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The Fergus Falls Boys golf team hosted the 24th annual Otter Invite on Friday and Saturday at Pebble Lake Golf Club and it sure was nice to be outside. There were 4 teams competing at the varsity level and another 4 in the JV division. The Otters were excited to have some really good teams to compete against including Orono, Detroit Lakes, and Crookston. The conditions were difficult and most of the players had not golfed outside before the meet which proved to be even more impressive as the scores started to roll in on Friday.
Senior Captain, Charlie Fuder, showed his talent with an impressive score of 75 on Friday. That score in the cold and windy conditions held the individual lead as the Otters posted an impressive 312 to take a 2 shot lead over Orono. Other scores contributing to the 312 included junior Ryan Nelson with an impressive 76, Riley McGovern (Junior) shot a 78, and Gavin Goepferd (Junior) rounded out the scoring with an 83. Adam Kennedy (Sophomore) and Aidan Swenson (Senior) both posted rounds of 86 on day 1 to round out the scoring for the Otters. "Our score of 313 was pretty impressive on a very windy and cold day and I'm really excited about the start to the season," 6th year head coach Matt McGovern said. After day 1 the Otters held a 2 stroke lead over Orono who is an impressive AAA team.
Day 2 was even better. Mother Nature provided sun, calm winds, clouds, lots of wind, hail, a 15 minute delay to let sleet melt from the greens, and eventually nice conditions to finish. Riley McGovern posted a 74 to finish at 152 along with Charlie Fuder who followed his 75 with a 77 to also finish at 152. Those scores were good enough to tie for 3rd place as individuals. Ryan Nelson showed his grit and determination by shooting a 79 while not having his best stuff. "Ryan, one of the best players in AA, has improved so much each year he has been a part of this team. The sky's the limit for his golfing ability," McGovern added. Gavin Goepferd fired a 77 and Adam Kennedy shot 79. Aidan Swenson finished with an 85 to improve on his 86 from Friday. The boys shot a team score of 307 which is the best score this current team has had.
Despite the Otters impressive day, Orono proved to be too talented to keep up with. They posted a 303 to win the tournament by 2 shots. Individually, the tournament was won by Dyaln Kringen, a freshman from Orono who shot an even par 72 to follow his first day score of 76. His 148 was 3 better than his teammate, Nolan Jensen, who finished at 151. Rounding out the top 5 were Charlie and Riley at 152, and Senior Riley Snow of Orono who shot a 154. Ryan Nelson was 6th overall at 155.
The Otters are currently the top ranked team in the state in AA golf. "This team has the potential to do some pretty special things this year. We are off to a good start and are looking forward to the busy month of May," McGovern added .
The Otters are coached by Matt McGovern and assistant coach Travis Johnson. Trevor Larson is in charge of the middle school program.