A family synonymous with the sport of golf had a memorable day at The Am Presented by Western on Saturday at Moccasin Creek Country Club.
The Dohrer family, father Chris and children Jonah, Micah and Emma, won the Team division, while Jonah also captured the Overall Gross title with Micah finishing third and Chris taking sixth.
“It’s the best,” said Jonah, who works as a golf professional in Sioux Falls. “The only reason I came back is that we could be a team. For me, everything else is whatever, but we did really well as a team, which is probably the best that we’ve done. So that was really what I was playing for.”
The tournament provided an opportunity for the four family members to get together and compete as a team.
“It was very fun playing with my family and just being with each other again,” said Emma, a recent graduate of Central where she was a key member of back-to-back State AA championship squads. “It was a good day overall. We all played really well and it was really fun.”
The Dohrers are a decorated golf family. Chris was a standout player at Milbank High School who went on to golf at South Dakota State, Micah won the 2020 Class A state championship while competing for Roncalli, and Jonah won an Eastern South Dakota Conference title, tied for third at the 2017 State AA tournament for Central, and also golfed for SDSU.
“They’ve all been teaching me how to play since we were young,” Emma said. “It was just really cool to come and that turned over to today.”
It took a while, but eventually all of the family members were able to golf together as a team.
“Starting it was my dad and I and we had a third (person); then once Micah got old enough he joined us,” Jonah said. “Then I turned pro for a couple of years, so then Emma was on the team.”
A family with so many memorable moments out on the course, was able to add to that resume this past weekend.
“This is what we do in our free time,” Emma said. “This is what we do for fun. If we want to come out and play, this is what we’re doing.”
Jonah won the Overall Gross division by five strokes over Rich Crow Eagle of Sisseton. Dohrer shot rounds of 68 and 67 on the way to winning the title.
“It was pretty solid,” Dohrer said. “I started both days with a bogey, but then I just played pretty consistent after that. I was really good off the tee box, which helps. I just didn’t put myself in much trouble, so a lot of pretty easy pars and rolled some in for birdies. So, it was a lot of fun.”
While Dohrer was able to top the field in the two-day event, he said his focus wasn’t even on winning.
“I’m just happy that I got to play,” Dohrer said. “I just wanted to play well and whatever happened, happened. I know everybody here, so just to catch up with old friends has been a lot of fun.”
Aberdeen’s Jay Gellhaus topped the Overall Net division by two strokes over Groton’s J.R. Johnson and Nate Kessler of Aberdeen.
TOP FEMALE FINISHER
Aberdeen Central upcoming senior Kyley Wirebaugh was one of the few female participants in the tournament this year and she had a solid showing, finishing fifth in the Overall Gross division.
“I really do enjoy the atmosphere,” Wirebaugh said. “Working out here at Moccasin Creek lets me get to know all the members personally, and being able to play with them and play how well I did was very enjoyable”
Wirebaugh, also a member of Central’s state championship teams the past two seasons, not only enjoyed atmosphere, but also how well she played.
“I’m very happy with my performance the past two days,” Wirebaugh said. “This is my first time playing in this tournament and I really enjoyed it.”
Even with her solid performance, Wirebaugh noted that there were still challenges out on the course.
“The greens were definitely slower in the morning, but they got pretty quick near the end of my round,” Wirebaugh said. “I teed off at 1 p.m. (Friday) and the heat was hard to play in, but today I teed off at 7:30 a.m., so it was a lot cooler.”
Wirebaugh, who is contemplating playing golf collegiately, enjoyed getting to test her skills against older players who are accomplished golfers.
“It was a great experience,” Wirebaugh said. “I’ve been looking into college golf, and I think playing with competitors who have that experience was very beneficial.”
With so few female golfers who competed in The Am, Wirebaugh was happy to help carry the banner for the gals.
“This tournament doesn’t see a lot of female participants and I was very grateful I could play,” Wirebaugh said. “I also really enjoyed the group of girls I played with, one being my older sister (Hayley).”
FROM COACH TO COMPETITOR
Central girls’ golf coach Kim Zimmerman, this year’s South Dakota Girls’ Golf Coach of the Year, competed in the tournament and got back to playing instead of coaching.
“It was fun; the guys I played with today were fun,” Zimmerman said. “And just kind of keep that competitive spirit going, which I try to do, but the older you get, it’s a little more difficult. But I just try to keep that going and stay as sharp as I can and play as much as I can. Sometimes I don’t get to when I’m coaching, but that’s the way it goes.”
Zimmerman has been involved with golf for a long time, starting in his 20s. He still regrets not playing sooner.
“I didn’t start as early as I’d like because I was still involved with baseball a lot then,” Zimmerman said. “So, I picked it up a little bit later after college. Because of injuries, I couldn’t play baseball anymore, so you have to resort to something that you can play without doing more damage on your body. So, I took up golf and it’s just been very rewarding.”
After spending most of his life being involved in golf, Zimmerman still has plenty of love for the game.
“I’ve enjoyed coaching. I’ve enjoyed learning the game. It’s been fun,” Zimmerman said. “You can play with your family, you can play with your friends. It’s just something that you can do for a long time.”
While he enjoys the sport, Zimmerman got involved with coaching for another reason.
“I was in teaching for a long time and I always liked teaching young kids. And when you combine that with the sport you like to do, it just kind of goes hand in hand,” Zimmerman said.
He said he has more time to devote to coaching now that he has retired from teaching.
“I enjoy it a lot now that I’m not teaching just because of the demand of teaching. I just feel like I could spend more time with the coaching part of it than I did before, because there’s only so many hours in a day and weekends got a little bit long,” Zimmerman said. “So I just feel like I’m enjoying the coaching part a little bit more now than I did when I was teaching.”
LORENZ HAS NUMEROUS ROLES IN SPORTS
Aberdeen’s Daren Lorenz is involved with plenty of sports as a referee for basketball and football, and in his free time he also enjoys golfing.
Lorenz ended up tying for 10th in the Overall Gross division.
“It was scrappy,” Lorenz said about his performance. “I didn’t hit it super solid, but really scrambled well and scored. The course is in amazing condition so that helps.”
Still, there proved to be a few challenges along the way.
“The challenges are myself,” Lorenz joked. “In general, the greens are rolling really well. Bunkers are in play. Pins were tucked really tight; the pins were tough. They’re Sunday pins from typical pro-am.”
One element that Lorenz enjoys about golf is building relationships.
“My partners, the team and all the people out here,” Lorenz said. “Moccasin Creek is a class act. They’ve always treated us like family out here; it’s just been really good.”
While sports can be time-consuming, Lorenz likes to be involved, whatever his role may be.
“Part of it is just giving back,” Lorenz said. “My kids are very involved in sports, and I coach them and things like that. I got swindled into starting to ref 15 or 20 years ago. But it’s just the camaraderie and being involved in the game. Out on the floor is the best seat in the house.”
To see complete tournament results, click on the following link:
