MEEKER | After a delayed start to the season due to two wildfires, the Meeker High School boys golf team returned to the course last week for its first tournament of the year. The event also marked the head coaching debut of Nick Burri.
Burri said it felt great to finally see his players compete, noting that golf is about more than just practice.
“The team handled the delay well,” Burri said. “There were some first-tournament nerves, but everyone came into the event positive and excited.”
While scores were not his primary focus, Burri said he was impressed that each player came away from the tournament with specific areas to improve before the upcoming Rifle tournament.
Sophomore Kaden Ridgeway led the Cowboys with a 111 (+39). He shot a 63 on the front nine before improving to 48 on the back nine.
“I would say there is room for improvement. Front nine could have been better, but I feel pretty good about my back nine performance,” Ridgeway said. “During my back nine I focused more on my short game and putting.”
Ridgeway said it felt good to lead the team in scoring and added that his goals for the next tournament are to keep the ball in play and break 100.
“The team and I are pretty motivated to get back to golfing regarding the wildfire cancellations,” he said.
Freshman Teagan Smith finished second for Meeker with a 112 (+40), shooting 54 on the front and 58 on the back nine. Senior Jacob Roberts was third with a 118 (+46), scoring 62 on the front nine and 56 on the back.
“I feel as though I definitely could have played better, but it was my first time at the Rangely course, and I did as good as I could that day,” Roberts said. “Surprisingly, on the back nine I focused on just having fun, and that made me relax and play a little bit better.”
Roberts said the first tournament was nerve-racking, especially for the younger players, but it was a good chance to gain experience. His goals include breaking 100 and maintaining a strong mindset through each round, while also seeing more freshmen step into varsity roles.
Other Meeker scores included sophomore Holt Pelloni (123, +51), freshman Sebastian Baumgart (118, +46), junior Brycen Pena (117, +45) and freshman Josh Simmons (124, +52). Pena’s and Simmons’ scores did not count toward the team total.
The Cowboys placed seventh out of eight teams with a final score of 341 (+125).
Burri said the team’s focus early in the season has been fundamentals and consistency. As they prepare for Rifle Creek, emphasis has shifted to short game work—putting and chipping—and the right mindset to manage the course’s hazards.
“The key to scoring well at Rifle is being in the fairway off the tee box, especially on the back nine,” Burri said. “If the players continue improving as they have from the beginning of the season, we’ll be in great shape come late September and hopefully October.”
Meeker will travel to Rifle on Sept. 8 and Keystone Ranch on Sept. 11. Both tournaments are scheduled for a 10 a.m. start.
