Reiley Waldo watched as a long birdie putt approached the hole on the 18th green, bounced off the flag stick and settle a few inches away from the hole. She tapped in for a 12-over-par 84 and waited to see if it would be good enough to qualify for the state tournament.
The Durango High School senior’s score would hold up for seventh overall individually in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A Western Region girls golf tournament Tuesday at The Links at Cobble Creek. By placing in the top eight, Waldo qualified for the CHSAA Class 4A State Tournament for the third consecutive year.
“It definitely means a lot. Ever since my sophomore year it’s definitely been a goal of mine to get back each year,” said Waldo, daughter of Allisa Oliger and Kurt Waldo. “When it comes to regionals, there is some pressure to do it every time since you first did it. But I felt confident coming in, and I’m glad to make it for a third year.”
Waldo wasn’t able to make any birdies Tuesday, but solid ball striking from the fairway set her up for several pars.
She fought off a double bogey and some shaky play on the front-nine and found a rhythm as she made the turn. She estimated she hit 11 or 12 greens in regulation, and she carded a 40 on the back-nine.
“I got off the tee really well and hit good approach shots,” Waldo said. “I was hitting greens or getting on the fringe, at least, and gave myself good putts at it.
“On the back, I found my tempo and kept a good mind-set of making contact and striking through the ball.”
Montrose won the team tournament with a combined score of 255. The entire Indians team qualified for state, and CHSAA takes the next eight golfers outside of the Montrose team as state qualifiers. After one Montrose player was taken out of the equation, Waldo received the sixth at-large bid.
“She had a few three putts and really just one miscue as far as shots went. She was pretty solid to shoot an 84,” DHS head coach Kirk Rawles said of Waldo. “And she was in some bad weather for three or four holes.”
DHS fielded a full team for the regional tournament – a goal Rawles set for the young squad at the beginning of the season.
Three sophomores fell in behind Waldo, with Katrina Chandler leading the bunch with a 96, by far her career best round.
“I told her she would have to shoot a 96 to qualify for state, and she went out and shot it,” Rawles said. “I should’ve told her it would take an 87, and she probably would’ve gone out and shot that. She’s a great competitor that way.”
Lauren Biery scored a 120, and Holly Wurtz added a 133 in her first 18 holes of the season coming off a knee injury.
“Holly was a real trooper hanging in and walking the 18 holes,” Rawles said. “Lauren got another good leg in as far as mileage, and I think it was a good day for her to think her way around the course a bit more and learn a lot.”
Dolores’ Kiselya Plewe continued her sensational high school career with a regional championship Tuesday. The junior shot a 1-over 73 to win the tournament.
Bethany Wells of Montrose was second with a 75, and Alyson Shuman of Palisade was third with a 78.
DHS finished ninth out of 13 teams with a team score of 300, three strokes behind eighth-place Aspen and 25 shots ahead of 10th place Moffat County.
Waldo will head to the state tournament for two rounds May 18-19 in Aspen at River Valley Ranch Golf Club. The course features deep sand bunkers, so Waldo wants to sharpen up her play out of bunkers in the time leading up to her final high school tournament.
“We will work a lot at Dalton Ranch to get her ready, because the course sets up a lot like Dalton with the bunkers and how you have hit your targets around the course,” Rawles said. “We will get it charted and be ready to go.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
