All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Photo by Jocelyn Rowley Freshman Halie Ostrom tees off at Ute Creek in Longmont on April 3. The sunny skies masked deceptively chilly temperatures and challenging playing conditions.
Photo by Jocelyn Rowley Senior Mya Ostrom lines up her putt on the fourth-hole green at Ute Creek in Longmont on April 3.
Photo by Jocelyn Rowley Sophomore Julia Solem tees off on the fifth hole at Ute Creek in Longmont on April 3.
Photo by Jocelyn Rowley Junior Laure Borgin tees off on the first hole at Ute Creek in Longmont on April 3.
Photo by Jocelyn Rowley Freshman Macy Gruszczynski, junior Laure Borgin, and freshman Anna Traing after the Dale Douglas Invitational at Quail Dunes in Fort Morgan on March 23.
Niwot senior Mya Ostrom battled gusty winds and chilly temps to finish a career-best fourth overall at the season’s second Northern League meet, held April 3, at Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont.
The suboptimal conditions proved challenging for the entire 30-player field, especially in the early going, as balls sailed out of bounds or into hazards with alarming frequency. Every golfer but one—reigning state champ Lauren Lehigh of Loveland—was at least 10 strokes over par for the day. Ostrom, who managed just one birdie and two pars, carded a 93 (+21) to lead the Cougars to a third-place finish overall.
Ostrom, a third-year varsity golfer, is no stranger to playing in Colorado’s temperamental spring weather.
“I try to shoot next to the ground,” Ostrom said of her strategy in windy conditions. “It’s not the best way to get distance, but hitting too hard isn’t the best thing to do either. About eighty percent of the swing is best.”
So far, Ostrom is enjoying her final season of high school golf, especially now that freshman sister Halie Ostrom has joined the team.
“I thought it would be fun even before the season began, and now that it’s here, I have someone that I am comfortable with at home and on the golf course,” she said. “I can mess with her, and she messes with me, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Niwot Head Coach Ed Weaver is thrilled that his veteran player is finding her name higher up on the scoreboard this season.
“She has always exhibited so much composure on the course, I'm not surprised that she is playing at the level she is right now,” he said. “As the only senior, I hope the others see that composure and learn from it.”
Ostrom wasn’t the only Niwot golfer who impressed Weaver with her composure at Ute Creek. The Cougars’ number-one golfer Julia Solem finished +31, which was good for tenth overall, but not quite what she was hoping for in her season debut.
“While she didn't play her best, I was proud to see her keep her emotions in check,” Weaver said of the sophomore. “She has high expectations for herself, and I look to see her play better and better as the season goes on.”
Weaver said he continues to be pleasantly surprised by the performance of junior Laure Bourgin, who came in just one stroke behind Solem at Ute Creek. Though new to the sport when the season began, Bourgin has proved a quick study, and is supplementing high school practices with private swing lessons. In Niwot’s season opener at Harmony GC in Fort Collins, she carded a 95 (+23), tying Ostrom for 39th place.
“Laure Bourgin again played a steady round,” he said. “She continues to be very consistent, and her scores will come down as she plays more. This is was only her fourth ever competitive round of golf.”
Halie Ostrom, battling illness in addition to the weather, was +33 for the day, as was sophomore Trinity Pleffner, putting them in a three-way tie for 13th place overall.
“As a team, we really did not play all that well, but I was happy that we finished only seven shots behind Greeley for a third-place finish,” Weaver said. “Right now we are in fourth place in the league, but have a goal to move up into third and possibly second with some better and more consistent team play.”
Early spring weather won again when the league meet scheduled for April 6 at Boomerang GC in Greeley was snowed out. It has been rescheduled for April 13. On April 11, the team headed to Loveland for a Northern League meet at the Olde Course.
4/3—Northern League Meet, Ute Creek GC
Team scores — Loveland (+69), Northridge (+110), Niwot (+117), Mountain View (+130), Centaurus (+182), Fort Morgan(+182), Silver Creek (+208),
Top individuals — 1. Lauren Lehigh, Loveland, 72; 2. Lois Sheaffer, Northridge, 82; 3. Taylor Bandemer, Loveland, 91; t4. Mya Ostrom, 93; t4. Renee Demaree, Mountain View, 93; 6. Natalee Hall, Loveland, 95; 7. Emma Sheaffer, Northridge, 101; 8. Taylor Sandal, Silver Creek, 102; 9. Julia Solem, 103; t10. Marci Collins, Northridge, 104; t10. Laure Bourgin, t13. Trinity Pleffner 105, Halie Ostrom 105.
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