Faith Mewmaw plays her best golf on the biggest day of the season.
The Animas High School sophomore will make her second consecutive trip to the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A State Championship tournament after she qualified Friday at the CHSAA Class 4A Region 4 tournament at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora.
Mewmaw made a birdie on the par-3 11th after nearly scoring a hole-in-one. She made a 4-foot putt for the birdie, and her final score of 28-over-par 100 was good enough to qualify for the state tournament by two strokes.
“She definitely steps up when it counts,” said DHS golf coach Kirk Rawles, who watched Mewmaw make a putt in a playoff to qualify for state her freshman year. “It’s that one day at regions. That’s the uncoachable part of golf. She stepped up, shot a score and made it happen. For her to go to state her first two years, it’s quite an achievement.”
CHSAA shuffled up regionals this year, and the Demons had to travel eight hours to play in a region that included teams from Denver and as far away as Loveland.
“It’s ridiculous to have to travel eight hours to play a regional,” Rawles said. “CHSAA needs to take a really hard look at that.”
Loveland won the regional as a team at 19-over. Glenwood Springs was second at 45-over, and Vista Peak was third at 54-over. Durango was eighth out of 10 full teams to finish at 118-over.
The individual regional champion was Aili Bundy of Loveland. She shot 2-over to beat teammate Lauren Lehigh by one stroke. Vista Peak’s Kyree Conaway was third at 8-over.
The top two teams qualified for the state tournament, along with the next 13 individual players not on either of those teams.
The rest of the Demons struggled on a very tough course that Rawles said has a minefield of bunkers. The qualifying score a year ago was 93, and 102 was good enough this year.
Quinn Griswold shot 44-over in her first regional tournament. Katrina Chandler shot 46-over, and Claire Nickerson did not sign a scorecard. Nickerson filled in for regional qualifier Lauren Biery, who was unable to play because of illness.
“Katrina hit it really well, she just had difficulty on the greens and around them. She just never got it going,” Rawles said. “Quinn shot 116, but she played a nine-hole stretch of 51. If she does that, she shoots 102 and goes to state. Really nice mileage for her first regional.
“Claire stepped into a tough spot on a tough golf course. She’ll be back hitting balls next week.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
