Gunlikson clinches berth to state golf championships

Niwot golfer Christopher Gunlikson is heading back to the Class 4A state championships after a largely drama-free performance at the Region 3 qualifying tournament, held Sept. 22 at Quail Dunes. Aided and abetted by his newly honed short game, the junior carded a tidy 3-over-par 75 on the day, which was good for fifth place in the individual standings and well under the qualifying mark of 81. Now the veteran is looking forward to competing for Niwot on his sport's biggest stage and hopes his streak of mostly mistake-free golf comes with him.

"I'm happy that I played well in the bigger atmosphere," Gunlikson said of the larger regional field. "I was really focused throughout the entire day, and I didn't have any big slip-ups. Eighteen was one of my biggest slip-ups but I still made par, and I was really happy with that last putt. All-in-all, I just have a few things to clean up, and I'll be ready for state for sure."

One thing Gunlikson won't have to clean up too much is his short game, which he credited for his low score on the day. Indeed, quality chipping and putting saved the veteran at least two strokes overall, most memorably on the final two holes, where he sunk two long par-saving putts to stay at +3. Afterwards, he said the fast greens at the Cougars' final league event the week before had served as a potent reminder about the importance of reliable putting and chipping.

"Honestly, I think it definitely helped. If you had a downhill putt on those greens, you were in trouble, but it was almost impossible to leave it short. I had to pay so much attention to those greens, and hit it in just the right spot."

Niwot head coach Ed Weaver agreed with Gunlikson's assessment of his short game at Quail Dunes, but said it was the junior's ability to remain "very consistent and very in control" that served him best throughout the round, just as it has throughout the 2020 season. It should also serve him well at the upcoming state tournament, slated for Oct. 5-6 at Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs. In 2019, Gunlikson finished 45th overall at state, but Weaver predicts the extra year of experience will lead to a much higher placement in the 2020 standings.

"He has more maturity in his golf game, and he's been very consistent all year," Weaver said of Gunlikson's development. "If you throw out his highest and lowest scores for the season, he's shot 73 or 75 every round. It's pretty remarkable, and I don't see that changing next week. He'll be just fine there/"

Gunlikson is also reassured by the extra year of experience, and found another point of agreement with his coach about his prospects in 2020.

"I'm excited to be going up there, but I just have to play better than I did last year. But I'm much more prepared this time, and I'm really going to work on my backswing and just tweaking some things. If I can just hit the ball a little bit better, it'll be perfect."

Unfortunately, Gunlikson provided almost all of Niwot's highlights on the day, and was the only Cougar even close to qualifying for the postseason. Sophomore Carlos Kipkorir finished 39th overall, with an 89 (+17), which was 15 strokes better than his regional performance in 2019, but higher than Weaver had hoped. Behind him was freshman Emmett Shell in 60th with 98 (+26), and senior Luc Blondeau with 105 (+33).