Jul. 23—MITCHELL — A number of Mitchell-area golfers converged at Lakeview Golf Course and posted strong rounds in the South Dakota Golf Association’s Junior Tour stop on Tuesday.
The event is a traditional stop on the Junior Tour and was made up from its originally scheduled date of June 17 due to severe weather in the area.
Mitchell’s Ella Leighton secured top honors in the girls under-9 division, firing a nine-hole score of 65, finishing six strokes ahead of fellow Mitchell native Berkli Miles (71). Hartford’s Lyla Tjepkes came in third place with a round of 75.
In the boys under-9 division, Brooks Aadland of Mitchell shot a nine-hole round of 45 to finish in third place. Mitchell’s Reid Schutz came in fourth place with a 46, with Winner’s Trigg Haiar (50) coming in seventh and Mitchell’s Adam Murphy (55) finishing in ninth. Brandon’s Miles Lunning shot a 42 to finish atop the division.
Mitchell’s Griffin Lyle led the area golfers in the boys 10-11 division, finishing with a 2-over 38 on Lakeview’s second nine en route to a third-place finish. Jackson Gillen finished in fifth with a round of 41, Winner’s Lincoln Tjepkes (47) finished in ninth, and Wessington Springs’ Brody Thompson (57) came in 12th. Brandon’s Teddy Krivarchka took home the victory, shooting a 1-under 35.
The boys’ 12-13 division saw Burke’s Brody Indahl finish in third place with an 8-over 79 on Lakeview’s par-71 layout for all the 18-hole divisions except for the girls 12-13, which played as a par-72. Mitchell’s Eli Konrad (93) finished in 12th, Platte’s Rylan Burket (94) came in 13th, and Burke’s Bryson Indahl (95) was 15th. Pierre’s Rigley Kulesa shot a 6-over 77 en route to the win.
Hartford’s Ari Jacobs won the girls’ 12-13 division, shooting a 2-over 74, with Mitchell’s Emma Reinesch (105) coming in third. Olivia Knox of Doland fired a 93 to edge Harrisburg’s Makenna Kindt by one stroke to win the girls’ 14-15 division.
Oacoma’s Chase McQuirk was the top area finisher in the boys’ 14-15 division, securing fourth-place honors with a 5-over 76. Plankinton’s Hudson Schmidt (82) finished in 10th and Mitchell’s Trysten Eide (83) was 11th. Wessington Springs’ Tucker Thompson (100) was 17th, and Armour’s Zachary Ziebart (102) finished in 18th. Castlewood’s Larz Tvedt won via a scorecard playoff after posting a 4-over 75.
In the girls’ 16-18 division, Mitchell’s Mia Larson shot an 84 to finish in third place. Wentworth’s Jadyn McDonald shot a 5-over 76 to win the division by one stroke over Sioux Falls’ Abbie Westra.
Parkston’s Landon Weber fired a 1-over 72 to finish second in the boys’ 16-18 division. Mitchell’s Everett Morrison was third with a 3-over 74, and Carter McCormick (77) and Wessington Springs’ JD Thompson (77) came in eighth and 10th, respectively.
Winner’s Karson Keiser (78) finished in 12th place, Mitchell’s Sam Titze (81) was 16th, and Alexandria’s Will Jarding (92), came in 27th. Sioux Falls’ Matt De Beer was boosted by six birdies en route to winning the division with an even-par round of 71.
The next SDGA Junior Tour stops are on Wednesday, July 24, at Edgebrook Golf Course in Brookings, while many of the state’s top youth players will be in action on July 29-31 at the SDGA Junior Championship event at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion.
