The Luverne boys’ and girls’ golf teams wrapped up their seasons last week, but one LHS golfer kept his season alive by qualifying for the state meet.
Sophomore Henry Hartquist turned in an impressive 2-under par round of 70 in the second round of section play to finish as the Section 3AA Individual Runner-Up. Hartquist’s two-day total of 148 was only bested by New London-Spicer’s Peyton Coahran who shot an even par 144.
Hartquist will be the first LHS golfer to take part in the state meet since Chaz Smedsrud did so in 2016.
“I’m really proud of Henry and how he finished the tournament,” said Luverne boys’ golf coach John Sichmeller.
“Going into the back nine there was a big group of kids that all had a chance to qualify.”
Hartquist pulled away and finished with three birdies in a row to secure his spot in the state tournament.
“It’s hard to make three birdies in a row at any time but to do it when it counts showed what kind of player Henry is,” Sichmeller said.
Hartquist will play at the Minnesota State Class AA Golf Tournament June 14-15 at the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Club in Jordan.
Luverne boys’ golf
The Luverne boys’ golf team participated in Round 2 of section play on Wednesday, June 1, at the Oakdale Golf Club in Buffalo Lake.
The Cardinals earned their way as a team to Round 2 after finishing in fourth place out of 16 teams in Round 1. Luverne finished off their season strong after shooting a season best score of 318 in Round 2. Luverne’s two-day total of 643 left them in fourth place in the final section standings.
New London-Spicer would claim the team championship after shooting a score of 604.
Luverne was led by Hartquist’s round of 70. Sophomore Owen Sudenga fired a 78 for the Cardinals and finished just one shot away from a tie for fifth place individually and a shot at the state tournament.
“I felt really bad for Owen,” said Sichmeller. “He played some awesome golf and nearly qualified as well for the state tournament. He had a bad start to his round, but he didn’t give up and shot even par his last 10 holes to give himself a chance.”
Also scoring for Luverne were junior Brady Bork (83) and senior Colin Schoeneman (87). Sophomore Tyler Arends (94) and freshman Levi Gonnerman (105) also competed for the Cardinals.
Luverne girls’ golf
The LHS girls’ golf team started section play on Tuesday, May 31, at Oakdale Golf Club.
The Cardinals shot a team score of 416 to finish in eighth place out of 13 teams at the event which was eventually won by Minnewaska/BBE.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was junior Lauren Hansen who shot a score of 100.
Senior Morgan Gonnerman shot 102, junior Jocelynn Mann shot a 106, and senior Cheyenne Schutz shot a 108. Also competing for Luverne were sophomore Perceyis Trierweiler (111) and junior Mallory Nelson (120).
With their efforts in Round 1, Hansen and Gonnerman earned the right to compete in Round 2 the following day.
Gonnerman went on to shoot a 95 in the second round and finished 24th overall in the event.
Hansen shot a round of 105 and finished in 38th place. Redwood Valley’s Julian Brown claimed the top spot individually with a two-day total of 153.