Summit golf team finds groove prior to regional and state golf tournaments

The Summit High School golf team couldn’t have picked a better time to reach peak play.

The team is less than five days away from the regional golf tournament, so it played in three tournaments in a span of a week in order to make the necessary adjustments prior to regionals and state.

On Monday, Sept. 12, the Tigers played in the Moffat County High School Bulldog Open, and on Tuesday, Sept. 13, the team played in the Steamboat Sailor Invitational. The Tigers ended their week with their own Summit Tigers Invitational at Keystone Ranch on Thursday, Sept. 15.

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Across the tournament-heavy week, the Tigers notched three finishes within the top 10 and many personal-best scores.

At the Moffat County High School Bulldog Open, the Tigers placed eighth out of 11 teams with a total of 258 points. On the Yampa Valley Golf Course, three out of the Tigers’ four golfers in the tournament recorded personal bests.

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Senior Rece Greff led the way for the Tigers with a personal-best score of 78. Following Greff were sophomores Austin Meadors and Evan Wischmeyer, who both finished their 18-hole rounds with personal-best scores of 90. Junior Max Kunzek rounded out the performances for the Tigers in Moffat County with a score of 91.

The next day, the Tigers brought a total of six players to the Steamboat Sailor Invitational at the Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club. The Tigers improved upon their finish from the day before, placing fifth overall with 247 points.

Greff led the way for the Tigers again and came one stroke away from matching his score from the day before by notching a 79.

Sophomore Jace Melby was able to secure the Tigers second-best score of the day in Steamboat by shooting an 81. Melby’s score was, in large part, due to him scoring his first-ever eagle on hole No. 16, a par 4, at Rollingstone Ranch. Melby finished the hole in just two strokes with a powerful hit from the fairway.

Following Melby, was Kunzek with a score of 87 and Wischmeyer with another personal-best score of 88.

“I think just playing smart and not getting in my head as much while playing and enjoying the game” helped, Wischmeyer said of his improvement throughout the season. “I think I was in my head too much and worrying about my score too much” earlier in the season.

Sophomore Tyler Short recorded a score of 89 for the team, while Meadors finished his round with a total of 100.

Having fun is what Wischmeyer said contributed to the team’s growth throughout the season.

“I think we all come out to play golf, but we are not taking it too seriously,” he added. “Everybody is not all stuck up, and (they) are just here to play golf, which makes it more of a fun atmosphere.”

“The biggest thing we do in practice is discipline,” Kunzek said, “getting the job done and trying to get better everyday.”

After two competitive back-to-back days of golf, the Tigers were excited to host 11 other teams on a rainy, fall-like day at the Keystone Ranch Golf Course.

The Tigers ended up recording their best finish of the week at the Keystone Ranch, tying for third with Palisade after both teams scored 247. Summit was beaten by Dakota Ridge in second and Eagle Valley in first.

Short led the Tigers with a score of 80, an effort good enough to tie for seventh place along with Jack Fisher of Steamboat Springs. Melby tied for 10th place with a score of 82, and junior Max Nakos tied for 15th place overall with a score of 83. Meadors and Kunzek tied with Landin Herrera for 20th place overall after they all scored 85. Wischmeyer recorded a score of 90, while Greff shot a 94.

Prior to the Summit Tigers Invitational, head coach Ryne School announced that the regional golf team will be comprised of Short, Melby, Greff and Kunzek — with Wischmeyer serving as the Tigers’ backup player.

“The team is looking good,” Kunzek said of the team headed into regionals and state. “I think we have one of the best mentalities in the region, and we always play to the next hole. Even if we do bad on the hole before, we are always looking forward and trying to score the best that we can.”

The Tigers compete in the 4A Region 4 golf tournament on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Eagle Ranch Golf Course. The team will look to improve upon its fifth-place finish from last year, and Summit hopes to qualify at least two golfers to the state golf tournament in Windsor.

The 4A Regional 4 golf tournament is expected to begin at 10:30 am