BEMIDJI -- A birdie on No. 10 gave Taylor Offerdahl the spark she needed on Friday.
The senior golfer shot a 37 on the back nine of the Bemidji Invitational at Bemidji Town and Country Club, spurring her to a first-place 77 and the BHS girls golf team to a first-place 341 in the 16-team field.
“It’s pretty great,” said Offerdahl, the team’s lone senior. “I definitely haven’t been playing that well at the start of the season, so it feels good to be back playing how I know I can play. To be able to lead the team to a victory was awesome.”
Offerdahl also went toe-to-toe with Detroit Lakes standout Shelby Busker while playing in the same group. Offerdahl came back from a three-stroke deficit in the final two holes to win by one.
“I definitely knew that I was a couple strokes behind Shelby Busker,” Offerdahl said. “I knew I had to pick it up, and I ended up playing my game and beating her by one.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Offerdahl’s finish also helped the Lumberjacks edge Brainerd by three strokes and DL by 10 for the team title.
“To win our home invitational is something that’s hard to do, and I feel pretty good about it,” Bemidji head coach Paul Daman said. “To have the medalist and to have the team championship is just a good feeling.”
BHS also had top-10 contributors in Nicki Son (fourth, 84) and Kylen Fenson (ninth, 88) in the 101-player field. Tatum Offerdahl rounded out the team score with a 92, good for 20th, while Damaris Berg (26th, 94) and Rylie Jones (44th, 102) closed the books on the team’s scores.
Daman said he was impressed up and down the lineup, but the leader of his pack has the attributes to climb to the top of a leaderboard.
“Physically, Taylor has a lot of talent. She’s played golf for a long time,” Daman said. “She hits it a long ways, she knows how to hit a lot of shots other kids don’t hit. She’s just a pretty seasoned kid.
“But talent doesn’t equate to low scores. You have to work at it, and you have to play with confidence. … You have to remain pretty even-keel on the golf course. I think Taylor today exhibited all of those things. The result was that she proved that she’s as good as -- or better -- than everybody here.”
Offerdahl birdied the par-5 No. 4, but five bogeys put her four-over-par through nine holes. On the back nine, however, she birdied the par-5 No. 10 and the par-3 No. 14 to draw even with Busker. A double bogey on the par-5 No. 15 knocked Offerdahl three strokes off the lead, but a No. 17 birdie and No. 18 bogey were enough to sneak by Busker’s consecutive double bogeys.
“After I (birdied) on 10, I was like, ‘All right, let’s go. I’ve got this,’” Offerdahl said. “I scrambled, I was in the trees and made nice shots right onto the green and two-putted for pars. It was kind of everything coming together.”
ADVERTISEMENT
In all, Offerdahl’s round consisted of six pars, four birdies, seven bogeys and a double bogey for a five-over 77.
All the Lumberjack golfers got in a round at the home invite in their only opportunity to do so this season.
Emily Burgess highlighted the Bemidji B team with a 94, while Eva Laituri (97), Becca Josephson (100), Nettie Kimball (104), Emma Alexander (109) and Macy Hietala (113) rounded out the group.
“Even though maybe only six were on the winning team, all the girls today got to share in being on their home course, being in victory and not having to jump in a van and drive three hours home,” Daman said. “It’s a good day. To have that many kids play today and play fairly well is a good sign for Bemidji golf.”
Team results
1-Bemidji 341; 2-Brainerd 344; 3-Detroit Lakes 351; 4-Crookston 374; 5-Moorhead 375; 6-Pequot Lakes 375; 7-Staples-Motley 388; 8-Bemidji B 395; 9-Perham 413; 10-BGMR 416; 11-East Grand Forks 431; 12-Fosston 431; 13-Thief River Falls 434; 14-Roseau 434; 15-Princeton 435; 16-Park Rapids 438.
