Cory Gillespie needed to exhale after his round of golf Sunday. A tough 6-over-par 77 at
Monday, Gillespie went into the second round ready to slow it down. Instead of riding a cart, he chose to walk. He focused on each shot and put together one of the rounds of his life. The difference was 12 shots, as he carded a 6-under 65 to erase a three-shot deficit and claim the Durango Amateur Championship at even-par 142. The 2016 Durango High School graduate beat Piedra Vista High School product River Smalley by six shots.
“Sunday, I was rushing myself a whole lot. I wasn’t taking my time to really play to win,” the left-handed Gillespie said. “I was starting to get in my head. Monday, my whole thought process was to not change my swing but to try to take my time more. It made a big difference.”
Gillespie also won the amateur title at Hillcrest in 2018, but he lost by one shot in 2019 to Greg Walsh after Gillespie shot rounds of 77 and 70.
This year, Walsh shot 78 and 75 to finish seventh in gross scoring at 11-over 153. Gillespie’s 65 is the low round of his career.
“Everyone was telling me I needed to win it this year after losing by a shot last year,” Gillespie said. “I needed to get the crown back, and it feels really good.”
Gillespie, a senior at NCAA Division III LeTourneau University in Texas, went on a birdie frenzy Monday, including one on the opening par-4. He made birdies on Nos. 3, 6 and 7 and added more on Nos. 11, 15 and 18 after he made the turn.
“I have never seen him play so steady,” said Durango’s Kermitt Barrett, who finished tied for fourth on the gross leaderboard after rounds of 78 and 74 while he was eighth on the net leaderboard that figured in players’ handicaps.
Barrett, an assistant coach on the Durango High School golf team, was paired with Gillespie on Monday and admired the play of the former Demon.
“I think he only made one bogey and maybe was in trouble one other time,” Barrett said. “He never was really out of position.”
Wind was a factor in Sunday’s round. The majority of players went much lower Monday as the wind died down and pin positions were made a bit more friendly on the always fast greens at Hillcrest.
Second place in net scoring went to Durango’s Bob Barnhardt, who was one shot behind Gillespie with handicaps factored into the equation. Andrew Ehat was third in net scoring, while Walsh was fourth and Smalley fifth.
In gross stroke play scoring, Barnhardt was third after rounds of 74 and 75, while Barrett, Eben Harrell and Ehat all tied for fourth, 10 shots behind Gillespie.
“I told a couple of our other current high school kids, ‘See, if you listen to your coaches, this is what you can do.’ Cory was a stubborn-headed high school golfer, and it’s fun to see him come into full bloom now,” Barrett said. “He’s always been a good golfer, but that was the best I’ve ever seen him play. He’s had to overcome some things, and to see him play that consistent for an entire round was really great.”
As a junior at DHS, Gillespie suffered an elbow injury that would require Tommy John surgery to repair ligament damage. He also battled seizures while in high school.
He would go on to junior college before he transferred to LeTourneau. He began to find his stride as a college golfer with some top-10 finishes and All-American Southwest Conference honors, but a knee injury flared up after two tournaments during the fall of his senior year, and it would require surgery.
“I had torn articular cartilage, and my knee was bone on bone,” Gillespie said. “I had surgery and felt a lot better and was playing a couple of weeks later. I had gained a lot of weight when I was injured, so I had to lose about 30 pounds to get back down to about 170.
“It also taught me how to tone down my swing a bit. I was hurting my body a whole lot more the way I used to swing. So, I slowed my swing down a bit, and it has helped with my timing.”
Gillespie was eager for the spring of his senior year, but the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season. But he plans to take advantage of an NCAA ruling to allow seniors a chance at an extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus cancellation of competition, at least next fall.
“Stay positive and healthy is all I am thinking about,” Gillespie said. “I didn’t think I would get to play another NCAA season. I have to go back in the fall to finish my Bachelor’s degree because my credits never transfered from junior college. If I’m down there, I might as well be playing golf that fall semester, and then I will see what happens.
“I want to get my Master’s degree somewhere and be a graduate assistant coach for either my college or any college, really. That’s my goal. I want to work my way to head coach and still chase the professional dream on the mini tours.”
Two different champions were crowned in the women’s flight of the Durango Amateur Championship.
Multi-time champion Aimee Fladt was the winner of gross stroke play with rounds of 77 and 78 to finish 23-over 165. She was 18 shots in front of 2019 DHS alumna and current Fort Lewis College golfer Madalen Meier.
Amy Barrett, who was fourth in gross scoring after rounds of 97 and 102, was the net champion once handicaps were taken into account. Her total net was 7-over 149, which was two shots better than Fladt’s net score. Laurel Walters was third in net scoring at 157.
“This is actually the first tournament I’ve played in five years. I’ve been busy having babies,” said Barrett, wife of Kermitt. “I played better than I expected. I was just happy to be out there having some fun.
“At Hillcrest, Michael McCloskey has made it really, really easy for my husband and I to bring our four kids out and play together. That’s been probably how I was able to play a bit more this year. It’s a family-friendly golf course, and they welcome children and families on the course. It’s fun to get out with my kids and practice.”
Barrett said she was most pleased to play alongside Durango High freshman Zayda Mestas in her first big tournament. Mestas had her debut high school season canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and all were happy to play their first tournament of the season.
The 59th Navajo Trail Open, the pro-am tournament at Hillcrest Golf Club, has been postponed. It originally was scheduled for June 18-21. Hillcrest aims to play the tournament in 2020 at a fall date to be announced.
Canceled this year is the Women’s Chili Pepper tournament that was scheduled for July 14. Hillcrest aims to make up for it with a women’s pro-am tournament in the fall.
Various scramble tournaments remain on the calendar, though. The Junior Club Championship is scheduled for July 20-21, and the Club Championship is scheduled for Aug. 22-23.
Dalton Ranch Golf Club in Durango also has a full tournament schedule for the summer, highlighted by the Ladies Club Championship on July 29-30 and the Men’s Club Championship Aug. 15-16.
Kermitt Barrett said the amateur championship at Hillcrest was well executed, and he’s hopeful it’s a positive sign for the tournament season.
“Based on my observation, all the protocols were followed,” Barrett said of health safety guidelines in place at golf courses in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “Golfers were eager to be out there competing, but I don’t think anybody was put at risk by doing so. I hope that is a template, and it’s encouraging for future tournaments.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
