The Crookston Pirate Girls Golf team shot their best score of the year with a 394 and finished seventh place at the Bemidji Invitational at the Town and Country Club in Bemidji. The event was won by Fergus Falls with a 340. “We were delighted with the scores today,” said Pirate Coach Jeff Perreault. “Coming into today, we set a goal to break 410, and we not only did that, but we also broke 400. I saw some good things out there today.”
Ava Martin recorded the only Pirate birdie on the front nine on the par-four 301-yard fifth hole. She also recorded two pars (holes 3 and 8), two bogies, two double bogies, one triple bogey, and one quadruple bogey for a front nine total of 48. On the back nine, Martin was consistent again. She had four bogies, four double bogies, and ended with a par on the par-four 356-yard 18th hole for a back nine total of 48 for a round total of 96 to lead the Pirates. Martin finished 15th individually. “Ava had the only birdie for us today, and she had her best score of the year. She can do what she did today,” said Coach Perreault. “She was hitting well off the tee and was pretty consistent, so that was nice to see. As an eighth-grader, she is poised on the course, and it shows.”
Grace Fischer had a solid front nine and recorded two pars (on the 7th and 8th holes). She also had four bogies and three double bogies for a total of 46. The back nine was a little bit tougher for Grace as she had one par, three bogies, three double bogies, and two triple bogies for a back-nine total of 51 and a total of 97. Fischer finished 16th individually. “Grace had a little sand trouble today and had a triple on a par three, which isn’t like her,” said Coach Perreault. “With that said, she still shot a pretty good score, which tells you how well she golfed besides a few holes.”
Halle Nicholas also had a solid front nine with three pars (holes 2, 3, and 5), three bogies, two double bogies, and one triple bogey for a total of 46. The back nine was also a little more challenging for Halle as she had four bogies, two double bogies, two triple bogies, and a quadruple bogey for a back-nine total of 54 and a total of 100. Halle finished 19th individually. “Halle started strong, and her front nine was pretty impressive,” said Coach Perreault. “On the back nine, she hit into a couple of bunkers, which hurt her a bit. She wanted to break 100 and was on the verge of doing that today, and we like what we see from her.”
Morgan Nelson started the back nine with two pars (holes 2 and 8), three bogies, two double bogies, and two triple bogies for a total of 49. Morgan had a solid back-nine with three bogies and five double bogies for a 52 and a total of 101.
Nelson finished 22nd individually. “Morgan had a good round today. She was hitting the ball well,” said Coach Perreault. “She gave herself good opportunities to score, and it was good to see today.”
Georgia Sanders recorded on par (hole 5) on the front nine. She also had four bogies, one double bogey, one triple bogey, one quadruple bogey, and a nine on the par-four third hole for a front nine total of 54. On the back nine, Sanders had two pars (holes 10 and 16), two bogies, three double bogies, one triple bogey, and one quadruple bogey for a 51, three strokes better than her front nine for a total of 105. Sanders finished 27th individually. “Georgia didn’t have a great start with a four-putt on the first hole,” said Coach Perreault. “She recovered nicely and even had a par,” said Coach Perreault. “She did even better on the back nine, and that was great to see her finish strong, and she keeps showing improvement.”
Coral Brekken turned in two pars (holes 2 and 3), two bogies, one double bogey, one triple bogey, and three quadruple bogies for a front nine total of 55. On the back-nine, Brekken had two bogies, six double bogies, and one triple bogey for a 53, two strokes better than her front nine and a total of 108. Brekken finished 31st individually. “Coral had her best round of the year so far, and that was great to see,” said Coach Perreault. “She golfed well and had a great chip in, which was fun to see her so excited to hit a great shot. She ran into a few little things that will help her score, but she had a good round today.”
A few temporary greens caused the golfers to putt a few more times than they usually would, but Coach Perreault said they need a lot of work. “We will practice on the greens all day on Thursday,” said Coach Perreault. “The girls haven’t had a chance to work on the greens, and the more we can work on putting and chipping around the green, we will see a big improvement in our scores.”
Crookston is scheduled to be at East Grand Forks on Friday.
| Teams | Pirates | Score | |
| 1. Fergus Falls – 340 | Ava Martin | 96 | |
| 2. Staples-Motley-368 | Grace Fischer | 97 | |
| 3. East Grand Forks-378 | Halle Nicholas | 100 | |
| 4. Bemidji – 379 | Morgan Nelson | 101 | |
| 5. Roseau – 393 | Georgia Sanders | 105 | |
| 6. Crookston – 394 | Coral Brekken | 108 | |
| 7. Thief River Falls – 447 | Top Individuals | Score | |
| 1. Annika Jerks – FF | 81 | ||
| 1. Tatum Offerdahl-Bem | 81 | ||
| 3. Ella Soydara – FF | 83 |
