The Durango High School girls golf team started the season with two wins on Monday thanks to sophomore Dylan Livingston. She won the 2025 Chipeta Kick Off Classic in Grand Junction in a playoff; her win in the playoff also gave the Demons the team title.
Twelve teams competed on the par 59 Chipeta Golf Course with the Demons finishing first at +39 over par. Team scores were the combined scores of a team’s top three golfers. Fruita Monument also had a +39 team score but Livingston pushed the Demons ahead with the playoff win. Montrose finished third with a +57 team score.
Livingston and Fruita Monument’s Kadence Ulrich were tied for first at +10 over par after 18 holes. Since the two teams and the two players were tied, the Fruita and Durango coaches agreed to have Livingston and Ulrich compete in a playoff to decide the individual and team titles.
“There are 13 par 3s and five par 4s on it,” Durango head coach Kirk Rawles said. “It's a short course, a modified executive nine that all the Western Slope teams look to go there just to get going. Aspen, Rifle, all the mountain schools and us haven't had any time to put in on a golf course; this is kind of the first volley to get going.”
Rawles said the greens were really tricky for the golfers at Chipeta Golf Course. At this time of the year, the greens haven’t been worked on a lot and haven’t been mowed. The greens were slow from farther than 10 feet out but were quick near the hole.
The Demons started practice the last week of February. It’s been a mix of work in the cafeteria with mats and nets to work on golf simulators. Rawles said the team was on grass once before making the trip to Chipeta Golf Course.
“For us, the margin is probably around 48 to 50 degrees and 10 miles an hour of wind or less,” Rawles said. “Then we're comfortable enough to probably be outside.”
Behind Livingston was junior Jayden Craig, tied for third out of 73 golfers with a +14. Senior Ellie White finished tied-fifth at +15.
White just finished her basketball season on Friday in Denver for the Demons. Rawles said he gave her the option to sit this tournament out to rest and recover but White wanted to play. He said her swing looked great.
Last season, the Demons went to state as a team and finished sixth in 4A. The Demons return all four of those state golfers with White, Livingston, Craig and senior Ramiee Brandt. During Rawles’ 17 years as a golf coach for the Demons, he said it’s very rare for four state golfers to return the next year.
Durango also has some experienced golfers behind the four state players: Senior Myla Glaser and junior Riley Harms competed at Chipeta Golf Course and finished in the top 25.
Thirty-one girls came out for golf this spring which is more than last year, according to Rawles. He said it’s too early to tell how many of those newcomers can compete but Rawles is excited nevertheless.
The Demons will have some time off before their schedule starts to ramp up with spring break next week. After that, Durango will compete in a lot of local tournaments, including hosting the Durango Hillcrest Girls Open on April 14, and will go to Delta and Montrose.
Regionals will be in Loveland and the 4A state championship will be at Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield.
“Knowing all the players and knowing that they've been to the show (state), Ellie and Jayden have been there twice; Ellie and Jayden got a taste of second place at state two years ago,” Rawles said. “I'm pretty optimistic that we’ll be better than sixth. I'll just leave it at that.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
