Teeing off at the Monte Vista Invitational at the Monte Vista Country Club on Sept. 8, Montezuma-Cortez High School golfers Cris Rudosky and Blake Keetch appeared confident and comfortable.

Over the next four-plus hours, the duo’s confidence grew thanks to accurate tee shots and consistent putting and by the end of the round, the two sat atop the tournament leaderboard, thanks to a tournament-best score of 3-over-par 73 for Rudosky and second-place score of 5-over-par 75 for Keetch.

M-CHS freshman Tim Wyman finished tied for 18th with a round score of 92. Justin Brunner shot a 94, Jens Jorgensen shot a 97, and Casen Allmon shot a 118.

As a team, the Panthers finished first with a team score of 240, which was nine shots better than second-place Alamosa High School.

Next up for the M-CHS golf team will be two-day tournament in Durango, which will open with a round at Hillcrest Golf Club on Sept. 11 and conclude with a round at Dalton Ranch Golf Club on Sept. 12.

This article was reposted on Sept. 15 to correct the Montezuma-Cortez golf team’s place in the tournament. The M-CHS boys finished first with a team score of 240, which was nine shots better than second-place Alamosa High School.