The last two girls’ state golf champions in Class AA are teaming up this weekend at Moccasin Creek Country Club.

Olivia Braun of Aberdeen Central, who won the 2025 AA title, is playing with Allison Meyerink of Mitchell, who won the 2024 AA title, during the South Dakota Golf Association Two-Woman Championship Division.

“You know, me and her are actually best friends. We did get a little competitive out there, but in this tournament, we have to switch our mindset and actually play together,” Braun said. “It’s been a fun experience actually playing with her and not against her.”

Despite competing against each other in high school, the two share a bond which helps them get past being competitors.

“I mean it was different, but I feel like our bond was there and we’ve played with each other,” Meyerink said. “It’s like rooting for each other instead of rooting against, but yeah, it was fun.”

Meyerink came up to Aberdeen before the tourney to get used to playing at Moccasin Creek.

“I feel like coming up an extra few days to get that practice in, especially at a course I’m not really familiar with, it’s definitely really helpful,” Meyerink said. “Especially since she knows the course, it’s like her home course. I think it really helps us know each other’s shots specifically on each hole.”

Luckily for Meyerink, Moccasin Creek is Braun’s home course, so the Aberdeen golfer was able to help Meyerink with her knowledge of the course.

“It’s fun whenever you’re playing on your home course, because you know you can play really well. You know the course really well,” Braun said. “You know every bump in the green, and know where to miss it at. Mentally, it’s definitely easier, because you’ve played it so much, but I love my home course, and I love playing here.”

The last two AA state champs are in second place going into today’s final round, shooting 1-under-par, but they have confidence going into Day 2.

“I think we’re a great team, and we’re a great power couple,” Braun said. “I hope we can come out here (Sunday) and play to the best of our ability and see where it takes us.”

TEAMMATES FROM 250 MILES AWAY

Rebecca Peacock and Kathy Entwistle teamed up for this year’s tournament despite Peacock being from Mobridge and Entwistle being from Brookings. The two competed against each other last year and decided to team up for the Two-Woman tourney this year.

“Well, I played against her in the first round of match play last year and we took it to 18 holes. I said ‘How would you like to be my partner next year?’” Peacock said. “She can really play, she has a wonderful swing and she’s a nice gal. We hit it off really well.”

The two used to compete back in the 80s, but Entwistle’s career was put on hold as motherhood called.

“She hadn’t played for a number of years, because she had her child and she stopped to raise her child,” Peacock said. “She was competitive when I was, back in the early 80s, and then she stopped to raise her child. And then we reconnected.”

The two were able to be competitive once again, but this time on the same team.

“Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s just wonderful. I mean, it’s a little nerve wracking at times, but it’s nice to have a partner you can depend on,” Peacock said. “You hit a bad shot, you have a bad hole, she picks you up. She has a bad hole, I pick her up.”

The duo finished the day in third place in the Senior Division, only two strokes behind first, but had no idea where they stood.

“I had no clue, no. I mean I checked it after the first round. We used the restroom, I looked and I said ‘Hey we’re only two strokes out of first.’ They were three over and we were five, so we tried to make up some on the back,” Peacock said. “One shot at a time. We don’t even want to know. I don’t want to know what other people are doing.”

MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO

Sitting on top of the championship leaderboard shooting 2-under-par is the mother-daughter duo from Sioux Falls, Julie and Reese Jansa. Julie, who is in the SDGA Hall of Fame, was the one who felt the pressure going into the tournament.

“So, me being older, and the B player in the group now, it’s a lot of pressure. You don’t want to disappoint her,” said Julie of playing with her daughter. “If I don’t hit great shots, she lets me know, which is fine. I wouldn’t want it any other way. But there’s something special.”

With golf being such a serious game, Reese, a junior on the South Dakota State University Golf Team, said that the two are able to make each other laugh.

“I think it’s super special being one of the only teams that’s a mother-daughter duo. It’s kind of fun. We know each other so well, we know each other’s games,” Reese said. “We know how to make each other laugh, so I think that’s an advantage for us.”

Even when tensions get high, the two have playful arguments to ease the tension.

“We looked at each other and were like ‘What was that?’ You have to have fun out here,” said Julie. “We make sure that we’re always having fun and always ribbing each other enough to make each other smile.”

