It was a wild day Thursday at the Faribault Country Club for the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ golf team — and that’s not even taking into consideration the difficult condition of the course.

The Panthers claimed the Gopher Conference championship on a tie-breaker, going to the fifth score, to beat Bethlehem Academy by one stroke after both teams shot 353.

Jon Walstrom’s 102 was the decisive score as he was one stroke better than the Cardinals’ fifth scorer, Seth Allen.

“With conference medalist Grant Wayland shooting 78, and BA’s second golfer Eric Hagen shooting 83, it looked like BA had won it,” said NRHEG head coach Xan Johnson. “But they had some blow ups and we hung in there and ended up the victors.”

Coming into the tournament Johnson figured it to be a three-team race with Blooming Prairie poised to make a run, but in the end the Panthers came out ahead.

Dalen Ferber led NRHEG with an 84, Seth Hansen added an 88 while Aaron Patraw shot 90 and Jon Kormann 91.

Ferber and Hansen earned all-conference honors while Patraw and Kormann were honorable mention.

“The conditions were tough — cold and windy to start with,” Johnson said. “The greens were lightning fast and the pins tough thanks to an old Panther conference medalist Tyler Moe, greens superintendent at Faribault CC.”

USC shot 385 to finish fourth.

Sam Gackstetter finished fourth overall with an 86 to earn all-conference. Matt Hassing and Erik Willaby each shot 99 and missed receiving all-conference honorable mention by five strokes and Seth Olson shot 103.

USC girls’ defend championship

The United South Central girls’ golf team successfully defended its Gopher Conference title Thursday at the Faribault Country Club in the Gopher Conference tournament.

The Rebels won the championship by 55 strokes as Ali Wood earned medalist honors for the fourth consecutive meet by shooting a 95.

Stephanie Herman added a 99, Erin Hotzler a 106 and Claire Christian a 117.

Wood, Herman and Hotzler all earned all-conference honors while Christian received all-conference honorable mention for her efforts.

“That was very nice,” USC head coach Randy Halvorson said of the championship. “Defending the conference championship was one of our goals for the season.”

NRHEG finished third behind the Rebels and Blooming Prairie with a 478.

Paige Sorenson led the Panthers with a 109, to earn all-conference honors while Shelby Whitcomb shot 119 for honorable mention. Abbey Holland and Jessica Schultz each shot 125.