Blooming Prairie Golfers Lead Section Tournament After First Round

The Blooming Prairie boys golf team is halfway toward repeating as Section 1A champions. Their coach cautioned them to stay focused for Monday's second round.

The Awesome Blossom golf team has a 25-stroke lead heading into Monday's final round of the Section 1A tournament at Willow Creek Golf Course in Rochester. Coach Cory Hendrickson told KRFO radio that the younger players on the team were excited and exchanging high fives, while the veterans from last year's title team were more subdued. In 2016, Blooming Prairie came from behind on the second day to capture their first state meet trip.

Hendrickson added, "We talked with our golfers after the round about staying hungry and not being content because we had a good first day." Regarding the breezy day, he said, "I was extremely happy with our overall performance today. The conditions were tough. The greens were fast and the wind definitely played a big part in the higher than normal scores."

Tommy Braaten led all golfers Wednesday with 75. Lucas Noble shot 81, which was third-best for the round. Jake Ressler came in with 90 and Kollyn Allwes shot 96. BP's team score is 342. Fillmore Central shot 367. Lewiston-Altura is at 374.

On the girls' side, Blooming Prairie's Taylor Christianson shot 95 for sixth. Jessica Ressler had 96 and is seventh. The leader shot 82. Individuals can advance to state if they have one of the five lowest scores, not counting players on the winning team on Monday. Fillmore Central leads the girls' race with 358. Caledonia shot 388.