DENVER -- There is an old adage in golf that states that you can't win the state tournament on the first day, but you sure can lose it.
And on Monday at the Class 3A state tournament at Pinehurst Country Club's Maxwell Course, Resurrection Christian freshman Clint Summers did everything he could -- both individually and for his Cougars team -- to be right in the mix on Tuesday.
Summers was the only player in red figures, firing a 1-under par 69 on the 6,500 yard par 70 layout and will sleep on a one shot lead over Montezuma-Cortez's Thayer Plewe and two over Holy Family's Rudi Heitz and Liberty Common's Ryan Woodley.
"I didn't want to be over par and I just wanted to be around first," said Summers, whose Resurrection Christian team (223) sits two shots behind Day 1 team leader Vail Mountain (221). "I was checking the team score the entire round and our team didn't play the best today, but we will be there tomorrow. We will figure it out."
Vail Mountain got 3-over 73's from junior Stewie Bruce and senior Felix Gruner and a 75 from junior Tiki Jaffe to take the Day 1 lead.
As for Summers, it was just a steady day around Pinehurst. His card was a thing of beauty with 15 pars, two birdies and just one bogey.
And stepping on Pinehurst must have felt simple after training/practicing and playing a majority of their season at the beautiful new RainDance Resort in Windsor -- arguably one of the toughest courses in the state and the longest at 8,400 yard from the back tees.
"RainDance kind of perfects your game and if you can get that course down, then you can get anything down and it has really helped me out," said Summers, who is prepared to make the field chase him tomorrow. "I just can't put too much pressure on myself and just play my game, play normally and almost make it like a practice round."
Plewe, who finished runner-up last season in Elizabeth at Spring Valley Golf Course, had three birdies and three bogies to finish at even par.
Heitz played his way into the final group with a birdie on the par 16th to shoot his 1-over 71.
Woodley had things cooking early and after 10 holes looked like he might run away and hide from the field at 4-under. But a bogey on the 11th and a quadruple bogey on 13 brought him back to the field. He got back to even with a birdie on 16, but gave it right back with a bogey on 17.
In all there are 10 players within four shots of the lead and that should make for a thrilling final day chase for the title. Likewise on the team side, where only 13 shots separate the top eight teams.
FULL DAY 1 RESULTS
|
Pos
|
Team
|
Overall
|
|
1
|
Vail Mountain
|
221
|
|
2
|
Resurrection Christian
|
223
|
|
3
|
Colorado Academy
|
227
|
|
4
|
Peak to Peak
|
230
|
|
5
|
Aspen
|
231
|
|
6
|
Kent Denver
|
232
|
|
7
|
Basalt
|
233
|
|
8
|
Holy Family
|
234
|
|
9
|
Montezuma Cortez
|
240
|
|
10
|
Monte Vista
|
245
|
|
11
|
Pagosa Springs
|
251
|
|
12
|
Fowler
|
294
|
|
Pos
|
TM
|
Player
|
Grade
|
Overall
|
|
1
|
Resurrection Christian
|
Clint Summers
|
FR
|
69
|
|
2
|
Montezuma Cortez
|
Thayer Plewe
|
SR
|
70
|
|
3
|
Holy Family
|
Rudiger Heitz
|
JR
|
71
|
|
3
|
Liberty Common
|
Ryan Woodley
|
JR
|
71
|
|
5
|
Aspen
|
Carson Miller
|
SR
|
72
|
|
5
|
Basalt
|
Garrett Exelbert
|
JR
|
72
|
|
7
|
Vail Mountain
|
Stewie Bruce
|
JR
|
73
|
|
7
|
Colorado Academy
|
TJ Giordano
|
SR
|
73
|
|
7
|
D'Evelyn
|
Taj Kumar
|
JR
|
73
|
|
7
|
Vail Mountain
|
Felix Gruner
|
SR
|
73
|
|
11
|
Vail Mountain
|
Tiki Jaffe
|
JR
