DETROIT LAKES – The Detroit Lakes boys golf team hosted the Northwest Classic at Detroit Country Club on Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13. The two-day tournament featured some of the best high school golf teams in the state and the Lakers got a chance to see where they rank.
Detroit Lakes had two teams in the tournament. The first varsity team finished with a final score of 625 (309, 316) for an eighth-place finish and the second varsity team ended in 11th with a final score of 629 (315, 314).
Detroit Lakes head coach Vern Schnathorst was happy with where his team stood after the first day.
“Day 1 I thought we had an average day for us,” he said. “Lawson Justesen had a nice round with a 75 and we had four other guys shoot in the 70s which was good. We had our lowest round of the year with 309. We are getting better, working hard and trending in the right direction.”
Schnathorst knew that the unfamiliar foes that were invited were no slouches.
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“Overall, it's a good two days, he said. “We invited a really strong field. We have the No. 1 team in the state in Maple Grove, Eastview is ranked No. 3 and White Bear Lake is really good so we have some tough competition. Part of that is to get our kids to play against some of the best kids in the state and see what they look like. I feel like you get better playing against people better than you so that is why we like to hold this tournament every year. “
Freshman Brock Burhans of the second varsity team completed his round with a final score of 150 (77, 73) and tied for 15th. He finished with the top score between the two Lakers teams. Freshman Lawsen Justesen led the way for the first varsity team with a final score of 151 (75, 76) and placed 21st.
The Detroit Lakes junior golf program has been a huge help in producing so many talented young golfers.
“You can credit the junior program that we have,” Schnathorst said. “They get a ton of opportunities to play in the summer and we give them opportunities during the school year as well to get better. They are good kids who are coachable. I would expect them to keep improving, and we will have some strong teams in the future.”
For the first varsity team, senior Ben Hines placed tied for 30th with a final score of 156 (79, 77). Sophomore Tyler Stensgard ended his two days with a final score of 158 (78, 80) and tied for 37th. Freshman Carter Whitworth placed tied for 48th with a final score of 161 (78, 83). Senior Logan Schons concluded his tournament with a score of 163 (78, 85) and a share of 52nd place. Junior Nick Tobkin rounded out the first varsity team scores with a 172 (84, 88) and a 75th-place finish.
For the second varsity team, junior Connor Nelson shot 157 (76, 81) to place tied for 34th. Sophomore Owen Chiodo totaled 159 (79, 80) after the two days for a share of 40th place. Junior Noah Meyer ended with a 163 (83, 80) for a share of 52nd place with Schons. Senior Cameron Cannon shot 173 (84, 89) after 36 holes of golf to finish in 76th place. Seventh grader Sully Braaten placed 79th with a final score of 177 (87, 90).
As much as golf is an individual sport, there is a team aspect to it as well. Schons and Hines are the leaders that help keep the team together.
“They are two great kids and their teammates really like them,” Schnathorst said. “They include all the younger guys and make everyone feel welcome. They are both solid golfers and will both be playing golf at Jamestown next year. Having two guys at the top like that is really helpful because as a coach, they help you do things when you can’t always be around. They lead the team in the direction they need to go.”
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Even though the Lakers didn’t take the crown at their own tournament, Schnathorst hopes his boys can learn a thing or two from some of the best players in the state of Minnesota.
“When you are with someone as good or better than you, you get a chance to see how they approach the game,” he said. “Through osmosis, you pick up on things that you need to do to be just as good as them. Hopefully, it helps our guys to raise their level to be able to compete against some of these golfers. If you are competitive, you want to try to hang with them and our boys have that drive in them.”
NORTHWEST CLASSIC TEAM SCORES- 1- Maple Grove 572, 2- Edina 577, T-3- Eden Prairie 604, T-3- Eastview 604, 5- West Fargo Sheyenne 607, 6- White Bear Lake Area 618, 7- Bemidji 619, 8- Detroit Lakes 625, 9- Stillwater 628, 10- Anoka 628, 11- Detroit Lakes B 629, 12- Fergus Falls 637, 13- White Bear Lake B 653, 14- Wayzata 661
NORTHWEST CLASSIC TOP TEN INDIVIDUAL SCORES- T-1st- Torger Ohe (Edina) 140, T-1st- Ryan Stendahl (Maple Grove) 140, 3rd- Jack Schrader (Maple Grove) 143, T-4th- Tyler Wanous (Eastview) 144, T-4th- Owen Nielsen (Edina) 144, T-4th- Ryan Cronin (Eden Prairie) 144, 7th- Jimmy Adbo (Edina) 145, T-8th- Joey Rohlwing (Eastview) 147, T-8th- Ryan Jamieson 147, T-8th- Zeke Roberts (Stillwater) 147
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