Albuquerque Golf

Ex-Lady Warrior keeps on thriving on the golf link

webadmin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:37:53 +0000

by El Defensor Chieftain Reports | April 4, 2012 | Filed under: Sports

Haley Raymond, a standout 2009 graduate from the Lady Warrior golf team, was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week on Thursday, March 22, after her victory at the Western New Mexico University Intercollegiate golf tournament at the University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque.

The tournament took place on the preceding Monday and Tuesday of that week during a veritable wind storm, but this was nothing new for Haley. She grew up playing in the unpredictable spring weather at New Mexico Tech golf course, and her mettle shone through the stormy clouds of dust and rain to the tune of 78-81 for a total of 159 at one of the Southwest’s toughest golf courses. Her two stroke victory was the first of her college career, and she attributed much of her success to her putter.

“I had a very confident putting stroke throughout the tournament,” Haley said. “And that was so important because South has some of the biggest, most difficult greens in the state.”

Haley led the field in both par-three (3.5) and par-five (4.75) scoring averages, while also having the most pars total in the tournament at 19. This was extremely important because of the inclement weather, where stringing together pars is crucial to a golfer’s success.

She also gave much credit to her fellow WNMU golfers, stating, “We’re definitely a family that takes care of each other. Five of us were together at the state championship in Socorro, and we’ve been friends all the way through.

“Silver City has the same small town feeling as Socorro, and this certainly makes it easier for me to succeed in both school and golf.”

Haley’s mother, Barbara, was there throughout the tournament and was “above and beyond proud of this girl.” She quipped, “Haley has worked her tail off in both school and golf, so this victory is well earned and deserved.”

Haley, along with Kayla Cline, is well known in Socorro golf circles as being a major part of the resurgence of Socorro’s dominance in New Mexico high school golf. The Lady Warriors are currently on a five-year state championship victory streak, and many of the current Lady Warriors look to Cline’s and Raymond’s success in college golf as an inspiration to keep the winning ways alive and strong.

“I’ve been so lucky with Haley,” Barbara states, “because she’s stuck to being her own person, strong and independent. She’s a trooper.”

Haley will return to action on April 2-3 at the Grand Canyon University Spring Invitational at the Robert Trent Jones’ designed Wigwam Blue Course in Litchfield Park, Ariz. There, her putting prowess will prove to be pivotal in continuing her recent success on the links.

Aggies Pull in 12th Place at Desert Shootout

webadmin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:18:31 +0000

Goodyear, Ariz. - The New Mexico State men’s golf team is currently 12^th at the 2012 Desert Shootout at the 7,015-yard, par 72 Palm Valley Golf Course. The Aggies carded a team score of 5-over par, 293 in round one.

“Today we had some guys that needed some experience and I was hoping the golf course would be a little easier for so these guys se we could get a little confidence but that didn’t happen,” head coach Mike Dirks said. “We seem to make the same mistakes. We aren’t setting up the holes very well then we get into trouble and try to do too much and can’t get out of it. Gaston played a solid round of golf and Justin played solid all day and then doubled the final hole of the day. It comes down to the back end of our lineup helping us and we need to find someone that is going to step up over the last three events of the season before conference.”

Senior Gaston De La Torre led the Aggies in round one with a 3-under par, 69, tying him for 11^th overall. Junior Justin Shin is tied for 16^th overall after a 1-under par, 71. Junior Derek Baade shot a 4-over par, 76 and is in a tie for 69^th after the first round.

Freshman Cosme Beamonte fired a 5-over par, 77 in round one and is tied for 82^nd overall, while redshirt senior Miko Alejandro is tied for 81^st overall after carding a 9-over par, 81.

BYU leads the tournament at 14-under par, followed by San Diego (-10), Tulsa (-7), Air Force (-5) and Wichita State (-5). San Diego’s Alex Ching is currently leading the tournament as an individual at 8-under par.

The Aggies will be back on course tomorrow for the second round with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m.

NM State Men’s golf Heads to Rice Intercollegiate

webadmin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:57:10 +0000

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State men’s golf team will play in the 2012 Rice Intercollegiate, Feb. 20-21, at the par 72, 7,184-yard Westwood Golf Club in Houston, Texas.

