Los Lunas senior A.J. Smith, Valencia County’s lone golfer competing in the state high school golf tournament this week, was knocked out of the tournament — literally. While competing in the Class 5A tournament at Albuquerque’s Tanoan Country Club, Smith was waiting to take his shot on the 14th fairway when he was hit in the left temple by a shot from another golfer, according to Jim Ottmann, the tournament’s director.
Smith was knocked temporarily unconscious and suffered a slight concussion, Ottmann said. Smith was cared for by the trainer and did not finish his first round.
The Clovis Wildcats dominated in the first day of play at the tournament, with three golfers in the top five (no results from Tuesday were available at News-Bulletin press time).
Clovis’ Guillermo Chavez and Sandia’s Jason Myers led with 70. Clovis’ Travis Reed and Robert Goff were in third and fourth with 71 and 72 respectively. La Cueva’s Louie Morgan also shot a 72 to give himself a share of fourth place.
At the Class 4A state tournament at the Tierra Del Sol Country Club, two Roswell teams led the pack after the first day.
On the girls side, the Roswell Goddard Rockets and Kelli Van Winkle led the way. The Rockets shot a 326 as a team on Monday, helped along by Van Winkle’s 75. Following their teammate closely, Gerina Mendoza and Lauri Neill shot 80 and 84 respectively.
Two girls from Albuquerque Academy were in the top five — Kate Shifani and four-time defending champion January Romero finished their first loops with an 84 and 86 respectively.
In quest of a five-peat, Romero was all but eliminated after the first day — 11 strokes behind the leader.
In the team standings, Academy was in second place with a 347, while Farmington (397), Los Alamos (398) and Piedra Vista (405) round out the top five spots.
For the boys, Roswell High School was in the lead, despite having no individuals in the top five. The Roswell boys finished their rounds with a 323, followed closely by Artesia and Los Alamos in a tie for second at 327.
Heading into the clubhouse after the first day, two District 3-4A teams were clinging to the fourth spot. Academy and Deming each shot 334 on Monday. St. Pius had a hold on the fifth spot with a 337. Taos was in sixth with a 340.
Individually, St. Pius’ Marcus Molina was leading the pack with a 1-over, 73. Mike McCloskey of Los Alamos was second with a 75. Los Alamos’ Thad Clancy and Academy’s Casey Caldwell were third at 77. Jesse Barnsley of Academy and Carville Bourg of Taos each shot 78 to finish in a tie for fifth.
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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April 19, 2024
