State experience gives Pahrump Valley golfer Raegan Saldana confidence entering sophomore season

Raegan Saldana knows what she would change if she could play her first state golf tournament again.

It isn’t necessarily her swing.

“The biggest struggle was course management,” Saldana said. “The mental side of my game definitely needed some work.”

Now a sophomore, Saldana enters her second season with Pahrump Valley having already experienced the level she hopes to reach again.

As a freshman, Saldana qualified for the NIAA Class 3A state championship at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City. She shot rounds of 113 and 122 for a two-day total of 235, finishing 30th among 32 golfers.

The scores were secondary to what Saldana learned from getting there.

“What it takes to compete at that level is confidence in my game and myself,” she said. “It also takes commitment, focus and effort.”

Pahrump Valley coach Sierra McKillips believes Saldana can put those lessons to use this season.

“Raegan Saldana is a returning player from last year,” McKillips said. “I forecast that she will have a successful season and make it to state again this year.”

Saldana will be one of just two varsity golfers currently on the Pahrump Valley roster. Senior Natalie Soto has returned to golf for her final high school season.

McKillips has known Soto’s game longer than that.

“Natalie Soto is a senior this year and we are excited that she returned to playing golf this year,” McKillips said. “I also had the privilege of coaching Natalie in middle school golf. I am also confident Natalie will have a successful season.”

Lessons from Boulder Creek

Saldana’s freshman season ended on a course that provides a particularly useful measuring stick.

Boulder Creek hosted last year’s Class 3A championship, where Boulder City’s Emmerson Hinds won her third individual state title with rounds of 75 and 81 for a 156. Boulder City also captured its second consecutive team championship.

Saldana said competing in a league with a golfer who has established that standard changes the atmosphere.

“I believe there is a lot of competitive energy around someone that has set that kind of precedent for this league,” she said.

Saldana won’t have to wait long to put that experience to use. Pahrump Valley opens its season Thursday at Boulder Creek, the same course where she finished her freshman season at the state tournament.

“Going back to Boulder Creek does not necessarily feel different, but I have more knowledge of how to manage the course now that I have played it multiple times,” she said.

That course management is only part of the work she has done since last season.

“The part of my game that I have worked on most since last season is my overall swing and ball striking,” Saldana said. “My iron game has gotten significantly better since last season, and I am confident in my abilities moving into this season.”

A different measure of success

With only two varsity players currently rostered, Pahrump Valley enters the season without the numbers of larger golf programs.

For Saldana, that puts the emphasis on individual improvement and another opportunity to qualify for postseason competition.

She isn’t defining that solely as another trip to state.

“Success for me would be meeting the goals I set for myself at the beginning of this year regarding qualifications, scores and placing in tournaments,” Saldana said.

Her first state tournament gave her a baseline.

Her second season gives her a chance to find out how far she has moved beyond it.

Contact sports reporter Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com