
Perseverance helps KC golfer to
sixth-place finish at state

Special to the Times | Lee Begaye
Kirtland Central Zachary Blueeyes placed sixth overall during the New Mexico Class 4A Golf Championships at Pinon Hills Golf Course in Farmington. Blueeyes carded a 152
By Quentin Jodie
Navajo Times
FARMINGTON – The grind never stops for Kirtland Central senior Zachary Blueeyes.
The KC golfer was coming off a youth tournament in Houston over the weekend before he teed off at the New Mexico Class 4A State Golf Championships on Monday and Tuesday at Pinon Hills Golf Course in Farmington.
And although he ran into some hiccups on Tuesday afternoon, Blueeyes made a podium appearance and finished with a respectable sixth-place finish, which is his best showing at state.
“Every year, it just got in my head,” Blueeyes said of his previous showing at state. “I just started overthinking shots, started overthinking how I was playing. This year, I really kept my composure, and I tried to stay calm and I tried to stay in the moment.”
At the two-day state tournament, Blueeyes carded a 152 as he trailed eventual state champ Riley Apodaca of Deming by seven shots.
For the front nine, Blueeyes went even par but as the wind started to pick up the KC senior had a pair of holes that produced a double and triple bogey. Despite that, he finished out the last few holes with a birdie, bogie and a few pars.
“It affected (two) shots,” Blueeyes said of the winds. “I really wanted to win, but the wind ticked up. Overall, you just got to know how to win, know how to play in any conditions.
“Being here in Kirtland, you experience a lot of wind,” he added. “We’re really good at playing in the wind, playing in the rain and just playing in any weather conditions.”
When asked if the wind played in his favor, Blueeyes said in some holes it did, and others it didn’t.
“When I went against the wind, those ones were tough but the downwind came in really handy,” he said. “I mean, I was able to tee off with long iron shots.”
Before teeing up at Pinon Hills Golf Course, Blueeyes competed in the Mack Champ Invitational where he went 86, 84 and 75.
“I played six days of golf and I was trying grind that out,” Blueeyes said. “I was just trying to keep my composure, trying to keep energized, trying to just keep pushing myself.”
KC co-head boys coach Isaiah Valdez credited Blueeyes’ stamina for maneuvering past his two tournaments.
“Zach’s honestly a phenomenal player,” Valdez said. “He got into some trouble there but he was able to find a way to birdie it out. You have to give him credit because he played for a fifth day in a row.
“He gave himself a shot,” he added. “He had nothing to lose, and he went out there and competed.”
Blueeyes led KC’s quartet as the Broncos finished at 737 with fellow senior Samuel Hawkins carding a 182 while eighth-grader Taylor Roundy scored a 195 and junior Ethan Billey carding 208.
“Our guys struggled with their approach shots, but overall they did good,” Valdez said. “Taylor has a promising future ahead of him and this is Ethan’s first year out.”
The KC coach noted that Billey was shooting at 130 at the beginning of the year and on Monday he shot 99 and he finished out the two-day state tournament at 109 despite the windy conditions on Tuesday.