June 3, 2015 at 3:15 p.m.
Chambers, Thompson and Kress all going to state; "Cats lose by one to Grand Rapids
Chambers, Thompson and Kress all going to state; "Cats lose by one to Grand Rapids
They’ve been honing their shots, practicing their rounds and measuring their distances in anticipation of their two rounds at Hinckley Grand National on Saturday, May 30 and Monday, June 1. And it came this close to paying off with a team berth to the state tournament.
The Wildcats tied Grand Rapids for the lowest score over the two-day tournament of 638, but when the fifth golfer came into play, the Thunderhawks had the lower score, sending them to the state tournament instead of Chisago Lakes.
Despite the team narrowly missing out on a state tournament berth, CL’s top two golfers, Eric Chambers and Bryce Thompson, earned individual trips to state at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids Tuesday and Wednesday, June 9-10.
“We played a really nice couple of days at sections.The tournament director said that this was the closest finish he has seen in his 20 years as director,” Head Coach Bryon Rogers said. “As a team, we tied Grand Rapids but unfortunately, our fifth score was not as low as Grand Rapids, so we missed going to state as a team by a hair.”
The ‘Cats 638 came from Thompson, Chambers, Justin Lawry, Joe Olson and Andrue Trelstad.
Chambers paced the whole meet, shooting a four-over 148, which was three strokes better than second place.
Thompson’s third place finish was a result of shooting 151 over the two rounds.
“Both of these guys played really consistent golf for the two days, and will do a great job representing Chisago Lakes at the state tournament,” Rogers said.
Trelstad had a nice 81 on the second day to really rebound for the ‘Cats.
Olson’s 83 was used for the varsity score on Saturday, but on the second day, Olson had an unfortunate error that cost him his round. He played the wrong ball out of a hazard and had to take a disqualification after reporting his mistake. “It’s tough to do that, but I’m proud of him for admitting the mistake,” Rogers said.
Lawry earned his spot on the varsity lineup for sections by besting fellow eighth grade teammate Thomas Overgaard in a playoff. Lawry didn’t disappoint, shooting an 83 on Saturday and an 82 on Monday, which were both used by the ‘Cats in their final scores. Rogers is excited about the future prospects of the pair. “It’s going to be fun to watch Justin and Thomas develop over the next four years,” he said.
Vince Darling struggled after shooting an 81 at Grand National last week following-up that score with an 89 and a 90 at the tournament.
“I'm really proud of the boys for the effort they placed into the season, but even more proud of the young men they are becoming,” Rogers said. “We are losing three seniors this year, which will be tough, but we are fortunate enough to have a great group of younger players returning next year under the leadership of Bryce Thompson and Andrue Trelstad.”
North Branch Boys
The Vikings golf team had a call just as close as Chisago Lakes’ but it was in the individual portion of the event.
After the two rounds, North Branch’s top two golfers, Nick Kress and Regan Nelson, were tied with scores of 154. They also happened to be locked up with two competitors from St. Francis and Andover.
The problem was, only two individual state tournament spots were up for grabs in the four-way tie.
The quartet moved into a playoff round to settle who would be going to Bunker Hills and who would be starting their summer early. Kress and the St. Francis competitor both made par on the first playoff hole while Nelson and the Andover competitor both bogeyed the hole, sorting things out quickly. Kress was going to the state tournament and Nelson just missed out on going to his second in a row.
“Nick struggled in the middle of his round, but pulled it together and finished strong,” Head Coach Ryank Minke said. “Regan played well all day on Monday and caught some tough breaks on the last few holes that really hurt him. It was really windy and the course wasn't in the best shape, so the scores weren't as low as in the past few years.”
The three local competitors will hit the Bunker Hills course for a practice round Monday, June 8 before the real thing on Tuesday, June 9.
Boys Class AAA tees off at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. As of Press time, the pairings and tee times weren’t available. Keep an eye on the Chisago County Press Facebook for when the times are announced.
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