PARK RAPIDS -- Two members of the Bemidji High School girls golf team made the cut Thursday and advanced to the second round of the Section 8-3A Tournament, hosted by Headwaters Golf Club in Park Rapids.
Seniors Nicki Son and Rylie Jones secured spots in the final round of the tournament, set for Friday, June 4.
The Lumberjacks were unable to qualify for the second round as a team. Only the top six teams advance to the final day. BHS placed eighth in round one with a score of 388, finishing 14 strokes behind Moorhead and Sartell-St. Stephen, who are tied for fifth and were the final teams to make the cut.
Son sits in 16th after carding an 88, while Jones fired a 96 to sit in 33rd.
The Bemidji duo made the cut by ranking among the top 12 individuals from outside the top six teams Thursday.
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“I’m glad that (Rylie) gets to go to the second day for her senior year and experience that,” head coach Tina Offerdahl said. “I expected Nicki to make it to the second day. She’s been playing really consistently and really well all year. Today she played well. Her short game wasn’t quite what it normally was, but she still made it. I’m excited to see what they do tomorrow.”
Greta Smith and Kate Hildenbrand each posted scores of 102 to complete Bemidji’s top four scorers. Madeline Larson (108) and Mataya Carter (117) also competed for the Jacks.
Brainerd (310) holds a four-shot lead on Alexandria (314) entering the final round.
Izzy Olson of Brainerd leads all individuals after shooting 70.
Son and Jones will return to the course Friday with hopes of earning state-tournament berths. The top five individuals not on the section team champion qualify.
The rest of the Lumberjacks will look to sharpen up their game over the offseason.
“We had a great season,” Offerdahl said. “If we had a month longer, I think we would’ve seen scores drop even more. We had a couple personal bests on the day, so that’s a great way to end the season.”
First Round Team Results
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1-Brainerd 310; 2-Alexandria 314; 3-Detroit Lakes 319; 4-Becker 363; T5-Moorhead 374; T5-Sartell-St. Stephen 374; 7-Buffalo 378; 8-Bemidji 388; 9-Willmar 405; 10-Monticello 411; 11-St. Cloud 422.
Only the top six teams qualify for the final round.
