McGovern Headed Back to State, Otters Take Second to Roseau in 8AA
The Fergus Falls boys’ golf team competed in the two-day Section 8AA Tournament at Bemidji Town and Country Club on Monday and Tuesday. The Otters were hoping to win the section as a team, but ultimately came up short with Roseau taking the team title. Riley McGovern qualified for the Class AA State Tournament and will participate in the event for a second straight year.
Here are the team scores:
1. Roseau 611, 2. Fergus Falls 642, 3. Hawley 665, 4. Barnesville 674, 5. Thief River Falls 689, 6. East Grand Forks 696, 7. Warroad 720
The Otters got off to a strong start on the first day and were neck and neck with Roseau after the first 9 holes. Roseau started to pull away with a few holes to go and ended up with a 17 stroke lead after day one. Individual scores for the Otters on day one -
Ryan Nelson - 78, Riley McGovern - 78, Charlie Fuder - 79, Gavin Goepferd - 83, Adam Kennedy - 85, Aidan Swenson - 86
The Otters woke up on the second day to some chilly temps and winds. They got off to a bit of a slow start but started to gain some momentum mid-round. Roseau continued their strong play and followed their team score of 301 with another nice round of 310. The Otters fell back a bit with a 324 but still finished 2nd in the section. Riley McGovern was able to finish strong over his last 9 holes to follow his 78 with a 77 on a harder scoring day. Riley ended up taking 4th place overall in the tournament out of 48 competitors. His 4th place finish also qualifies him for the AA state tournament. Second day scores for the Otters -
Riley McGovern - 77 (155), Adam Kennedy - 78 (163), Charlie Fuder - 84 (163), Ryan Nelson - 85 (163), Aidan Swenson - 86 (172), Gavin Goepferd - 90 (173)
Riley McGovern tees off on hole 7 at Bemidji Town and Country Club. (PHOTO PROVIDED)
Senior teammates Max Wilson and Teagan LaPlante of Roseau shared medalist honors with two-day scores of 147. Wilson fired a 72 on the second day after a 75 on day one. LaPlante went from a 73 on Monday to a 74 on Tuesday. Jack Justesen of Hawley was third with a score of 148. Individual qualifiers for state in addition to McGovern and Justesen are Nolan Eckmann (158) of Park Rapids Area, Brady Petznick (160) of Pelican Rapids and Ryan Shaugabay (160) of Warroad.
Barnesville was led by Tate Inniger (162) in tenth place and Ayden Hauck (165) in fourteenth place. United North Central junior Carter Hilluka (161) missed qualifying for state by one stroke, placing ninth.
The State Tournament will be held at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan June 13 and 14.
