Manzano freshman, Academy boys are metro golf champions

A birdie binge sent a Manzano freshman to the Albuquerque Metro Golf Championship on Tuesday.

Isaiah Schmedes overcame a poor start and finished with a flourish to shoot a 2-under par round of 70 — the only player in the field to finish in red numbers — and that carried him to a three-shot victory for the individual metro title.

“It’s my first high school season, it’s awesome,” Schmedes said. “Can’t wait to compete in district and state.”

Schmedes finished three ahead of Albuquerque Academy eighth-grader Thomas Whitten.

Isaac Cota of Volcano Vista led throughout the first half of the round. He was 1-under at the turn. But Cota stumbled home, making two bogeys and a double bogey over his final five holes, and shot 2-over 74 to place third.

Schmedes started his round at the 16th hole. He bogeyed 17, and then made a sloppy double bogey on ADO’s relatively benign opening hole, the par-5 first. “I left 2-3 shots out there just on that one hole,” he said. Schmedes was 3-over after four holes.

But he birdied Nos. 3 and 6 to complete his first nine holes at even par.

He was 1-over through No. 10, then birdied four of his final holes; his last hole was the par-5 15th, which he birdied. He also made three straight birdies on holes 11-13.

“I was just trying to take it one golf shot at a time. I left a lot out there the first 10, 11 holes,” Schmedes said after capturing the most prestigious tournament title of his young prep career with the Monarchs. “It motivated me to get the job done those last five, six holes. … (I’m) proud I got the job done.”

Whitten’s runner-up finish individually was part of a team championship for the Chargers, who won metros a day after the Albuquerque Academy girls won the event at Ladera Golf Course.

The boys followed on Tuesday to complete the team sweep. They shot a team score of 310 (27 over), and defeated Volcano Vista by five shots.

“We just have to keep going like we did,” said Whitten, who plays No. 2 for Academy. “This tournament was kind of like revenge.”

At a tournament early last week at Canyon Club, he said, the Chargers felt they let one get away, as they finished second, five shots behind La Cueva.

“We didn’t play our best,” he said. Whitten was sharp Tuesday in his 73, despite four-putting the first hole.

Josh James, the Chargers’ No. 1, carded a 76 and placed fifth individually.

The St. Pius boys placed third, 11 shots behind Volcano Vista.

District tournaments are next for the state’s teams. The state tournaments are May 12-13 in Farmington (Class 5A at San Juan Country Club, 4A at Pinon Hills Golf Course) and 1A-3A in Kirtland at Riverview Golf Course.