After finishing the first day of the girl’s Class AAA Golf Tournament in the middle of the pack with a 90, Albert Lea’s Kelli Hanson lost some ground in the final day but still played her heart out with a 93 and finished the state tournament with a two round total of 183, good for 57th place.

“It seemed to be more of a struggle for me today,” Hanson said. “My hybrids and my putting are my bread and butter and they just weren’t working for me today.”

“She was happy to be here, it was a great experience for her,” said Tigers head coach Shawn Riebe. “She knows she can play with these girls, she just needs to learn how to ignore the variables that she can’t control, like the bugs and the weather.”

Hanson, who is only a junior and making her first state tournament appearance, finished the first day in 48th place, and while she had two less strokes the second day on the front nine, she slipped five strokes on the back nine the final day and that cost her a shot at a better score.

“She knows she can play better,” Riebe said. “I can’t explain it though; her game just kind of lost something everyday she was there. It definitely gives her motivation to work more on her game this summer so she can make it back here again next year.”

Hanson was just one of many making their first trip to state.

“There was a lot of younger talent there this year,” Hanson said. “It is definitely a goal now to make it back next year, but I think it will probably be harder to qualify than it was this year.

“I really enjoyed the experience; it is a great course to be able play on and just being around the top golfers in the state makes you want to come back again.”