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Hobbs Schools Photo
The 2012 Hobbs boys Class 5A State Championship golf team. |
The Eagles were coming off a disappointing runner-up finish in the district tournament just the week before at the same NMSU Golf Course. The big question was: How the Eagles would respond?
They did so with a bang.
After trailing by a stroke heading into Tuesday's second and final round, the Eagles battled the windy conditions better than any other team on the course as they shot a 310 – 10 strokes better than any other team on the day. The score helped Hobbs beat second-place Oñate (the team it trailed heading into the second round) by 15 shots. It was a dominant performance for the Eagles, probably helped by the countless hours of practice in the windy conditions we often are subjected to in Southeast New Mexico.
The icing on the state title cake for Hobbs – the Eagles' first since 1988 – was senior Kenneth Fadke winning his second consecutive Class 5A individual state title. After scorching the course for a 68 Monday in the first round, Fadke battled through the conditions for a 75 to become the first large-school male golfer to win back-to-back titles since Hobbs' Travis Funk did it in 1999 and 2000.
But it wasn't just Fadke as Ryan Hawkins finished seventh with a 153 (75-78), Tripp Gleghorn tied for 13th (80-78 – 158), Chase Atwood tied for 16th (81-79 – 160) and Jeremiah Hernandez tied for 29th (81-85 – 166).
Only 13 players shot in the 70s on Tuesday – four of them played for Hobbs.
It's safe to say the Eagles redeemed themselves for that runner-up district finish.
