From the May 31, 2008 Northfield News
By JEFF WALD
NORTHFIELD — It's not quite the way she envisioned it, but Brooke Finger will tee it up in her first state golf tournament on Tuesday at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids.
The Northfield freshman will be the lone representative from the Northfield girls golf team competing this week. The Raiders finished a close second on Tuesday at the Section 1AAA Championships, shooting a 688 to finish just two shots behind champion Lakeville North. Finger will be the second Raider golfer in the last three years to compete at the state tournament. Becca Langer got there two years ago as a junior.
"I’m pretty excited," said Finger, who is a freshman and is in her second season of varsity golf. "It's kind of shocking since I'm so young. But I wish the rest of the team could still be playing. That was our goal."
"This accomplishment shows how far our program has come in the last couple years," said Raiders coach Brian Stevens. "The hard work is paying off. A lot of the girls are playing competitive golf during the summer, and I didn't know if that would happen right away. Brooke has worked really hard to get there."
Finger shot an 82 in Tuesday's final round to finish with a two-day score of 165. It was only one shot off the individual medalist honors. She said she knew the state tournament was a good possibility when she got off the course.
"I kind of knew I had a good chance with my score," Finger said. "I just tried to focus on not blowing up anywhere and not letting any big scores bother me."
Finger will start the Class AAA Girls State Tournament Tuesday morning, but will get her first look at Bunker Hills on Monday in a practice round. The biggest hurdle so far: She has to finish school so she can play golf next week.
"The biggest logistical challenge is that she has to get done early with her finals," Stevens said. "Most kids will have finals next week, but she'll have to be out of school, so she had to get most of that done this week."
As for preparation, Bunker Hills will likely play at least 700 yards longer than any course the Raiders played this year. The East/West course, which Finger will be compete on, plays to just over 5,800 yards. Finger will start practice in town by playing Northfield Golf Club from the men's tees, then play Bunker Hills on Monday.
"I'll play from the whites or blues at Northfield to get used to the distance," Finger said. "I'll also take a lot of notes on Monday and try to learn a lot about the course."
"She'll have to play it like it's her first round in the tournament," Stevens said. "She can't play three or four balls because she'll be with other players. She'll get a good feel for what's out there. The biggest thing will be her wedge play. She's long off the tee, but there's some par-4s out there where she won't be able to hit the green in two. She'll need to hit a wedge within six feet to give herself a chance for par."
Stevens said Finger will stay in Coon Rapids for the entire tournament, as opposed to commuting every day, like Langer did two years ago. Expectations for the freshman are realistic as she will play for the first time against against the best all-around competition in the state.
"I've never played in a tournament like this," Finger said. "I'm sure I'll be nervous, but I'm not going to treat it different than any other tournament. I'm not going to worry about where I finish."
"We're going to try and simplify things for her," Stevens said. "We want her to go out there and have fun. If she hits the ball well and continues her good short game, it's realistic for her to finish in the top half or third of the field."
