Golf State Tournament: Day 1 Recap
Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - 9:33 PM
Four defending team champions and two defending individual champions are sitting on top of the standings at the end of the first day of the 2022 Golf State Tournament. The Fertile-Beltrami boys (Class A), Lac qui Parle Valley girls (Class A), Lake City girls (Class AA) and Alexandria Area girls (Class AAA) are all looking for their second consecutive titles. The Lac qui Parle Valley girls are currently tied with Legacy Christian Academy.
On the individual side, Mallory Belka of Perham and Nate Stevens of Northfield are both in a stellar position to defend their 2021 titles. Belka leads the Class AA field and Stevens is currently in command in Class AAA. Blaine’s Kathyn Van Arragon, who claimed top individual honors in Class AAA in 2018, currently leads that field.
Class A
The defending champions from Fertile-Beltrami hold a 10-stroke lead over Marshall School, Duluth in the team event. The Falcons are at 323 and the Hilltoppers follow at 333. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa is currently third at 339. On the individual side, Cole Witherow of New Life Academy of Woodbury and Noah Scullard-Bender are tied at 73.
It’s a tight race in the girls’ competition at the end of Day 1 with Legacy Christian Academy and the defending champions from Lac qui Parle Valley locked in a 354-stroke tie. Park Christian is a distant third at 368. Emily Brandt of Legacy Christian Academy sits atop the individual leaderboard at 81 strokes.
Class AA
In Class AA, Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa leads Totino-Grace by 11 strokes at the end of the first round. The Panthers are holding steady at 309 and the Eagles trail at 320. Roseau is in third place at 322. Two golfers are tied for top honors at the end of the first day; Jacob Ferrin of Southwest Christian and Sam Udovich of St. Croix Lutheran Academy. They both shot 71.
The defending champions from Lake City hold a commanding 27-stroke lead over Fergus Falls in the girls’ team competition. The Tigers are currently at 330 strokes, Fergus Falls is at 357 and Pequot Lakes is at 362. Defending individual champion, Mallory Belka of Perham, is the top individual with a score of 76.
Class AAA
Northfield’s Nate Stevens, who struck individual gold last year, sits atop the leader board after the first day. He and Edina’s Jack Wetzel both shot a two-under par 70 on the first day. On the team side, Edina leads Spring Lake Park by a slim three-point margin. The Hornets shot a 298 and the Panthers came in at 301. The Alexandria Area Cardinals are currently third at 304.
The defending champions from Alexandria Area are up by nine strokes over Maple Grove. The Cardinals are sitting at 318 strokes and the Crimson are at 327. Eastview is third with a score of 331. Kathyn VanArragon of Blaine, who won the individual crown in 2018, is currently in the individual lead with a seven-under par score of 65.
Complete results can be found on the boys and girls golf activity pages.
Boys: https://www.mshsl.org/sports-and-activities/golf-boys
Girls: https://www.mshsl.org/sports-and-activities/golf-girls
