Native youths punch ticket to NB3 Junior Golf National Championship

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M.
Colorado golfer Talan Gover had a grand finish at the conclusion of the 4th Annual NB3 Foundation Native Youth Golf Championship.

The Diné, Choctaw, Pawnee golfer scored four-under-par in his last seven holes at the Santa Ana Golf Club late Tuesday afternoon to help him secure the title in the 16-18 years age group.

“Coming down the stretch I knew that I had to keep my mind focused and just battle it out because I didn’t know where everyone else was at,” Gover said. “I just tried to focus on the last couple of holes. I took it shot-by-shot and it worked out for me.”

Gover beat out 17 other players in his division with a total score of 144. He finished two strokes ahead of Skyler Wood and three strokes in front of Zachary BlueEyes in a tight finish.

After Monday’s round, he trailed three other golfers with Humboldt, Arizona golfer Johnathan Tso leading the event at 72 followed by Gallup’s Noah Pozernick (73) and Wood (73).

“With very little separation I knew going into today anything can happen,” Grover said. “I kept my mind screwed on straight, so I went out and just focused on what I could control. I ended up playing well and it was just really going in with what I can control.”

With his two-stroke win, Gover punched his ticket to play in the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship scheduled for Nov. 46 at Koasati Pines in Coushatta, Louisiana.

“I’ve been wanting to go to this one ever since I started playing competitive golf,” Gover said. “I’ve always looked at it as a great opportunity and a great accomplishment even to go there, so it’s nice being able to go and have the experience.

“Hopefully I can play well there,” he said. “I’m just excited to have made it.”

Gover was one of eight event winners Tuesday as the NB3 Foundation will also be sending Page’s Preston Ross (boys 14-15), Deviond Gachupin (boys 12-13), Wyatt Basford (boys 10-11), Maddison Long (girls 16-18), Beans Factor (girls 14-15), Harlow Gregory (girls 12-13) and Amelia Silva (girls 10-11) to the national tournament.

“When we started this tournament, we wanted to try to provide Native golfers with an opportunity to play at a higher level,” NB3Fit director Clint Begay said. “Obviously, there’s kids here that maybe have never played in a big tournament, but they feel comfortable playing here at an all-Native tournament.

“Then there’s kids here that are very good, that play a lot of golf,” he added. “Again, we’re just trying to provide them an opportunity to qualify for the national championships in Coushatta, Louisiana in November.”

Begay said this week’s golf tournament was set up differently from other qualifying tournaments across the nation.

“Normally, you have to go through a local qualifying and then a regional qualifying, but for our event and the way my brother (Notah Begay III) wanted it to be created we had them come here with the winners going to the national championships.”

Long, who is half-Navajo and half-Coeur d’Alene, also had a strong finish Tuesday to win the 16-18 years girls’ division with a score of 162. Farmington’s Kylie Manus finished three strokes back at 165 for second place followed by Albuquerque’s Taylor Sarracino (170).

“I was just really focusing on every single shot, especially the last five holes,” Long said. “I was just trying to figure out where I wanted to place the ball, and kind of thinking about my overall score.”

Long acknowledged that she struggled to find her rhythm in the first nine holes on Tuesday.

“I was kind of everywhere,” she said. “My drives were not going straight, and it was really hard pulling it together but in that second nine I got a fresh start.

“I just tried to battle it out, especially in the last five holes,” she added.

After finishing second and third in her first two tries, the Albuquerque teen was ecstatic to finally win the native youth tournament.

“It feels good to win,” Long said with a smile. “I’m just excited to be going to nationals. I’m so happy that I was able to pull through.”

Gachupin, the boys 12-13 winner, built a five-stroke lead after the first day and with Tuesday’s round of 79 he finished with a total of 162.

“There definitely was some nerves the last two holes,” said Gachupin. “I just wanted to rush it, and I just wanted to finish.”

The Jemez Pueblo golfer said second-place finisher Deondre Tafoya played a better round of golf on Tuesday as he shot a 78 for a total of 166.

“I felt like I did bad on a lot of holes, and he did better than me,” Gachupin said of Tafoya. “But I kept my lead, and I made sure I punched my ticket.”

In the girls 10-11 age group, Hawaii’s Amelia Silva cruised to the title with a 52-stroke win over the second-place finisher.

“It’s my first time playing in New Mexico and it’s really hot over her,” she said. “You have to bring cooling towels and drink a lot of water.”

Silva finished with a total of 152 as she shot one-over-par on Tuesday, which was six strokes better than Monday’s round.

“That’s the first time that I’ve ever shot that,” Silva said of her final score.

Her best hole came in the 18th hole when she reached the green on her second shot.

“That putt was for eagle,” she said.

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