YANKTON – Watertown placed four golfers among the top eight spots to capture the team championship at the Class AA State Golf Tournament on Tuesday. The Arrows edged Mitchell by three strokes for the team crown.
Aberdeen Central finished third, 15 strokes off the pace. Watertown shot a 316 score on Tuesday for a two-day total of 649.
“I’d like to think or say that they won the tournament and nobody lost the tournament,” Zimmerman said of the Arrows. “They just played that good. To shoot that score on that golf course today with a little rain, some wind, that’s a phenomenal score. It really is. … Give them credit. That says a lot about their team, because that’s a really good score.”
The Golden Eagles had four golfers among the top 20 and shot the same total that had them just one stroke off the lead heading into the day, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace.
“We just never got anything going throughout. We just kind of slowly faded back today,” Zimmerman said. “Not that we played bad. I think we shot the same score as we did (Monday), but it just wasn’t good enough it. You generally have to play better on day two, but that was not the case for us today.”
Allison Meyerink of Mitchell edged Central’s Olivia Braun by one stroke to win the individual championship. Meyerink made up four strokes on Tuesday after trailing by three entering the day. Braun birdied the final hole to finish with a 36-hole total of 150, but it wasn’t quite enough.
“I really feel bad for her,” Zimmerman said of his team’s top golfer. “That’s a tough pill to swallow.”
The sophomore, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, had a stellar season and fell just short in her quest for the state title.
“Unfortunately, you have to lose a few times before you win, you have to crawl before you walk type thing,” Zimmerman said. “That’s just the way it is.”
Central’s Emma Dohrer finished 10th, while Kyley Wirebaugh was 15th and Chloe Vikander was 19th. All four of the aforementioned Golden Eagles earned all-state honors.
“That’s a pretty nice accomplishment and there’s nothing wrong with being third in the state,” Zimmerman said.
Not only that, but all four of those golfers are coming back next season for the Eagles.
“It’s something to look forward to,” Zimmerman said, “but yet at the same I’m just trying to instill that you have to go out and continue to work, because nothing is given to you.”
To see complete tournament results, click on the following link:
