GRAND JUNCTION – If Fairview had three players in the field for the Class 5A boys golf state tournament, the team title might virtually be in the bag after the way the opening day played out Monday at Grand Junction’s Bookcliff Country Club.
As it stands, the two Knights in the field of 84 — sophomore Ash Edwards and senior Miles Kuhl — appear primed to come home from the long trek to the Western Slope with individual hardware.
Edwards fired a blistering 6-under-par 66 in the opening round, good enough to give him a one-stroke lead over teammate Kuhl and Castle View senior Gavin Amella, last season’s 5A individual medalist.
“It’s a bummer not having a team here, I think that fueled the fire for us to want to go 1-2,” Edwards said. “We want to prove we’re one of the teams in the state.”
Fairview had a third player that got knocked out of the top 84 after the results of the final day of the regular season, which left them with just Kuhl and Edwards — both top-10 individuals last season — and one shy of the number needed to record a team score.
Kuhl placed third in 2024 and Edwards tied for sixth and both came in with higher hopes.
“Miles has come so close to winning it and I know he’s determined to give it one last go and I just want to build on my finish from last year and see if I can bring one home,” Edwards said.
Since they are competing as individuals, the Knights asked Colorado High School Activities Association officials if they could play together in the final group Tuesday, but the request was not approved.
Kuhl will be part of the group that tees off at 11 a.m. that includes Chatfield sophomore Wyatt Montoya and Columbine senior Connor Young, while Edwards — who made nine birdies on the opening day, including four in a row on the back nine — will share the final group with Amella (who bogeyed his first hole, then played the final 17 at 6-under) — plus junior Nick Clinton of Arapahoe.
Clinton shot 67 to lead the way on the opening day for the Warriors, who find themselves atop a very tightly packed team leaderboard.
An astounding nine teams sit within six shots of the lead going into the deciding round. Ralston Valley is a stroke back of Arapahoe, while Denver East trails by two and a trio of teams that are three strokes back including Centennial League champion Cherokee Trail along with Valor Christian and Arvada West.
