After having several tournaments canceled due to weather, the Durango High School girls’ golf team played twice in two days this week.
The Demons hosted their home tournament on the Hillcrest Golf Course on Monday, two days after the course opened for the season, and managed to finish third as a team, just four strokes back behind Piedra Vista and three behind Kirtland Central.
The Demons then finished second at Montezuma-Cortez High School’s tournament Tuesday at the Conquistador Golf Course. Piedra Vista also won Tuesday’s team title while M-CHS finished one spot behind DHS both days.
DHS shot a 249 on Monday and a 267 in the wind on Tuesday. MCHS shot a 278 to take fourth on Monday and then a 271 on Tuesday to finish third. The 271 is the team’s best score under second-year coach Travis Wright, and the Panthers also currently lead the 3A Region 4.
Zayda Mestas led the charge for DHS on both days.
Mestas shot a 77 on Monday, breaking 80 for the first time in a tournament, to place second individually.
“I was very excited,” she said. “I worked hard for it and stayed focused the entire time.”
She said her putts were dropping, including a 30-footer for a birdie, and her drives were also straight. The mental game, however, is what she said she really did well on.
“I had a triple on one hole, but I was able to come back with consecutive pars and a birdie,” she said.
Ellie White shot an 83 for DHS at Hillcrest, while Jayden Craig shot an 88 to round out DHS’ team score. Natasha Walcott (88), Raimee Brandt (92), Eliza Bosmans (93), Claire Paul (94), Avery Rike (101) and Myla Glaser (110) also competed for DHS on Monday.
Piedra Vista, led by individual champion Annie Yost, shot a 245 to take the team crown at Hillcrest. Yost also won Tuesday to lead PV to another team gold.
On Tuesday, the wind took several golfers’ hats for a ride, but the girls dealt with it. Chesnie Patrick of M-CHS, said the wind didn’t bother her too much after experiencing stronger gusts recently down in Kirtland, New Mexico.
The pressure of playing at home, however, is something she felt.
“There’s a lot of pressure,” Patrick said. “You feel the need to do well to represent your team.”
Patrick, however, had three birdies on the day to shoot an 89 and place eighth. Teammates Ashlyn Hall (90) and Amita Crowley (92) finished right behind her in ninth and 10th. Aftom Unrein shot a 99, and Anna Lawrence finished with a 120 for the Panthers.
“I’m proud of the way the girls handled themselves while hosting,” Wright said. “They were good role models.”
Maestas finished fourth at Cortez with an 85 to lead the Demons again.
“Today, (we) had terrible weather, but we were able to learn from it,” Mestas said. “We’re a spring sport, so we have to deal with 50 mile per hour winds and frost delays.”
White shot an 88 for DHS while Bosmans finished with a 94 to round out the team score. Walcott shot a 96, Brandt shot a 96, Paul finished with a 102 and Glaser carded a 112 for DHS.
“Our team dynamic is really good this year,” Maestas said. “That makes us want to play better.”
Team Scores from Cortez/Conquistador:
1. Piedra Vista 245
2. Durango 267
3. Montezuma Cortez 271
4. Montrose 276
5. Kirtland Central 282
6. Alamosa 317
7. Grand Junction Central 320
8. Gunnison 344
9. Monte Vista 353
Team Scores from Durango/Hillcrest:
1. Piedra Vista 245
2. Kirtland Central 246
3. Durango 249
4. Montezuma Cortez 278
5. Montrose 293
6. Grand Junction Central 293
7. Alamosa 305
8. Monte Vista 325
9. Farmington 351
10. Gunnison 352
