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Chrobak out of contention at state golf tourney

RICHARD CHITTICK

COLORADO SPRINGS – The magic may not always be with Jason Chrobak, but that doesn’t mean his confidence isn’t either.The Summit High senior opened his second appearance in the 4A state golf tournament in as many years with a 93 on Monday. It was by no means what he wanted, but he isn’t giving up.Chrobak’s game fell apart early, as he teed off at 8:39 a.m. on the par-4 10th hole of the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs and bogied.”He got an unlucky break,” said SHS head coach Chris Saunders. “And it kind of spiraled from there.”It didn’t get any easier for Chrobak, as it seemed the water hazards were out to get him, eating at least six of his balls, Saunders said. On one hole, he kerplunked his drive three times and finally advanced to the next hole after 11 strokes. “The wind was blowing really hard, but that’s no excuse in golf,” Saunders said. “You have to adapt.”Chrobak finished his first nine holes (the course’s back nine) with a 55, and could have withdrawn at that point. But he didn’t.Coming off the 18th hole to start his final nine on the course’s front side, the Jason Chrobak who finished fourth in the Metro-West Region Tournament with an even 72 on Sept. 20 stopped by to say, “Hi.” The turnaround was remarkable; Chrobak recovered from the 55 and put together a 38 on holes 1-9 – at one point nailing seven pars in a row.Assistant coach Mark Kleinschmidt stayed in the gallery for Chrobak’s hike from No. 1 to 9, and couldn’t believe what he saw.”When you were part of the gallery, the gallery really wanted him to succeed and to carry him,” Kleinschmidt said. “The way he carried himself, his demeanor, he never held his head down. The character Jason exhibited today was just exemplary.” Chrobak made it clear to his coaches that he wished to remain silent to the media after his first round.The tournament continues today, and Chrobak will be there to play a whole new round. A state title is not an option for him, but neither, on Monday, was quitting. Saunders expects a completely different game from his outgoing senior today. “I have a lot of faith in him,” the coach said. Richard Chittick can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 236 or at rchittick@summitdaily.com.


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