Tourney change enables Carlon to play City Amateur
Hitting a golf ball — at least correctly — requires precision and attention to countless details.
Winning a golf tournament, all of that precision and many more details. One of which can simply be fate. For the second straight summer, fate has certainly come into play for University of New Mexico golfer Sean Carlon when it comes to the Greater Albuquerque Men’s City Amateur Golf Championship, which begins Friday at Ladera.
The second round is Saturday at Arroyo del Oso and the final round is Sunday at Los Altos.
As the defending champion of his hometown event, Carlon was champing at the bit for a shot at a second straight title last year. After posting a 19-under 197 to win the 54-hole event in 2015,
there was no telling how many City crowns Carlon — then, less than two months after graduating from Hope Christian High — could win in a row. Ray Cragun’s record of five (1972-76) definitely looked possible. Until fate stepped in. The tournament, traditionally held during the Fourth of July weekend, was forced to change dates last summer due to a conflict with another event. It was held July 8-10.
That created a conflict for Carlon, who had qualified for a national tournament in San Francisco.
“I was really disappointed,” Carlon said. “City is always one of my favorite tournaments, and I really wanted to try and defend my title.
“But I knew it was a good field and Albuquerque would get to see good play. And I was happy Gustavo (Morantes) won, because he’s like an older brother to me.”
Morantes, a teammate of Carlon’s who will be a senior in the fall, didn’t have anything slated for the July 8-10 weekend last summer. He entered City, shot 11-under 204 and won by three shots over Connor Payne.
But like Carlon a year earlier, Morantes wasn’t going to enter this year’s City, originally slated for July 7-9. Carlon wasn’t going to play either.
Then fate stepped in again. Just a little more than a month ago, the dates were changed for a second straight year. This time back to the traditional first weekend in July.
Enter Carlon and “Goose” Morantes.
“I’ll be in Euless, Texas next week for the U.S. Am qualifier,” Carlon, who will be a junior in the fall, said Tuesday. “My dad and I kept checking the dates to see when City was, and we were disappointed again when I wasn’t going to be able to play it again this year. Luckily, it changed and fell into the one week that I had off all summer.
“Goose is playing, too. I just found out when he called me today. I’m really pumped about that.”
On Wednesday, Morantes said, “I didn’t event know until Tuesday that I was going to play in it. I wasn’t going to be able to until the schedule changed.”
He then chuckled and said, “Sean was the first guy I called on Tuesday. I told him, ‘I hope you know that I’m going to win again.’”
Carlon said that won’t be the last “smack talk” between the two in the coming days.
“It’s going to be fun,” Carlon, 20, said. “It’s bragging rights between us, but there are going to be other guys like Isaac Alderete and Connor Payne who are going to give us a run. But yeah, there will be some trash talking with Goose, that’s for sure.”
Alderete is also on the Lobos golf team while Payne is a former national long drive champion.
Carlon, who said he played in City “six or seven straight years” until last summer, probably will have just three more opportunities as part of the field. He said he plans to remain an amateur through the summer of 2019, and then turn professional.
After all, that also appears to be Carlon’s fate.
“I think he’s matured a lot and his game has gotten a lot better,” said father Ron Carlon. “He’s hitting the ball as far as he ever has on his drive. I realize he has a lot of great opportunities ahead of him, but he has to be patient. My expectation is that after two more years of college, he will be one of the best college golfers in the country and be ready to turn pro.”
Mother Tammy, who is a teacher’s assistant at Seven Bar Elementary School, said she and Ron will be there, too.
“I love to support him, and Seven Bar Elementary gives me the opportunity to go out and support and watch him.
“That’s what we’ve done all our lives. It’s just the three of us (in the family), and we’ve done it since he was able to play. When the pro time comes, it will be a little harder, I’m sure. But I’ll be out there. I’m a proud mama.”