Pirates Johnathon Smith and Tyler Dimond will represent the Pagosa Springs High School golf team at the 3A state tournament on Oct. 6 and 7 in Eagle after finishing the regular season among the classification’s top 84 golfers.
The state tournament will take place at the Eagle Ranch Golf Course in Eagle.
Smith will enter the tournament as the third seed, with Dimond earning the 81 seed.
“I’m really excited for it,” coach Mark Faber said. “They both played well. They worked hard and did a good job. ... Tyler had to do it towards the end. He had some good early rounds and struggled a little in the middle of the season, then played well at the end, so that ... was really nice.”
Faber explained the team will head up on Sunday and will have a chance to play the course and analyze it from each player’s perspective and make a plan.
Faber added he, Smith and Dimond are excited.
The state qualifications came on the heels of the Pirates claiming the league title, among other honors.
The Pirate golf team won the Intermountain League (IML) meet in Cortez on Wednesday, Sept. 24, with Smith earning player of the year honors after winning the tournament, and Dimond and Chatwin Pickering garnering all-conference honors.
“It was really good. We are the Intermountain League champions, which is really nice,” Faber said, adding, “It was a good day.”
The Pirates combined for a score of 228 at the IML meet, which put the Pirates first ahead of Alamosa’s 240, Montezuma-Cortez’s 242 and Durango’s 251.
Smith shot a 69 on the par-72 course to take first out of 26 golfers, logging one eagle, four birdies and par on 10 holes.
Dimond tied for third with a 78, notching a birdie and shooting par on 11 holes.
Faber noted Dimond almost had his best round ever, but double bogeyed his last hole.
Pickering tied for seventh with an 81. His day included shooting par on 11 holes.
Faber highlighted Pickering’s work on the day, noting under the former method of qualifying for state, Pickering would have advanced.
Deaglan Denen logged a 94 to tie for 19th, with his effort including shooting par on two holes.
Max Brown followed in 21st with a 95, with Brown shooting par on five holes.
“They both played well,” the coach said, adding it was a good day and everyone played well.
On Monday, the Pirates returned to New Mexico for the Piedra Vista Panther Fall Invite at the San Juan Country Club in Farmington.
Faber noted the tournament was not originally going to count toward state qualification, but that the cutoff date moved.
“We thought yesterday was just for fun,” Faber said Tuesday.
He noted it was a golf course nobody on the team had seen, but that it was a “really nice facility” and “a good test — a real good test.”
The coach explained it’s a narrow golf course where golfers need to hit the ball straight on.
“And they worked hard at it,” he said.
The Pirates took third with a 345 at the eight-team tournament, behind Farmington’s 330 and Durango’s 340.
Smith took second out of 48 golfers with a 74 on the par-71 course.
His effort included birdies on five holes and shooting par on nine holes.
“He had two or three rough holes, and for the rest of it he played really well,” Faber said.
Dimond took seventh with an 84, which included shooting par on seven holes.
“Tyler played well” and had a pretty good round, Faber noted.
Pickering took 23rd with a 92, which included shooting par on five holes.
The coach also highlighted his play on the day.
Brown ended up as part of a six-way tie for 24th after shooting a 95.
His effort included shooting par on five holes.
Lamoreaux tied for 37th with a 99, with the Pirate shooting par on four holes.
“It was fun, I think they really enjoyed it,” Faber said, again noting the team took a different approach to the day not realizing it would count toward state qualifications.
He added it was a nice difference from what the team normally does.
The tournament concluded the regular season for the team.
As a team, the Pirates finished the regular season as the No. 10 team in the 3A division.
randi@pagosasun.com
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