LITTLETON — Justin Mortensen didn't win a state golf title Tuesday. He really wasn't even close.
But he'll remember his final shot for years to come.
Alamosa High School's Justin Mortensen putts on the 12th green during the Class 4A State Boys Golf Championships on Tuesday at Highlands Ranch Golf Club.
Mortensen, a senior at Alamosa High School, chipped in from off the 18th green for an eagle to complete his three-year run at the Class 4A State Boys Golf Championships at Highlands Ranch Golf Club. The shot enabled Mortensen to finish Tuesday's round at 1-over-par 73 over the par-72, 7,006-yard track, equaling his total from Monday's opening round. He concluded the two-day, 15-team, 84-player tournament with a 146 total, tied for seventh, the best finish of the eight Southern Colorado players competing.
Last season, Mortensen shot a two-day total of 147 and placed seventh.
Going out the way he did Tuesday was a thrill.
"It's a good way to go out as a senior, chipping in for eagle on the last hole," said Mortensen, the Mean Moose's lone representative. "I hit the ball a lot better today than I did yesterday, but still I couldn't get anything going. I kind of messed up on a couple of holes. I grinded for the most part."
Mortensen admits he wants to play college golf but is weighing his options.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen now," said Mortensen, who also wrestles at Alamosa. "We'll see how it plays out. It's all up in the air right now. I'd like to keep playing golf somewhere. If I could get to that caliber, I'd love to play pro. That's definitely something I'd like to do."
Meanwhile, Pueblo South's run at a state title went south as three of the four team members had worse scores in the second round than they did in the first round.
Sophomore Dominick Bregar, the South-Central League medalist, was hoping for a top 5 finish. Instead, he followed Monday's 73 with a 77 for a 150 total and tied for 18th.
Freshman Jimmy Makloski went from 74 to 78 and was at 152, tying for 24th.
"I should have kept my head in there better," said Makloski, making his first state appearance. "I started off good and then made a couple of bogeys in a row. I got mad and it all got away from me. You just know you should have done better on that last shot.
"Yeah, I was expecting to play a lot better than that. You have to try and have confidence in your swing. That's what I learned this year."
Junior Alex Romero shot 79 Monday and 86 Tuesday for a 165 total, tied for 64th.
And senior Ty Bray followed his first round 80 with another 80 for a 160 total, tied for 51st.
It all added up to a three-man total of 235 for the Colts. That was nine strokes off the pace they set on Monday when they were fifth in the team standings and left them with a two-day total of 461, tied for eighth with Lewis-Palmer.
First-round leader Valor Christian won the team title by six shots over Rock Canyon with a 429 total. Montrose was third at 448, defending champion D'Evelyn fourth at 448 and Cheyenne Mountain fifth at 450.
Sophomore Wyndham Clark of Valor captured the medalist title, firing a 5-under-par 67 to wipe out the lead of Montrose junior Drew Trujillo, who led after the opening round with a 66. But Trujillo shot an even-par 72 Tuesday to finish at 138, two strokes back of Clark's 136.
Valor's Michael Schoolcraft was third at 142, D'Evelyn's Sam Phillips fourth at 143 and Greeley West's David Oraee and Rock Canyon's Matt Potter tied for fifth at 144.
Three other Southern Colorado players competed in the field. Centennial's Tom Pankey went 78-79 for a 157 total and tied for 42nd and Canon City's Scott Patrick (163) and Dwayne Skolski (164) finished in 57th and tied for 58th.
Class 4A State Boys Golf Championships
LITTLETON — Here are the final team scores, top five individuals results and Southern Colorado area individual results following the second and final round of the Class 4A State Boys Golf Championships held Monday and Tuesday at Highlands Ranch Golf Club:
Team scores
Valor Christian 212-217—429, Rock Canyon 213-222—435, Montrose 227-221—448, D'Evelyn 223-225—448, Cheyenne Mountain 227-223—450, Mullen 227-229—456, Silver Creek 224-236—460, Lewis-Palmer 235-226—461, Pueblo South 226-235—461, Palmer Ridge 235234—469, Broomfield 239-234—473, Steamboat Springs 232-242—474, Fossil Ridge 246-236—482, Centaurus 258-245—503, Fort Morgan 264-242—506.
Top individuals
Wyndham Clark, Valor Christian, 69-67—136
Drew Trujillo, Montrose, 66-72—138
Michael Schoolcraft, Valor Christian, 71-71—142
Sam Phillips, D'Evelyn, 68-75—143
David Oraee, Greeley West, 72-72—144
Matt Porter, Rock Canyon, 69-75—144
Area individuals
Justin Mortensen, Alamosa 73-73—146
Dominick Bregar, P.South 73-77—150
Jimmy Makloski, P.South 74-78—152
Tom Pankey, Centennial, 78-79—157
Ty Bray, P.South, 80-80—160
Scott Patrick, Canon City, 76-87—163
Dwayne Skolski, Canon City, 80-84—164
Alex Romero, P.South, 79-86—165
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