Heck Shoots 77 at Burl Oaks to Win 70th Minnesota Junior Girls' State Championship

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By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  MINNETRISTA, Minn. – Despite three late bogeys Tuesday at Burl Oaks Golf Club, Anni Heck was able to hang on for a one-stroke victory to earn her first amateur title at the 70th Minnesota Junior Girls’ State Championship.

Heavy rains Monday trimmed the 36-hole event to just one round Tuesday and after making the turn at 1-over par 37, Heck carded a 4-over par 40 over the final nine to card a 77 and defeat Alayna Eldred, who finished second with a 78.

“I felt like I played really well on the front and birdied the last hole so that got me going for the second nine, but made I some bogeys—it was a little rough but I kept it in there,” Heck said after her win Tuesday.

Starting on the 10th hole Tuesday, Heck made bogey at the 11th and 14th holes to fall to 2-over on the round but thanks to a 40-foot birdie putt at the 18th, she would make the turn at 1-over par 37.

Heck, Southview Country Club, made back-to-back bogeys to start her back nine to go back to 1-over but would respond with another birdie at the par-5 fourth hole to get back to 2-over.

She would card three more bogeys over the final four holes to shoot 77 to claim the championship by a single stroke.

“It was here and there—I was putting well at the beginning [of the round] and did well with approach shots towards the end. Putting kind of left me a little but nothing was too bad,” Heck said.

“The course was tough. I thought it was a little longer but it played well and it was in great condition. The greens were really slippery so I had to focus on speed and not put anything too far past.”

She improves on her fourth-place finish a year ago at Tartan Park Golf Course, where she carded a final-round 73 to finish at 148.

Heck’s shy demeanor off the course isn’t much different from the kind of golfer she is on the course. She masks her emotions well and is typically one of the most consistent players in the field.

“I try to keep things pretty calm. You can’t get too caught up in the shot you just hit because you can’t change it,” she said. “You’ve got to move on and hit the next one—every shot counts so you’ve got to make the next one better than the last one.”

Eldred, Osakis Country Club, stumbled early with a bogey on the first hole but would come firing back with four consecutive birdies, including a birdie from the sand on No. 4, to jump to 3-under for the round.

Eldred turned at 1-under with a double-bogey at the eighth and would make back-to-back double-bogeys at the 11th and 12th holes to fall to 3-over for the day.

She would finish the round with three bogeys over the final six holes to card a 78 to finish second, one stroke behind Heck.

“On the front nine I started out pretty solid and I felt like my game was good today,” Eldred said following her round Monday. “The [double-bogey] on eight slowed me down but I just wanted to finish out under par.

“I lost concentration on the back nine and had a couple of bad holes where I slipped up. I tried to finish strong and shoot in the 70s and it worked out okay. My driving was really on and I hit a really good approach shot [at No. 3] which was one of the best wedge shots I hit today." 

Burl Oaks proved to be a formidable task Tuesday as just three players managed to break 80 despite perfect playing conditions.

“The course was challenging. There is a lot of water but the greens and fairways were spot-on,” Eldred said Tuesday. “They did a great job with the course—it’s beautiful.”

Kate Smith, a four-time Class AA individual state champion, finished third after carded a 7-over par 79 as the only other player to break 80 Tuesday.

Sophia Yoemans, Mississippi National Golf Links, and Natalie Amundson, Geneva Golf Club, finished tied for fourth in the Championship Flight as both players carded an 8-over par 80.

Molly Stevens, Northfield Golf Club, carded a 13-over par 85 Tuesday to finish on top of the First Flight, while Sarah Johnson, Elk River Golf Club, won the Second Flight, shooting a 108 Tuesday.