ELIZABETH — Michael Reitz had high hopes at the inaugural Class 3A state boys golf tournament at Spring Valley Golf Club, even if the expectations weren’t as high coming from most everybody else.
The Denver Christian senior wasn’t paired with tournament favorites in the first round despite his second-place finish at regionals. But his strong first round put him in the final group Tuesday morning.
Reitz’s steady game held off St. Mary’s sophomore Andrew Cornella to win the tournament by two strokes after a final-round 2-over-par 74. Reitz finished with a 3-over 147.
“I knew if I tried to play match play I was just going to blow up, so I just played my game, made a lot of pars, and it worked out,” said Reitz, who parred 13 holes.
In the team competition, Kent Denver, despite having just one player in the top 10 — Jason Lehigh’s ninth-place finish with a 158 — took home the team honors with a 487. It’s the third straight team championship for Bob Austin’s team, which won the last two 4A titles. Estes Park was one shot back.
“We’re young,” said Austin, whose team was made up of a freshman, two sophomores and a junior. “It was a battle out there for every one of them, and I knew that this state championship was going to be very competitive.”
But the day belonged to Reitz.
He started out two shots off the lead, trailing Front Range Christian’s Min Kyu Jeon. But by the time the final threesome reached the second tee, Reitz was in the lead. After Reitz birdied the first hole to pull within one stroke, he was handed the lead without taking another shot. Jeon, who parred the opening hole, was penalized two strokes for having an extra club in his bag.
A follow-up bogey at No. 2 and Jeon was two shots back, a deficit he wouldn’t overcome.
Jeon finished third, three shots back, but he was not a major factor after bogeying six of his first 12 holes en route to a 78.
Cornella started the day one shot back of Reitz and kept the pressure on throughout the day, but he was never able to take a lead. Cornella tied for the lead after he birdied No. 5 and Reitz bogeyed No. 6. But Reitz took the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5, 552-yard ninth hole.
