Piedra Vista, La Cueva Claim 6A Team Titles
2018 New Mexico State Golf Championship Contested on Three Courses
Nolan Gillihan of Las Cruces' Centennial High School won the 6A boys New Mexico state golf championship. Jacquelyn Galloway of Rio Rancho's Cleveland High School is the 6A girls champion.
Gillihan held the lead in the final round but made on triple bogey on 18, opening the door for Enrique Armijo of Cleveland High School. Armijo holed a crucial putt but signed an incorrect scorecard and was disqualified, giving the title to Gillihan.
Bowen Davis of Manzano High School who won last week's “Shootout in the Desert” invitational, finished T3 with Farmington's Piedra Vista High School's Trey Diehl.
Piedra Vista won the 6A team championship, narrowly beating Cleveland by two shots. La Cueva High School won the 6A girls championship, besting the second-placet finisher, Cleveland High School, by 14 strokes.
The Piedra Vista boys team had entered the two-day competition on a mission of redemption after a wrong scorecard disqualified them from winning the 2017 6A boys title. Panthers coach Tom Yost described his team as motivated this year.
New Mexico Activities Association Sports Information Director J.P. Murrieta posted a video news story on the drama of the 6A boys competition on the NMAA website.
Galloway bested Victoria Jamharian of La Cueva by 3 strokes in the two-day competition. Finishing third, four shots behind the leader, was Sophia Zamarripa of Sandia High School.
The 6A New Mexico state golf championship was held at Pinon Hills Golf Course in Farmington. Click here for complete results for the 6A New Mexico Golf Championship.
Aidan Thomas of St. Pius High School won the boys 5A individual title, besting second-place finisher Henry Poston of Los Alamos High School by 8 shots. The Los Alamos boys won the 5A boys team title.
There was a three-way tie for first in the 5A girls individual competition, with Taysea Powell of Artesia High School, Josey Jackson of Artesia and Ashlee Garrett of St. Pius tying at 156 over two days. Jackson won the three-way playoff and the 5A girls individual title.
The 5A New Mexico state golf championship was held at the Rockwinds Community Links in Hobbs. Click here for complete results for the 5A New Mexico Golf Championship.
St. Pius won the 5A girls championship,well clear of the second-place finisher Artesia.
Alexandra Michelena of Ruidoso High School won the individual championship, dethroning St. Michael's High School's Carisa Padilla, who won the 5A New Mexico state golf championship individual title last year.
St. Michael's won the A-4A girls championship, 7 shots clear of Hope Christian Academy.
In the boys A-4A competition, Josh Fambro of Taos High School won the individual title, beating Hope Christian's Jacob Lucero by 3 shots. In the team competition, Portales High School, which had been tied with Hope Christian after Round 1, won by a single stroke on Day 2 to claim the A-4A title.
The A-4A New Mexico state golf championship was held at the Canyon Club at Four Hills. Click here for complete results for the 5A New Mexico Golf Championship.
Title sponsor for the 2018 New Mexico state golf championship was Furrs Buffet.
This story was updated to reflect the winner of the 5A girls playoff.
Dan Vukelich, editor of New Mexico Golf News, is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America. Reach him at [email protected]