark didn’t have to make a run down the stretch, he just needed to have a steady hand.
And that’s exactly what he had. He played the last three holes even to get his second win of the boys golf season. He fired a 5-over-par 77 at the Trinidad Municipal Golf Course to claim the first Tri-Peaks League tournament of the year.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
St. Mary’s won the team championship as senior Peter Stinar finished second on the leaderboard with a 78. Lamar was 25 shots behind the Pirates and finished second.
Clark played the front nine at 3-over and faltered on just two holes. On the par-5 first in which his wayward drive hit a tree and bounced in the nine fairway. He then made double-bogey on the tricky par-3 seventh.
His only birdie of the day came on the 18 hole, but it was timely as it put him just one stroke behind Stinar. The St. Mary’s standout, also a winner in the young season, then made double-bogey on 18 to end his day putting Clark in the driver seat.
Clark made a two-putt par on No. 1 to seal his victory.
Lamar’s Jimmy Clark wins the first Tri-Peaks boys golf tournament with this par putt. He shot a 5-over-par 77. St. Mary’s senior Peter Stinar finishes second with a 78. #coprepspic.twitter.com/Ig1oC4KvIT
Prairie View senior Jeff Nelson was in a groove at Coyote Creek. At Monday’s EMAC North tournament, Nelson was comfortably in red numbers as he fired a 4-under-par 67 to claim the win.
He shot even on the front nine before blitzing the back nine, making four birdies in a row and going on a run of five birdies over eight holes.
Brighton sophomore Kyle Leydon also ended his day under par after shooting 70. He was 2-under on the front and even made an eagle on the par-5 12th. Bogeys on 10 and 11 and a double-bogey on 16 hurt his chances to to hang with Nelson.
Two weeks ago, Kory Tacha received the news that he and his Limon teammates had been fearing. High school football was getting moved to the spring to increase the chances of getting a complete season in the books.
The reigning Class 1A football player of the year had a normal reaction to the news. He was heartbroken. But he quickly decided that he wasn’t one to just sit around and wallow. He and his teammates, who have won the past two 1A championships, knew they needed something to do this fall. They had to compete. So they went to the school and asked if they could restart the Limon golf program.
“I cannot feel sorry for myself,” Tacha said. “I had to do something about it and we talked to a couple of coaches and asked if we could start a golf team. It got passed by the board and we all decided to go out for golf.”
(Photo courtesy of Sherri Smithburg)
Assistant football and baseball coach Andy Love, a Limon alum, asked the administration if it was possible to get a team together and he even offered to coach. They got approval and with just a few practices under their belt, the Badgers hit the links.
Unlike what the boys were used to on the football field or even the basketball court, golf isn’t coming easy to them. But at their core, the kids are competitors and if someone like Tacha can break tackles and drag someone into the endzone, he isn’t going to let a small, dimpled ball get the better of him.
At the team’s first tournament, the Yuma Invitational, Camden Smithburg led the team with a 23-over-par 95 to finish in 16th place. Tacha shot 104 and realized right away that football might demanding physically, but golf presents every bit the challenge from an emotional standpoint.
“I have a lot more respect for golfers now than I did before,” Tacha said. “It’s a very different game and it’s very taxing mentally.”
For Love, he loves seeing a group of kids willing to go out and battle in a venue that’s unfamiliar to them. The importance to him as a coach of multiple sports is making sure that the kids are doing something as the state awaits the return of the majority of sports in January.
“Sports are our lifeline,” Love said. “That’s what people do on Friday and Saturday nights. Our community follows our sports so strongly. It gives our kids this great atmosphere and environment whether it’s the football field, the basketball court or whatever. Our community rallies around our kids.”
And they rally around the ability to compete together. There is talk about trying to improve enough to reach the state tournament. Love’s attitude with the team is that it should enter every season with the intention of winning a state title. For the first year of the relaunched golf program, he’d be thrilled to a see couple kids find their way to Dos Rios Country Club in Gunnison.
For the kids, they’re just happy that they’re getting back to competition and finding a way to battle together as they wait for football to return.
“I enjoy where I am,” Tacha said. “I’ve been going to school with the same buddies since we were four years old. One last season would mean the world to me.”
LITTLETON — Nothing like a short putt for eagle to really spark an impressive round on the golf course.
Lakewood senior Ryan Liao — three-time Class 5A boys golf state qualifier — drained an eagle putt on the 517-yard, par 5 to finish his front-nine to really get his round going. The eagle on No. 9 was followed up with back-to-back birdies on No. 10 and 11 to get Liao to 5-under-par through his first 11 holes.
Lakewood senior Ryan Liao was the only golfer to shoot a round in the 60s Monday at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Liao eventually finished with a 6-under-par, 66 to win individual medalist title in the second Class 5A Jeffco League tournament of the Fall season at Raccoon Creek Golf Course. He was the lone golfer to shoot under-par.