|
75
|
|
11
|
Liberty Common
|
Michael Woodley
|
FR
|
75
|
|
11
|
Severance
|
Brycen Farris
|
SR
|
75
|
|
14
|
Resurrection Christian
|
Jack Carter
|
FR
|
76
|
|
14
|
Peak to Peak
|
Jack Brayman
|
FR
|
76
|
|
14
|
Severance
|
Ryan Ewoniuk
|
JR
|
76
|
|
14
|
Peak to Peak
|
Jack Winter
|
JR
|
76
|
|
18
|
Kent Denver
|
Jackson Martorello
|
SR
|
77
|
|
18
|
Aspen
|
Sky Sosna
|
SR
|
77
|
|
18
|
Kent Denver
|
Carter Rapp
|
JR
|
77
|
|
18
|
Colorado Academy
|
J.T. Timmers
|
SR
|
77
|
|
18
|
Colorado Academy
|
Colgin Youssi
|
JR
|
77
|
|
18
|
Sterling
|
Ethan Thyne
|
SO
|
77
|
|
18
|
Eaton
|
Peyton Walker
|
JR
|
77
|
|
18
|
Monte Vista
|
Kaden Mellott
|
SO
|
77
|
|
18
|
Golden View Classical Academy
|
Cooper Urbas
|
JR
|
77
|
|
27
|
Resurrection Christian
|
Micah Livingstone
|
FR
|
78
|
|
27
|
Las Animas
|
Damien Baca
|
SO
|
78
|
|
27
|
Kent Denver
|
Ben Ramsden-Wood
|
SR
|
78
|
|
27
|
Peak to Peak
|
Om Mathur
|
SO
|
78
|
|
31
|
Resurrection Christian
|
Gage Meis
|
SR
|
79
|
|
31
|
Colorado Academy
|
Corbin Bank
|
SR
|
79
|
|
31
|
Montezuma Cortez
|
Vince Lopez
|
SO
|
79
|
|
31
|
Holy Family
|
Drake Krommenhoek
|
JR
|
79
|
|
31
|
Salida
|
Aiden Hadley
|
SR
|
79
|
|
36
|
Basalt
|
Jase Joslin
|
JR
|
80
|
|
36
|
Kent Denver
|
Luke Fisher
|
JR
|
80
|
|
38
|
Basalt
|
Jackson Stewart
|
SO
|
81
|
|
39
|
Moffat County
|
Aron Jennings
|
JR
|
82
|
|
39
|
Aspen
|
Ryan Rigney
|
SO
|
82
|
|
39
|
Bishop Machebeuf
|
Sean McGarrity
|
SR
|
82
|
|
39
|
Pagosa Springs
|
johnathon smith
|
FR
|
82
|
|
39
|
Frontier Academy
|
Christian Arguello
|
FR
|
82
|
|
39
|
Limon
|
Landon Nestor
|
JR
|
82
|
|
45
|
Woodland Park
|
Tanner McAfee
|
SR
|
83
|
|
45
|
Pagosa Springs
|
Kaison Clifford
|
SR
|
83
|
|
45
|
Monte Vista
|
Liam Ellithorpe
|
SO
|
83
|
|
45
|
Swink
|
Nick Paolucci
|
SO
|
83
|
|
45
|
Holyoke
|
Ty Dirks
|
SR
|
83
|
|
45
|
Vail Mountain
|
Hunter Salani
|
SR
|
83
|
|
51
|
Salida
|
Eric O’Connor
|
SR
|
84
|
|
51
|
Holy Family
|
Wiley St. Germain
|
JR
|
84
|
|
51
|
Wray
|
Corbin Sprague
|
SO
|
84
|
|
51
|
Gunnison
|
Mason Weitman
|
SO
|
84
|
|
51
|
Eaton
|
Cache Sanger
|
SR
|
84
|
|
51
|
Basalt
|
Alec Claassen
|
JR
|
84
|
|
51
|
Holy Family
|
Ty Bairrington
|
JR
|
84
|
|
51
|
Vanguard
|
Eshan Jain
|
SO
|
84
|
|
59
|
Monte Vista
|
Ryker Anderson
|
JR
|
85
|
|
59
|
Aspen
|
Peter DeWetter
|
SR
|
85
|
|
59
|
D'Evelyn
|
Graham Truesdel
|
JR
|
85
|
|
59
|
Frontier Academy
|
Daniel Wyperd
|
JR
|
85
|
|
63
|
Pagosa Springs
|
Braylon Cotts
|
SR
|
86
|
|
63
|
Dawson
|
Jimmy Leuchten
|
JR
|
86
|
|
65
|
Del Norte
|
Ben Parra
|
SR
|
87
|
|
65
|
Peak to Peak
|
George Grady
|
JR
|
87
|
|
67
|
Bishop Machebeuf
|
Landon Sulser
|
SO
|
89
|
|
68
|
Prospect Ridge
|
Adam Rolander
|
JR
|
90
|
|
68
|
SkyView Academy
|
Joshua Reeves
|
SO
|
90
|
|
68
|
Manitou Springs
|
Jack Clifford
|
JR
|
90
|
|
71
|
Fowler
|
Blake Buchner
|
SR
|
91
|
|
71
|
Montezuma Cortez
|
Kaden Huff
|
JR
|
91
|
|
71
|
Montezuma Cortez
|
Airoughn VanGrandt
|
JR
|
91
|
|
71
|
Jefferson Academy
|
Jack McLucas
|
SR
|
91
|
|
75
|
Buena Vista
|
Elio Rizzi
|
JR
|
92
|
|
76
|
Colorado Springs Christian
|
Owen Albrecht
|
SO
|
93
|
|
77
|
Vail Christian
|
Austin Reyna
|
SO
|
97
|
|
77
|
Vail Christian
|
Jack Hughes
|
JR
|
97
|
|
79
|
Buena Vista
|
Otto Rizzi
|
SR
|
98
|
|
80
|
Fowler
|
Harrison Proctor
|
JR
|
99
|
|
81
|
Fowler
|
Hagen McCuistion
|
SO
|
104
|
|
82
|
SkyView Academy
|
Ryan Carr
|
SO
|
110
|
|
83
|
Dawson
|
Peter Ernst
|
SO
|
113
|
|
84
|
La Junta
|
Steven Salas
|
SR
|
129
|