Golf: Braves “ready” for PGA High School National Invitational

MANDAN, N.D. — While the girls high school golf season concluded more than nine months ago, the grind hasn’t stopped for Mandan Braves, who have been preparing for the 2024 PGA High School Golf National Invitational.

After a dominant 2023 season that ended with a state championship, and qualifying for the event, the Braves shifted their focus to what they call a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” competing at new courses against golfers from across the country.

“We’ve done our job here, so let’s do it and enjoy,” head coach Dean Johs says. “First off, enjoy what we’re going to be doing down there and just play and have a good time and then see where we end up in the end of that when it’s all said and done. But, we are we are going down there more than just, ‘hey, let’s just play a round of golf.’ We’re going to go down there and do our best and shoot what we can and let everything fall in place.”

“It’s like a once in a lifetime, so I think it’s going to be so fun,” sophomore Stray Ressler adds. “You don’t get to go out there every day and play with a bunch of girls from other states. So, it’s going to be fun. We’ve been practicing and working our hardest, playing different tees at different courses to get used to the distances. I think we’re going to do pretty well down there.”

Competing at the Invitational and representing the Peace Garden State is the icing on the cake for this Braves team. But, with seniors graduating and moving on, the opportunity to play as a team one last time is the ultimate cherry on top.

“I know the girls are excited just to be together, to play together one more time,” Johs says. “As a coach, it’s been an honor to work with these girls and this team. It’s going to be something we cherish and have as a great memory for many, many years.”

“It’s super exciting to be able to compete one last time with each other because we’re all super close and we’re all like family, so it’ll be super fun,” senior Anna Huettl adds.

“Those seniors, they meant a lot to us,” says Ressler. “They helped our team in tremendous ways. It’s going to be hard next year without them, but I think we’re going to have a great last time with them.”

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