Frazzini, Haley and Kraus Share Early Lead at 89th Minnesota State Junior Boys' Championship in Willmar

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  WILLMAR, Minn. – Carding rounds of 2-under par 70 Monday at Eagle Creek Golf Club, Ben Frazzini, Carter Haley and Ethan Kraus share the opening-round lead at the 89th Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship.

Frazzini, a month removed from a Class AAA state championship at Wayzata High School, opened the championship with a bogey at the fifth hole but answered with a birdie at the eighth hole to turn at even par 36.

A birdie at the 10th put Frazzini at 1-under before he added a pair of birdies at 14 and 15 to move to 3-under on the round. He fell back to 2-under par where he would finish his day after a bogey at the 16th.

Haley won a Class AA state individual title at Mankato East in 2014 before winning a team championship in June.

Haley opened with three birdies over his first six holes Monday to quickly move to 3-under for the day before turning at 2-under with a bogey on his ninth hole.

A bogey on his tenth hole put him back at 3-under and he would make seven consecutive pars before making bogey on the final hole of the day to finish in a three-way tie for first at 2-under par 70.

Kraus got off to a rocky start Monday with bogeys at the third and fifth holes to quickly fall to 2-over, but he rebounded with back-to-back birdies at seven and eight to pull even.

After a bogey on nine, Kraus would head to the final nine holes of the opening round at 1-over par. He would get into red numbers with birdies at 10 and 14, but pulled even again with a bogey at the 15th.

Kraus finished strong with birdies on the final two holes of the afternoon to share the opening-round lead with Frazzini and Haley at 2-under par 70.

Derek Hitchner (Minikahda Club), Austin Meissner (Majestic Oaks Golf Club), Miles McCarthy (Windsong Farm) and William Czeh (Oakcrest Golf Club) each will begin the final round Tuesday two shots off the lead in a tie for fourth place as all four shot rounds of even par 72.

Four others are tied for eighth at 1-over par 73.

The final round of the 89th Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship is set to get underway Tuesday with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Eagle Creek Golf Club.