The three-round event will consist of 54 holes on Monday, Feb. 20 and 18 holes on Tuesday, Feb. 21, with a 7:00 a.m. (MT) shot gun start each day.

“I’m look for us to be in the last group in the last round with a chance to win,” head coach Mike Dirks said. “We need to start the spring off on a good foot. Our team has been playing a lot of golf and now we need to take it outside of Las Cruces and go play and compete.”

The Aggies will travel Justin Shin, Gaston De La Torre, Zachery Fullerton, Derek Baade, Simon Miller and Brett Walker.

This year’s field will consist of teams from around the nation, including; Rice, Air Force, Florida Gulf Coast, Houston Baptist, Houston, Kansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana tech, Missouri State, Northwestern, Texas State, UTSA, Wichita State and Winthrop.

Last season the Aggies won this tournament with a three-round score of 11-under par, 853, a tournament record. Senior Gaston De La Torre was the tournament’s individual winner, carding a 9-under par, 207, also a tournament record.

Fans can follow the action on www.golfstat.com with live scoring from the event.

Ex-Lobo Brigman Plays Golf With Clinton

webadmin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:55:04 +0000

BOGOTÃ — Albuquerque’s D.J. Brigman was cool Friday when notified that this week’s Nationwide Tour opener would be pretty special.

As the chairman of the Nationwide Tour’s Player Advisory Council, Brigman was the first player offered the opportunity to play in the pro-am Wednesday with former U.S. President Bill Clinton at the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship.

“There was no hesitation. I said, ‘Absolutely, I’d love to do that,’” said the 36-year-old former University of New Mexico golfer.

Then things got more intense Wednesday morning when Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was set to join the all-star team, bringing plainclothes officers from the United States and Colombia together at Country Club de Bogotá to scan the media, gallery and the periphery of the course, located in the center of the city of 8 million.

“I was pretty calm when I found out last Friday, but then I got a little frazzled walking to the first tee today,” Brigman said. “I couldn’t get in the ropes. The Colombian Secret Service wouldn’t let me on the tee. I don’t speak much Spanish, and I tried to get across that I’m a player. Finally, someone from Clinton’s security group came up. They frisked me, and I guess I was OK.”

Brigman played from the championship tees, while the remaining four players in his group played a scramble from the member’s tees. Clinton, who received a handful of mulligans and nearly holed a utility club for an ace on the par-3 12th, was quite vocal in rooting for his teammates, including the first hole when Brigman sank a long birdie putt from the front edge of the green.

Because of the crowd and much picture-taking and handshaking, the group was forced to end its pro-am round at dusk after 16 holes. Clinton participated as a part of his Clinton Foundation’s international outreach.

“President Clinton was great. He interacted with us more than we interacted with him — telling jokes and stories, asking about my life and family,” Brigman said. “He was such an engaging guy. He made me feel like I was a longtime friend right after the first hole. It was such a memorable experience.”

Brigman also used the day to gain some more experience in a harried golf environment.

“This will definitely help me,” said Brigman, who played on the PGA Tour in 2011. “Being in a situation like this helps me to grow more as a player.”

Plus he got a keepsake for the three kids at home — a visor signed by Clinton and Santos.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal

Desert Greens Golf Super Bowl Giveaway

webadmin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:29:54 +0000

Desert Greens Golf Course located on the westside is giving away a BBQ grill during the superbowl. No purchase necessary to win.

Ask you Bartender about the SQUARES game for a chance to win a Round Of Golf, Range Balls, Appetizers and More!

Drink specials, Food specials and prize giveaways. Your best place to spend Super Bowl Sunday.

Larry Chavez – ABQ Media Partners

Golf passes latest perk for lawmakers

webadmin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:25:46 +0000

Sometimes being a New Mexico legislator is a thankless job. But for all the headaches, the position does come with some perks.

For instance, an association of golf course owners is giving each lawmaker, as well as Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, free passes that allow each holder to play one round at each of five golf courses around the state.

