From the June 3, 2008 Northfield News
By JEFF WALD
COON RAPIDS, Minn. — Take away two holes, and the first round of the Class AAA State Golf Tournament was a complete success for Northfield freshman Brooke Finger.
Finger shot a 17-over par 90 on Tuesday at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minn., and is in a group of eight players that are tied for 48th place in the 88-player field.
New Prague’s Steffi Neisen shot a 2-under par 71 Tuesday and has the individual lead heading into today’s final round. Woodbury shot a 345 in the team competition and has a one shot lead over Forest Lake.
For Finger, one quadruple bogey on each side prevented her from breaking 90 in the first round of her first state tournament. Turn each of those into a par and she fires an 82, which would be in a tie for 17th.
“I got off the 18th green and I was pretty upset,” said Finger. The ninth hole on the East Course (her 18th of the day) was one of two 8s on her scorecard. “I didn’t really know how good my score was going to hold up. Once I saw the rest of the scores, it was a little better. But I definitely left a few shots out there.”
“For her first competitive round at a state tournament, she played solid,” said Raiders coach Brian Stevens. “There are two holes she’d like to have back. She hit nine fairways and hit eight greens in regulation. She was on the three par-5s on the West Course in regulation. It was a good learning experience for her.”
One of the hardest shots for any golfer in their first state tournament is their first tee shot.
Finger said she was nervous, but the results didn’t show it. She nailed a drive into the right half of the fairway and ended up with a bogey on the hole.
“She hit a great drive on the first hole,” Stevens said. “She put it right where she needed to, and that first hole is about 380 yards. Bogey is a great score there.”
“I was a little nervous,” Finger said. “I’m not used to having parents and other spectators around watching. It wasn’t all that bad, it was just different. I was just glad I hit a good drive.”
If the general pressure of playing at state wasn’t enough, the group suffered a 20-minute delay during the round. One of the players in Finger’s group needed a ruling on the course, and it took considerable time to get an official to the situation.
“It affected Brooke, but it took everyone out of their rhythm,” Stevens said.
“That was hard, especially because I like to play fast,” Finger said. “It probably affected me more than it should have.”
Finger finished with a 10-over par 47 on the West Course and a 7-over par 43 on the East Course for her 90. The round included 35 putts.
“She made a lot of four to five footers for par,” Stevens said.
She finished with eight pars, seven bogeys, one double bogey and two quadruples in the round.
Finger’s first quadruple came on her seventh hole of the round. Her tee shot was close a tree and water hazard. She got the ball up in the air too high, hit the tree and the ball went into the hazard.
“I had one blow-up hole on each side, and it’s pretty much what cost me both sides,” Finger said. “I wasn’t expecting to be among the contenders, but I could’ve played a little better. I’m just going to go out tomorrow and play. I’m not going to think about what I need to shoot to get in a certain spot. I’m going to play smart, that’s for sure. It’s a course you can’t be too aggressive on.”
Finger will tee off at 7:35 a.m. Wednesday in her final round of the high school season.
