Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Steamboat Springs High School golf team struggled Wednesday at a tough Devil’s Thumb course in Delta, finishing well behind the pack with a team score of 251.

Cortez won with a 232, and Montrose was second with a 233.

“For some reason, this course gives us fits,” Steamboat coach Steve Dodson said. “I don’t know why. We’ll talk about it.”

Patrick Weston was the low man for the Sailors, shooting an 82.

Alan Capistron shot an 83, Jack Lupori and Isiah Forsyth each shot 86, and Skyler Martin shot an 88.

Moffat County’s Parker King was the low medalist, firing a 2-under-par 70.

Dodson said the team struggled with its short game and wedge distance control.

Devil’s Thumb can play tough when it blows and requires pristine shots to score well — the prototypical target golf course.

“Our short game is not good,” Dod­­­­son said. “They are not getting up and down. Our chipping is not real clean. That’s leaving too long of a par-saving putt, and they are making bogies.”

Take Weston, the low score of the day for Steamboat.

Any time Wes­ton would get on a par streak, he’d follow with a bogey.

It would take several holes for him to get back going, but by then the damage had been done.

“Things were difficult today,” Weston said. “The greens were difficult, the wind was blowing a little bit, and everybody wasn’t ready to play.”

Despite Wednesday’s struggles, Steamboat returns to action today at Cobble Creek in Montrose.

Dodson took several good points out of Wed­­­nesday’s round — like Cap­­ist­­ron’s closing eagle on the par 5 No. 18 — but said he’s looking for more consistency today.

“We got a little work to do,” Dodson said. “Cob­­ble Creek is a different golf course. It’s a little more non-intimidating to the eye from the tee box. Maybe that will make a difference.

“But such is the game of golf. It’s just like when you think you have it one day and then you don’t. We didn’t have it (Wednesday.) Maybe we’ll have it” today.