Two high school golfers who didn’t win an individual title all season are in good shape to make the 5A state meet their first victory.
The only two players to match or better par in Monday’s first round of the 5A tournament at Colorado Springs Country Club were certainly dark horses to make a run at the championship. Hunter Paugh of Fort Collins shot the round of his life — a 2-under-par 69 — to grab the lead. And fellow junior David Packer of Arapahoe matched his best score ever numerically with a 70.
“I’ve only won one tournament before — 7th-grade districts for middle school,” Paugh noted. “I’ve had a couple top-10s on the Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour. Those are pretty nice to have. I haven’t really won anything big. It’s nice to go into tomorrow hoping I might have a chance.”
On a day when play was suspended twice due to lightning — for a total of two hours — and which also featured hail and plenty of rain (left), only one other player shot below 74 in Monday’s opening round of the 36-hole event: Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction, who carded a 73. Olkowski was among four players who represented Colorado in the 2014 Junior America’s Cup.
Seven players shot 74, including 2013 4A state champion Isaac Petersilie of Coronado, who double bogeyed two of the last six holes; Legacy’s Li Chen, runner-up in the 5A tournament each of the last two years; and Fort Collins’ AJ Ott, a 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier.
In the team competition, Coronado, a program which moved up from 4A last season, leads the way with a 13-over-par 226 total. Highlands Ranch is next best, at 230, while Boulder is at 236. Regis Jesuit, winner of the last four 5A team titles, shares fourth place at 237 with Cherokee Trail.
Paugh, who like teammate Ott is a left-hander, birdied his first three holes of the day (10, 11 and 12), making putts of 6, 6 and 10 feet. Then he drained a 25-footer on No. 14 to go 4 under through five. He was still 4 under through 15, but he bogeyed his 16th and 17th holes before finishing his round — following the first weather delay — with a two-putt par.
Monday’s round was about six strokes better than Paugh’s season average and three better than his previous best high school tournament round.
“It’s just great,” he said. “I’ve been practicing a lot since regionals and I’ve been looking forward to this tournament. It’s nice to be able to play well.”
This marks Paugh’s third state appearance, with a 28th-place showing last year his best showing as a freshman or sophomore. But Tuesday will be his big opportunity.
“I hope to go out and do what I did today — play a solid round and we’ll see what happens,” he said. “I think I have a chance to win it. It’s going to come down to how everything goes tomorrow.”
Packer (left) could have had the outright lead — or at least a share of the top spot — but a double bogey on his final hole Monday dropped him back to 1 under par. His approach on the par-4 ended up well short of the green, and his pitch was still short, on the fringe. And he couldn’t get up and down from there.
“That’s a rough way to end it,” he said. “Nerves got to me, but you’ve got to look at it as a whole. You can’t (judge) it by one hole. I’m proud of the way I played today.”
Indeed, overall, Packer finished with an eagle, five birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. He only posted seven pars. Packer’s eagle came on the 547-yard 15th hole (his sixth), where he hit a 5-iron in and sunk a 60-foot putt.
He had separate stretches in his round where he birdied three straight holes and where he went 4 under par in a four-hole run.
“I had the putter rolling really well and I hit a lot of fairways,” said Packer, who won an RMJGT event at Fort Carson in June. “I’ve got to work on finishing it for sure, but I’m excited for tomorrow. I feel good about my chances.”
Valor Posts 10 Under Par to Build Big Lead in 4A: The Valor Christian boys golfers once again lived up to their billing on Monday by posting an impressive 10-under-par 206 team total and putting all four of their players into the top six individually in the 4A state tournament at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.
The defending 4A team champions built a 14-stroke advantage over Pueblo South in their bid for four state titles since 2009.
Senior Jake Staiano, who made the round of 64 at the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur, and junior teammate Coby Welch matched 5-under-par 67s and share the individual lead in 4A. Meanwhile, Valor’s other two players, seniors Ross Macdonald and Pierce Aichinger, are tied for sixth place at 72 with 2013 runner-up Wilson Belk of Cheyenne Mountain.
Staiano has verbally committed to Colorado State, while Macdonald and Aichinger are headed to the University of Colorado.
Staiano made six birdies and one bogey on Monday, while Welch recorded an eagle, four birdies and a bogey.
Taylor Rodriguez of Pueblo South holds down third place at 69, while Braden Bentley of Mesa Ridge and Britt Walton of Steamboat Springs are tied for fourth at 71.
Lambrecht, Sterling Feeling Right at Home in 3A: Trey Lambrecht of Sterling took advantage of having the 3A state tournament in his hometown by opening up a three-stroke lead at the halfway point of the event at Northeastern 18.
Lambrecht fired a 4-under-par 68, making an eagle, five birdies and three bogeys in the process. He played the four holes starting on No. 13 in 5 under par.
Sam Taylor of Peak to Peak and Max Messner of Colorado Academy share second place at 71. Cole Folwell of the Dawson School, who finished third at state last year, checked in at even-par 72 despite a 7 and a 6 on his card.
Host Sterling leads the way in the team standings, posting a 6-over-par 222. Defending champion Dawson, with just three qualifiers, sits in second place at 228.
Scores: For scores from the three state tournaments, click on the following: 5A, 4A, 3A.
