South’s Ordal will return to state tourney
Northfield had the best team score by 24 strokes in the final round of the Class 3A, Section 1 girls golf tournament, more than enough to give the Raiders the championship.
Farmington, which was tied with Northfield after the first round of the tourney, didn’t get the team championship or automatic state berth, but the Tigers did get something unprecedented for their program. Their runner-up finish was the school’s best ever in a section girls golf tournament.
In addition, ninth-grader Jayla Mao advanced to state individually after tying for sixth in the May 28 and 30 section tourney at Cannon Golf Club. She had rounds of 84 and 87 for a 171 total.
Also advancing to state are Lakeville South senior Jovie Ordal, who finished second with 78-78–156. Her 78 was the best score of the final round. Ordal, who is seventh in the Minnesota Golf Association high school rankings, will take another crack at the Class 3A individual championship after finishing third last year.
Lakeville North sophomore Olivia Hanson shot 82 in the second round to tie Mao for sixth place individually and earn a spot at the state tourney. Hanson shot 89 in the opening round.
Carmen Jirele, a sophomore from Owatonna, had the section tournament’s low round, 1-over-par 73 on the first day. She followed with 79 to win the individual championship by four strokes.
Section 1 team champion Northfield had two individuals in the top five and three in the top 11. The Raiders and Farmington were tied at 361 after the first round, but the rest of the field couldn’t keep up with Northfield’s 344 on the second day.
Farmington was 28 strokes behind Northfield but seven ahead of third-place Owatonna. Also playing for the Tigers in the section tournament were senior Kailey Watson (88-89–177; eighth place), junior Annika Reuss (91-99–190; 15th), ninth-grader Alana Hansen (104-97–201; 27th), seventh-grader Chloe Friesz (103-105–208; tied for 30th) and ninth-grader Scarlett Hedrick (98-111–209; 33rd).
Lakeville North finished fifth in the Section 1 team competition, led by Hanson. Junior Abby Collins (tied for 19th) and seventh-grader Cindy Kraus (tied for 21st) also placed in the top 25 individually.
Lakeville South was tied for ninth in the team competition after the first round. The top seven moved on to the final round.
Class 3A, Section 1 boys
Rochester Mayo pulled away from the field in the final round of the Class 3A, Section 1 boys tournament May 28 at The Jewel in Lake City. The Spartans were tied with Northfield after the opening round, with Lakeville North two strokes behind and Lakeville South four back. Mayo had a 291 team score in the second round and went on to a 12-stroke victory.
Lakeville South tied for third, 22 strokes behind Mayo. Senior Mitchell Platt was the Cougars’ top player, shooting 74-77–151 to tie for seventh place individually. South players Ty Johnson and Zach Havron had 155 totals and were two of the four players tied for 13th.
Lakeville North was sixth in the team competition. The Panthers’ top individual was junior Brody Baker, who shot 74-79–153 to finish 10th.
Farmington was eighth in the team standings after the first round, and only the top seven advance to the second round. But two Tigers players advanced individually to the final round, and junior Cale Thompson qualified for the state tournament by finishing third. He shot 73 in both rounds for a 4-over-par 146 total.
State schedule
The state Class 3A tournament will be Tuesday, June 11, and Wednesday, June 12, at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids. Boys tee times start at 7:30 a.m. each day, and the first girls groups will tee off at noon.
Maple Grove is defending Class 3A girls team champion and will compete next week after winning the Section 5 championship. Edina, the Class 3A boys champion in 2023, finished second to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in this year’s Section 6 tourney.
Reese McCauley of Simley will seek a second consecutive Class 3A girls individual championship and third overall. Defending boys champion Jake Birdwell of Spring Lake Park also has earned his way back to state.
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