Dulmes leads Maidens at state tournament
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LAUREL — Maiden golfer Alex Dulmes finished her high school career with a 20th-place finish at the state tournament.
Playing on the tough Laurel Golf Club course, Dulmes shot a 102 Friday and a 108 Saturday for a 208 to reach her goal of finishing in the top 20 at the Montana Class A State Championship.
“She wanted to shoot better than she did, but the top 20 was what she was shooting for,” Ronan coach Rupe Paulson said.
Normally a mid-90s golfer, like all Ronan golfers at the tournament, Dulmes’ score suffered on the deceptively tough course.
“There was a lot of angles, there isn’t a straight hole on the course. They’re all dog legs. There’s a lot of water in play, and the trees ate up a lot of golf balls,” Paulson said.
On the tough golf course, it wasn’t uncommon for a quadruple bogey to ruin a scorecard.
In her first year of playing high school golf, Payge Delaurenti shot a 240 to finish in the middle of the pack. Before teeing off Friday, Delaurenti was so nervous she said it felt like taking the ACT, but Paulson said the experience of playing at the state tournament should help her next year.
“She’s the type of kid who has a lot of drive, and she listens really well. She takes criticism. She’ll listen to constructive criticism, and she’s willing to try anything,” Paulson said.
Normally a straight driver, Ronan junior Riley Dennis struggled with his drive at last week’s divisional tournament. Dennis spent a lot time in the driving range trying to fix the problem, to no avail. He spent a lot of his time Friday and Saturday in the rough trying to find his way through all the trees.
Dennis finished with a 210. Paulson said that Dennis was terribly upset about his score, but he is hoping that he can use it as motivation for next season.
Payton Adams was the other Chief golfer at the tournament. The sophomore shot a 229.
