Little by little, Nicole Nelson has been improving, all season long. 

The Cottonwood High junior started out her season on the yellow tee at Murray Parkway Golf Course, the Colts’ home links. Along the par-72, 18-hole course, Nelson finished with an 83. 

That was good enough for the Cottonwood girls golf coaches to put Nelson on the red tee. 

How would she perform, a little further from the hole? 

Very well, as a matter of fact, as Nelson shot a 90 on a very difficult and windy Mountain View course. 

In her next meet at Stansbury, another tricky 18-hole setup, Nelson did even better—an 83. 

This would continue through the rest of the regular season, as Nelson proved she belonged at the top spot on the Cottonwood team. 

Whether the course was Oquirrh Hills in Tooele, a place notorious for high winds and difficult roughs, or the hilly and equally tricky The Ridge in Kearns, Nelson was always in the thick of it, helping the Colts finish in the top three in Region 10 and improving her score with every tournament. 

There’s no question Nelson’s solid play helped qualify the Colts for the 4A state tournament. 

How would Cottonwood’s No. 5-ranked player in all of Region 10 do at state? 

In the first round May 7, Nelson had a few nerves to sort out. She double bogeyed the first and fourth holes, and yet remained consistent on most of the front nine at +10. Over the back nine at the scenic Southgate Golf Course in St. George, Nelson double bogeyed 11 and 12 as well as 15, 17 and 18 to finish with a +25 for the day. 

On day two, Nelson dealt with even more issues on a hot day surrounded by red rock cliffs and precipitous drops, finishing at +14 after playing the first nine holes. 

Nelson, however, had figured out how best to play that back nine on May 8, and only double bogeyed 15 and 16 to finish at +9, good enough for 36th place overall at state. Still and all, Nelson finished ahead of every golfer at three other Region 10 schools. 

How would Nelson’s teammates do at state? 

Junior Nicky Edwards spent most of the regular season as either the No. 1 or No. 2 golfer—and was supplanted by Lyrik Brenchley, a sophomore, at season’s end. 

But, Edwards nearly made the first day cut at state after double bogeying six of her front nine holes on May 7. She hit for par on two holes and birdied No. 14 on the back stretch to finish at +29, missing the cut by just two strokes. The Cottonwood junior finished in 72nd place overall at state. 

Further down the list was Sofia Villa. The Cottonwood freshman hit for par on six holes on May 7 at Southgate as she played into the distance along the red rocks. Villa finished at +38, nine strokes behind Edwards. 

Two spots down the list at state? Sophomore Indie Hoggan, who would probably tell you that she didn’t start well—not when she was ranked No. 21 in Region 10. Hoggan double bogeyed her first seven holes at the state tournament and yet recovered somewhat to shave off five strokes on the back nine to complete her season at +39. 

Senior Christina Pauluzzi parred holes five and six to be at a respectable +20 on the front nine at state, and finished at +48, while junior Annie Woodward was at +60. λ