The Durango High School boys golf team came into Monday’s Class 4A Region 1 tournament with high expectations, as the Demons were ranked in the top five as a team. While DHS was unable to qualify all four golfers for the state tournament in two weeks, the Demons will send a trio of players.
Discovery Canyon won the region with a 21-over par 237 at Desert Hawk Golf Course in Pueblo West. Pueblo West High School was second with a 24-over 240, and Coronado rounded out the top three teams with a 30-over 246. DHS finished fourth as a team with a 33-over 249.
Sophomore Levi Tichi and seniors Ethan Whidden and Luke Tichi qualified for state after they finished in the top 21. Sophomore Anthony Flint narrowly missed the cut and will be the first alternate. The top two teams automatically qualify for the state championship tournament with all four golfers. The next 13 individuals not on those teams also qualify.
“I think our expectations were a little higher just given the regular season, but we managed to get three to state,” said DHS head coach Kirk Rawles. “We get to play as a team, but obviously it would be great if we could play with our fourth. But sometimes, that’s the way golf is some days.”
Discovery Canyon’s Kaden Ford won the regional with a 1-over 73, Gregory Lewis of Palmer Ridge took second at 2-over 74, while Reese Knox of Falcon was third with a 4-over 76. Just five golfers shot rounds in the 70s.
Sophomore Levi Tichi paced Durango with a 9-over 81, and he tied for eighth-place. He was 3-over on the front nine, and was 5-over through 16 holes, but said he lost focus starting on the 17th hole.
“It was one of those days where you had to get through and grind through it, despite the fact that we all didn’t play very well,” Levi Tichi said. “For me, I felt good on the front nine, and then was 5-over through 16. I tried to coast through it and it backfired. I made a triple (bogey) on 17, and then bogeyed 18. It wasn’t a complete fiasco, but I just lost focus at the end.”
Ethan Whidden was one stroke behind Levi Tichi, after he shot a 10-over 82 for an 11th-place finish. He was 8-over through the first five holes, but turned it around starting on the sixth hole.
“At that point, I knew I had to settle down because I had just shot two eights in a row,” Whidden said. “At the start of the day, I really wanted to go out and challenge the field and try to win. But after a triple bogey and a (quadruple bogey), I had to adjust my expectations and focus on qualifying. I played much better on the back nine and was 2-over the rest of the day. My putts fell, my driving was good and I’m glad I was able to recover.”
Luke Tichi, who rejoined the team in early September, also qualified. He was 14-over on the day for 18th place and was one of the last at-large entries to sneak into the state field.
“I didn’t have a good day, but I saved two pars on my final two holes, and that really was the difference,” Luke Tichi said. “I’ve been in that position before, and I knew that anything can happen at regionals, so my focus was just to hold on and qualify. The final two holes, I had some good drives and approach shots, so I was super-pleased with how I finished. I leaned on some experience after I missed out on last year, so for me to be heading back to state, it feels really good.”
The trio will have two weeks to prepare for state at The Bridges Golf Course, which is the home course of Montrose, the two-time defending state champions. This is the second consecutive season the Demons have qualified three for the state championship field. A total of 84 players make the state tournament.
DHS will play at Piñon Hills Golf Course in Farmington for a tournament next Monday as part of preparation for state.
bploen@durangoherald.com
