BECKER— The North Woods boys golf team finished third in Class A competition and senior Tate Olson finished fourth overall in individual competition at the state golf meet held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Pebble Creek Golf Course in Becker.

Olson, who had dominated the Section 7A golf tournament late last month, finished the first day of play in tenth after carding a 77, but he advanced in day two of the meet, carding an impressive 73, to finish the two days of play at 150, six strokes back of the individual Class A winner, Ben Laffen of Sleepy Eye.

But just as Olson was wrapping up his high school golf career near the top, North Woods freshman Sam Frazee was showing signs he could be the next top golfer to emerge from the team, after finishing 18th with a two-day score of 160. Frazee shot an impressive 79 on the first day and finished up with an 81 on day two. With three more years to hone his skills, Frazee will certainly be a golfer to watch.

“Our first-time participants did very well considering the pressure,” said Boys Golf Head Coach Will Kleppe. Sam Frazee’s even par back nine on the first day for a 79 total was key.”

Freshman Ian Olson also performed well, carding a 172 for the two days, while eighth-grader Davis Kleppe carded a 176 to finish in 48th place. Junior Chase Kleppe scored a 183, to finish in the 59th spot, while Blake Scofield scored a 199.

North Woods trailed Sleepy Eye and Mounds View Academy entering the second day of the meet, with a combined score of 328. The leaders had carded a combined 325 in the first day of competition and were locked in a tie for first. Those two teams maintained their tie following the final day of competition, with a combined score of 641, and both went home with first-place honors in Class A. Because of the tie, there was no second-place finisher, leaving North Woods next in line, in third place, with a score of 658.

Girls perform well

Meanwhile, Nicole Olson and Kylie Parson, the two North Woods girls golfers who qualified for state both finished in the top half among the 85-golfer field. Olson, a sophomore finished the two days of play with a 192, putting her in 31st place. Fellow sophomore Parson was just six strokes behind, finishing in 40th place. North Woods did not field enough girls this year to qualify for team competition.

Rachel Halvorson, a Lac qui Parle sophomore, won the girls Class A contest, with a combined two-day score of 155.