Kuchera, Eagan Boys Return to State Tournament, Thanks to 3AAA Victory

COON RAPIDS -- It is a familiar refrain at high school -- and college -- golf tournaments: "I was just thinking about trying to help the team."

Most of the time, it probably isn't even true. So it was nice to hear Nick Kuchera say on Friday that he really wasn't focusing all that much attention on the team competition in the second round of the Section 3AAA Tournament.

"I was just trying to play as well as I could, and shoot the lowest score I could," he said. "I knew that if I did that, the team would do pretty well."

This more rational approach worked like a charm. The Eagan senior followed the first -round 73 that he shot on Tuesday at Keller GC with a 2-under-par 70 at Bunker Hills in the final round. The resulting 36-hole aggregate of 143 earned medalist honors for him, and had the subsidiary effect of propelling the Wildcats to their second section title in three years.

Eagan rallied from a six-stroke deficit with a 311 a 6,700-yard Bunker Hills course that was playing slightly longer than that because of fairways that are still slightly damp from all of the rain that fell in May. The Wildcats' two-day total was 626, which was five lower than the one posted by 18-hole leader East Ridge. Hastings was another five behind in third, at 636.  

"Nick's been solid all year," Eagan coach Brian Johnson noted, when asked about Kuchera. "But a couple of weeks ago, near the end of the regular season, he started to play really well, and he moved up to third in the final standings for our conference (the South Suburban). That's pretty impressive, considering the quality of the competition." (The No. 1 player in the MGA Rankings for a couple of weeks near the end of the regular season, Freddy Thomas of Lakeville North, finished second in the conference standings, behind No. 15 Alex Uloth of Burnsville. Kuchera is currently No. 27, but will move up.)

Kuchera started Friday's round on the West Nine at Bunker Hills. He was one stroke out of first place when he teed off, but by the time he made the turn with a 1-over 37, he was four strokes ahead.

At the 460-yard, par-5 fourth hole on the East Nine, he missed the fairway with his tee shot and was in the trees. However, he had "a little hole" in the foliage, and decided to gamble. 

"I probably should have just chipped out," he said, "but I wanted to stay aggressive." 

His 160-yard, 8-iron trouble shot from the trees worked out so well that he made an eagle 3. Kuchera had a chance for another eagle two holes later, at the 510-yard sixth, but he three-putted for a par. Undaunted, he made a birdie at the next hole, the 200-yard, par-3 fifth, on his way to a back-nine 33.

It all added up to a nine-stroke victory for Kuchera. Woodbury senior Nate Wareham matched the second-best score of the day, a 74, to claim second place with a cumulative 151. East Ridge junior Brady Hanson shot a 78, but that put him at 152, which was good enough for third. Next was his teammate Travis Dorf, who came back from a first-round 80 with the day's other 74 to claim fourth place at 154.

Five players not on the winning team earned berths in the state tournament (for Class AAA, it will be June 12-13 at Bunker Hills) as individuals. Taking the fourth of those spots was Hastings' Nick Tusa, who was fifth overall with a 155.

The contest for the last spot resulted in a playoff at 157 among three players, and Rosemount freshman Jake Sweetman won it with a birdie on the third extra hole, which turned out to be No. 3 West, a 175-yard par-3. Sweetman hit a 7-iron that nearly landed in the hole and spun back to about 10 feet, then converted the birdie putt to qualify for his first state tournament.   

BOYS HIGH SCHOOL GOLF

Section 3AAA Tournament

At Keller GC, par 72  (first round)

& Bunker Hills GC, par 72  (second round) 

Final results

1. Eagan               315-311--626

2. East Ridge       309-322--631

3. Hastings           313-323--636

4. Rosemount      322-329--651

5. Woodbury        322-332--654

Individual qualifiers for state tournament (five players not on the winning team advance)

1. Nick Kuchera, Eagan        73-70--143

2. Nate Wareham, Woodbury            151

3. Brady Hanson, East Ridge            152

4. Travis Dorf, East Ridge                   154

5. Nick Tusa, Hastings                         155

T6. Jake Sweetman, Rosemount       157* (won playoff for fifth spot with a birdie on the third extra hole)

Did not qualify

T6. Kirby McPhee, Eastview                157

T6. Luke Gillett, Rosemount                157