Working around the gently rolling undulations of Conquistador Golf Course, the Montezuma-Cortez girls golf team carried the poise of a group that knows the nuances of the course well.
Fittingly, the Panthers posted their best team score of the season, headlined by three players finishing under 100, to take fourth place in their home invitational.
Head coach Travis Wright had the Panthers prepared for a big morning, which saw eight programs from across the region converge on Conquistador Golf Course. Dealing with quick greens, the Panthers sought to calibrate their short game to manage the course that they call home.
Sophomore Chesnie Patrick led the way, tallying a birdie on the par-5 10th hole to highlight a back nine 43, en route to a 91 and a 10th-place individual finish in the field. She parred three of the four par-3 holes to pace the way for the Panthers.
Consistency, meanwhile, proved to be the formula of success for senior Sariah Robinson, who produced three pars while navigating the back nine with nothing worse than a double bogey to go 51-47 for an impressive 98.
Continuing the trend of a strong back nine, Panthers junior Ashlyn Hall compiled three of her five pars on the day on the back nine, including back-to-back pars on 15 and 16 to produce a 99 to round out the team scoring.
Durango won its second team title in as many days with a team score of 250, edging Piedra Vista by five strokes. Kirtland Central took third with a score of 273, topping the Panthers’ effort of 288. M-CHS beat out all the 3A competition in attendance, including several teams that they will see at Cattails GC in Alamosa next month in the regional tournament.
Piedra Vista freshman Annie Yost bested the field with a score of 76, while Durango placed five golfers in the top seven on the leader board.
Patrick’s strong day backed up her effort at Hillcrest Golf Course in Durango from a day earlier. Her stellar round of 86 featured a birdie and four pars, leading the Panthers to a team score of 295 and a third-place overall finish.
Hall posted a 102, while Robinson scored a 107 and junior Anna Lawrence tallied a 131, as M-CHS finished behind only the host Demons (264) and Kirtland Central (277).
