Jack Clifford learned one major lesson in his first try at a state golf tournament.

“Putting is hard,” he said.

Putting at Pinehurst Country Club turned out to be a tough ask. It played a big role in the junior shooting a 46-over-par 186 Oct. 3 and 4 at the Class 3A boys golf state tournament.

He was the only Manitou golfer to qualify, meaning he could contend only for the individual championship and not a team title. The low player in the field was Montezuma-Cortez’s Thayer Plewe, who shot a 64 on Tuesday to finish the tournament at 6-under.

Clifford said that his ball striking was fine and that he was hitting his irons pure and straight. But the difference in playing in a state tournament and winning a state tournament comes with what a player can do on or around the greens.

“You have to have a good short game to have a good round,” he said.

But he didn’t walk away from his effort discouraged. If anything, he’s motivated to tighten up his skills in that area and do the work necessary not just to get back to state, but to put together two solid rounds.

“I’m super motivated after today on wanting to get better,” Clifford said. “I want to climb up that leaderboard.”