Down seven strokes through one day, The Dalles golfer Aidan Telles planned on playing his normal game, while also taking more calculated risks to get a chance at creeping closer to the top of the leaderboard.

The Dalles sophomore Aidan Telles carded a season-best 5-over par 77 for a seventh-place tie, seven strokes behind overall Leader, Marist’s John Pollock, in opening-round action at the OSAA 5A boys’ golf state championships Monday on the Emerald Valley Golf Club course in Creswell.

Facing perennial powerhouse players from Summit and Bend, Tyler Vassar and Aidan Telles finished in a three-way tie for fourth place with 78’s, and The Dalles boys’ golf team totaled 351 to secure third place overall at the Bend Invitational Monday from Bend Country Club.

Just because Chase Snodgrass and Mark Felderman are not on the roster, The Dalles boys’ golf team should not be an afterthought when it comes to challenging for a 5A state championship.

Without the bells and whistles of most golf programs across the state, The Dalles boys’ golf team paved the way for success in 2017 with grit, passion, skill and motivation as their calling card. Chase Snodgrass finished third overall, Tyler Vassar was tied for ninth and Mark Felderman ended up tied for 15th to help lead the Riverhawks to second place and their best finish in program history at the 5A OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires State Golf Championships in Banks.

Chase Snodgrass ended up tied for 11th place with a 153 and The Dalles boys’ golf team totaled 656 for a sixth place tie with Sandy at the two-day OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab 5A State Golf Tournament at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis. In his 36-hole effort, Snodgrass, a junior, had 26 pars, eight bogeys, one double bogey and a birdie on the seventh hole on the second day. Freshman Tyler Vassar wound up 26th out of 53 golfers, and added 19 pars, and two birdies in his 36 holes of golf for a total of 161, and Mark Felderman, another junior, went for 16 pars and a birdie and had a total score of 166 to secure 36th place.

Already behind the eight-ball through the opening day of state golf action, The Dalles golfer Iliana Telles started off second-day play with two straight bogeys. Over the next 16 holes, however, the junior rebounded with nine pars and four birdies to tally the lowest total amongst the field for a 73 and a two-day total of 150 to end up tied for second place at the OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab 5A State Golf Tournament ending Tuesday at Quail Valley Golf Course.

Led by a seven-over par 79 from Chase Snodgrass, The Dalles boys’ golf team combined for a score of 340 to grab eighth-place in a 15-team field Monday at the Tetherow High Desert Challenge in Bend. On the girls’ side, Iliana Telles carded a 79 for sixth place, and the Lady Hawks had a 447 at the Bend Invite Monday. Read more in Wednesday’s Chronicle.

TD sophomore takes on challenge with solid effort at Trysting Tree in Corvallis

TD boy’s golfer finishes tournament in Banks with a two-day tally of 173