Steamboat seniors Charlie Reisman and Michael DiNapoli were up against a cold, windy and rainy first round of the 4A boys state golf tournament at Bridges Golf and Country Club in Montrose on Monday.
The pair navigated the conditions, and Reisman and DiNapoli found themselves within three and 10 strokes, respectively, of the lead heading into Tuesday’s second round.
Reisman said he approached the tournament with a “nothing to lose” attitude and just wanted to enjoy every moment because he would never experience high school state golf again. That approach took the weight off his shoulders and led to an eighth-place finish at state, shooting a 148 combined score and granting him All-State honors.
DiNapoli, who won the regional tournament just two weeks earlier, placed 44th overall and shot a 164 between his two rounds.
“The two things that worked best for me were my driver and putter,” Reisman said. “I didn’t lose a ball off the tee for all 36 holes, and especially in the last round, I made a lot of putts. The last seven holes of the second round I made four birdies — a majority over 10 feet.”
This was Reisman’s first time tackling the Bridges golf course while DiNapoli only had one interaction with it in the past. That made Sunday’s practice round prior to the tournament all the more important.
Steamboat coach Josh Dunahoe said they used the practice round to better understand the greens, check out pin locations and dive into the risk versus reward of every hole. They strategized which holes should be played more aggressively for birdies and which should be played safe for pars.
Reisman said the practice round helped build his confidence on the course.
“I’m pretty proud of the mental strength it takes to be a golfer,” Reisman said. “That has definitely improved for me throughout the year and I also think it will not only help me in golf but definitely help me in life later down the road.”
Following the second round, Reisman shook hands with his group and quickly jumped in the car, leaving his state medal behind to drive to Eagle for a Steamboat soccer game where he helped the Sailors defeat Eagle Valley 4-2. Reisman even scored a goal in the game and flaunted a golf swing celebration. He will pick up his medal from his coach later this week.
Dunahoe said he will always look back fondly on this group of guys who were his first set of players as a head coach. He cannot wait to get back on the course next year.
“I’m proud of the whole golf team and especially Charlie and Mike for accomplishing what they did in the playoffs,” Dunahoe said. “Mike won 50% of the tournaments he entered; Tiger Woods at his best couldn’t do that. Charlie held it together at state and had the best first round he could have.”
