When Grand Junction senior golfer and University of Colorado commit Trevor Olkowski got through the 10th hole at Hillcrest on Monday, he wasn’t thinking about winning the tournament – his thoughts were on the Hillcrest course record of 61 and even a possible run at golf’s magic number of 59.
Olkowski battled a rain delay and shifting winds to tie the best round of his high school career, a 64 that bested the entire rest of the Durango Open field by five shots.
The second-place golfer was his brother, Canon Olkowski, who shot 69 as the Tigers steamrolled the 13-team field with a 21-shot victory.
Piedra Vista came in second place with 234 behind another set of impressive brothers, Tyler and Trey Diehl, who shot 74 and 76, respectively. Durango, led by an 82 from Ryan Genualdi, finished tied for fifth place with Farmington at 251.
However, it was Trevor Olkowski’s round that had the teams and parents buzzing as darkness settled in after a long day that included an hour-long lightning delay.
“I felt great at the start and I hit it about as good as I could have on the front nine,” Olkowski said.
He wasn’t kidding. Birdies on three of the first four holes didn’t get the future Buffalo excited, but after a near ace with an 8-iron on hole no. 9 and an eagle on 10, unusual thoughts started jumping into his head when he realized that he was 7-under after 10.
“A few birdies on the front was something I’d done many times, but when I got off the 10th green I started thinking about 59,” he said. “After that, of course I just didn’t hit it nearly as well on the back.”
The Tigers manhandled the opposition Monday, but a formidable Montrose team will be at Dalton Ranch for Tuesday’s 18-hole tournament to apply a bit of pressure. Last year, the Indians’ Glen-Michael Mihavetz won the individual title in a playoff.
Genualdi’s 82 on Monday was the best for the Durango scores that counted, but Kyle Kirkpatrick’s 77 posted earlier in the day on junior varsity was the Demons’ low.
“The standout performance for us today was Kyle,” Durango head coach Kirk Rawles said. “It was huge for him to be where he was and then have to sit through an hour rain delay and come back to par the last three holes to post that number. A lot of these guys just keep getting better.”
Durango will try to improve on the fifth-place finish Tuesday at Dalton Ranch.
jfries@durangoherald.com
