The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate golf team picked up another win and a second-place finish in tournaments at Alamosa and Kirtland recently, with Johnathon Smith winning both tournaments.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Pirates won the Alamosa Invite #2, notching a team score of 240.
Host Alamosa finished second at the eight-team tournament with a score of 250.
Smith picked up another win at the tournament as well, scoring a 69 on the par-71 course to take first out of 54 golfers.
Smith logged birdies on eight holes and par on six en route to his win, with Faber highlighting, “to have eight birdies in a round is exceptional, it really is.”
He added he thinks Smith is the first golfer he’s had while coaching for the Pirates to record eight birdies in one day.
The coach continued, stating the rest of the Pirates also played fairly well in Alamosa.
“They had pretty good days,” he said.
Chatwin Pickering in a four-way tie for fifth with an 83.
His effort included birdie on one hole and par on six holes.
“Chatwin had one little stretch that was kinda tough, but the rest of the time played pretty well,” the coach said.
Tyler Diamond finished as part of a four-way tie for 14th with an 88, which included a birdie on one hole and par on seven holes.
“Tyler had one hole that, really, was really tough on him; other than that, played pretty well,” Faber said.
Max Brown finished 20th with a 90, notching a birdie on one hole and par on five holes.
Deaglan Denen finished 27th with a 97, with Denen shooting par on two holes.
Logan Lamoreaux shot a 101, putting him 32nd in the standings. He shot par on four holes.
Maximus Ibram finished 34th with a 102, shooting par on two holes.
Ty Richey and Stephen Pair followed in 35th as part of a three-way tie with scores of 103, with Richey shooting par on three holes and Pair shooting par on two.
“I was pleased with how well they played over there,” the coach said.
Faber also highlighted every single Pirate was able to play the course in Alamosa, calling it “very enjoyable” and noting it was very nice of Alamosa.
On Monday, Sept. 22, the Pirates played through rain and wind to competed at the 12th annual Soria Invitational at Riverview Golf Course in Kirtland, N.M.
Pagosa finished second out of 10 teams with a score of 332.
Farmington finished first with a score of 321. Durango came in third with a 334.
“We ended up second, ... which was not bad,” Faber said, adding that, while the team would have liked to win, it was a pretty good day overall.
Smith took first on the day our of 56 golfers, shooting six under par to finish with a 66.
Smith shot par or better on every hole, with birdies on six holes helping him to his first-place score.
“Johnathon had a great day,” Faber said, highlighting the day was Smith’s first bogey-free round and six birdies, and that he played “extremely well.”
Dimond and Brown finished as part of a three-way tie for 20th with scored of 88.
Dimond logged one birdie and shot par on nine holes, while Brown logged one birdie and shot par on three holes.
Pickering tied with two others for 25th with a 90, which included shooting par on five holes.
Lamoreaux shot a 101 to finish tied for 40th, with Lamoreaux shooting par on two holes.
“It wasn’t the best setting for golf, but, hey, they stayed after it,” Faber said of the wind and rain, adding the weather was likely a little bit of a factor in much of the team not playing as well as hoped.
Faber also noted the difficulty of the course.
“I think maybe the hardest part of the day was the greens were really slow compared to what we normally play, and that comes into play a little bit when it’s so different than what we’re normally doing,” he said. “But, you know, you’ve gotta adjust. Johnathon did a great job adjusting. But, it’s hard. It’s just harder when it’s so different, and the rain slowed it down even a little bit more.”
He reiterated it was a pretty good day for the Pirates.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, the team took part in the Intermountain League Panther Invite at Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez.
Results of the tournament were not available by press time Wednesday and will be included in the Oct. 2 issue of The SUN.
The meet was the final of the season that will count toward qualifying for state, and also offered the Pirates a chance to earn league honors.
Faber noted he’s glad to have a league meet back.
The Pirates will then have one more meet this season, though Faber noted it will not count toward any Pirates qualifying for state.
“We’re just gonna try to have some fun,” Faber said. “We’re gonna let the guys play and try to enjoy it ... and just see how well they can do. It’ll be a nice way to finish the season, you know, before we go to state. ... It should be a nice ending to the regular season.”
That meet, the Piedra Vista Panther Fall Invite, is set for 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, at the San Juan Country Club in Farmington, N.M.
randi@pagosasun.com
