The Minnewaska Area girls will seek their fifth straight championship and two individuals return to seek more gold medals when the State Golf Tournaments begin this week at three different sites.

 

Four of six championship teams return to defend their respective titles at this year’s state tournament. The Minnewaska Area girls’ team leads the pack, hoping to win its fifth consecutive crown. The Lakers won in Class A in 2006 and 2007, before moving up to Class AA the last two years. All three boys’ championship teams are back: Rushford-Peterson in Class A; Orono in Class AA; and Wayzata in Class AAA. Orono is pursuing its third consecutive title.

 

Only two individual champions return in search of another gold medal. Junior Dillon Schultz returns to defend his Class A title. Senior Betsy Kelly returns to defend her Class AAA title.

 

The 2010 State Golf Tournament is scheduled for June 15-17. The Class AAA golfers will compete at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids on June 15 and 16. The Class A tournament will be played on June 16 and 17 at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. The Class AA tournament will also be played on June 16 and 17 at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.

 

 

Only two teams return from the 2009 field: runner-up Mahnomen and Fosston, the fourth-place finisher. Mahnomen (Section 6) is making its fourth appearance and Fosston (Section 8) is making its 14th appearance. Mesabi East of Aurora (Section 7) is the only team making its debut appearance.

 

Rounding out the 2010 field are Lewiston-Altura (Section 1), United South Central of Wells (Section 2), Windom Area (Section 3), Providence Academy of Plymouth (Section 4), and Osakis (Section 5).

 

Only three players from last year’s Top 10 are back: junior Amy Mireault of Fosston, fourth; Deer River senior Becca Rudquist, fifth; and Osakis junior Kelsey Ross, tied for sixth.

 

 

Rushford-Peterson (Section 1) won the Class A title in 2009 in its debut tournament appearance. Defense of the title may be difficult because only two veterans of last year’s team return: senior Kasey Olloff, tied for fourth, and senior Justin Simon, tied for 26th. Three other teams return from the 2009 field: Springfield (Section 3), third; Ortonville (Section 5), fifth; and Mesabi East of Aurora (Section 7), seventh.

 

The remaining four teams in the field are: Sleepy Eye (Section 2); Southwest Christian of Chaska (Section 4); Park Christian of Moorhead (Section 6); and Climax/Fisher (Section 8). Southwest Christian, Park Christian and Climax/Fisher are making debut appearances.

 

In the individual competition, junior Dillon Schultz of Springfield is back to defend his title. Besides Rushford-Peterson’s Olloff, four other players who finished in the Top 10 are also returning: Meadow Creek Christian of Andover sophomore Andrew Peterson, tied for fourth; Ortonville senior Jesse Roscoe and Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley/Chokia-Alberta junior, both of whom tied for seventh; and Park Christian senior Brett Harmelink, tied for 10th.

 

 

The four-time defending champions from Minnewaska Area of Glenwood (Section 3) return in search of more gold. The Lakers captured the Class A title in 2006 and 2007, and top honors in Class AA in 2008 and 2009. Five of the six players are returning from their 2009 squad.

 

Four other teams also return from last year’s field: Red Wing (Section 1), runner-up; Mankato East (Section 2), eighth; Visitation of Mendota Heights (Section 4), fifth; and Hermantown (Section 7), sixth. Rounding out the field are Becker (Section 5), Albany (Section 6) and Detroit Lakes (Section 8).

 

Seven players, including runner-up and senior Allie Ostrander of Minnewaska Area, return from the Top 10 of the 2009 field. The other returning medalists are: senior Sarah Roering of Minnewaska Area, fourth; junior Anna Laorr of Breck School of Golden Valley; junior Jordan Price of Byron, sixth; Becker sophomore Kortney Williams, seventh; and Albany senior Alyssa Kalthoff and Red Wing junior Danielle Brooks, both of whom tied for eighth.

 

 

Five of the eight teams in the Class AA boys’ tournament have 2009 tournament experience, including two-time defending champion Orono (Section 5). Orono shared championship honors with Detroit Lakes in 2008 and won it outright in 2009. Four of the team’s six golfers played on last year’s team.

 

The other returning teams are: Rochester Lourdes (Section 1), third; St. Cloud Cathedral (Section 6), fourth; Fairmont (Section 2), fifth; and Academy of Holy Angels of Richfield (Section 4), seventh.

 

Rounding out this year’s field are Luverne (Section 3), Virginia (Section 7) and Detroit Lakes (Section 8).

 

Only three of last year’s Top 10 finishers are back: runner-up Patrick Johnson of Orono, a junior; International Falls junior Glenn Walls, tied for seventh; and Minnehaha Academy of Minneapolis junior Michael Roedl, tied for ninth.

 

 

Four teams return from the 2009 field. Edina (Section 6), which finished third, is the highest returning qualifying team. The others are: Grand Rapids (Section 7), fifth; Stillwater Area (Section 4), sixth; and Alexandria (Section 8), seventh.

 

The remainder of the field is: Northfield/ARTech (Section 1); New Prague (Section 2); Eastview of Apple Valley (Section 3); and Irondale of New Brighton (Section 5). Eastview is the only school making its first tournament appearance.

 

Five returning Top 10 finishers are back, including defending champion and senior Betsy Kelly of Forest Lake. The others are: New Prague senior Steffi Neisen, runner-up; Eastview sophomore Sara Detlefson, tied for third; Edina senior Aubrie Nelson, fifth; and Alexandria senior Maggie Leland, tied for 10th.

 

 

Defending champion Wayzata (Section 6) returns with half of its 2009 championship squad. Only two other teams from that field are also back: Moorhead (Section 8), fifth; and Lakeville North (Section 1), sixth.

 

The remaining qualified teams are: Prior Lake (Section 2), Eagan (Section 3); Mahtomedi (Section 4); Rogers (Section 5); and Elk River/Zimmerman (Section 7). Both Prior Lake and Rogers are making first tournament appearances.

 

Only two players return from last year’s Top 10 finishers, and both tied for fifth: Wayzata senior Kyle Beversdorf and Brainerd senior Sean Halverson.

 

 

The Class AAA tournament will be played at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids. On Tuesday, June 15, the girls tee off at 7:30 a.m. on the East Course and West Course tees. The boys will begin their first round on the identical layouts at 12:00 p.m. The final rounds on Wednesday, June 16, will follow the same starting schedule, with a tee-time format that will pair players from competing teams with one another and individual qualifiers in comparable foursomes. The first five tee times on the East and West tees will include individual qualifiers. The 8:06 a.m. (girls) and the 12:36 p.m. (boys) tee times on the East and West tees will feature the best individual qualifiers as determined by their first-day scores. The individuals will be followed at 8:15 a.m. (girls) and 12:45 p.m. (boys) by the teams ranked in places 5-8 according to the first-day scores. The teams in places 1-4, as determined by their play on day one of the tournament, will begin play on the East and West tees at 9:00 a.m. (girls) and 12:45 p.m. (boys). The last girls’ foursome out at 9:00 a.m. on the East Course will feature the team players with the best first-day scores from the lowest-scoring four teams. The same format will be followed for the boys’ tournament with team players with the best first-day scores from the lowest-scoring four teams teeing off at 1:30 p.m.

 

 The Class A tournament will be played at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker on June 16 and 17, and the Class AA tournament will be conducted at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan on June 16 and 17. On the first day of each tournament, the girls will start at 7:30 a.m. on the No. 1 and No. 10 tees at each location. The boys will follow at 11:40 a.m. on the same tees. The final rounds for both classes will follow the same foursome pairings and time schedule as the Class AAA tournament.