McCauley Edges Salonek to Claim AAA Girls Crown

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COON RAPIDS -- Reese McCauley had finished her round roughly a half hour earlier on Wednesday at Bunker Hills Golf Course, and she was being congratulated on her performance by spectators, who asked where she had finished in the girls Class AAA (large school) portion of the state high school tournament.

"I think I won," she said. 

The Simley ninth-grader was then assured that she had "definitely won."

That seemed like a fitting conclusion to the proceedings, because there was a slightly surreal, did-this-really-happen? quality to 2021 Minnesota high school girls golf season. 

The defending champion, Reese's sister Bella McCauley, a junior, had qualified for the U.S. Women's Open in May. Normally, the Open is held in early July, but this year, because golf will be part of the Olympics in late July, and a lot of the best players from the LPGA Tour will be competing, the Open was moved up in the schedule. It was played in early June this year -- the same week as sectional qualifying for the state high school tournament. 

So Bella couldn't play in the sectional.

The Minnesota State High School League, which has never been considered clever or agile, wasn't interested in coming up with a way to solve the problem, such as the obvious one -- exempting the defending champion -- which meant Bella McCauley, who won this tournament by 10 strokes the last time it was played (2019), was not going to be allowed to play in the state tournament. 

That meant, as Bella told her younger sister, it was up to Reese "to carry on the family name."

Reese did precisely that this week. Three strokes behind with two holes to play in the first round Tuesday, she caught Roseville sophomore Olivia Salonek, and they ended the first day tied at 2-under-par 70. On Wednesday, the McCauley Family Fairy Tale was in jeopardy again. Reese trailed Salonek by one shot with three holes left.

But Reese hit what was probably her best drive of the day at the 360-yard, par-4 16th hole (No. 7 West at Bunker Hills). She then hit a wedge to 15 feet and made the putt. McCauley parred the par-3 17th (180 yards). Salonek hit her tee shot into the front right bunker and made a bogey. 

At the 18th, a 294-yard, par 4, McCauley hit her second shot to within 8 feet of the hole. Salonek hit her second shot to 20 feet and missed her birdie putt. After that, all Reese had to do was two-putt for the victory. But she didn't know that. She had consciously not paid attention to how she was doing relative to Salonek, and as a result, she thought she might need to make her 8-footer to win the tournament. 

She barely missed the putt, and tapped in from about a foot.

McCauley was then informed that she had won. Her second-round 69, which equaled the best score she has ever shot, gave her a 36-hole total of 139, and a one-stroke victory over Salonek, who shot 70 on Wednesday. Orono senior Camille Kuznik posted a second consecutive 72 and finished third at 144. Blaine sophomore Kathryn VanArragon, the only seventh-grader ever to win this tournament (in 2018), tied Kyra Venne for fourth at 145, after a second-round 71. Venne,  senior at East Ridge, shot 74.

Even though she was being congratulated, Reese still didn't quite believe she had won. She still wasn't entirely convinced a half hour later when she was asked how the day had gone.

"That's the difference between them," their father, Sean McCauley, noted. "Actually, it's one of many differences. They're alike in a lot of ways, but they're completely different in a lot of other ways. You can be sure that Bella would have known she could win with a two-putt. But not Reese. They're two different personalities. That's what makes it fun."

But they can both really play golf.  

Although she's two years younger, Reese is taller than Bella, and hits the ball farther. But she shot her 69 on Wednesday without making a single birdie on any of the par 5's. And she didn't get off to the greatest start, either. She three-putted the first green for a bogey. Nevertheless, she bounced back with a birdie at the second hole, hitting a 3-wood off the tee and a wedge to 7 feet. 

McCauley played the par 3's in 2 under in the final round, and she got her first birdie on a par 3 at the 141-yard seventh hole, where she hit an 8 iron and made a 15-footer. She birdied the eighth, as well, hitting a 9 iron to 20 feet and draining the putt.

That, plus a par at the ninth, gave her a 2-under 34 for the front side. But Salonek, playing in the same foursome with McCauley, shot 33 and was one ahead, having birdied the fifth, the par-5 sixth and the eighth. 

McCauley pulled even with a birdie at the 140-yard, par-3 12th, where she hit an 8 iron to 15 feet. But she fell behind again when she bogeyed the par-5 14th. 

Actually, she did well just to make a bogey there. After hitting an errant drive and chipping out of the trees, she flared her 3-wood third shot to the right, and had to hit her fourth shot sideways. She ended up making a 7-footer for her bogey.

"That was a great bogey," Simley coach Kyle Golden said. "And that's where Reese and Bella are very similar. They're both very good at crisis management on the golf course. Reese was really unlucky on that hole. She was in a terrible position after the 3-wood shot. But she didn't panic. She was able to salvage a bogey, where almost any other player probably would have made a double or worse. She and Bella both have extremely high golf IQ's, and they stay calm under pressure."

Golden, who has been the coach at Simley for 10 years, doesn't take any of the credit for the way the McCauley sisters swing a golf club.

"That's all Sean," he says. "He's their teacher/coach. I'm there for support. I know what he has them working on, and I can make sure they're doing it if I'm with them on the practice range. On the course, I'm a lot like a caddy, keeping them focused and positive, which they normally are anyway. Having them on the team has been a real pleasure."

Alexandria had three players in the top 20 -- Cora Larson, who tied for ninth at 150 (75-75); Hannah Boraas, who tied for 11th at 151 (75-76); and Lauren Rebovich, who finished 19th at 158 (83-75) -- and put together a second-day total of 303, which enabled the Cardinals to storm past first-day leader Maple Grove and win the team championship with a cumulative 622.

Maple Grove was second with a 644, and Edina third with a 652.
   

Minnesota State High School Tournament

Class AAA

Girls

At Bunker Hills Golf Course

Par 72, 5,517 yards
. 
Final results

1. Reese McCauley, Simley              70-69--139

2. Olivia Salonek, Roseville              70-70--140

3. Camille Kuznik, Orono                  72-72--144

T4. Kathryn VanArragon                   72-73--145

T4. Kyra Venne, East Ridge             71-74--145

6. Emma Welch, Lakeville North      76-72--148

T7. Anna Krieger, Brainerd               72-77--149

T7. McKenna Mallow, Detroit Lakes  78-71--149

T9. Ally Chan, Minnetonka                 73-77--150

T9. Cora Larson, Alexandria               75-75--150

11. Hannah Boraas, Alexandria           75-76--151

T12. Lauren Contreras, Maple Grove  74-79--153

T12. Isabell Lynch, Jefferson               77-76--153

T14. Ananda Zhai, Woodbury             77-77--154

T14. Bella Leonhart, Forest Lake        77-77--154

Teams

1. Alexandria                             319-303--622

2. Maple Grove                         317-327--644

3. Edina                                    333-319--652

4. Eden Prarie                          333-326--658

5. Eastview                               346-328--674

6. Stillwater                               336-341--677    

7. Lakeville Nolrth                     351-336--687

8. St. Michael-Albertville           351-347--698