The total cost of this gift is $28,500, according to a lobbyist report filed by The New Mexico Golf Tourism Alliance.

“Really, it’s just to expose the legislators to tourism facts about golfing, what golfing does for the state” said Domonic Silva, a lobbyist for the alliance.

“New Mexico has more five-star golf courses than Arizona,” Silva said. “It produces $317 million just in wages. There’s golf courses in 27 of the 33 counties in the state.”

Silva said his client got the idea from the ski industry, which most years provides a free “VIP card” that allows all legislators to try out the slopes at ski areas all over the state, including Ski Santa Fe.

“Ski New Mexico gives passes, some people give movie passes,” Silva said. “We thought, why not golf courses?”

The five golf courses where the lawmakers can play for free are Black Mesa Golf Club at Santa Clara Pueblo; Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club near Sandia Park; Sandia Golf Club at Sandia Pueblo; Sierra del Rio Golf Course near Elephant Butte and Rainmaker Golf Club near Ruidoso.

The group hasn’t yet distributed the passes to all the legislators, Silva said. The passes, which have a photo of each recipient, are nontransferable, he said.

A lobbyist for the ski industry said last year that a legislator — whom he wouldn’t name — was found trying to sell his ski pass on eBay the year before.

Silva said the Golf Tourism Alliance is not pushing any legislation affecting the industry this year.

“Last year we did have a bill to create a special license plate for golf,” he said. The profits from the plates would have gone to the Tourism Department, earmarked for promoting golf in the state.

House Bill 418, sponsored by Rep. Jimmie Hall, sailed through both chambers of the Legislature with nearly no opposition. However, Gov. Susana Martinez pocket vetoed that bill.

While lawmakers are in session, lobbyists are required by law to report expenditures larger than $500 within 48 hours of the spending.

Under the state Gift Act, which regulates presents bestowed upon lawmakers, lobbyists are not permitted to give items valued at more than $250 to individual legislators.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.

Busy golf senior makes the grade

webadmin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:36:49 +0000

By Michael Warren | New Mexico Daily Lobo

Last updated: 01/20/12 1:13am

Getting the ball to the green and getting an “A” are one and the same for UNM men’s golf player John Catlin, a junior. He said it’s his rigorously busy schedule outside class that keeps him at peak academic performance.

“I think that it’s helped me though. It keeps me more focused,” Catlin said.

He is ranked fourth in the MWC and 32nd in the nation. He leads a Lobo squad looking to improve on a fifth place finish last season.

“John has had a great start to the season,” head men’s golf coach Glen Millican said. “The tournaments usually have fields of about 70 golfers. The fact that he has already had multiple top 10 finishes is a great sign.”

Catlin, a business major, holds a 3.7 cumulative GPA. Catlin said it’s difficult at times to balance school and athletics.

“I spend a lot of time on our trips doing schoolwork,” he said.

With an average of 71.3 strokes per round, Catlin is a force to be reckoned with on the green.

Catlin said he has no problem getting the ball to the green, but once it’s there, he needs to work on his short game.

“I’ve always been able to strike the ball well,” he said. “I need to work on my short game. Chipping can always be improved.”

Catlin was recently selected to participate in the Patriot All-America invitational. He was the only Lobo selected to participate in the event.

Millican said even with four seniors on the team, Catlin is a crucial part of the Lobo golf team, not just because of his accomplishments on the course but for his accomplishments off the course, as well.

“We don’t have captains on the team,” Millican said. “Every year we count on the older guys to set the example. John does a great job in this regard.”

Catlin and the rest of the men’s team will play the remainder of their season on the road. Between now and the end of the golf season, the Lobo men’s golf team will travel to tournaments in states such as Hawaii, California and South Carolina.

“It’s not every day you get a free week in Hawaii,” he said.

Notah Begay III’s Inspirational Words at the Clinton Foundation’s Health Matters Conference

webadmin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:55:52 +0000

By Notah Begay III January 19, 2012

I’m a full-blooded Native American, half Navajo, a quarter San Felipe and a quarter Isleta. I’m also the first full-blooded Native American to win a golf tournament on the PGA TOUR. That’s something I’m extremely proud of.

