Mallow follows state up with victory at Oxbow

McKenna Mallow, center, was a two stroke winner on the Players Tour at Oxbow defeating co-runners-up Katie Foley of Brainerd, left, and Anna Eckmann of Park Rapids Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Twitter / @MNPGAJuniorGolf

By Robert Williams

June 23, 2021 at 1:06 PM

McKenna Mallow of Detroit Lakes followed up a strong showing at the Class AAA state tournament with a victory on the Minnesota PGA junior Sota Series Players Tour at Oxbow Country Club June 21-22.

Mallow shared the first round lead with Park Rapids’ Anna Eckmann and Oxbow’s Avery Bartels with matching rounds of 81 (+9).

Mallow’s best scorecard marks were a round one birdie at the par-4 11th hole and a second round birdie 4 at the par-5, 13th hole. The incoming Laker senior led the field on the par 5’s shooting a +3 over both days and was second on the par 3’s at +3.

Mallow bested Eckmann by two strokes shooting a 79 to Park Rapids’ top golfer’s 81. Both golfers were coming off excellent state tournament bids. Mallow was seventh at the AAA meet; Eckman placed fifth in Class AA.

Mallow also held off Bartels who finished in fifth place on her home course, five shots off the pace.

It was a familiar foe who made the biggest run at the top of the leaderboard, Katie Foley, a fellow incoming senior at Brainerd. The duo qualified for state together at the Section 8AAA meet with Mallow four shots better in fourth place; Foley was fifth. Foley finished 14 shots behind Mallow at AAA state in 31st place, but threatened the Oxbow title with a two-day best round of 1-under par 71.

Foley birdied the opening two holes and shot par the rest of the way after working around a bogey at the par-4 eighth hole. She started the day 10 strokes behind Mallow (160) to finish tied with Eckmann two shots back (162).

Sota Series, Players Tour, Oxbow, N.D.

(Place, Name, Grad Year, Residence, Score)

1 McKenna Mallow 2022, Detroit Lakes +16 81-79 160

T2 Katie Foley 2022, East Gull Lake +18 91-71 162

T2 Anna Eckmann 2024, Park Rapids +18 81-81 162

4 McKenna Hogan 2024, Maple Grove +19 82-81 163

5 Avery Bartels 2024, Oxbow +21 81-84 165

6 Sammy Youngquist 2022, Eden Prairie +26 91-79 170

7 Riley Crothers 2021, Bismarck +35 89-90 179

8 Avery Nelson 2024, Chaska +42 99-87 186

9 Anaka Lysne 2022, Wahpeton +43 94-93 187

10 Jaya Grube 2024, Grand Forks +46 92-98 190