The Crookston Pirate Girls Golf team battled the elements on Friday when they competed in the Fergus Falls invite at Pebble Lake Golf Course. The Pirates finished in sixth place out of 6 teams with a 404, while Moorhead won the event shooting a 345, twenty-five strokes better than second-place finisher Fergus Falls. “Obviously we missed having our top scorer today in Grace Fischer,” said Pirates Coach Jeff Perreault. “But today was a good day to help us with depth and figure out where we stand as we get closer to the Section Tournament. Overall a lot of good things from the round today.”
The Pirates were led by 8th grader Halle Nicholas who was the only Pirate to break 100 with a score of 99. Nicholas shot a 50 on the front nine with the highlight of her round coming on the 256-yard par-four sixth hole. Nicholas managed a birdie on that hole to see a little red on her scorecard. On the back nine, Nicholas shot a 49 with one par, four bogeys, two double bogeys, and two triple bogeys for a total score of 99 which was good for a 15th place finish individually. “It was another day for her where she broke 100 and hopefully that becomes a normal thing for her,” said Pirates Coach Jeff Perreault. “Her short game was on fire today and that showed with her birdie and some of the scores that she put together.”
Next up for the Pirates with a score of 101 was Ava Martin. She had some struggles on the front nine failing to get a par and shooting a score of 53 with four bogeys, three double bogeys, and two triple bogeys. On the back nine, she shaved off five strokes for a nice 48 with just one par coming on the 107-yard par-three fifteenth hole where you shoot over water. She also added five bogeys, a double bogey, and two triple bogeys to conclude her round. “For Ava, that’s a round where she knows she can be better and she’s a little frustrated with it,” said Pirates Coach Jeff Perrault. “I saw some good stuff from her today but there were a few things she wished she could clean up and not everything came together for her today.”
Kaylie Clauson also shot a 101, shooting a 50 on the front nine, and a 51 on the back nine. Clauson had one par in the round on the 439-yard par-five seventh hole, but avoided big numbers and had just one triple bogey and one quadruple bogey. “I think she is really starting to find her game,” said Pirates Head Coach Jeff Perreault. “She had some really good shots today and she just continues to get more and more consistent which is good to see.”
The last team score the Pirates took came from Sophomore Coral Brekken with a 103. Brekken shot a 55 on the front nine with three bogeys, four double bogeys, a triple bogey, and a quadruple bogey. On the back nine, she shaved seven strokes off and shot 48 thanks in part to par on the 107-yard par-three fifteenth hole, and just one triple bogey that came on the 321-yard par-four twelfth hole. “I was pleased with Coral’s round today,” said Pirates Coach Jeff Perreault. “She did a great job of not putting herself in trouble and she is very sound with her game.”
Georgia Sanders and Morgan Nelson were the other two Pirates competing in the event, and Sanders shot a 111 while Nelson managed a 112 respectively. Crookston is next set to compete on Monday when they host a triangular at Minakwa Golf Course in Crookston.
All the results from the Invite today are below.
| Teams | Pirates | Score | |
| 1. Moorhead – 345 | Halle Nicholas | 99 | |
| 2. Fergus Falls – 370 | Ava Martin | 101 | |
| 3. Bemidji – 384 | Kaylie Clauson | 101 | |
| 4. Ottertail Central – 390 | Coral Brekken | 103 | |
| 5. Staple Motley – 394 | Georgia Sanders | 111 | |
| 6. Crookston – 404 | Morgan Nelson | 112 | |
| Top Individuals | Score | ||
| 1. Annika Jyrkas – FF | 79 | ||
| 2. Mallory Uselman – S-M | 80 | ||
| 3. Ellia Soydara – FF | 80 |
