Bearcat girls golfers end the season strong

By Diane Younggren, coach
Winter seemed to not want to give up to spring this year and again made for a very slow start to the golf season. Endless indoor practices, inaccessibility to the golf course due to the slow melt and courses not being able to open, and rescheduled tournaments throughout the beginning of the season made for frustrations as we began.
Both the Bearcat teams gained new first-time members. This season was more about forming strong team bonds and developing skills. Great improvement was made by all members of the team throughout the season and hopes are high for a stronger, more skilled team to return next year.
On Tuesday, May 23, the Bearcats traveled to Roseau to compete in the North Sub-Section tournament. The boys advanced Jameson Turner and Jaydon Nordin to the Section tournament in Bemidji.
The Bearcat girls were finally making the move to be competitive in the team play. After the first 9, they trailed LOW by just a few strokes for second place. The back 9 brought some struggles that saw them drop down the leader board. They finished the day in fourth place as a team but advanced three golfers to the Section tournament.
Kasey Waling finished fifth overall in the field, Hadley Nordin and Edy Hilman also posted scores that qualified them to advance to the Sections.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, May 30-31. Waling, H. Nordin, Hilman, Turner and J. Nordin all traveled to Bemidji to play in the Section 8A Golf Tournament.
The first day started out warm and sunny but soon thunderstorms were on the horizon and threatened play. After the fourth group teed off, the horn sounded and everyone was called off the course. After a two-hour rain delay, play resumed under a sunny sky.
Golfing this difficult course was a new experience for Hilman and H. Nordin. Their goal was to take the day one shot at a time and just do their best. Hilman finished Day 1 scoring a 125. H. Nordin posted a first-day score of 114, but the highlight of her day was getting an Eagle on Hole No. 9 from over 100 yards out! Waling shot a Day 1 score of 111 and tied for 17th overall.
Day 2 was a warm, sunny day and all tee offs were on schedule. Our goal for this day was to correct mistakes made on the first round and come in with a lower score. Again the girls did the job. Waling carded a 102, Hilman a 177 and H. Nordin a 114.
At the conclusion of the day all the girls agreed the best part of the tournament was getting the experience of golfing on the Bemidji course and the new people they met in their groups. They all targeted things they want to work on during the off season from putting and chipping to cutting down on bad shots and unforced errors. They are all eager to make the trip to Section tournament again next year.