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Clovis sophomore ties for fourth

Staff and wire reports

ALBUQUERQUE — On a day when most golfers were battling the cold and the rain, scrappy Clovis sophomore Tyler Fontenot was busy climbing the leaderboard.

Rebounding from a first round that included a dreaded snowman (an 8), Fontenot fired a 2-over-par 74 in Tuesday’s final round of the Class 5A state tournament and finished tied for fourth at 152. He was tied for 13th after his first-round 78.

“He’s just a competitor,” Clovis coach Cal Fullerton said. “After his eight in the first round, he could have easily just settled for an 81 or something and said he done pretty well. I’m really proud of him.”

Freshman Kyler Brewer added an 86 and eighth-grader Kyle Wornell an 87, but it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to avoid last place in the six-team field.

Rio Rancho’s Tim Madigan shot a sterling 3-under 69 at The University of New Mexico’s Championship course that gave him the individual title and led the Rams to the team championship.

Madigan said he had a hunch it was going to be a good day when the clouds rolled in and the wind kicked up.

“We brought our stuff,” said Madigan of the Rams, who had three of the top four players at the end of the 36-hole tournament.

Michael Adams of Alamogordo, who like Madigan loves to play in the wind, was the only other golfer to break par in the final round. He finished with a 70 and had it to 3-under until he three-putted the par-3 17th.

Adams finished second, three shots behind Madigan, with a two-day score of 144.

“This whole weekend I was hoping it would be tough weather, windy and rainy,” Adams said. “I like to play in bad weather. It makes you stay tough.”

Rio Rancho cruised to an eight-stroke win over runner-up Alamogordo. The Rams finished with a team score of 617. Alamogordo shot 625 and Sandia was third at 639. Clovis finished three shots behind pre-tournament favorite La Cueva at 668.

“I think this can be a huge stepping stone,” Fullerton said. “We’re just so young right now.”

La Cueva won the girls 5A team title by 16 shots over defending champion Sandia, with Alamogordo third.

Led by senior Amanda Estes’ 92, Clovis shaved 12 strokes off its first-round score but still finished last in the nine-team field.

Hobbs senior Brandi Goodwin shot a final round 82 to edge Santa Fe High freshman Chanet Fiorina by one stroke for medalist honors.

Goodwin had a 36-hole score of 163 and Fiorina, who had a final round 81, finished at 164. Carissa Schwalm of Mayfield was third at 167 after a final round 82.

Like Madigan and Adams, Goodwin said the windy conditions likely contributed to her win.

“We play in the wind a lot and that makes it easier when we come up here. We know what to hit and how to play it,” Goodwin said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.