GOLDEN — Brooke Collins had not gone far from her bed since Thursday, and that was to the emergency room Sunday to get some antibiotics.
So how about some golf on Monday?
“I didn’t want to, honestly, but I made myself,” Collins said at the 14th annual Ashley Forey Invitational. “I was like, ‘It’s my last invitational. I’m not going to miss it.’ ”
Collins, in fact, rarely missed. The Class 5A defending state champion from Monarch fired a 4-over-par 77 at Rolling Hills Country Club to win the prestigious event by three strokes and help lead the Coyotes to the team title.
Collins was steady despite a few dubious tee shots, an OK round with the putter on some bumpy greens and classic weather that went from cool to sunny to raging winds. But there was a good omen for the Monarch senior, who will play at Oklahoma next season: A coyote running across the sixth-hole fairway.
“I kind of felt mellow the whole day,” Collins said. “I got mad, but it’s not my usual, ‘I want to kick something.’ ”
Kent Denver’s Olivia Garard and Cherry Creek’s Kacie Curd shot 80 to finish tied for second, and Colorado Academy’s Elizabeth Kresock carded an 81 to place fourth.
Curd was a huge boost to the Bruins, who finished second in the team standings with a score of 252 — four strokes ahead of third-place Skyline. Curd entered as Cherry Creek’s No. 4 golfer but led the squad, which included last year’s invitational champion Tracy Saracino, who shot an 85.
“We have a really strong team. We have four really strong players,” said Curd, who carded a 40 on the front and back nine. “Some days they have bad days and we have good days. I think we all have each other’s back. We can bring three good scores to the table.”
The round was of particular importance to Class 4A golfers, who will return here next month for the state tournament.
“It’s great to play state in a competitive round,” Kresock said. “That’s going to make state so much easier. The last two years I had never played the course before state.”
The shot of the day was by D’Evelyn’s Jen Seltz, the daughter of course pro Jeff Seltz. Jen had a hole-in-one on the 128-yard, par-3 13th hole in front of most of her family.
Team scores — Monarch 250, Cherry Creek 252, Skyline 256, Colorado Academy 258, Evergreen 265, Broomfield 266, Glenwood Springs 266, Kent Denver 266, Golden 270, Fort Collins 270, Lakewood 276, Mullen 278, Heritage 282, Chatfield 282, Rifle 285, Fairview 285, Bear Creek 293, Dakota Ridge 294, Pomona 295, Standley Lake 295, Ralston Valley 296, D’Evelyn 307, Green Mountain 317, Wheat Ridge 318, Yuma 320, Northglenn 322, Arvada West 324, Elizabeth 324, Thompson Valley 330, Columbine 341, Conifer 368, Highlands Ranch 369, Horizon 372, Poudre 379, Arvada 405.
Top individuals – Collins, Monarch, 38-39 – 77; Garard, Kent Denver, 42-38 – 80; Curd, Cherry Creek, 40-40 – 80; Kresock, Colorado Acdemy, 41-40 – 81; Ball, Monarch, 43-39 – 82; Hodgkinson, Skyline, 45-39 – 84; Becker, Glenwood Springs, 43-41 – 84; Forbes, Evergreen, 42-42 – 84; Forney, Rifle, 39-45 – 84; Saracino, Cherry Creek, 46-39 – 85; Kempton, Heritage, 45-40 – 85; Engle, Colorado Academy, 45-40 – 85; Harrison, Fort Collins, 44-41 – 85; Tatman, Skyline, 48-38 – 86; Stolte, Golden, 47-39 – 86; Spinzig, Evergreen, 45-41 – 86; Larson, Skyline, 45-41 – 86; Stripp, Glenwood Springs, 43-43 – 86.
