AURORA | Centennial League boys golfers had lived a charmed life when it came to Colorado weather for more than a decade.
It had been 11 years since a league tournament had been affected by weather, but it got a major dose of Mother Nature during the opening tournament of the 2014 season Thursday at Meadow Hills Golf Course.
With a handful of groups in the clubhouse and several more still out on the course, an extended deluge of rain, whipping wind, lightning and brief hale pummeled the course and forced varsity and junior varsity teams alike to crowd under the awning of the clubhouse. In just over 30 minutes, greens and fairways all over the course had standing water on them, including the practice putting green that was mostly submerged for a short time.
When the rain had mostly dissipated, Grandview coach Randy Smith went out and checked the greens and found they were too waterlogged to continue the tournament. Every varsity golfer had completed at least 13 holes when they were pulled off the course, so coaches agreed the team and individual standings would be scored through 13 holes.
“We’ve been very fortunate in the past, it was too bad we couldn’t get all the guys finished because some of them were so close,” Smith said. “That was a lot of rain and unfortunately when that much water gets on the course, even if we could have gotten the boys on the course, the conditions wouldn’t have been fair. It would have been a matter of survival more than anything else.”
Photo gallery from the tournament, here.
Several groups of the top players finished before the weather hit.
Though his full round won’t be counted, Eaglecrest freshman Davis Bryant had a great 18 holes, as he fired a 1-over-par 71 in his Centennial League debut. Among those who finished a full round, Bryant’s score ranked just a stroke behind Arapahoe’s Tyler Martinez for low honors.
Martinez finished in a tie for first place with his 13-hole score of 51 along with Cherry Creek’s David Voell, while Bryant’s score of 53 was the best among players from Aurora schools and put him in a tie for fourth place, two shots off the pace.
Cherokee Trail’s Zach Goldsmith finished his round with a 77, while his 13-hole total of 55 tied him for sixth. The Cougars had the best finish among city schools with a total of 235 that tied them with Mullen for third place behind winner Arapahoe and runner-up Cherry Creek and put them two strokes ahead of fifth-place Grandview.
The storm came in from the west after it had stopped over South Suburban Golf Course and pushed the start of the Continental League tournament back more than an hour.
The next Centennial League tournament is scheduled for noon Aug. 14 at The Meadows G.C. in Littleton.
“Thank goodness there are five tournaments; you find out whose the best after those five,” Smith said.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BOYS GOLF TOURNAMENT NO. 1
Aug. 7 at Meadow Hills Golf Course
Team scores (13 holes scored): 1. Arapahoe 212; 2. Cherry Creek 223; T3. CHEROKEE TRAIL 235; T3. Mullen 235; 5. GRANDVIEW 237; 6. EAGLECREST 257; 7. SMOKY HILL 263; 8. OVERLAND no score
Top 10 individuals (13 holes scored): T1. Tyler Martinez (Arapahoe) 51; T1. David Voell (Cherry Creek) 51; 3. David Packer (Arapahoe) 52; T4. DAVIS BRYANT (EAGLECREST) 53; T4. Turner Johnson (Arapahoe) 53; T6. ZACH GOLDSMITH (CHEROKEE TRAIL) 55; T6. Harris Butler (Mullen) 55; T8. DANNY TAGGART (GRANDVIEW) 56; T8. Henry Schaefer (Arapahoe) 56; T8. Subin Lee (Cherry Creek) 56; T8. EJ Clark (Cherry Creek) 56
Aurora individuals (13 holes scored)
Cherokee Trail (235): Zach Goldsmith 55; Brad Scalia 58; Alex Anderson 60; Mitchell Nevin 62; Gett Villanueva 64; Eaglecrest (257): Davis Bryant 53; Alejandro Torres 64; Ryan Beaulieu 69; Thomas Logan 71; Darnell Brown 75; Grandview (237): Danny Taggart 56; TJ Prochazka 58; Mason Jowsey 59; Nate Lewis 64; Alex Ollila 68; Overland (NS): Aaron Nicholson 79; Cole Kucwesky 91; Smoky Hill (263): Paul Cleveland 57; Evan Richards 65; Cole Johnson 70; Kyle Colen 71; Parker Friedentag 71
Other individuals (13 holes scored)
Arapahoe (212): Tyler Martinez 51; David Packer 52; Turner Johnson 52; Henry Schaefer 56; Austin Lienenmann 59; Cherry Creek (223): David Voell 51; Subin Lee 56; EJ Clark 56; Jeremy Feerer 60; Jake Ganna 60; Mullen (235): Harris Butler 55; Reece Jones 58; Michael Phenicle 61; Jack Horvath 61; Jack Powdle 62
Dave Packer of Arapahoe is a special talent. I expect him to shine this season. Good news for Warrior fans – he has a little brother, Tom, who is an incoming freshman this year.