Nathan Lashley walked alone Thursday on the ninth fairway at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.
It was the same hole that gave him no trouble last year when he won the Colorado Open and pocketed $23,000. This year in the first round as the defending champion, Lashley took his time on the par-5 ninth, letting the rest of his group go ahead.
After careful consideration, Lashley landed in a greenside bunker. He blasted out but overshot the green, leaving himself with a chip shot from the opposite side.
Lashley shouted a few choice words, gave his bag a few hard blows and chucked his ball after he missed his next two shots and bogeyed.
“He will tell you what’s on his mind,” said fellow golfer Zen Brown, chalking up Lashley’s outburst to his high standards. “He knows he’s that good. That’s what it takes.”
Even so, Lashley finished his round tied for first with a 4-under-par 67. He is in a group tied for fourth, two shots behind first-round leader Charlie Soule, the former Longmont High and University of Denver standout.
Since Lashley’s 2010 win at the HealthOne Colorado Open, the 28-year-old has won four tournaments this year. That includes his second consecutive win at the Waterloo Open, which earned him $55,000 earlier this week.
“I’ve just been playing pretty steady most of the year,” Lashley said.
The Scottsbluff, Neb., native now resides in Scottsdale, Ariz., but makes a trip home to the Cornhusker State when he can. But it’s a reminder of the tragedy he and his older sister, Brooke, went through seven years ago.
On March 23, 2004, Lashley’s parents, Charlene and Rod, and then-girlfriend Leslie Hofmeister watched Nathan play for the University of Arizona. The three boarded a flight back to Scottsbluff with Lashley’s father piloting, while the young golfer flew back to school.
When Nathan Lashley didn’t hear from his parents, he and his coaches contacted authorities. Several days later, he learned all three had been killed when the plane crashed because of heavy snow and high winds.
“It’s always difficult,” Lashley said. “Weird things, different things bring back memories of my parents.”
He added that on the golf course, it’s easier to block out thoughts of his parents because he’s so focused on each shot. One of his father’s friends, Clark Wasson, now lives near Green Valley Ranch and followed Lashley through the first round.
“His dad was a great golfer,” Wasson said. “And he was a good guy. Nathan got a lot of his qualities.”
Sarah Kuta: 303-954-1033 or skuta@denverpost.com
