Kim, Yoemans Complete Post-Season Girls AAA Sweeps; Edina Breezes to Team Title

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By Mike Fermoyle (mikefermoyle@gmail.com) 

COON RAPIDS -- Joanna Kim and Sophia Yoemans had a lot of things in common this spring, including no expectations of individual victories in the girls golf post-season. 

"No. I never thought I could win the section, and I definitely didn't think I could win the state tournament," Yoemans said Wednesday afternoon.

Kim said virtually the same thing. 

It's not that Kim and Yoemans can't play. They were two of the best players in Minnesota girls high school golf this year. But each was the No. 3 player on her team, and their teammates were the ones who tended to win individual honors. 

In Yoemans' case, her Red Wing teammate Stephanie Herzog won or tied for first in 11 of the 12 regular-season events they played in -- and she was under par in eight of those tournaments.

"Sophia tied Stephanie for first in one tournament," Wingers coach Mark Herzog (Stephanie's father) noted, "and she shot 71 in another tournament." But in that one, Stephanie's younger sister Leah, a sophomore, shot 68.

Stephanie Herzog was selected as Minnesota's Ms. Golf on Sunday night in a banquet at Windsong Golf Club. The award, which was established in 2016, goes to the state's top senior each year. 

The voting was secret, but it's quite likely that Edina's Grace Kellar got the second-most votes. She won nearly everything she played in, which is why Kim, who played No. 3 for Edina, behind Kellar and Isabele Ouyang, hardly ever won, even though she averaged just over 74 strokes per round this spring. 

But once the post-season started, Kim and Yoemans were unbeatable. 

Yoemans, a sophomore, claimed medalist honors in Section 1AAA with a record-shattering 36-hole total of 141 (70-71), finishing six strokes ahead of Stephanie Herzog.

Meanwhiile, Kim, who didn't even make Edina's state tourament lineup last year as a sophomore, won the Section 6AAA individual championship with a 151 (74-77). Kellar was second at 154.

The pairings at the state tournament are based on section results. Edina and Red Wing were the two top-seeded teams, so the section champs Kim and Yoemans played in the same foursome in Tuesday's opening round of the state tournament at Bunker Hills. And they both kept on playing the way they had played in the sectionals. Having won their section titles by going wire to wire, they did essentially the same thing in the Class AAA portion of the state high school tournament. 

Kim led after Day 1 with a 1-over-par 73. Megan Welch of Lakeville North was second, one behind at 74, but Yoemans was only two back.

On Wednesday, Yoemans took over the lead with a 2-under 34 on the front nine. At that point, she was three ahead of Kim and five ahead of Wolch, who had already finished her second round with a 76. But Kim rallied on the back nine. Although she's not quite as long as Kellar, the Edina junior has plenty of pop in her driver, and she took advantage of it on the 430-yard, par-5 11th hole (No. 2 West) at Bunker Hills, hitting a 7-iron second shot onto the green and two putting for birdie.    

Kim then pulled back within one of Yoemans when she hit a pitching wedge to 4 feet and made the putt for birdie at the 360-yard, par-4 eighth (No. 7 West). Yoemans then pulled her tee shot at the 180-yard, par-3 17th and made a bogey. Kim parred the hole, and they were tied.

Both made routine two-putt pars at the 18th, and that was that. The State High School League does not break ties at the state tournament.

Kim and Yoemans were co-champions with two-day totals of 146. Yoemans got there with a 1-under 71 on Wednesday, Kim with a second straight 73.   

"I really didn't expect to win," Kim  said. "But I improved a lot this spring, and winning the section gave me a lot of confidence. I do have a hard time believing that this is acually happening."

Ditto Yoemans. 

Both Kim and Yoemans gave a large share of credit for their victories to their teammates.

"We're good friends, and we play a lot of golf together," Yoemans said. "They're such grat players that they've made me become a better player just to be able to compete with them. Stephanie and Leah have given me a really high standard to try to play up to. If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't be here now." 

Kellar ended up third in the tournament. The University of Minnesota recruit got off to a terrible start on Tuesday and was 6 over par after nine holes. After that, she settled down, played 1 under on the back nine of her first round, for a 77, and followed that with a 71 on Wednesday, matching Yoemans for the low round of the tournament. 

"If I could have made a couple of putts on the back nine today. . . ." she said wistfully. 

As it was, her aggregate of 148 ranks as the 14th-best score shot in the large-school class during the 41-year history of the state tournament, and it would have won the individual championship in 33 of those years.      

Buffalo junior Hanna Morin shot 72 on Wednesday to finish at 149, and that was good for fourth place. Welch's 150 put her in fifth, and Stephanie Herzog (an Iowa recruit) was sixth at 152, following her second 76 in a row. Leah Herzog shot 77 and tied Nicole Miller for sevenh at 153.

Ouyang posted a 75 and tied for ninth wih Isabella McCarthy of Simley at 155.

It is a measure of how far Kim has come this season that when it started, she really didn't have any intention of playing college golf. Now she does, and she's just starting the process of figuring out which schools she might want to play golf for.

Yoemans is a little further along. She's been in contact with quite a few Division I coaches, and for now, the leaders in the recruiting race are Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin.

"I know (five-tme state high school champ) Kate Smith (Detroit Lakes) pretty well," Yoemans said. "She had a great freshman year, and she just loves Nebraska. So that's pretty high on my list."    

As for the team compeition, tt wasn't really a contest. Red Wing had three of the top eight in the individual standings, but no one else in the top 50. Edina, on the other hand, had four players in the top 15. Emily Kratz, a junior, tied for 13th, and she was the difference for the Hornets, who won their third team championship in a row -- and 11th in all -- with an aggregate of 607. The five-time champion Wingers were a distant second, 36 shots behind at 743.


GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL GOLF

Minnesota State Tournament

Class AAA

At Bunker Hills Golf Course

Par 72, 5,551 yards

Final results 

1. Edina                           310-297--607

2. Red Wing                    326-317--643

3. Chanhassen                336-329--665

4. Buffalo                         333-333--666

5. Forest Lake                 332-359--691

6. Rogers                        368-341--709
  
7. Roseount                    359-357--716

8. White Bear Lake         379-386--765

Individuals 

T1. Joanna Kim, Edina                    73-73--146

T1. Sophia Yoemans, Red Wing     75-71--146

3. Grace Kellar, Edina                     77-71--148

4. Hanna Morin, Buffalo                  77-72--149

5. Megan Welch, Lakeville North    74-76--150

6. Stephanie Herzog, Red Wing     76-76--152

T7. Leah Herzog, Red Wing           76-77--153

T7. Nicole Miller, Eden Prairie       77-72--149

T9. Isabelle Ouyang, Edina           80-75--155

T9. Isabella McCauley, Simley      79-76--155