The Playoff at Elmwood: Swink’s Pearson, Frontier Academy win 2A boys golf

PUEBLO – Noah Pearson had a green light when it came to driver usage.

The Swink senior saved his best tee shot for the third playoff hole at the Class 2A boys state golf championship at Elmwood Golf Course on Tuesday.

Pearson won a three-hole playoff with Frontier Academy sophomore Isaiah Fowler with a birdie on the 18th hole. Pearson posted rounds of 70-73, 143 for a total of 3-over par. Fowler got into the playoff with Tuesday’s low round of even-par 70.

Frontier Academy won the team title with a total of 452, Forge Christian edged Brush in a one-hole playoff for second place.

When Pearson’s tee shot on the 330 yard, par 4 18th hole settled 10 yards off the fringe, he knew an opportunity to end the playoff with Fowler awaited. Because Elmwood is a de facto home course for him, Pearson had faced the same chip shot many times.

As the green runs away from the hole location, he set up with the ball in the middle of his stance and made a “dead hand” chip shot that landed on the front of the green and ran just inches from the hole.

“We have this philosophy to use 75% to 80% in my swing,” said Pearson about his big tee shot on 18. “I just wanted to be smooth over the top, down my line. If it happened to be in a good spot, I knew I could get it on the green somewhere.”

Armed with an aggressive game plan, Swink coach Aaron Pearson saw the opening that was needed.

“Knowing Elmwood, there were certain holes we wanted to go after it,” Aaron Pearson said. “We weren’t afraid of driver off any tee except 13. His short game is right there and when he can execute it’s pretty salty. That’s pretty much what our game plan was.”

Because Fowler’s tee shot settled 130 yards away and under a tree he was forced to run up a shot that ran through the green. His ensuing pitch shot from behind the green took a peek at the hole before being too long.

With Pearson in for birdie, Fowler didn’t want to come up short.

“Typically with chip shots I’m trying to get it within a three-foot circle,” Fowler said. “I wanted to give it a little extra to make sure it got there. The last thing I want to do is leave it a ball rotation short. I hit a great chip, it just bounced a little bit left and burned the edge. I had a lot of shots that just burned the edge this week.”

Even as Fowler walked off the green disappointed, he still helped lead the Wolverines to a team title. Coach Erin Bley said Frontier exceeded its preseason goals.

“We set team goals at the beginning of the year and one of those goals was to come in top three in state,” Bley said. “For us to get first was amazing. We kept a level head. It was perfect.”