The league season is over for the Manitou Springs boys golf team. The Mustangs competed at the final Tri-Peaks tournament of the year at the Pueblo Country Club on Sept. 12.
The quick greens provided some tough conditions for the players, but Jack Clifford again came away with the best score of all Manitou players. He shot a 25-over-par 96 to end the day in a tie for 24th place.
Kai Thomas shot 107, Landon Foster shot 116 and Landon May shot 121. The team effort was the worst of the year as the Mustangs finished 11th out of 11 teams in the event.
Looking ahead to regionals next week at Common Ground Golf Course in Denver, the emphasis for the team continues to be its work around the green.
“They have to get to where they can score,” coach Ken Vecchio said. “They actually hit the ball OK. It’s when they’re getting around the greens that they can’t be wasting four or five shots.”
The struggles weren’t limited to just one player. Clifford started on hole 17 and made double bogey on No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4. The first three holes of the Pueblo Country Club add up to one of the tougher three-hole opening stretches the team will see all year.
The focus for Vecchio now turns to getting his guys ready for Common Ground. The course has a tough layout and is often the site of a state championship tournament, so preparation will be key heading into their rounds.
“We’ll go over that later this week,” Vecchio said. “I’ll give them an idea of how it’s different than what they’ve seen this year.”