CHSAA boys golf state tournaments enter round 2 across Colorado
The 2026 CHSAA boys golf state tournaments enter Round 2 across four Colorado courses following opening-day action where Falcon’s Cayden Besler secured the largest individual lead by firing a 5-under-par 67 at Lone Tree Golf Club in the Class 4A tournament.
Class 5A Battles at Columbine Country Club
At Columbine Country Club, a three-way tie sits at the top of the Class 5A individual leaderboard at 3-under-par, featuring Connor Young of Columbine, Aidan Lynn of Rock Canyon, and Pierce Johnson of Boulder. Lutheran leads the team standings at plus-four.
Hole statistics show the fourth hole played as the hardest, yielding a 4.869 average score that stands 0.869 shots over par, while the eighth hole proved the easiest at 4.940, or 0.060 shots under par. Nine total players remain within four shots of the leading trio. A winner could emerge from that group at plus-two, but anyone further back faces a steep climb. The final group teeing off from No. 1 sets up appointment viewing for the championship round.
In regional qualification figures noted by the Coloradoan, Fossil Ridge brought a trio of golfers to Littleton. Jonah Kent finished even-par at 72 to tie for fourth, Judd Nikkel shot a 76 to tie for 35th, and Evan Riewerts carded an 82 to place 72nd. Those scores put Fossil Ridge in eighth place in the team standings. Other Fort Collins-area competitors included Fort Collins golfer Mason Zimmerman at plus-five and Rocky Mountain’s Chance Emerson at plus-eight.
Class 4A Standings at Lone Tree Golf Club
Cayden Besler holds the tournament’s largest cushion after his 67 at Lone Tree Golf Club gave him the Class 4A individual lead at 5-under-par. Cheyenne Mountain paces the team race at plus-two, keeping the Red-Tailed Hawks on track for their pattern of even-year state titles following championships in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
Talented players sit at even par, meaning any realistic challenge to Besler must come from even-par or better.
Timnath positioned itself second in the team standings, trailing Cheyenne Mountain by five strokes and sitting one shot ahead of Falcon and Kent Denver, according to the Coloradoan. Timnath’s Liam Holt shot a 1-under 71 to tie for third, Greysen Kilburn carded an even-par 71 to tie for sixth, Corbin Eisenmenger shot an 80, and Caleb Olsen shot an 81.
Class 3A Action at Cattails Golf Course
Levi McDowell of Resurrection Christian and Braylon Ball of Windsor Charter Academy share the Class 3A individual lead at 3-under-par 68 heading into Round 2 at Cattails Golf Course in Alamosa. Forge Christian leads the team standings at plus-fourteen.
The sixteenth hole presented the toughest test of the day across all classifications, yielding a brutal 6.488 scoring average that played 1.488 shots over par. The fifth hole offered relief as the easiest. Manitou Springs sophomore Hayden Dorsey held the outright lead before hitting his tee shot on No. 13, and sits at 1-over with a realistic path back to the top.
Liberty Common brought a full squad to Alamosa, led by Gage Poulsen at plus-five and Calvin McNeil at plus-eight. Windsor Charter’s Braylon Ball leads his school’s three-player contingent at 3-under, while Cale Coffman and Noah Crylen round out their roster.
Class 2A Play at Pueblo Country Club
Connor Mellott of Monte Vista leads the Class 2A individual standings at plus-three at Pueblo Country Club, where Vail Christian holds the team lead at plus-twenty-two. Five players sit within two shots of Mellott.
Rye’s Ty Wood and Vail Mountain’s Trevor Meltz trail by five strokes. Temperatures reaching close to 90 degrees on Tuesday will speed up greens that historically serve as the primary defense at Pueblo Country Club. The twelfth hole played as the hardest at 5.667, while the seventeenth played easiest at 3.810. Chasers will likely need to post rounds of 5-over or better to capture the title.