Reiley Waldo may have had her worst ball-striking day of the season Monday, but she played smart enough to post a solid score.
Waldo, a senior at Durango High School, shot a 12-over-par 84 at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale during the first of two rounds at the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A state girls golf tournament.
That placed her three shots outside the top 10, which was Waldo’s goal entering the state tournament for her third consecutive year.
She started on the No. 10 tee Monday and went out of her first nine holes with a 40 before posting 44 on the back-nine.
“I felt OK, definitely better my first nine holes. It’s always frustrating to finish worse than you started in a round,” said Waldo, daughter of Allisa Oliger and Kurt Waldo.
Waldo said she had a difficult time adapting to the speed of the greens as well as picking the right club on approach shots.
“Club selection was a lot different from what I normally do. I’m still trying to figure it all out,” Waldo said.
DHS head coach Kirk Rawles said Waldo played smart enough to keep the ball out of the hazards and avoid any penalty strokes in a round she otherwise struggled to piece together.
“To be perfectly honest, it was her worst ball-striking round of the year,” Rawles said. “She was not solid but kept it in play and scrapped to manage a decent score.”
Jefferson Academy’s Jennifer Kupcho leads the tournament at 2-under 70. She is the defending state champion. Dolores junior Kiselya Plewe shot an 8-over 80 Monday.
Waldo’s big goal still is to break 80 in a competitive high school round, and she will get her last chance Tuesday, if weather allows. CHSAA already has announced that all of Tuesday’s action could be postponed, but a decision won’t be made until Tuesday morning.
Weather was beautiful in Carbondale on Monday, and Waldo hopes it can hold out one more day, though she is preparing for a nasty day on the course.
“I’m going to get in the right mental state for tough weather conditions,” she said. “The biggest thing is to keep a positive mind-set and be ready to handle it.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
