Elite event
Some of the state’s best in prep golf compete during second annual Shootout in the Desert
To put the Shootout in the Desert golf tournament in perspective, listen to this short, declarative sentence from New Mexico’s best female prep golfer.
“This is bigger than state,” Cleveland’s Jacque Galloway said.
The second edition of this event at Canyon Club — with a more favorable date on the calendar, two weeks later than the inaugural tournament a year ago, which was held the Monday following The Masters — brought together a fair number of the state’s top boys and girls teams from all three of golf’s classifications. Eventually, organizers from the Sun Country Golf House hope to expand this event to include the best from El Paso as well.
“It’s a very good thing to do,” said Hope Christian senior Christian Arguello, who tied for sixth on Monday after a round of 6-over 78. “Usually we just get a bunch of kids from the city. When you get the best people from across the state, it’s really competitive.”
Under brilliant conditions Monday, Manzano’s Bowen Davis, on his home course — “I’ve been a member out here my whole 18 years,” he said with a smile — fired a five-birdie, onebogey round of 68, giving him a sevenshot victory.
Galloway, the Storm junior, shot 74 and won, eight shots better than Los Alamos’ Jessica Osden. Cleveland was also the team champion, finishing five strokes clear of La Cueva.
“You’ve got a state-like atmosphere here,” Piedra Vista coach Tom Yost said.
Yost’s boys fired a terrific team score of 311, which was 24 shots lower than runner-up Los Alamos. The Panthers will be hosting the Class 6A state meet at Piñon Hills in Farmington in two weeks. Last year, Piedra Vista would have been the 6A state champion in Roswell — comfortably — had not one of their players signed an incorrect scorecard on Day 2. That ceded first place to Cleveland.
“It was hard to get over,” said Piedra Vista junior Trey Diehl, who had one of two aces on Monday, as he holed out on the par-3 third. He and his twin Tyler both shot 75 on Monday, tying for second place behind Davis.
“We’re extremely motivated,” said Tyler Diehl. “We all live right there, and we’ve been playing at that course the whole summer and fall to get ready for that tournament.”
The Shootout in the Desert affords them — and every one of the nearly 110 boys and girls who competed Monday — a sampling of the boiler cooker feel-
ing ahead of the state tournaments, which tee off on May 7 in Hobbs (5A), Farmington (6A) and at Canyon Club (1A-4A).
“Why we come here is so we can find competition and prepare our kids for what’s gonna happen two weeks from now,” Yost said.
The players said they relished the chance to have this type of geographic diversity among the entries.
“I think this is the best-run tournament of the year,” added Mesilla Valley Christian junior Coco Andersson, who tied for seventh in the girls’ standings. “(But) they should advertise more in the south.”
“I really like this event, honestly,” said Cleveland senior Alejandro Armijo, who tied for fourth Monday. “I can play with the best teams and the best kids, which I really enjoy. It makes for a fun tournament.”
Especially for Manzano’s Davis, who had local knowledge and took advantage.
“It would have been upsetting if I didn’t play well today,” he said.
NOTES: The Journal polled quite a few players and coaches Monday, asking about turning this event into a straight 36-hole stroke-play tournament for individuals only, scrapping team scores and simply inviting the top 60 boys and top 60 girls from all classes to compete.
The players were almost universally in favor of this idea; nearly every coach opposed it.
… The other hole-in-one Monday came off the club of Cleveland’s Corey Kizer. She aced the par-3 17th.
… One of the great stories Monday was the presence of St. Pius senior Ashlee Garrett, the defending Class 5A state champion who was playing for the first time this spring after being involved a terrible car accident a couple of months ago — an accident she was fortunate to survive. She shot 84 and, stunningly, finished fourth.