Just when they thought it was over, the Durango Demons found new life in a playoff.
The first day of the Durango Invitational boys golf tournament featured 141 golfers representing 15 schools from Colorado and New Mexico at Hillcrest Golf Club. Rounds lasted roughly six hours for each group, and when the top teams all had come into the clubhouse, two were left tied atop the team-score leaderboard.
Durango High School and Grand Junction went to a sudden-death playoff, where the top-four players from each team had a chance to help their team earn the first of two tournament titles to be handed away this week.
The DHS team of Cameron Barnhardt, Cory Gillespie, Cy Spicer and Erik Walker all were able to the par No. 1, a 372-yard par-4, to beat the Grand Junction team of Donny Kinnaman, Trevor Olkowski, Ben Volkmann and Richard Wise.
“That was really awesome. Four pars in the playoff was great,” DHS head coach Kirk Rawles said. “That builds character right there.”
Spicer and Walker two-putted for their pars, as darkness really began to set in. Barnhardt and Gillespie played iron shots into the center of the fairway and left their approach shots short of the hole for long birdie putts. Both boys were able to secure two-putts, even as the minimal daylight made it tough to read their long birdie putts.
“I wasn’t too impressed with our first two pars, but the second two to beat Junction were big,” Rawles said. “They are a good team and have some good players. They are 5A, and we are 4A, and I think it helps both teams when you get into a playoff like that before regionals next week.”
Gillespie and Walker had the two low rounds of the day for the DHS team as they both shot 6-over-par 77. Gillespie, who left the course early and had to be called back when word spread of a playoff, had a solid round going before finishing the final three holes 4-over.
“I just fell apart really on the last three holes,” said Gillespie, son of Jackie and Tracey Gillespie. “I had a good round going with birdies on 10 and 13, and the one on 13 was pretty good because it is a tough hole.”
Spicer originally thought he had shot a 79, but a second look at his scorecard resulted in a 7-over 78, and that is what sent the tournament to a playoff.
Spicer, typically a strong putter, was unsatisfied with his round after four three-putts.
“I hit the ball really well, and I hit my driver decently; I was just a bit inconsistent,” said Spicer, son of Scott Spicer. “The greens killed me.”
Barnhardt finished with a 79, which didn’t make the medalist of the Pagosa Springs tournament very happy.
“I hit the ball really bad – tee box and second shots,” the son of Beth and Bob Barnhardt said. “I scrapped it out kind of, but I had some three-putts that didn’t feel too good.”
Rounding out the varsity team for DHS was senior Daniel McElwain, who shot an 11-over 82.
Rawles said the par finish in the playoff for Spicer and Walker got them off the hook for pulling driver on No. 1 with their first swings of the day. Bad shots cost each of the boys a stroke right out of the gate.
“They redeemed themselves for pulling that driver on the first hole, and hopefully they learn from that for next week when we have regionals,” Rawles said. “Those two strokes are what put us in the playoff.”
The low-round of the day was shot by Riley Rahm of Piedra Vista High School in Farmington. Rahm shot a 1-under 70, surprising all of the coaches in the clubhouse.
“I didn’t think anyone was shooting 70 (Monday),” Rawles said when rumor first got out of the score.
Hayden Plewe of Montezuma-Cortez also had a strong round at 1-over 72.
Rawles still was happy to see four his players finish under 80, and he hopes they can carry some confidence into Tuesday’s round at Dalton Ranch Golf Club.
The junior varsity team also was in action Monday. Blake Martin (86), Kyle Pritchard (89), Nick Roberts (90), Lucas Robbin (92) and Kobe Szura (92) all beat the dark to finish their rounds. The developmental squad also finished their rounds: Grant Hoven (93), Dillon Hoselton (96), Hays Braner (96), Robert Grogan (97), Luke Napier (99), Briar Christansen (103), Kyle Robinette (103), Jervani Thompson (103) and Jeb Steigelman (113).
Scores from Monday will not carry over to the second leg of the Durango Invitational on Tuesday. Instead, the two days are being played as separate tournaments. There will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. with 98 players in the field, and the top-16 players from Monday will be seeded into groups together to go off the first four holes to open the day.
Even after shooting 77 on Monday, Walker is hoping he can just break 90 at Dalton Ranch on Tuesday.
“Especially if it is raining as hard as it is supposed to,” said Walker.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