I was born and raised in Albuquerque, N.M. I grew up on a place called Ladera Golf Course. That’s where I dreamed of playing on the PGA TOUR one day. Hitting balls out there as a young kid and telling my colleagues and even some of my instructors that I was going to play the PGA TOUR was something I did even though nobody really ever believed me. I just kept pursuing that goal, and I got a scholarship to Stanford University. I ended up playing there for five years and got a degree in economics. When my college eligibility was completed, I decided to pursue golf professionally.

I always wondered why golf chose me. It wasn’t my favorite sport. I actually wanted to be a basketball player.

I was very fortunate. I used my talent and work ethic on the golf course and translated that into a first-class education. I incurred a tear in one of the disks in my back that left me unable to play. I became inactive, and when I could play, I played extremely poorly. So I went into a state of depression.

The way I tried to counteract that period of my life was by doing a bunch of motivational talks—as many as I could—in Native American communities all around the country. Wherever someone would take me, I would go, and I would work with kids—whether it was fifth-graders or high school graduates at a commencement speech. I did anything I could to stay off the couch and be out of the house.

One of the recurring themes I would see in all the communities I reached out to was a lack of activity among the children. The kids seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, and I didn’t remember kids being that much overweight when I was in school. So I started to make these mental notes, and it started to really trouble me. The physical education programs weren’t adequate, the facilities weren’t adequate and there was a lack of proper nutrition and educational content.

For those not aware, most services on reservations are not where they should be. For instance, less than 10 percent of Native Americans who live on reservations have internet access. In some communities on the Navajo reservation, a large percentage of people don’t have running water. So they’re still living in what would be classified as third-world conditions right in the wealthiest country in the world. So I thought, How can I make a difference? How can I effect change?

And that’s when I realized why I got into golf and why golf chose me. I can be in places like this sitting next to people I consider difference-makers in the world: Annika, Goldie, Lakeysha and Susan are making extraordinary steps in a variety of different areas to impact what I think is a tremendously difficult thing that is facing our kids.

These kids don’t know what they’re up against. They don’t know what’s in front of them, especially if this thing isn’t challenged, if this thing isn’t pushed back.

Many people who attend the events I speak at wonder why I chose diabetes and obesity and why I chose to take on that issue since there are a lot of other pressing ones and a lot of other diseases that face us in this country.

I do it because we can beat it, and that’s what I want to take back with me from this today. We’re all on the same team, regardless of the socio-economic background we come from, whether we’re rich or poor, Stanford or University of New Mexico graduates, it doesn’t matter.

Our kids are the ones we’re trying to look after. It’s the next generation, and I think we can all agree that that is something we want to preserve.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on PGATOUR.com. It reflects Notah’s opening remarks during his panel yesterday at the Clinton Foundation’s Health Matters:Activating Wellness in Every Generation Conference. As a featured speaker, Begay discussed “Building Healthy Communities” with other health and wellness movers and shakers, such as moderator Karolee Sowle, chief executive officer of the Desert Regional Medical Center; founder Susan Dell of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation; mom Lakeysha Sowunmi; Annika Sorenstam, founder of the Annika Foundation; and Goldie Hawn with The Hawn Foundation.

Sauer, Sieben claim 2011 New Mexico West Texas Mid-Amateur

webadmin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:16:32 +0000

Farmington, N.M. -Despite tough course conditions and an early morning frost delay, Mike Sauer of Albuquerque, N.M. fought off all comers and all distractions to win the 2011 New Mexico-West TexaMid-Amateur Championship. Sauer lead wire to wire following his first round 73 with a tournament low 68, holding of a charging Patrick Hanlon of Las Cruces, N.M. who shot 74 the first round and closed with a final round 68 to finish in second place by one shot.

Annette Sieben of Albuquerque, N.M. was able to handle the early morning frost delay and tough course conditions and lead wire to wire firing a first round 83 and following it up with a tournament low 80 holding off her nearest competitor Susan Daniels of Albuquerque, N.M. by 12 shots.

Congratulations to both Mike Sauer, and Annette Sieben for claiming the 2011 New Mexico West Texas Mid Amateur Championship.

