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St. Cloud State University
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SCSU golfers come back to win home invite
By Derek Sullivan
Published:
Monday, September 15, 2003
Media Credit: Matthew Kaster
Tournament leader and SCSU sophomore Chris Little watched his birdie putt before it dropped in the ninth hole in Becker at Pebble Creek Golf Course Sunday afternoon.
SCSU rallied from a 10-stroke deficit on the final nine holes to win their own SCSU men's golf invite.
SCSU and Conference power Minnesota State-Mankato both ended up with overall scores of 600. The Huskies won the tiebreaker by outshooting the Mavericks by six strokes on Sunday's back nine.
Sophomore medal winner Chris Little and first-year players Bob Gartland and Danny Anderson led the late afternoon charge.
"Winning our home invite was great, but more important was beating Mankato," said head coach Judi Larkin. "They have dominated for years. That was a big psychological boost for these kids."
Little shot a second round score of 67 to place first while leading throughout the tournament. Little was also the leader after one round with a score of 70. He never relinquished his lead and easily took home the medal.
"I heard George (Butkovich) was a couple under (par) after nine holes," Little said. "I knew he was a co-leader. Then the last nine holes I started making birdies, and I felt then I had a chance to win."
After placing fifth in last week's SDSU invite, the Maple Grove native is placing himself among the North Central Conference's elite golfers.
"It felt good to win here because it's our home course, so it is a confidence booster going into regionals," Little said.
With this weekend's results, the future looks very bright for SCSU men's golf. The Huskies starting five included three first-year players and Little, a sophomore. Danny Anderson, Bob Gartland, and Tanner Brown are first-year players showing tremendous potential according to Larkin.
"We've got some freshmen that are doing some penetrating, which really helps us," she said. "I think we are going to be a solid team for years to come."
The men's team will get a week off before Regional Qualifiers September 27th and 28th in Hastings, Neb. The following week they will be in Sioux Falls, S.D. for the NCC Conference Tournament.
The women's team also made a strong showing at Pebble Creeks Golf Course. Led by seniors Angela Kippley and Sarah LeClair, SCSU placed third with a team score of 672.
Angela Kippley, a St. Cloud Tech graduate, shot a 163 to pace the Huskies. Kippley rebounded from a disappointing 181 last week to make a late surge at the title. She finished in third, only five strokes behind the winners.
"The back nine I started playing a lot better," Kippley said. "I missed a couple of puts toward the end, but I still was able to par the final few holes."
"Angela was able to step it up. This is her home course, and she knew that," Larkin said.
Right behind Kippley was fellow senior Sarah LeClair who finished with a final score of 164, one shot behind Kippley. LeClair, a co-leader after Saturday's round, was disappointed in her play on Sunday.
"The last few holes were kind of rough," LeClair said. "For the most part, I was hitting the ball well. I just could not put."
With a second place showing last week and a third place this weekend, the women's team hopes a first place showing is in the near future.
That will mean defeating the Lady Mavericks from Mankato. Mankato won for the second consecutive week, defeating the Huskies by a 21 strokes.
The Huskies will need more consistent play out of their five starters. Senior Kristin Oshiem won the SDSU invite last week with a 159. This weekend she struggled and finished with a 177.
"We need to get five players that can score solid and consistent golf," Larkin said. "That means practice on the driving range, and fine-tuning our short game."
With plenty of season left, and several players able to medal on any given weekend, the women's team is excited about the remainder of the fall season.
"I think we have a great team, and can stay in contention," Kippley said. "We practice well, and we have a chance for great things."
The women's team will travel to the Minnesota invite and the Winona invite the next two weeks, before the NCC Conference tournament in Sioux Falls Oct. 3rd.
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