The Durango High School girls golf team did something for the first time in head coach Kirk Rawles’ 17-year tenure: Win a regional and have the individual medalist at the same regional.
Durango has had the depth and balance all season to win a regional and potentially a state title. The Demons beat five other teams for the Girls 4A Region 4 Regional at the Olde Course at Loveland on Monday.
“It's actually a really fun course to play,” Rawles said. “They were the best greens that we had seen all year; the best greens in the sense that there wasn't a lot of winter kill on them and they hadn't been aerated. But the toughest greens also, just because they're kind of an old traditional greens … the biggest challenge was making that adjustment. But the girls did great.”
Durango finished first in its regional with a team score of +42 over par. It was the first team regional win in Rawles’ tenure. The team score was the combined score of each team’s top three golfers. Loveland was second at +59 over par and Golden was third at +65 over par.
Rawles was unsure of why Durango was put into Loveland’s regional and joked that he wondered if the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) had a map. He said having Durango’s regional seven hours away wasn’t conducive to the team’s school schedules with finals and the end of the school year.
The Olde Course at Loveland’s greens were very sloped, had plenty of hills and undulation.
Another difficulty with the course was its length. Durango was used to playing on courses that were between 4,800-5,200 yards. On Monday, The Olde Course played 5,716 yards for the girls. The slope rating for the course is 130, which means it’s considered a challenging course.
Rawles said the increased length really showed on the par 4s. However, the course length was a strength for the Demons because most of the girls can hit it well off the tee and also hit their hybrids well.
Junior Jayden Craig was the regional’s individual medalist, winning with a +11-over-par 83. Craig beat Loveland’s Jordyn Bandemer by three shots. Craig had one birdie, seven pars, eight bogeys and two double bogeys. One of those double bogeys was on the first hole.
“There were nerves just getting going,” Rawles said. “But once they got up to speed and just started playing, they realized they were going to be fine. So for Jayden, she got in her own zone. So I know enough as a coach to step away and let them play. She just got in a rhythm and started hitting the shots she needed to hit … she managed her game, hit a lot of fairways, which put a lot of greens in play, and she putted well.”
Behind Craig was sophomore Dylan Livingston in third at +15 over par. Senior Raimee Brant was in fifth at +16 over par.
Rawles said neither golfer got out to the best start but he called them the core of the team and really helped the team qualify for state, especially since senior Ellie White wasn’t having her best day.
White finished +22 over par and finished tied ninth. Rawles said she was sick in the days leading up to the regional and still wasn’t feeling well on Monday, but White battled through it and did enough to go to state. Rawles said the 90-degree conditions were especially tough for White as she was under the weather.
Durango advances to the 4A state championship at the Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield on Monday and Tuesday. Golfers will play 18 holes each day. Rawles thinks it could be a five-way fight for the team state title.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
