Nelko Completes Nearly Perfect Season with AAA Victory

June 14, 2018 | 7 min.


By Mike Fermoyle (mikefermoyle@gmail.com)

COON RAPIDS -- It's one measure of how much better Minnesota high school golfers are getting that Eden Prairie's winning Class AAA boys team score from five years ago, 609, wouldn't have come close to cracking the top five at this year's state tournament. And the second-place individual score from 2013, 146, would have tied for 10th this year.

Players are hitting it farther (300 yards with a driver has become the norm for boys in the top tier), and they're shooting lower and lower scores. Another measure of that could be seen this year in the fact that 14 boys posted scores of even par or better at Bunker Hills GC on the first day of the tournament. 

All of which suggests that it should be harder than ever for a high school player to win consistently. Golf isn't like tennis. No one goes through a season undefeated -- except that Tristan Nelko nearly did. 

The Wayzata senior rattled off four consecutive birdies on the front (East) nine Wednesday at Bunker Hills on the way to a 1-under-par 71, which gave him a 36-hole total of 139 and a four-stroke victory. It was his ninth victory in 10 tournaments this spring. 

While he was at it, Nelko tied the record for lowest score in Minnesota's large-school class. Scott Gustafson of Eden Prairie set the record of 139 in 2002 (when there were two classes: A and AA), and Minnetonka's Ben Sigel matched it in 2016. 

A pair of juniors -- Trey Fessler of St. Michael-Albertville and Walker Reyes of Mankato East -- tied for second at 143. Right behind them, at 144, there was a three-way tie for fourth. Chanhassen's Ben HIcks was part of it, thanks to a 69. Fessler's STMA teammate Christian Labrador shot a second  straight 72 to claim his share of fourth, and Noah Borass of Alexandria turned in a 73 on his way to 144. 

There was another three-way tie for seventh, at 145. Elk River sophomore Ihle Majeres was in that threesome. He put together a 69 and tied Fessler and Hicks for the low score of the day. Chaska freshman Davis Johnson (71) and St. Thomas Academy junior Brady Arnett (74) were also at 145. 

Even among all the bombers who played in this year's tournament, Fessler stood out. On Tuesday, he flew his tee shot into the front greenside bunker at the 350-yard, par-4 18th hole (No. 9 West). On Wednesday, the 18th was into the wind, and he was 15 yards short. From there, he hit a semi-flop shot to 8 feet and made the putt to tie Reyes for the runner-up spot. What makes Fessler's performance and his prodigious tee balls this spring even more impressive is that he might not be quite back to full strength yet, after a routine operation went wrong last year, and he ended up spending three days in the hospital on Life Support.

"There were alarms going off from all the machines, and doctors and nurses were scrambling," Fessler's father, Medina G&CC head pro Steve Fessler, recalled with a shudder on Wednesday. "It was the worst night of my life. An episode like that tends to put golf into perspective."

In the team competition, Alexandria began the day with a three-stroke lead over Maple Grove. St. Thomas Academy and Elk River were also within eight of the Crimson, and that's not a lot in the race for the team title. Edina, which started out 13 behind, made things even more interesting by going 5 under on its front nine.

Eventually, Maple Grove won the crown by closing with a 296, for an overall 593. St. Thomas, which had been fifth, fourth and third in the last three years, kept the progression going by tying for second at 600, along with Alexandria. Edina and Elk River were another shot back at 601. 

It's been an eventful week for Nelko, a University of Nebraska recruit (although he just finished his junior year, Fessler is also committed to the Huskers). On Sunday, he was named Mr. Minnesota Golf (the boys high school player of the year) for 2018, and since then he's been showing that he definitely deserved the honor.

Nelko was a solid but not exceptional player as a junior in 2017. He won one tournament, and at the state tournament he tied for 30th place with a 78-76--154.

Things have changed. This year, he improved on his first-round score by 10 strokes. He made five birdies in the first eight holes in his Tuesday round, and finished with a 68, and a two-stroke lead. He could just as easily have shot another 68 on Wednesday, especially after the way he played the front nine -- again. His birdie spree began at the 455-yard, par-5 fourth hole (No. 4 East), where he hit a 5-wood off the tee and an 8-iron to the green. At the 355-yard, par-4 fifth, he hit a lob wedge to 15 feet and made the putt. At the 495-yard, par-5 sixth, he used a driver off the tee, and hit an 8-iron second shot again, this time to 40 feet for another two-putt birdie. A 7-iron at the 195-yard, par-3 seventh left him a 10-footer for birdie, and he converted that one, too.

A bogey at the eighth put him back at 3 under for the day, but he got that stroke back at the 11th (No. 2 West), where he hit his drive into the trees, punched out and wound up making a 40-footer for his birdie.

But just as his lead was beginning to feel fairly secure, he sailed an 8-iron over the green at the 175-yard, par-3 12th, and the ball plugged in a back bunker, resulting in a double bogey. 

Nelko lipped out a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th, and let another stroke get away at the 14th (535 yards, par 5). After hooking a 230-yard 4-iron second shot about 5 feet too much, and into the front left bunker, he blasted to 4 feet but missed the putt. He dropped another stroke at the 16th (380, par 4). His tee shot nearly went into the water, and was in inside the hazard line. It was a bad lie, and his second shot came up short of the green.

After another 300-yard drive at the 18th, he pitched to 12 feet but missed that putt, as well.

"I don't know what it is about the back nine, but it's had my number this week," he said. "I was a little off on a couple of holes, and I couldn't make any putts back there. But I never felt that I wasn't in control." 


BOYS HIGH SCHOOL GOLF

State Tournament

Class AAA

At Bunker Hills Golf Course

Par 72

Coon Rapids

Final results


1. Maple Grove                   297-296--593

T2. Alexandria                    294-306--600

T2. St. Thomas Academy  301-299--600

T4. Elk River                      302-299--601

T4. Edina                           307-294--601

6. Waconia                        308-302--610

7. Stillwater                       303-314--617

8. Northfield                      315-324--639

Indiviudals 

1. Tristan Nelko, Wayzata                 68-71--139

T2. Trey Fessler, STMA                   74-69--143

T2. Walker Reyes, Mankato East     70-73--143

T4. Noah Borass, Alexandria           71-73--144

T4. Christian Labrador, STMA         72-72--144

T4. Ben Hicks, Chanhassen            75-69--144

T7. Brady Arnett, St. Thomas           71-74--145

T7. Ihle Majeres, Elk River               76-69--145

T7. Davis Johnson, Chaska             74-71--145



 

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