NMMI Sports Press
There was high drama during the second and final round of the Class A-3A State Golf Tournament in Socorro Tuesday, as the weather shifted rapidly from sunny skies to wind and rain while Mason Hicks attempted to exorcise some past state demons and live up to his own big expectations.
After Monday’s opening round Hicks sat in third place with a score of 80, while the top player for two-time defending state champion Mesilla Valley Christian led by five strokes.
Here’s where it gets juicy.
Mesilla Valley’s Riley Morris finished as the state runner up the past two seasons, behind his older brother Logan Morris, giving the senior SonBlazer extra incentive to finish his high school golf story.
But Hicks, whose older brother Jackson also won state as a junior in 2021 and is currently playing for a national championship as a NMMI Bronco, changed the plot Tuesday with a 78 while Morris struggled on the front nine to fall behind, eventually finishing ninth.
Hicks said the first six holes at the NM Tech course are the most difficult, and he knew if he could get to seven without taking too much damage, he’d have a good chance to catch up.
“Hole 5 is a double dog leg Par 5. It’s a really tough hole and if you can come out of there with par, you’re gaining one or two strokes on everybody,” he said after tapping in on the 18th green in the rain and celebrating with his team, coach, family, friends and fans. “From there I knew I had something going.”
Perhaps playing loose and free helped Hicks get off to a good start on Day 2, as he was the only player in the top 10 to birdie one of the first six holes.
“I prefer starting behind because then you’re just playing with nothing to lose, instead of overthinking shots or trying to play it safe,” he said. “When I came out for the final round, my mindset was to be aggressive, don’t look at the scores and just play my game.”
It was obvious Hicks had not been checking the live scores on his phone when he missed a long put on 18 by inches, then tapped in with an “ah, shucks” look on his face before his coach informed him that he had won.
From there the usually stoic Hicks let his emotions show a bit, with a big smile as he hugged his coach, a bigger smile as he embraced his mother, and then a quiet moment kneeling next to the green as he tried to let the moment sink in.
For mother Tomi Hicks, the win wasn’t a surprise, but a surreal moment and a huge relief for a stressed out golf mom.
“I think he felt more pressure than he lets on. He really wanted to win it and get his name on the wall at NMMI with his big brother. And he wanted to be able to go cheer on his brother as the state champion,” said Tomi. “I don’t play golf, and it’s such a rollercoaster. Really high highs, really low lows. I just try to calm myself and be steady support for them. But days like this make it all worth it.”
Hicks said his 2024 season ended up looking a lot like his brother’s championship run in 2021.
“My parents have been talking about how I pretty much replicated his junior year,” he said. “We start off pretty bad, then win three or four in a row, then go win state. So coming in I thought it would be pretty cool to do the same thing, and he was texting me last night, telling me I had it.”
Head coach Randy Doerhoefer said he’s seen tremendous growth from Hicks throughout the season.
“He played tennis and golf last spring, but decided to focus on golf this year and it paid off,” said Doerhoefer. “Golf is a tough game and it’s hard not to get down on yourself or let your emotions get the better of you. But Mason has really learned how to control that and harness it on the course.”
In 11 tournaments this season, Hicks had seven top fives, including an incredible run of three victories in six days in late April. After his season worst 17th-place finish at the Colt Classic, he rebounded by winning the individual district championship on the same course a few days later.
Doerhoefer said he’s sure Hicks wants to make his family proud, but that he has his own expectations and his own goals as a golfer.
“He’s his own guy,” he said. “I remember when Mason had a playoff against his brother and was worried about beating him and upsetting him. His relationship with his brother goes way beyond competitive stuff. He’s got a great family that raised him right and he’s blazing his own trail.”
Colt Golf finished fourth as a team, just five strokes away from the third-place trophy.
Freshmen Chase Dyer and Jay Payne finished tied for 20th with a two-round total of 186. Juniors Jose Lerma and Maxx Perry came in 36th with a 225 and 37th with a 229, respectively.
Doerhoefer believes his team could have won it all if not for the loss of two of his better players due to an early than usual graduation and end of the school year.
“The great thing is we have some young guys that have really improved this year and hopefully will be back with all that experience under their belts,” he said. “I love these kids to death. They try hard, they put it all out there and they really want to make their families and their school proud.”
Hicks echoed those sentiments as he and his mother prepared to head for Hobbs to cheer on Jackson and Bronco assistant golf coach Travis Hicks, their father.
“The biggest thing for me is to represent Roswell and NMMI well. My brother did that and still does it and if he could win the national championship, that would be amazing,” he said. “He’s always cheered me on and encouraged me and I’m excited to do that for him.”
Hicks is the sixth Colt to win state as an individual and will have the chance to repeat as champion as a senior, a feat that has only been accomplished 24 times since 1933, and twice by NMMI players (Goodart, ’64-’65 and Robertson, ’92-’93).