JORDAN — The weather conditions were not ideal. The schedule was not normal. But it was the Minnesota state high school league boys’ golf tournament, and everyone had to deal with the same conditions at Sand Creek Golf Course in Jordan.

Thanks to some very poor weather on Tuesday, players on the Albert Lea boys’ golf team were only able to get in a couple of holes on day one.

That meant an early wake-up call and a grind on the second day.

“It was tough to stay in it and focused,” said Tigers captain Alex Syverson. “The pins were in the same place for both rounds, but the course dried out between the second and first round, and that made things a little more difficult.”

The Tigers put together a great effort, but dug themselves too big of a hole in the first round.

Albert Lea finished in eighth place with a total team score of 666.

The Blake School was in command all tournament long and ran away with the team title, posting a score of 589.

Full team results can be found below.

 

1. The Blake School      589

2. Holy Family Catholic    604

3. Minnewaska      614

Hermantown     614

5. Detroit     620

6. Becker     642

7. Rochester Lourdes     652

8. Albert Lea     666

 

Despite his first round being interrupted Tuesday, Syverson managed to a shoot a 1-under par 35  on the front nine, and finished with a par-72 on the first 18.

Jack Pulley was the other Tiger to join Svyerson shooting in the 70’s, as he pulled into the clubhouse with a 78.

Sam Chalmers shot a 91, and Brock Carstens and Bergan Lundak each finished with a 92. and Danny Chalmers shot a 94.

After a couple hours of trying to rest and relax, the Tigers headed back onto the course to see if they could make a run over the final 18 holes.

Syverson kept up his hot play, shooting another 1-under score on the front nine. During the back nine, the heat and the long day started to catch up to him. He finished the final nine holes of his high school career by shooting a 5-over 41 for a total score of 148, and his best finish in his three year’s at the state tournament — sixth.

“It was great to be here,” said Syverson. “It was even better to be here with my teammates. The younger guys were pretty nervous, but I am proud of the way they played and this experience will help for the future.”

The Blake School’s Derek Hitchner won the tournament by 11 strokes.

Pulley continued his solid play into the second round, too.

After shooting identical 39’s in his first 18 holes, he continued with another 39 on the front nine. His performance dipped a little on the back nine, as he finished with a 42 for an overall score of 159 and a 45th-place finish.

Lundak’s score improved by nine shots during his second round to finish with an 83 and total of 175.

Carstens, Sam Chalmers and Danny Chalmers all played around the where they played in the first round.

Carstens shot a 93 for a total of 185, Sam Chalmers finished with a 94 and also shot a total of 185, and Danny Chalmers finished with a total of 187 after shooting a 93, a one-stroke improvement from his first round.

 

1. Derek Hitchner 134

2. Alex Wilson 145

3. Drew O’Hern 147

Esten Stensrud 147

Cecil Belisle 147

6. Alex Syverson 148

45. Jack Pulley 159

80. Bergan Lundak 175

85. Brock Carstens 185

      Sam Chalmers 185

87. Danny Chalmers 187