FORMER CIBOLA STANDOUT RETURNS TO THE SITE OF HIS RECORD ROUND
The sun was barely stretching over the mesas when Aiden Krafft stepped onto the familiar fairways of Twin Warriors Golf Course. Only this time, the former Cibola High School phenom wasn’t repping the Cougars — he was wearing the green and gold of the University of Oregon.
“High school was pretty sweet,” Krafft said, a grin spreading across his face. “Our team was good, and those days were special. Coming back here with my Oregon team — it still feels like I’m playing for New Mexico.”
It was his first time back since 2022, when he lit up the course with a legendary round of 60 to capture his second state title — believed to be the best score ever recorded in a New Mexico high school tournament. He came heartbreakingly close to a 59.
“I still remember it,” he said. “Coming down my 17th hole — technically hole 8 — I was 11-under, staring at a putt to get to 13-under. It lipped out. Total U-turn. Still haunts me. Then the next hole burned the edge too. But that pressure, that juice — that’s what makes golf special. Even if it didn’t happen, being in that moment was unreal.”
Krafft’s journey to Oregon has ties that run deep. He shares a special bond with four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III, who connected him with Oregon head coach Casey Martin, Begay’s former Stanford teammate.
“Notah’s one of the biggest reasons I’m at Oregon,” Krafft said. “He’s helped me so much throughout my golf career. I’m so thankful for him and everything his foundation does. He’s an amazing guy who really put me out there and helped me get where I am today.”
Now a collegiate golfer with his sights set even higher, Krafft feels his game has matured.
“It’s been a learning process,” he said. “Every year I keep improving. My ultimate goal is to make it to the PGA Tour — and if I keep trending the way I am, I know I’ll get there one day.”
From the desert fairways of New Mexico to the emerald greens of Oregon, Aiden Krafft’s story is still being written — and the next chapter looks as promising as a perfect drive down the middle.