The Tigers finished eight strokes ahead of league-leading Ralston Valley in the second of six league tournaments. Ralston Valley’s Jordan McCaslin, Gage Messingham, Trey Kirschner, Jack Larson and Logan Forister all fired rounds in the 70s to keep the Mustangs atop the overall team standings in 5A.
Liao did overtake Arvada West senior Tyler Tyson for the overall individual lead in 5A Jeffco. Tyson followed up his impressive 63 last week at Applewood Golf Course with a round of 2-over-par, 74 on Monday.
Green Mountain senior Oliver Gibbons is the 4A Jeffco individual leader through two conference tournaments. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
On the 4A Jeffco side, Green Mountain seniors Oliver Gibbons (74) and Jack Policaro (76) finished 1-2 at Raccoon Creek. Gibbons and Policaro are also 1-2 in the overall individual 4A Jeffco standings. Conifer senior Dakota Dolph slipped into third place after an 81 on Monday.
Green Mountain holds a 16-stroke advantage over Evergreen in the race for the 4A Jeffco team title. Evergreen seniors Jake Dekoker (78) and Jack Mitchell (79) led the way for the Cougars.
The third Jeffco League tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Broken Tee Golf Course in Littleton.
GOLDEN — Arvada West senior Tyler Tyson had a record-breaking performance in the Jeffco League boys golf tournament opener Monday, Aug. 10.
Tyson fired an 8-under-par, 63 at Applewood Golf Course to break to school record at A-West for lowest round at a tournament. The Wildcats’ top golfer had nine birdies. His lone blemish was a bogey on No. 9.
“My putter,” Tyson said of what allowed him to go so low. “I putted well. I had 25 putts I think. Good wedges too. I made everything. It was fun.”
Conifer senior Dakota Dolph fired an even-par, 71 on Monday at Applewood Golf Course to win the individual Class 4A Jeffco title in the first of six conference tournaments this boys golf season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Tyson finished the best round of the day with a birdie putt on the 18th hole. He finished four strokes ahead of Ralston Valley junior Gage Messingham (4-under-par, 67). Ralston Valley cruised to the team title with Messingham, along with seniors Jack Larson (3-under-par 68) and Trey Kirschner (2-under-par 69) also finishing in red numbers.
“It gives me a pad because this is a scary little (conference) this year,” Tyson said of getting out to a sizable lead in the race for the Class 5A Jeffco League individual medalist title.
A number of the top 5A Jeffco golfers from last year have returned. Defending medalist champion — Lakewood junior Max Lange — is back, but missed the conference opener because he was in California for a tournament.
Lakewood senior Ryan Liao placed fifth Monday with a strong 1-under-par, 70. Liao has been one of the state’s top golfers finished in the top-4 at the state tournament the past two years.
“It’s nice to be back,” Lakewood coach Alan Gonzales said before the first group teed off at 8 a.m. “It’s nice to be out here. Just happy to have the opportunity to be out here and another chance to prove ourselves.”
Lakewood senior Ryan Liao is one of the top state contenders in Class 5A this season after back-to-back top-4 finishes at state the past two years. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The Tigers want to redeem themselves after failing to qualify as a team to the 5A state tournament. Lange and Liao both went to state last year, but they were the lone Tigers to advance to the two-day state tournament.
“It was good to be there with two quality individuals, but we are more than that,” Gonzales said. “We know we can do better. It’s unfinished business.”
Liao finished tied for third last year at state after placing fourth as a sophomore. Lakewood was also in the team race in 2018 finishing second.
“We want to be right there again,” Gonzales said of Lakewood in the mix for a 5A team title. “It’s more of an expectation than a goal. We should be contending.”
Liao’s goal is to cap off his remarkable prep career with his first individual state crown.
“Senior year, I’m looking to win it,” Liao said. “I’m looking to break that streak. Hopefully not take second this year. I want to skip over that spot and take first.”
It’s the last go-around for Liao who has already established himself as one of the top Jeffco golfers over the past few decades.
“Ryan is right up there,” Gonzales said of the handful of top-notch golfers that have come through Lakewood over the last several years. “He is a special player. A special kid. He is determined on the golf course.”
Green Mountain senior Oliver Gibbons eyes his tee shot on No. 2 at Applewood Golf Course. Gibbons shot a 1-over-par, 72 to finish second in the 4A Jeffco individual standings. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
On the 4A side Monday at Applewood Golf Course, Conifer senior Dakota Dolph’s even-par, 71 just edged Green Mountain senior Oliver Gibbons by a stroke to win the opening 4A Jeffco tournament.
The Rams did win the team title with Gibbons, fellow senior Jack Policaro and sophomore Jon Lord shooting rounds in the 70s to take a 21-stroke led on Evergreen for the race to the 4A Jeffco League team title.
The next Jeffco League tournament is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17, at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton.
Ralston Valley boys golf won the first 5A Jeffco League meet on Monday, in an event held at Applewood Golf Course. The Mustangs shot 276 overall, ahead of second-place Columbine (291).
