Inconsistency plagues Niwot at Frederick Classic

The Niwot boys golf team battled blistering heat and unpredictable course conditions as they made the turn to the second half of the 2020 season at the Frederick Classic on Aug. 27. After a performance that was equal parts great and terrible, Cougar head coach Ed Weaver is looking for more consistency from his young team with the Class 4A Region 3 state qualifier just three weeks away.

"We could've played a lot better," he said after his team's eighth-place finish in the 16-team field at Coyote Creek Golf Course in Fort Lupton. "It was just one of those rounds."

Having one of those off days was Niwot number one golfer Christopher Gunlikson, though you wouldn't necessarily know it from a glance at his score. The junior carded a 75 (+4) on the day, which was good for fifth place overall out of 64 golfers, and five strokes better than his score at the 2019 Region 3 tournament (80), held on the same course last September. At the same time, it was his highest score since opening day and his lowest finish of the 2020 season, not to mention eight strokes behind tournament winner Jake Chesler of Frederick (67), one of Gunlikson's close friends and a frequent off-season golfing partner. But if there is a good time to have "one of those rounds," a mid-season mixed-class invitational is it, according to Weaver.

"Throughout the season you're going to have one of those rounds or things just don't go the way you expect them to," Weaver said of Gunlikson's uncharacteristic day. "This was that round for him. He was hitting his tee shots left and then right, and he missed some other putts that he normally makes. And I told him afterwards that I'm glad it happened now. Now you're ready to finish the season strong."

One of those errant tee shots buried itself at the base of a tree on the right side of the fairway on the par-5 fourth hole, forcing Gunlikson to take a penalty stroke out of "the junk" to finish with a 6. That put him at +1, but he saved himself from going to +2 on the next hole with an "almost impossible up-and-down" after overshooting the green on a short par-3. He took another penalty stroke on seven after hitting into the water, but managed to escape with a bogey.

"I told him that he was stealing one from the course and not to worry about that," Weaver said. "But then he went on and parred eight and birdied nine and parred 10."

Unfortunately, Gunlikson seemed to run out of miracle shots on the back nine. Consecutive bogeys on 11 and 12 put him at +3, and a chance to redeem himself on the final hole the end fell short, literally.

"Then on 18, it's a par 5, he hit the green in two, and then three-putted," Weaver said." That's so unlike him. There are four shots I can see that he could've made and been at even par. This is the one round where he didn't pull it together."

Not that Weaver sees any of this as a cause for concern. He fully expects the "much improved" junior to bounce back in the team's upcoming events and be among those to qualify for the state championships at the upcoming Region 3 tournament, slated for Sept. 22, at Quail Dunes in Fort Morgan.

Whether any of his Cougar teammates will be joining him at state is still an open question in Weaver's mind, however. Unlike Gunlikson, Niwot's next two golfers, senior Luc Blondeau and freshman Emmett Shell, have been consistently inconsistent in 2020, making their postseason outlook murky at best.

That said, Blondeau turned in his best performance of the season so far at Coyote Creek, ending with an 86 (+15) to finish 27th overall. He carded two birdies, including one on the final hole of the day, but those were more than canceled out by repeated penalty strokes and at least one lost ball that resulted in five double- or triple-bogeys. Weaver said the fourth-year veteran has to work on settling his tee shots to have any shot at the post season.

"I'm telling the guys right now, they've got to shoot in the low 80s to qualify for state, maybe 81 or 82," Weaver said. "Luc has no idea where the golf ball is going when he hits it off the tee."

Shell was the only Niwot golfer to improve on the back nine at Coyote Creek, but that was only after he failed to make par even once on the front nine and was sitting at +14 heading into the turn. After a conversation with Weaver about "getting a little more composed," the ninth-grader was even on five of the next seven holes and managed to finish the round with a 91 (+20). Afterwards, Weaver chalked up Shell's uneven play to inexperience and emotional decision-making, which is often the hallmark of 14-year-old players.

I told his mom 'he's having a freshman round'," Weaver said. "So far he's been coachable in golf, but not so coachable in emotion and composure. He has it in him to be able to do it, he just has to bring it all at once."

Senior Jesse Horn rounded out Niwot's foursome on the day, finishing in 58th place with a score of 105. Niwot's fifth varsity golfer, sophomore Carlos Kipkorir, was concentrating on his other role as one of Niwot's top cross country runners, and will rejoin the team next week.

Up next for the Cougars is the Walt Clark Invitational on Sept. 2, followed by a Longs Peak league event hosted by Riverdale Ridge on Sept. 8.