A new coach and a new program both made their debuts Monday and Tuesday.
The Fort Lewis College women’s golf team completed its first tournament as a varsity program Tuesday at the Colorado State University-Pueblo Samuel Pro Insurance Lady Wolf Pack Invitational.
The Skyhawks finished in last place out of 15 teams with a two-day total of 827 after shooting team scores of 411 on Monday and 416 on Tuesday. FLC finished 36 strokes back of 14th-place Oklahoma Panhandle State, and Lewis University finished in first place with a two-day total of 643, beating Metro State by two shots.
“The women played well (Tuesday),” FLC first-year head coach Guy Begay said in a news release. “A couple of them improved on their scores from (Monday). We’ve got some things to work on before our next tournament next week.”
Jessica Thulson, a Durango High School alumna, was the Skyhawks’ top player. She shot a 14-over-par 85 on Monday, and she shot a 93 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 49th overall. Lauren Trujlllo (200) finished in 72nd place, Myranda Crawford (221) was in 77th, and Lindsey Blythe (229) finished in 79th out of 81 players.
“I’m very proud of these young ladies,” Begay said after Day 1. “There were many positive things about the first tournament for the FLC women’s golf team. Spirits are up, and they’re looking forward to improving the scores and breaking these new school records after only 24 hours in the book.”
CSU-Pueblo’s Kim Hee-Leina won the tournament after shooting rounds of 74 and 70.
The FLC men’s team finished 12th out of 15 teams in the men’s tournament at Pueblo Country Club after they shot a three-round total of 913. Wayland Baptist won the meet with an 846, beating second-place Victoria by 19 strokes. CSU-Pueblo was the top Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team with a fourth-place finish after shooting 868.
FLC improved dramatically with a strong third round. After shooting 307 and 313 in the first two rounds, the Skyhawks rallied with a 293 in the final round to move from 13th to 12th.
Lucas Laudick led the Skyhawks all three rounds of the tournament. He led the tournament in pars with 38 and finished in a tie for 36th overall after he carded rounds of 76, 77 and 74 to finish with a total of 227.
Josh Woodworth, who tied for seventh in par-5 scoring at 6-under, also finished in a tie for 36th along with Laudick after rounds of 79, 77 and 71.
Dillon Washburn shot 76, 84 and 76 to finish tied for 58th, and Mitch Donley rounded out the Skyhawks with a 246 after he shot 84, 75 and 87, good for a tie in 69th place.
Michael Thomas, another DHS alum, did not complete his second round, but he shot an even-par 72 in the third round.
“(Tuesday’s) round was an improvement both in score and approach to the game,” Begay said. “We see a lot of positive team aspects coming forward. We’ve got a couple days to prepare for the next tournament in Amarillo, (Texas), and as a team we’re looking forward to another week together, as well as next week’s tournament.”
Ryan Connolly of Wayland Baptist won the men’s tournament with a three-round total of 204. He finished all three rounds under par with a 65, 71 and 68.
The FLC men’s team will play Sept. 15-16 at the West Texas A&M Ryan Palmer Invitational in Amarillo, Texas.
The FLC women will play the same dates but at RMAC Event No. 1 in Lakewood.
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