Steamboat Springs – So much for the so-called sophomore slump.
Greeley Central’s Nick Umholtz stunned the Class 4A field a season ago by claiming medalist honors as a freshman at Wellshire Golf Club.
Still not a player one might single out as a favorite, Umholtz again delivered on high school golf’s grandest stage, firing a 5-under-par 67 at Haymaker Golf Course to lead by one shot over Kent Denver’s Gunner Wiebe and by two over Cheyenne Mountain’s Justin Spray and Colorado Academy’s Mark Hubbard.
“I had a lot of confidence heading into this, and I just had to keep reminding myself of that,” Umholtz said. “If you get ahead, thinking about what your score is going to be, then you just fall off the board.”
It is Wiebe’s Sun Devils who have the team advantage after the first round. Kent Denver leads with a 2-under-par team score of 214. Greeley Central is just two shots behind, and Cheyenne Mountain is lurking at 222.
Umholtz’s quick start was the talk of the course early on, and rightfully so. The sophomore, who attends Frontier Academy in Greeley, went out in 6-under 30. The highlight of many highlights on the card came at the 537-yard par-5 No. 9. After a big drive, Umholtz stuck a 4-iron to within 2 feet from 225 yards out and tapped in for eagle.
Some wayward tee shots on the back nine had Umholtz having to scramble to make bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15. But he finished his eye-opening round in style, two-putting from 80 feet for birdie on the par-5 18th.
“I was really happy just to two-putt that, but I knew with a par, I was still going to be under par. But birdie goes a long way toward tomorrow,” said Umholtz, who beat Steamboat Springs’ Paul Berry in a six-hole playoff last season to win state. “I know that I have a lead, and they have to come and get me. It is still one shot at a time and I still have to post a good score.”
Wiebe is off to his best start at a tournament that has been a thorn in his side during his high school career. Playing last season with a nagging back, Wiebe finished a distant 38th place. But Monday, Wiebe was at his best, especially on the greens. The Sun Devils senior needed just 23 putts en route to his 4-under 68.
“For some reason my speed was really matching up with my line today, and for me that’s a really good combination,” Wiebe said. “I’ve had a pretty good year, and it’s good to come here to the last tournament and be on my game.”
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
Class 4A state golf tournament
Team scores – Kent Denver 214, Greeley Central 216, Cheyenne Mountain 222, Pueblo West 226, Ralston Valley 231, Steamboat Springs 234, Basalt 236, Evergreen 239, St. Mary’s 242, Thompson Valley 243, Mullen 248, Pueblo South 257.
Individuals – Nick Umholtz, Greeley Central, 30-37-67; Gunner Wiebe, Kent Denver, 34-34-68; Justin Spray, Cheyenne Mountain, 34-35-69; Mark Hubbard, Colorado Academy, 34-35-69; Matt Schovee, Kent Denver, 36-35-71; Taylor Gillach, Ralston Valley, 37-35-72; Kaleb Mahanes, Peak to Peak, 37-35-72; Brenden Beeg, D’Evelyn, 35-37-72; Brandon Tomasovich, Greeley Central, 36-37-73; Zach Zaremba, Pueblo West, 36-37-73; David Schroeder, Cheyenne Mountain, 38-35-73; Jon Atencio, Alamosa, 38-36-74; Beau Schoolcraft, Kent Denver, 37-38-75; Paul Berry, Steamboat Springs, 40-35-75; Parker Edens, Greeley C., 38-38-76; Phill Daurio, Pueblo West, 39-37-76; Joe Schwark, Broomfield, 38-38-76; Jordan Burgess, Greeley C., 40-37-77; Mike Sarro, Pueblo West, 40-37-77; Drew Dahlstrom, Rock Canyon, 39-38-77; Zach Johnson, Ralston Valley, 40-38-77.
Nick Trumbo, Thompson Valley, 39-39-78; Ryan Hooks, Evergreen, 40-38-78; Jim Knous, Basalt, 39-39-78; Connor Rakowski, Basalt, 42-36-78; Noland Pickerell, Niwot, 37-41-78; Kendall Murphy, Yuma, 40-38-78; Tucker Campbell, Steamboat Sp., 38-41-79; Brandon Hystad, C.S. Christian, 38-41-79; Jay Tymkovich, Peak to Peak, 38-41-79; Zane Covey, Pueblo West, 40-40-80; Andy Pearson, Cheyenne Mountain, 44-36-80; Bret Meggs, Thompson Valley, 40-40-80; Will Logsdon, Evergreen, 39-41-80; Nick Johnson, Basalt, 41-39-80; Michael Weston, Steamboat Springs, 40-40-80; James Nagl, St. Mary’s, 37-43-80; John Kienast, Falcon, 40-40-80; Dominique Johnson, Montezuma-Cortez, 42-38-80; Ryan Knutson, Broomfield, 40-40-80; Zach O’Grady, Pueblo East, 39-41-80; Ryan Choi, Cheyenne Mountain, 38-43-81; Kevin Webber, Ralston Valley, 41-40-81; Bryan Schlichter, Evergreen, 42-39-81; Julain Hong, St. Mary’s, 42-39-81; Sean Madden, St. Mary’s, 41-40-81; Eric Framer, Delta, 40-41-81; Stuart Thompson, Fossil Ridge, 39-42-81; Chad Novak, Pueblo Cent., 37-44-81; Matt Riggs, Kent Denver, 39-43-82; Jaob Erisman, Mullen, 38-44-82; Jason Whiting, Glenwood Springs, 41-41-82; Luke Valerius, Golden, 40-42-82.
Bryan Olshock, Mullen, 39-44-83; Adam Golesh, Mullen, 40-43-83; Shane Meihous, Pueblo South, 41-42-83; Andy Bingle, Summit, 44-39-83; Abram Ziemer, Faith Christian, 39-44-83; Billy Taylor, Steamboat Springs, 45-39-84; Andy Fitzgerald, Woodland Park, 43-41-84; Josh Eckart, Lamar, 44-40-84; Tyler Freed, Las Animas, 42-42-84; Jon-Michael McCahan, Thompson Valley, 40-45-85; Sean Voisinet, Evergreen, 43-42-85; Davin Sammon, Pueblo S., 47-38-85; Sam McKinley, Grand Valley, 42-43-85; Mike Smith, Fossil Ridge, 42-43-85; Kevin Hurley, Salida, 42-43-85; Stefan Berkower, Centaurus, 43-42-85; Chris Dillon, Mullen, 43-43-86; Mark Dalrymple, Fort Morgan, 40-46-86; Evan Suazo, Pueblo S., 43-46-89; Bryan Mason, Basalt, 40-49-89; Jon Lee, La Junta, 42-47-89; Levi Hinson, Rye, 44-45-89; Will Percy, St. Mary’s, 45-45-90; Blake Strope, Silver Creek, 47-43-90; Justin Payne, Mesa Ridge, 47-44-91; Clark Riedberger, Pagosa Springs, 45-46-91; Nate Muniz, Pueblo South, 44-49-93; Grant Hamilton, Ralston Valley, 45-50-95; Jamison Bair, Eagle Valley, 46-51-96; Chris Otto, Alameda, 45-53-98; Shane Zaruba, Skyline, DQ.
