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Despite some great scores and individual meet winners, the Chisago Lakes girls golf team hasn’t earned a top spot quite yet, with Becker continuing to be a proverbial thorn in their side.

The Wildcats took to the home course for a cloudy and rainy round Thursday, April 27 and sophomore Kali Hanson ended up carding an 81 for her career best score. It won her the event by two strokes over North Branch’s Olivia Weyenberg.

Emily Erickson backed that up with a nice 88 after shooting matching 44s, and Haley Overgaard shot a 96 for CL. 

But, their next golfer in was sophomore Joee Westland with a 103, and that put them just a bit out of contention for the top spot that Becker claimed with a team score of 362. Monticello finished in second with a score of 367, and Chisago Lakes took third with 368 total strokes.

Outside of Weyenberg’s exceptional 83, North Branch also got a strong score from Ashley Bistodeau, who shot an 87 to finish in fifth place. They only had one other golfer participate, though, so they didn’t register a team score.

The funky weather conditions continued for the girls as they took on Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker on Monday, May 1.  Although the temps were pleasant and sunny, the 35 mile an hour wind gusts made for some unpredictable shots.

Erickson, however, battled through it and claimed the individual crown while shooting an 88. 

She was followed by three Becker golfers, which again allowed the Bulldogs to claim their third straight win on the season as a team.

Erickson’s top finish paced the Wildcats to a second place, with 384 strokes, 18 behind Becker, and 13 in front of third place Monticello.

North Branch’s Ashley Bistodeau cracked 100 with a 99 to finish in 11th place.

Boys

The Wildcats and Vikings have been dueling atop the Mississippi 8 for all three of the invites so far, and each has claimed a team victory knowing there is more out there for them.

In the season opener, Chisago Lakes claimed the team crown at The Ponds in St. Francis with 326 strokes, led by Andrew Swanson and Brett Hanson’s matching 78s and backed up by Brock Thompson and Max Koch’s 82s.

But, North Branch claimed some hardware as well, with seventh grader Nicholas Melvin shooting a meet best 76, and teammate Tyler Minke tying for second place with a 77.

The Vikings finished with 327 strokes in third place, just one stroke behind Monticello.

The Magic swooped in for a win at their home country club on Monday, April 24 when they compiled 324 strokes. Chisago Lakes was just behind them at 327 when they had all four golfers within two strokes of each other.

The ‘Cats were led by Thompson and Hanson, who each scored an 81 on the tough course. Swanson carded an 82 and Koch an 83. Matt White and Joe Froberg also put down good scores, with an 85 and 86, respectively.

Minke was the top local finisher, with the North Branch sophomore carding a 79 to finish one stroke out of the top spot held by Becker’s Brayden Graning.

The highlight of the week came from the three way contest at Bulrush Golf Club among Chisago Lakes, North Branch and Monticello. The Vikings won at their home course with 320 strokes. Chisago Lakes’ Andrew Swanson won the individual title and paced the Wildcats to a team score of 321 strokes and the Magic was right there at the end with 322 strokes.

North Branch’s win at the home course was led by Minke and Melvin, who each scored a 79. They both had sterling back nines, with Minke finished two over and Melvin just one over par. Carter Magnison, an eighth grader, had his best score of the year with an 80, and the scores were rounded out with eighth grader Drake Dimich’s 82.

The Wildcats were right there at the end with Swanson winning the meet with a score of 77 when he was just two over on the front and three over on the back nine. Koch, just a freshman, shot a 79, and Hanson, a sophomore, carded an 81. Thompson, the lone senior on the varsity lineup for CL, shot an 84 to round out the ‘Cats scores.

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