Getting back to business

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, March 22, 2001 | 9:31 a.m.

Dana Wade's performance at last year's 4A state golf tournament left little to be desired, but it left the Bonanza standout with a bit of unfinished business.

Wade followed a solid 75 on day one with a 73 -- tied for the event's low round -- on day two, forcing a playoff for the individual trophy with Bishop Gorman's Mark Leseberg. But on the second extra hole, Wade's tee shot sailed out of play, effectively ending the drama and his title hopes.

Wade's Bonanza team also had a sensational second day, with the team's five golfers combining for a score of 379, the tourney's lowest score by five strokes. Yet again, Wade had to settle for second place, with the Bengals finishing four shots behind rival Durango.

One year later, those experiences are providing an extra dose of motivation as Wade opens his senior season.

"When you have a chance to win and you falter, it's never good," Wade said. "But you have to deal with it, and it makes you stronger. You just try to prepare mentally for that situation if it comes up again."

Long a fixture atop the junior golf and high school golf scenes, Wade has been a model of consistency, gradually improving on his distance to go along with superb touch around the greens. Last October, he signed early with Colorado State.

"He's very consistent," Bonanza coach Dan Wieser said. "I can pretty much count on him to be anywhere from two-under to two-over. It's usually right around par."

With three full varsity seasons under his belt -- the first played under the watchful eye of former state champion Ben Auten -- Wade has also emerged as a team leader for the Bengals.

"When he first came in he was relatively quiet, but last year he really stepped up as our team leader, especially at state," Wieser said.

As the 2001 season gears up, Bonanza figures to have a legitimate shot at the championship it nearly claimed last year, and Wade is just one reason why. The Bengals have a deep lineup of capable golfers, including the team's other headliner, senior Chad Fosburg,

A member of Durango's state title team a year ago, Fosburg transferred to Bonanza over the summer, giving the Bengals a tremendous 1-2 punch atop their lineup. A two-time Southern Zone champion, the long-hitting Fosburg proved he can play with anyone last weekend, tying for second at the Southern Nevada Amateur Open.

"I think I can help lead this team to a championship," Fosburg said, "I have the experience, and hopefully I can do it with this team."

Wade and Fosburg aside, the rest of the Bengals' rotation is likely to change throughout the season, with senior Kenny Ebalo and juniors Alano Massi and Chris Wood among several golfers who figure into Wieser's plans.

The Bengals certainly won't sleepwalk their way to a state title. Stiff competition awaits, most notably Green Valley, northern power Galena and Palo Verde. On Tuesday, the Panthers handed Bonanza its first defeat in six matches this year.

But if Wade has anything to say about it, he and his team will be back in the thick of things two months from now, just as they were last May.

"You want it so much more because you were so close and it's your last year," Wade said. "But anything can happen in golf. I try to keep it in perspective, and not get overly confident."