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Aspen rallies to win regional golf title

Dale Strode
The Aspen Times

In a team sport measured by strokes, the Skiers won by a single one.

“It all came own to the last two holes,” Aspen High School boys golf coach Mary Woulfe said Tuesday after the Skiers scrambled to a first-place finish at the Class 3A Regional Championships at Gypsum Creek. “It was a very exciting finish.”

The Skiers, with steady closing holes from Clayton Crawford, Will Hazen and Patrick Martin, posted a three-player total of 234 on Tuesday.



“We won by one over Vail Mountain School and one over Vail Christian,” Woulfe said in a telephone interview.

Vail Mountain managed 235 with Vail Christian at 236.




Basalt, the winner of the recent Aspen Invitational at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale, finished fourth at 237.

That’s four strokes separating the top four teams in the state-qualifying tournament at Gypsum Creek.

“It really was a great day and a really fun time for us,” Woulfe said after the Skiers qualified as a team for the Class 3A State High School Golf Championships in Pueblo in two weeks.

Crawford led the Skiers with a 76.

Teammate Hazen carded a 77.

Martin posted an 81 for Aspen’s Regional champions.

“Clayton played some great golf,” Woulfe said. “He had one bad hole, a double bogey. But that was all.”

She said Hazen also posted a solid round at Gypsum Creek.

“He had an unfortunate triple (bogey),” the Aspen coach said. “And Patrick Martin played just a great round of golf with his 81.

Trey Robinson also carded an 88 in Aspen’s fourth position to earn a trip to state.

Woulfe said the Skiers had hoped to round into top form at the regionals. Coming off a tough showing at the invitational at River Valley Ranch, Woulfe said the Skiers put together good rounds at the right time.

Basalt, in spite of finishing fourth in the tight team race, qualified two individual golfers for the upcoming state championships.

Tristan Rohrbaugh shot a 74 to qualify as an individual; teammate Peter Steckler posted a 79 to earn a trip to Pueblo for coach Al Rakowski’s Longhorns.

Roger Gauther added an 84 for Basalt. Nick Calabro shot an 85.

Coal Ridge finished fifth on Tuesday (260). Gunnison was sixth (272), followed by Rangely (279), Telluride (287), Grand Valley (318) and Cedaredge (330).

Medalist honors Tuesday went to Cooper Gould, of Vail Christian, who shot a 71.