The two were paired up with Braun and Meyerink as a foursome on the course, and although the Jansas have a strong chemistry, Reese said that with such a competitive field, the chemistry didn’t give them too much of an upper hand.

“I would say yes, but it’s hard to say. We played with a really talented team, like Olivia Braun and Allison are very good players,” said Reese. “I’d say knowing each other really well is definitely an advantage.”

With Reese already having such a notable career already, Julie’s happy to be able to share this moment with her.

“We’ve been playing for so long and to be here and be a part of her success just makes me so incredibly proud of her,” Julie said. “She’s a fun gal, she’s a fun gal to watch play golf, and she’s a pretty darn good kid.”

Even though Julie is one of the older players in the Championship Division, her competitiveness keeps her young.

“To play in this division, I always joke, I’m not only the old gal, I’m the really old gal out here, but I love to play competitive golf. When I beat the younger ones, if I have an opportunity, it makes it that much sweeter,” Julie said. “The competitive juices are still flowing.”

HOME COURSE ADVANTAGE

Jackie Witlock and Toni Gisi are sitting in seventh place in the Senior Division, just nine strokes behind first place. Witlock used her membership at the Moccasin Creek Country Club to help give her an upper hand on Saturday.

“I know the layout of the course, so I know where not to hit the ball,” Witlock said. “The course is in great shape. It was nice playing back here at this magnificent course.”

Even with the weather being less than ideal, course conditions were still nice at Moccasin Creek. The weather didn’t bother Witlock out on the course.

“As soon as we walked off the course, there’s the sun. It wasn’t really bad. The wind didn’t blow as bad as I thought it would,” Witlock said. “On the couple holes that are in the open, it was a little bit windier, but it was a very nice day. I like to play. I don’t care if it’s hot or cold, I’m gonna play.”

Witlock moved from the Mid-Amateur Division to compete in the Senior Division for the first time in her career.

“This is the first year that I’ve ever got to play in the Senior Division. My partner, we’ve always played in the MID-AM. She’s much younger than I was,” Witlock said. “We split up this year after 10 years. She got a younger partner, and I got an older partner so I got to play in the Senior Division. It was very fun today.”

WHO’S WATCHING THE KIDS?

Emma Dohrer and Megan Payne teamed up for the SDGA Two-Woman Championship in an unlikely pairing.

“I am really good friends with her parents, and Emma actually babysits for my kids,” Payne said. “So she reached out and was like ‘Hey, do you want to play?’ I was like ‘Absolutely, let’s play.’ It’s funny, I told her do not get your hopes up because today was my first round of 18 all year.”

Dohrer had a couple of options, but ultimately chose to ask Payne.

“I was just thinking of if I wanted to play in the two-woman, I was like OK, I have some teammates and I was like ‘What if I ask Megan Payne to play?’” Dohrer said. “She’s super competitive, super good at golf. She loves it and I think it would be just so much fun, and today was so much fun, so I was right.”

Dohrer and Payne were chasing a few strokes throughout the day, and finished in third only three strokes behind, shooting an even par 72.“I mean, you’re never out of it until the end, right?” Payne said. “So, you just have to grind as much as you can.”

The two got off to a slow start and picked it up as the day went on.

“At first, I think it started off a little bit slow, but then once we both got into the groove a little bit, we kind of just settled in and trusted our games more,” Dohrer said. “She scored very well, and I scrambled for par very well, and it was just a good day.”

For Payne, it’s a self-care weekend.

“Oh, we’re just having fun. We’re having a great time. I’m rooting for her, I’m cheering her on more than anything,” Payne said. “I mean, I just want her to do well, so I’m just out here to enjoy myself and have some free time.”

With the babysitter and the mom out playing golf, Grandma’s on duty with the kids.

“Mom’s watching the kids,” Payne said. “I don’t get out here often, but then right away when we first started, I was like this is gonna be ugly. But then once I kind of got into my flow, I realized that my game is still in there somewhere.”

Even with a double bogey on the 14th hole, the duo is sitting in a nice spot going into today with an extremely competitive field.

“It was super nice. We took a really bad double on hole number 14, and then to see that we came back from it and now we’re just even,” Dohrer said. “It was really nice seeing that we can come back from this. (Sunday’s) gonna be a good day and we definitely can compete with them and play with them.”

To see first-day results, click on the following link:

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/5096886