Thank you to all the participants an a special thank you to Pinon Hills Golf Course and their staff for allowing us to host such great tournament at a fantastic facility.

Golfer Has Drive to Help Native American Youth

webadmin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:17:44 +0000

By Simon Moya-Smith January 14, 2012

know very little—if anything—about the big-ticket game of golf. But Alexandrea “Alex” Schulte, 23, does. At the budding age of 14, the American Junior Golf Association named Schulte one of the Top 50 teenage players in the country.

Schulte, of Naples, Florida, said she’s been playing the club-and-ball sport for 15 years, since she was 8. Her father, Robert Schulte, would travel across Texas with his softball team to compete in tournaments; Alexandrea, a Northern Ute, said she’d go for the ride.

In the downtime between matches, Alexandrea would join the team on the golf course and whack a bucket of dimpled orbs into the Lone Star sky. That’s all it took; Alexandrea was hooked.

But golf isn’t where her ambitions end.

Although Alexandrea hopes to one day go pro and emulously compete in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) against the world’s premiere female golfers, she also longs for something much more: to inspire Native American youth on reservations spanning Turtle Island.

Alexandrea is a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas; she earned a degree in communications in 2010. Her baccalaureate, coupled with her golf and motivation, Alexandrea said she’s determined to acquaint Native kids with their own talents by visiting them in the classroom.

But Alexandrea is an urban Indian, long since removed from her own reservation. So her question inevitably is: Where to begin?

Indeed. That’s the convoluted question that plagues urban Indians from Los Angeles to the Bronx: How, God, can I help my people?

“I’ve always wanted to go to schools, speak with the kids, interact with them,” Alexandrea said. “It’s a personal goal. I think I want to go to reservations during the off-season and meet kids. I think I can help … I’m just putting myself out there.”

“She’s very proud of her Native American heritage,” said Robert Schulte. “Her mom was very proud of her heritage and she instilled that (pride) in Alex.”

Alexandrea continues to barnstorm across the country competing in golf tourneys—several held just miles from plight-ravaged reservations.

“I have visited some reservations in Arizona and New Mexico while playing golf,” she said. “It was really hard … I noticed that the kids needed something to inspire them.”

Shauna Estes-Taylor, Alexandrea’s golf coach from the University of Arkansas, said Alexandrea is resourceful and eager, and if anyone can find a way to connect with organizations that help kids on reservations, she can.

“She’s super proud to be a Native American,” she said. “I think Alex will show people that she’s out there, and she’ll use her sport and education to succeed in her goal and her dreams. She’s a go-getter like that.”

It took about 30 minutes into our conversation before Alexandrea revealed to me the source of her selflessness. It’s an intimate story about her mother who died from Lymphoma when Alexandrea was only a sophomore.

Alexandrea, then about 13 or 14, would sit spellbound at her mother’s side and listen undivided to stories about her grandfather, Amos Perank. Amos, according to Alexandrea, was one day about to be forcibly removed to a distant boarding school, far from his people. Government agents threatened to cut his hair and strip him of his language and traditional garb. But Perank would have none of that, so he ran away and resisted the government and his removal.

“It’s (that) fighting spirit in us,” said Alexandrea. “I remember hearing about that.”

And it’s that same fighting spirit that Alexandrea said she resolves to honor by helping her people in any way she can, especially the kids.

“My mom always told me to never forget who you are. I always tried to remember that—everyday,” said a melancholy Alexandrea.

She’d someday like to coach women’s golf in the athletic department of her alma mater—the University of Arkansas.

We spoke for 45 minutes about sports, plight, rez kids and all manner of complications she may face on the journey ahead. But Alexandrea is determined to meet her objective. Hurdles be damned.

“Any discouragement would give me the goal to push forward,” she said. “This will take a while. But it can be done. It’s a long road, but I’m willing to take any challenge.

“So many Native American kids have so much talent. I think they just have to have someone to look up to,” she said.

If you’re a teacher or school administrator and you’d like Alexandrea to visit with your Native American students, she can be contacted at alex88golfer@yahoo.com.