Broomfield – After an uneven warm-up on the practice range, Monarch senior Chelsey Collins walked to the first tee of her home meet Monday morning with an uneasy feeling.
Bogeys on the first two holes could have been the beginning of a bad day, but Collins settled down to win thanks to three closing pars for a 1-under-par 71.
“I started bogey, bogey, and I didn’t get my first par until the seventh hole. … I didn’t hit very well on the practice range, so I just tried to start hitting targets,” said Collins, who signed to play golf at the University of Oklahoma.
It was an up-and-down day for Collins at the Coyote Invitational girls golf tournament at the Omni Interlocken Golf Club. But if anybody knows how to get out of a jam on this course, it has to be her.
“I do have the home-course advantage,” said Collins, whose father, Larry Collins, is the director of golf at Omni Interlocken.
Collins finished three strokes ahead of Fort Collins senior Kasey Claussen, who finished 2-over on the par-72, 5,595-yard course that played over the Sunshine Nine and the Eldorado Nine, two of the three nine-hole courses at the club.
Collins and Monarch edged Claussen and the Lambkins by one stroke for the team title.
The Coyotes’ top three were Collins, her younger sister Brooke Collins – who shot a 75 for fourth place behind Littleton’s Becca Huffer – and Katie MacIntyre, who finished with a 99.
Claussen and Haley Hartman broke 80, with Hartman shooting a 79, and Becky Wilson scored a 93 to round out Fort Collins’ top three.
Kent Denver, led by Olivia Garard’s fifth-place 77, finished third in the team race, ahead of Douglas County and Cherry Creek.
While Chelsey Collins was riding a bogey-birdie roller coaster on the front nine, Claussen was holding steady with seven pars on her first nine holes.
Claussen said she was pleased to stay on the fairways most of the day, but that one-stroke loss to Monarch for the team trophy didn’t sit so well.
“We all said that we would rather lose by 10 strokes than one,” Claussen said.
RESULTS
Team scores – Monarch 245, Fort Collins 246, Kent Denver 249, Douglas County 262, Cherry Creek 265, Heritage 265, Loveland 271, Grand Junction 279, Littleton 286, Highlands Ranch 287, Skyline 295, Boulder 299, Chaparral 313, Broomfield 317, Fairview 319, Legacy 320, Lewis-Palmer 341, Lakewood 342, East 359.
Individuals – C. Collins, Mon., 35-36-71; Claussen, FC, 38-36-74; Huffer, Lit., 40-35-75; B. Collins, Mon., 36-39-75; Garard, KD, 41-36-77; Kempton, Her., 37-41-78; Hartman, FC, 40-39-79; Watts, KD, 41-39-80; J. Zamprelli, DC, 37-43-80; Buchner, Lov., 42-39-81; Cavanaugh, Her., 42-39-81; Wagner, CC, 40-41-81; Johnson, DC, 43-41-84; Saracino, CC, 43-42-85; Berguin, GJ, 44-43-87; Engelkemier, HR, 43-48-91; Duboc, KD, 44-48-92; Wilson, FC, 42-51-93; Flores, GJ, 50-44-94; McCaslin, Lov., 44-50-94; Glade, HR, 42-52-94; Close, Sky., 48-47-95; Baxt, Bou., 44-51-95; Fuhrman, Fai., 51-45-96; Grabar, Leg., 49-47-96; Schnake, Lov., 48-48-96; Negrelli, Sky., 51-46-97; L. Zamprelli, DC, 51-47-98; Coover, FC, 48-50-98; Winder, GJ, 47-51-98; Zeschin, KD, 47-51-98; McCarty, CC, 51-48-99; MacIntyre, Mon., 49-50-99; Zarba, Cha., 49-50-99.
