Tulk tops 1-4A golf field; Rowley and Ram girls finish third

ROSWELL — It was a good day overall for Rams golf, but it was a great day for seniors Thomas Tulk and Bailey Rowley on an individual level as Tulk won the Class 1-4A state title and Rowley finished in third place at the Spring River Golf Course.

Tulk shot a 73 on Tuesday for a two-day total of 148 and moved up from his second place standing on Monday. He is the first Ram to win a state title in golf since Kevin Welch in 2004.

“Thomas did extremely well,” boys golf coach Matt Hunton said. “He wasn’t hitting the ball great but fought really hard and mentally stayed in it. He was able to move around the golf course and win.”

Thomas Tulk

Rowley shot an 89 on Tuesday, four more shots than on Monday and stayed at third place both days. Despite the additional shots, girls coach Charity Gomez was very pleased with Rowley’s game over the season.

“Obviously as a senior you want to win it,” Gomez said. “I believe since she’s played golf as an eighth grader this is her best individual finish. We would have wanted her to win it but this is definitely a successful season for her.”

As a team, the Portales boys finished up in fifth place as they had issues in the second day, shooting 13 additional shots for a 651 two-day total.

“They struggled today,” Hunton said. “Overall I think it was a good learning experience moving forward so they can feel the pressures of the state tournament and what you have to do to hold on to a lead. But this was a successful year. We improved our scores all year from start to finish. Other than struggling today we got better every tournament.”

Sophomore Janae Hale improved six shots with a 91 on Tuesday for a total of 188. As a team, the Lady Rams improved four shots on Tuesday and finished with an 800.

“I thought we did really good,” Gomez said. “We improved four shots and we finished how we wanted. We wanted a top-three finish and we got that.”

Gomez did also want to send a special thank you to Candra Reynolds and her assistance.

“She does all the instruction for the girls and did a great job this year,” Gomez said. “You have to give her credit for this season as well.”