Birdwell, Coahran, Petry and Ramos Share Lead at MN State Junior Boys' Championship

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  SPICER, Minn. – Posting a 2-under 70 Monday on his home course at Little Crow Country Club, Peyton Coahran finished in a share on top of a crowded leaderboard following the first round of play at the 96th Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship.

Coahran will begin Tuesday’s final round tied for the lead with Andrew Ramos, 2021 Class A individual medalist Rylin Petry and 2021 Minnesota Junior PGA Tournament of Champions winner Jake Birdwell.

“Obviously, I really want to win this week,” said Coahran of playing on a familiar course Monday. “It would be great to end my junior career with a win. I’ve been looking forward to this one all summer for sure.

“I hit the ball really well all day and just had one bad drive on my 10th hole. I wasn’t making too many putts, but overall, hitting greens kind of saved me today."

Beginning his round off the 10th tee Monday, Coahran started slow by taking bogey at the 11th, but would settle into his round and finish his opening nine with back-to-back birdies at the 17th and 18th to turn in 1-under.

An up-and-down start to his inward nine saw Coahran card two birdies against two bogeys, playing his first five holes in even par before sinking a 45-footer for birdie at the par-3 sixth to get to 1-under.

He took a step back with a bogey at the seventh, but finished on a high note by dropping a 12-footer for birdie at his 17th to earn a share of the lead at 2-under 70.

“Tomorrow I’m going to have to make a lot of putts—there are a lot of good players out there,” Coahran said. “If I play my game, I’ll at least have a chance coming down 18.”

The recent Fertile-Beltrami High School graduate Petry bounced back from a bogey on his opening hole Monday by drawing even with a birdie at the par-4 fourth.

Bogeys at the sixth and eighth holes dropped him to 2-over for the round, but he would find his rhythm on the putting surface midway through the round, sinking four birdies over his final nine holes to finish in a share of the lead.

“I saw the line today and I was really confident with every putt,” Petry said following his round Monday. “I was hoping to find a groove. I’ve been struggling with putting the last few tournaments. At the start of the season I was hitting long irons and couldn’t putt—too many three-putts. Today I eliminated that.

“I need to stay in it mentally and be consistent throughout the whole round. I’m my own worst enemy, so I need to play against myself.”

Ramos, a sophomore at Totino-Grace High School, enters the week as the 20th-ranked player in the Rolex American Junior Golf Association Rankings, posting four top-20 finishes at national events during the 2022 season.

On Monday, Ramos traded a pair of birdies for a pair of bogeys early during his front nine before turning in 1-under with a birdie at the par-4 ninth.

Taking advantage of his birdie opportunity at the 13th, Ramos moved to 2-under for the round. Converting his birdie look at the 17th gave Ramos the outright lead at 3-under, but a bogey at the last would put him in the clubhouse with a share of the lead at 2-under 70.

Birdwell, a senior at Spring Lake Park High School, began his opening round on the 10th tee Monday and started quickly with a birdie at the 11th.

He would turn in 1-over following a pair of bogeys at the 16th and 18th. A bogey at the par-4 first hole dropped Birdwell to even par for the championship, but he would respond by converting his birdie chance at the fourth.

With just 120 yards left at the par-5 fifth hole, Birdwell holed his second shot for an albatross to quickly move to 2-under for the tournament. He would take a step back with bogey at the sixth, but finished his day at 2-under after carding birdie at the eighth.

Zach Rouleau, a senior at Farmington High School, got off to a sizzling start Monday, recording five birdies during his outward nine. Rouleau carded four bogeys during his final nine to shoot 1-under 71. He will begin the final round in fifth place, one shot back.

Teagan LaPlante, Jack Wetzel, Justin Luan, Connor O’Hara, Carson Boe and Collin Ramos each carded rounds of even par 72 Monday, and will begin Tuesday’s final round two shots off the lead in a share of sixth.

The youngest player in this week’s field by three years, 9-year-old Gabe Truscinski posted an opening-round 88 on his home course Monday and will begin the final round tied for 121st.

Tee times for the final round of the 96th Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship are scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Tuesday at Little Crow Country Club.