Boys golf: Basalt, Aspen open state golf tournament
The Aspen Times
Jeremy Wallace / The Aspen Times |
The Aspen and Basalt high school boys golf teams opened play in the Class 3A State Golf Championships on Monday at the familiar Eagle Ranch Golf Club in Eagle.
The conditions and the challenging 7,000-yard layout doubled up against the Skiers, who had won the Regional Championship two weeks ago in Steamboat Springs.
“It was a tough day,” Aspen head coach Mary Woulfe said, adding that the Skiers started their rounds on the challenging back nine and struggled early at the par-72 Eagle Ranch course.
Senior Will Hazen, after struggling early in his round, rallied on the long layout and eventually finished at 6-over 78.
No players broke par Monday.
Two teammates from Peak to Peak High School in Lafayette — Nishant Datta and Sam Taylor — shared the first-day lead with matching par 72s.
They helped stake Peak to Peak to the Day 1 team lead at the Class 3A State Championships with a three-player total of 6 over.
Kent Denver is in second place at 16-over par.
Basalt is tied for third with Colorado Academy with a composite 27 over.
The Longhorns were led by Linc Kleager and Holden Kleager, who were 3 over and 4 over, respectively, on Monday.
The Basalt duo are three and four strokes behind the individual leader with 18 holes on the schedule for Tuesday.
Drew Broadhurst was at plus-20 for the Longhorns after the opening day.
Eaton is in fifth place with one round to play. Aspen is sixth at 31 over after Monday’s round.
“We’re hoping to pull up into the top three,” Woulfe said of the Skiers, who also had an 81 from freshman Jack Hughes, playing in his first state meet.
“That was a great score for him with the length of the course,” Woulfe said.
Freshman Dom Lanese, the Skiers’ top scorer at regionals, shot an 88 in his first state tournament.
“Don had two bad holes (on the opening back nine),” Woulfe said. “Then, he got into the native grass and got into more trouble.”
He’ll return to the course Tuesday with any eye on a lower score, she said.
Aspen senior Burke Daily, with a tough opening nine holes, finished at 91.
“Burke struggled all day. He’ll be back Tuesday,” Woulfe said.
Hazen, she said, played a strong stretch at the start of the second nine holes.
“Will was … playing better. But he bogeyed the last hole,” Woulfe said, adding that Hazen handled the frustrating round as a mature golfer.
“He handled it really well. We’ll see how he does Tuesday,” the Aspen coach said.
The Skiers and Longhorns will tee off Tuesday morning at Eagle Ranch with one final round n the Class 3A State Golf Championships.
