Gillian Vance isn’t sure she’s ever received such a welcomed phone call before sunrise.
“I was getting ready to leave the hotel and go to the course early this morning when my coach called me and said, ‘Hi, you’re the new 5A state champion,” Vance, a senior golfer at Dakota Ridge said Tuesday. “It was shocking.”
Vance’s coach, Levi Bartholomew, had already been out to The Olde Course in Loveland by 6 a.m., pulling up to see standing water on the practice green after heavy rains fell overnight. Soon after, he was told the second round of the girls state golf championships had been canceled, leaving Vance, the leader after Monday’s first round, as the new state champion.
RESULTS:
Vance shot a 4-under-par 68 on Monday, putting her two shots ahead of Regis Jesuit’s Sydney Gillespie. Regis Jesuit won the team title at 5-over 221, 13 shots ahead of Rock Canyon.
Vance’s competitive nature, Bartholomew said, left her wanting to capture the championship by firing another low round Tuesday. Still, there’s no doubt she earned the title that comes three days before her high school graduation.
“She was great off the tee and her wedge play was fantastic,” Bartholomew said. “She really dialed it up on the backside to shoot a 33 on the back nine.”
Vance, who will golf for the University of Colorado next year, credits work she’d done away from the course for helping her earn her first state championship. Two years ago, she was a CrossFit enthusiast and recently transferred her time to Orange Theory Fitness, which focuses on improving cardio threshold and strengthening core muscles.
“It’s perfect for golf,” Vance said. “It’s helped me a lot. … I’ll be doing that a lot this summer — and a lot of yoga.”
Maintenance crew members equipped with squeegees began working at 4:30 a.m. at The Olde Course Tuesday, feverishly attempting to remove water from the saturated greens. Despite their efforts, the decision was made to call off the second round.
Vance knew when she left the course Monday that there was a chance rain — long the foil of golfers everywhere — could help give her the title. Still, she woke up Tuesday, before that joyous phone call, ready to play.
“I’m still speechless,” she said. “It’s an awesome note to end on.”
Nick Kosmider: nkosmider@denverpost.com or
