Craig — If they hadn't gotten used to wet conditions by this point in the season, the players in the 4A Western Regional Tournament might have had some complaints about the precipitation this weekend, but there was no keeping these girl golfers from playing a full round.

Yampa Valley Golf Course was the site of the regional event Saturday, with Moffat County High School girls acting as the hosting team as 14 schools came to Craig.

Moffat County High School’s Tané Otis follows her drive from the eighth tee box at Yampa Valley Golf Course.Andy Bockelman

The big winners of the day were Rifle as the top team with a 252 tally, including Elly Walters, who shot a 73 — a one-over par 37 on the front nine, breaking even on the back — to edge out Dolores's Kiselya Plewe at 74 and Eagle Valley's Taylor Sandoval at 77.

MCHS coach Ann Marie Roberts said she was impressed three players were able to break 80 and shoot so close to par given the climate during the day.

A calm but overcast morning started things off nicely as players hit the links, but just as competitors were nearing the completion of their first nine holes, a downpour hit YVGC — not catastrophic enough to stop play but distracting enough that it was a factor in scoring.

Players persevered, donning their wet weather gear, as they trudged through the soggy grounds, hardly shocked at another tournament in the rain.

Despite the chills and moisture, Moffat County's Tané Otis shot her best round ever, a 102 to tie for 22nd in the field of 53.

"The past couple tournaments that we've had here were a definite help," she said.

The familiarity with the course was beneficial, and after starting on the front nine, Otis found her groove, starting with the seventh, eighth and ninth holes, taking a par on all three and notching a 46 before a tougher stretch on the back nine that was also coupled with the rain.

Teammates Jaci McDiffett, Brooke Krause and Julia Christensen all began on the back half of YVGC, McDiffett taking a 119 and Krause and Christensen each 122.

McDiffett struggled on the 15th hole especially, winding up with a 14 on the Par 5 but kept going through the rain on the front, shooting no higher than a seven.

Likewise, Krause and Christensen each had two double-digit holes that put them in trouble.

"My drives were actually really good, but then once I was going for long shots to the green that's what killed me," Krause said.

Roberts said she was pleased with the effort put forth by her players.

"It's tough when it's raining like that, but Tané shot her best, Julia maintained, Brooke was a little high and Jaci shot about her average and when you're shooting that around regionals, nothing wrong with that," she said.

The day ended with a sudden death playoff round on the 10th hole for players just on the cusp of qualifying for 4A state held in Pueblo this season, with Durango's Faith Mewmaw winning the honor against Nicole Cherry, of Montrose, and Abigail Smith, of Dolores, who will each be alternates, as will Montrose's Taylor Kettel.

The state championships will take place May 23 and 24, and Walters will shoot at state for her second year in a row.

"I struggled a lot last year, and this course (Pueblo Country Club) is a lot longer, but I'm excited to see how we do," she said.

While none of the hosting players were within the stroke count to go to state, Otis and her teammates remain optimistic that next season will be their year to go to the next level, combining more practice sessions this summer with their usual hard-working attitude.

"Our scores are getting really low by now, so if we just keep at it, I think we'll have a few girls headed to state," Otis said.

Contact Andy Bockelman at 970-875-1793 or abockelman@CraigDailyPress.com or follow him on Twitter @CDP_Sports.