3A boys golf state tournament: Peak to Peak, Davis Long edge out title wins
Peak to Peak’s Davis Long hits the birdie putt to come into the clubhouse at three-under. #copreps pic.twitter.com/1uV7JXYHRk
— Cannon Casey (@cannon_casey) October 3, 2017
LAFAYETTE — Davis Long’s round of three-under gave him the individual title at the Class 3A boys golf state tournament at Indian Peaks Golf Course. As for the team title, well, that took a little longer.
“It’s super surreal,” Long said after his round. “I wasn’t really expecting it, I was thinking more about the team today. That was a fun time, but I don’t think it’s really set in yet.”
Peak to Peak won the team title after a two-team playoff.
“It feels wonderful. I’m very proud of the guys,” Peak to Peak coach John Thornbury said. “They played extremely well under pressure and really came through in the clutch. It was a full team effort. Everybody contributed at the end and throughout the tournament. I’m thrilled they could do it on their home course.”
Both Peak to Peak’s Davis Long and Prospect Ridge’s Walker Franklin had to make crucial putts in their rounds.
Long dropped his birdie putt in on 18 to move to three-under and a share of the lead.
“After yesterday, it turned into a whole different ballgame being just 18 holes,” Long said. “Just because it was 18, I was playing a little bit more aggressive. I know this course pretty well, so I played it how I’ve always played it.”
At the same time, Franklin had his ball on the green staring down a par putt that would have finished him at three-under.
Franklin bounced it off the edge of the cup and was forced to settle for bogey and a share of second place with defending champion Oliver Jack.
Franklin did not shoot a bogey for 17 holes.
Jack played to a steady one-under heading to a par-four seventh hole. Jack drove the green, then made a 15-foot eagle putt to move to three-under and into the lead.
A birdie to start the back nine had Jack (-4) two strokes ahead of the field.
“It was great playing with (Jack) because it kept me on my toes,” Long said. “He’s a great player, so he’s great to play with and keep up neck and neck with him.”
Jack would have to rally after a double-bogey on 12 that put him into a tie with Franklin and Long. He grabbed a birdie on 17, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Long.
Long jumped in the lead at two-under after birdies on three and four, but fell off towards the end of the front nine with two straight bogies.
But, he hung tough and stayed close.
“Just knowing that you can’t really make a big mistake that would kill you,” Long said. “At the end of the day, you have to go out and play golf and see what happens.”
With birdies on 16 and 18, Long jumped to the top of the leaderboard.
Teammates Ian Thorpe (+1), Nishant Datta (+3) and Ethan Tartaglia (+8) turned in solid efforts to boost Peak to Peak to a tie with Kent Denver for the team championship.
“A team championship would be so amazing,” Long said just after his round finished. “It was really cool to make that putt on 18 with some of the guys from school standing around.”
Aspen (+8), Eaton (+18) and Colorado Academy (+20) rounded out the top five.
Peak to Peak and Kent Denver played a two team playoff with one foursome for each team. The best three scores from each team were chosen for scoring.
After the playoff, it was Peak to Peak that took the team title. Tartaglia’s playoff par was ultimately the decider.
“I told them that they’ve played this hole hundreds of times,” Thornbury said. “They know what their shots are on this whole. Play it as you’re most comfortable.”
Estes Park’s Ivan Richmond, the 2016 Class 3A runner-up, started the front nine with a birdie, and made a string of pars, then ran into trouble on the eighth hole.
Richmond shot a bogey on eight, then a double bogey on nine to make the turn at two-over.
Richmond ended with a three-over.
The tournament was changed to a one-day format due an unplayable course on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, play was delayed due to a 30-minute frost delay.
19 holes later, Peak to Peak and Long took home the championship.
