STATE GOLF CHAMPIONAHIPS

Santa Fe Prep sophomore Karen Tian held off the late challenge of team-champion Socorro senior Haley Richardson to claim the individual state 1A/3A state golf championship Monday at the Los Altos links in Albuquerque.

Thus, Tian became the initial Griffin girl to win this event, and the school’s first since Paul Otte III won in 2007. She also became the second straight girl from Santa Fe to finish on top, as well as the third in four tournaments, joining St. Michael’s Carisa Padilla, who won the title in 2017 and 2019.

On the final hole of the 90-degree event, Tian calmly sank a most important clutch putt after overcoming a double bogey on the 16th that allowed playing partner Richardson to close the gap with two holes remaining.

To which Richardson saved par on the 18th with a clutch putt. Tian then completed her big finish with a two-putted one-stroke triumph that avoided a playoff.

Socorro was the team champion by three strokes over runner-up Texico, St. Michael’s was sixth, 93 shots behind Socorro. The top finisher for the Lady Horsemen was a plus-38 110 for 21st place. Two shots back were teammates Kaitlyn Armijo and Liyah Cifuentes, freshman Cameren Gantt came in with a 116, three better than Maya Pino.

Then there was the St. Michael’s boys coming in third, with Clovis Christian on-top the field, and 24 points ahead of second place Socorro, and with the individual title going to New Mexico Military Institute senior Jackson Hicks.

The Horsemen’s team total of 375 was well behind Clovis Christian’s 328. They were led by diminutive 8th-grader Elijah Salazar, who carded an 8-over

80 to place fifth after being in the same foursome as Hicks. St. Michael’s picked up top-20 finishes from Jaden Jaron Bowen and Trevor Erickson, while Preston Wooten took 26th and Francesco Almale was 34th.