Disc golf tourney draws 41

Noah Baker of Amarillo knew he had the talent to excel at Robert Lumpkin Memorial Disc Golf Course in Tucumcari's Five Mile Park.

But he didn't play well during his last three tournaments. His biggest obstacle was "between the ears," as he put it.

During this weekend's third annual Shootout at Six Shooter Siding, he changed his mental approach. The result was Baker shooting a 9-under-par 165 during the 54-hole tournament and winning the open title by a comfortable seven strokes.

"I've been a brat on the course. I've been not fun to play with," Baker said Sunday after wrapping up his title. "My main focus this week was to not get mad. This game is 90% mental. I kept my cool and tried to think about my next shot and have fun. This is what happened when I do that."

Baker pocketed $375 in prize money in the tournament that drew 41 disc-golfers from across the region.

He remained steady all weekend, logging rounds of 53, 57 and 55. Baker said he knew he was heading the right direction when he quickly recovered after two straight bogies Saturday.

It also helps he enjoys the Lumpkin 18-hole course and Tucumcari in general.

"Anytime I come out here, it's fun," he said. "It suits my game; it's a longer course. I like the wind, and I can throw it a bit further than most. And I've played the course enough that I know where the bad areas are and where to land the good spots."

Adolfo Rodriguez of Amarillo finished second with a 2-under 172. He took home $245. Jonathan Tapia of Las Vegas, New Mexico, finished third with a 1-over 175, winning $175.

Daniel Zamora of Tucumcari, one of the tournament's organizers and a former player on the pro tour, finished fourth with a 3-over 177.

Adrian George won the advanced division with an 8-over 182, edging Teddy Guevara by one stroke.

Jackson Rogers was the top golfer in the intermediate division, shooting a 15-under 159, edging Greg Contreras by a stroke. Rogers secured the win by shooting a 47 in the final round. Intermediate golfers started from a shorter-length tee, hence their lower scores.

Two holes-in-one were recorded during the tournament, including by 13-year-old Tucumcari middle-schooler Joseph Cordova, who aced the par-3 sixth hole Sunday. Jose Lopez of Clovis scored his hole-in-one Saturday on the par-3 17th hole.

Zamora said he received compliments about the course over the weekend.

"The most meaningful piece of feedback I got is how good the fairways are looking," he said. "The first year we did this tournament, we had a diamond in the rough, but it was very rough. That deterred people a little bit.

"But now that we've had time to break in the fairways, so to speak, and with more mowing, the biggest feedback I've gotten is how good the course is looking."

The Lumpkin course grew more difficult Sunday as wind speeds increased during the final round. According to weather data from Tucumcari Municipal Airport, wind gusts reached 35 mph by late morning.

"The wind out here is our biggest obstacle," Zamora said. "We don't have many trees out here like some disc-golf courses do. That brings an element into it that makes our course unique and very, very challenging."