On a typical day, the Bookcliff Country Club is a quiet, 18-hole, par-71 golf course in the middle of the oasis that is Grand Junction.

However, on Monday, Aug. 22, the course was filled with high school golfers looking to beat their personal best scores and gain points for their team while competing in the Grand Junction Tiger Invitational.

Fresh off its first overnight trip of the season last week, the Summit High School golf team brought five athletes to the golf tournament and dazzled its competitors with four athletes shooting under 90 — continuing to show that consistency oftentimes leads to success while out on the links.

For the second tournament in a row, senior Rece Greff shot his way to the top score among his Summit teammates. Greff was the only Summit athlete to break the 80 mark, shooting 79 in order to score below 80 for the first time in a high school golf tournament.

Following closely behind Greff was Jace Melby, who as a sophomore continues to be a huge asset to the Summit golf team.

“Jace is great at not getting penalty strokes,” head coach Ryne Scholl said. “He keeps the ball in play. He can always find it, and his short game has been phenomenal.”

Melby earned a score of 81, a point ahead of fellow sophomore teammate Tyler Short. The final Summit athlete to earn a score under 90 for the Tigers was junior Max Kunzek with a score of 85. 

Rounding out the performances for the Tigers — and not to be glossed over — was freshman Kate Eldredge. Playing on the same course as her male competitors — in her first 18-hole high school golf tournament — Eldredge shot 110.

Perhaps the biggest highlight from Eldredge’s round was when she teed off on hole No. 14 to secure her first competitive par of her career. Eldredge rose to the challenge of the par-5 hole and made the green in three strokes before finishing the hole with two fantastic putts in order to secure the par. 

“Par 5s are oftentimes the hardest for women golfers. They are often the longest and pose the most challenges,” Scholl said. “For her to hit three good shots, get on the green, she was super pumped. Elation across the board.” 

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The performances from the Tigers was enough for the team to earn a score of 242 and tie for sixth place overall with two other teams. The Tigers were joined in sixth place by Aspen, a 3A team, and Fruita Monument, a 5A team. 

“It was a solid day. We continue to get more consistent amongst one another as a group,” Scholl said. “We are getting to the point where we are setting goals of having one, two or three guys shoot in the 70s come a few more weeks out from regionals.”

The Tigers will compete again next week when the team takes part in its second back-to-back tournament slate of the season. On Monday, Aug. 29, the Tigers will compete at the Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction before competing at the Gypsum Creek Golf Course on Tuesday, Aug. 30. 

“We are going to work on our 150-yards and in game,” Scholl said of what will be worked on before next week. “I think that’s where there is an opportunity for these kids to improve. That’s really where most golfers have the opportunity to improve. The majority of the team is familiar with the courses we are headed to so we should expect similar results.”