Niwot boys golf finishes fifth at socially-distant season opener

Ed Weaver isn't thrilled with his team's finish at their season debut at Quail Dunes Golf Course on Aug. 7, but that isn't to say he's disappointed either. In fact, the Cougars met his expectations more or less exactly in Fort Morgan, and now he can see their path to the postseason a little more clearly.

"What I need to do is take my 90s guys-Luc, Emmett and Carlos-and get them to take five or six shots off each of their scores, so they're in the high 80s. Then we'll be right in the thick of things."

With a team score of 262, the Niwot foursome of Christopher Gunlikson (Jr.), Luc Blondeau (Sr.), Emmett Shell (Fr.), and Carlos Kipkorir (So.) finished fifth overall in the school's first official athletic event since March 12, and the first-ever golf event for the newly constituted Class 4A Longs Peak League. That was firmly in the middle of the 10-team field, but just 14 strokes behind the first place finishers Frederick and Riverdale Ridge.

"A couple of strokes, here and there," Weaver said. "We're ok. We're good. We're very good."

Niwot was led on the day by Christopher Gunlikson, who carded a 75 (+3) to finish in third place in the individual standings. The junior was +2 on the front nine (36), after missing short putts on the first and third holes, and was headed for the same score on the back nine, but shot a birdie on the par-4 12th hole to finish just one stroke over. His score would have been even better, according to Weaver, if not for one of the course's safety precautions.

"One of those strokes over par was when he hit the flagstick on the little mechanism that pulls the ball out, so it didn't go in," Weaver said. "So all honesty, he was only two strokes over."

Weaver is confident that his number one golfer is capable of fixing the weaknesses that still plague his rounds from time to time and have thus far kept him from winning individual titles.

"Christopher played fine; he just didn't make some putts," Weaver said. "There wasn't anything bad about his round, it just wasn't as good as he wanted, and that's all putting."

The Cougars played as a foursome for their round, thanks to new social distancing guidelines instituted by the Longs Peak League at Weaver's request. This meant Weaver could remain close at hand for the duration, instead of traveling between four different groups. The arrangement elicited rave reviews from Niwot golfers, who liked being able to interact continuously with Weaver.

"It's definitely different," senior Luc Blondeau said. "But so far I like it, because coach is always there, and he can always be giving you advice. When we're all spread out, he isn't always there to ask questions."

Weaver liked the new dynamic for largely the same reasons, and added that it also helps build team camaraderie.

"Christopher was walking down the fairway talking to Emmett, saying do this, then this, then this, and then Luc and Christopher were talking. It's a part of the day that I really, really liked."

He also thinks it will boost scores for his younger players and the leadership abilities of his veterans as the season progresses.

"Some of the kids might argue that they're playing with a 2,3, and 4 player instead of other number ones or twos," Weaver said. "I think it adds an element of overcoming adversity and dealing with it."

It was hard to overcome early season jitters at Quail Dunes, however. Aside from Gunlikson, Niwot golfers struggled with lost balls and wayward tee shots on the early holes, and couldn't catch up on the back nine. Blondeau, Niwot's number two, carded a +20 on the day to finish in 17th, after taking penalty strokes on the sixth and ninth holes for hitting out of bounds. He rebounded on the back, dropping eight strokes, but the damage was done by the time they made the turn.

"Luc should be shooting in the low 80s," Weaver said. "He's got to get more consistent, and he knows it."

Weaver also sees better rounds ahead from Carlos Kipkorir (96), who finished in 24th, and freshman Emmett Shell (95), who was making his high school debut.

"He's a classic freshman, with outsized expectations," Weaver said. "But he played fine for the first time out."

The Cougars were back on the course a little closer to home on Aug. 11 for Longs Peak League event #2 at Twin Peaks golf course in Longmont. On Aug. 13, the Cougars head to Eaton for LPL #3.