Aspen girls tie for second in state golf championships

Aspen High’s golf team felt they had more to give in Wednesday’s finale of the 3A girls golf state championship, but that might just make what they did in the tournament all the more special and the future all the brighter.

The Skiers tied for second place with Peak to Peak in the first time they qualified for state as a team, competing at Aspen Golf Club, their home course. They couldn’t tame the St. Mary’s Academy Wildcats in their bid for a third consecutive state championship — led by junior Maddy Bante’s under-par final round — but fell by only 12 strokes across 36 holes of golf. The up-and-coming Aspen golf team placed two golfers in the top six and are poised to return all four of their state competitors next year with more invaluable experience — and some hardware — in their back pockets.

“I was bummed walking off that 18th green and disappointed in myself personally, but in the end we’ve done the best the program has ever done,” AHS sophomore Lenna Persson said. “That’s really exciting to hear and I’m really proud of us. … I feel like we have a lot of room to improve and we’re invested. I know we can grow and I’m looking forward to next year in that sense.”

Persson, playing in her second state tournament after qualifying individually last year, took fourth overall in state with 164 strokes across two rounds. Junior Brooke O’Sullivan took sixth with 85, making Aspen one of two teams with two players in the top nine (a five-way tie for 10th gives four teams that distinction).

Sophomore Audrey Woodrow broke 100 on day two to tie for 30th with 199 strokes overall to close Aspen’s scorers. Another sophomore, Madison Nelson, tied for 57th with 227 strokes in her second year of golf and the only member of the quartet with no prior state championship experience. A total of 84 golfers competed in the state finals.

Barring school transfers, injuries or other unexpected outcomes, all four will be back next spring to try to help Aspen take the next step.

The Skiers, surprising even themselves, were tied at the top of the standings with St. Mary’s after Tuesday’s first round, at 263 strokes each. The second and final round saw Persson take a step back, from 8-over-par to 14-over, while St. Mary’s anchor Bante improved by five strokes on the second day, closing emphatically with a 20-foot putt over a ridge on the 18th hole to secure a score of 69, two shots under par.

While Aspen’s golfers tried to leverage the home course to their advantage, they felt they simply didn’t play well enough to do so. Still, they were grateful for the chance to showcase the program’s progress on a home stage.

“Personally, I think it didn’t do me as well as I thought it was going to,” O’Sullivan said. “I think one of the biggest advantages you have playing this course is knowing the elevated greens and having experience with them. That’s fine, but even then if you can’t putt you can’t have an advantage like I thought I was going to.

“Overall, it’s a good experience finally seeing the community come together in person throughout the past couple months. We’ve gotten a lot of support from our family, teachers, everybody, but finally seeing it today was great.”

O’Sullivan, who said she and Persson help with Aspen Junior Golf, are excited for what success for the girls program could mean for the next generation. O’Sullivan said girls are less likely to stick with golf as they age, but having the trophy and first-hand experience is something they can use to motivate the younger players to keep at it.

Of course, that next generation will have to wait their turn as Aspen looks to be right back in the mix next year with the same group of players. Even after O’Sullivan’s graduation next year, Aspen still figures to have Persson, Woodrow and Nelson, among others, in the ranks.

“I’m so proud of them and they’re such good kids and they make my life more joyful,” Aspen coach Shannon Day said. “It’s a special group. Whatever we did (in the tournament) was going to be awesome, and they did awesome, they really did.”

The runner-up trophy will visit Aspen High School for the final week of the school year before spending the summer in a trophy case at Aspen Golf Club, Head Professional Jim Pratt said. Then, it’s time to prepare for next year.

“Just keep working,” O’Sullivan said. “Do some stuff over the summer, try to get everybody committed. But I think a lot of it really gets rolling next spring because you do spend all winter not really playing on a course.”