The conditions were better suited for a swim meet than a golf tournament the second day of the Durango Invitational/Southwestern League Championships on Tuesday at Dalton Ranch Golf Club.
Consistent rain forced players to deal with chilly temperatures and wet greens, and Grand Junction managed it best, shooting a 240 as a team to win both the day and the overall championship at 464.
Durango High School mirrored Monday’s finish with another runner-up result, which is where the Demons finished their two-day tournament overall, shooting a 242 for a two-day total of 468.
The tournament featured a shotgun start where one group started on each of the 18 holes at the same time.
“It affected everyone,” Cory Gillespie, son of Jackie and Tracey Gillespie, said of the weather. “I just reminded myself that everyone else has to play in it.”
Trevor Bogus shot a 78, Cameron Barnhardt an 80, Gillespie an 84 and Cy Spicer a 92 for the Demons’ varsity team.
Bo Ward ran out of balls and was disqualified.
Bogus finished sixth overall as an individual in the two-day competition with a 153.
“I was able to make putts go in,” said Bogus, son of Mike and Wendi Bogus. “The biggest thing was getting a grip on my clubs.”
Fruita Monument finished in third with a 247 (472 two-day), Montezuma-Cortez fourth with a 248 (475 two-day) and Montrose fifth with a 249 (476 two-day).
Grand Junction’s Trevor Olkowski was Tuesday’s medalist with a 75 and defeated Cortez’s Jakob Rudowsky on the second playoff hole to claim the two-day title.
Few players felt satisfied with their scores, and everyone struggled in the weather.
“I’m sure the weather got to ’em,” Fruita Monument head coach Dave Fox said. “You’ve gotta stay mentally tough out here.”
Gillespie nearly lost his club on his very first swing because it was so wet. He gripped it for an eagle on his final shot from 154 yards out on hole No. 3.
“I didn’t even see it go in,” he said. “Walking up I knew it had a chance to be in or really close.”
The Demons will assess what they learned from the last two days as they prepare for regionals Sept. 17 at Eagle Valley Golf Club. DHS head coach Kirk Rawles can use four players for the event and said he would go with Bogus, Ward, Gillespie and Barnhardt.
“The game of golf is so up and down,” Rawles said. “It’s good for them to learn to play in this.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
