It didn’t take Brooke Kniffin long to improve on the lowest round of her career.
One week after shooting an 87 at Riverview Golf Course in Kirtland, N.M., Kniffin shot a new personal best 14-over-par 86 at Cobble Creek Golf Course in Montrose on the first day of the Southwestern League Championship.
Kniffin helped lead the Durango Demons to second place after the first round of the two-day tournament. She combined with Natalie Lyon and Riley Waldo to shoot 267, and Montrose sits in first with a team-score of 238.
“Montrose has a deep team every year. If we can get closer to Montrose (Tuesday), it will be a good day,” DHS head coach Kirk Rawles said. “If we can hold our place in second place out of 12 teams, we would be good with that.”
Waldo shot an 88 Monday, and Lyon carded a 93.
Katrina Chandler scored a 114, Taylor Edwards signed for a 126 and Courtney Peterson shot 130.
Dolores High School’s Kiseyla Plewe is the individual leader after shooting a six-over 78.
Aspen is in third place as a team, finishing just six strokes behind DHS with a 273. Grand Junction and Grand Junction Central round out the top-five after shooting 276 and 287, respectively.
Rawles said cold temperatures made playing less enjoyable for the team and is ready for more sunshine Tuesday when the team plays The Bridges, a par-71 course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
Though Rawles was pleased with his team’s second-place performance, he is hoping the girls strike the ball a bit better Tuesday.
“I don’t think our whole team is quite firing on all cylinders, yet. I’m hoping we get a bit closer to where we want to be as we work toward regionals in May.” Rawles said.
Scores from Monday’s round carry over into Tuesday. The top-five individuals will be named all-league players, and the top team will be crowned the SWL champion.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
