Kiselya Plewe capped off a brilliant high-school golf career at the Colorado Class 4A State Tournament at Pueblo Country Club last week.
Playing in her fourth consecutive state tournament for the Dolores Lady Bears, the Montezuma-Cortez senior finished 13 over and tied for fourth place.
Plewe said that although she was initially frustrated after shooting a bogey on the opening hole, that she was able to finish strong to end day one tied for fifth place with a 79.
“My last three holes I went two under, so I brought it back at the end to keep myself in contention,” she explained. “But I knew I had a lot of ground to make up going into day two.”
Plewe shot a stroke better on the second day of competition, and head coach Jeff Carr pointed to a specific sequence as one of her best shots of the tournament.
After gaining momentum on early holes, Plewe pushed her drive on the ninth and couldn’t hit the green in two, finding herself in the trees.
However, she was able to stay composed and make the best of the situation.
“She hit a really good chip and made a tremendous downhill putt to save par,” said Carr. “That was the best moment I saw.”
Plewe finished with a 78 on day two for a total score of 157 and 13 over to tie with Kacey Godwin from Colorado Academy for fourth place.
The result was bittersweet for Plewe, who had high hopes for her final state tournament appearance.
“I was pretty disappointed with the way that I played,” she said. “I can’t complain, but I did want (to place) higher than I got.”
“I know that she wanted to win and I believe that she had the ability,” Carr added. “But on the first day she really didn’t get any good bounces or breaks or anything like that. And in order to win you have to get some breaks or make a long putt here or there or a ball bounces out of the rut onto the fairway.”
After tying for fourth as a senior, Plewe wrapped up her career with the Lady Bears with top-15 finishes in the Class 4A state tournament every year.
She placed fourth last year as a junior, tied for sixth her sophomore year and finished 11th her freshman season.
Plewe will continue her golf career next season at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and she has already relocated to Utah Valley for the summer.
She is working as part of the junior crew for the Professional Golf Association as a rules official, helping organize and run junior tournaments.
The opportunity allows Plewe to get to know her teammates and stay active in golf before she suits up for the Wildcats in the fall.
“First and foremost I just want to wish her the best at her college career at Weber State,” Carr said after Plewe finished her final high school tournament. “It’s been a pleasure and a great experience watching her play.”