No Driver, No Problem; VanArragon Leads AAA Boys; Skppers Shoot 292

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By Mike Fermoyle (mikefermoyle@gmail.com) 

COON RAPIDS -- You could think of him as a Driverless Van. Or not. It was a bad pun. Never mind.

In any case, Caleb VanArragon, a sophomore from Blaine, went 4 under par in a span of three holes during his back nine at Bunker Hills Golf Course on Tuesday morning, and that little scoring spree propelled him on the way to a 3-under-par 69. That was good enough to give him a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Class AAA portion of the Minnesota state high school tournament.

Wayzata senior Ben Frazzini, Minnetonka junior Jacob Pedersen and Mankato East sophomore Carson Haley are all tied for second with 71's

The tournament favorite -- and defending champion -- Ben Sigel, a senior from Minnetonka, is sort of looming, right behnd them at 72 He's tied with three other players -- seniors Van Holmgren (Wayzata) and Tanner Sperling (Lakeville South), junior Cole Jahnke (Stillwater) and sophomore Brady Arnett (St. Thomas). 

Sigel, who was named Minnesota's Mr. Golf (the award given to the top senior each year) on Sunday night, played the front nine (East) in 1 under, but gave it back with a 1-over 37 on the back nine (West).  

If VanArragon's name sounds familiar, there are two likely reasons for that. One is that he tiedfor third in AAA at the 2015 state tournament -- as an eighth-grader! -- and the other is that he was the guy who shot a 9-under 63 early this spring at TPC Blaine. He also has some high AJGA finishes in his resume. It was one of those, last year at Rush Creek, that got the attention of a lot of college coaches who have contacted VanArragon whenever they could, within the bounds of NCAA recruiting limitations.

On Tuesday, he was asked whether he had any goals in mind as he came into the state tournament, either a 36-hole score or a finish in the top-10? Top-5?

"No," he said. "I just wanted to play well. And I was hoping to break par." 

Like most elite players, VanArragon says he thinks more about trying to make birdies that about trying to avoid bogeys, and his aggressiveness paid off quickly on Tuesday. He made a 6-foot birdie putt on the first hole he played -- No. 1 West, a 405-yard par 4. But he gave the stroke he gained right back on the next hole when committed the Cardinal Sin for a tournament golfer; he bogeyed a par-5 (No. 2 West, 510 yards).

He hit an 8-iron 20 feet from the hole and converted the putt for birdie at No. 6 West (420, par 4), but concluded his first nine with a bogey. In an attempt to hit his tee shot over the bunker that guards the left side of the fairway, VanArragon pulled his tee shot into the left trees and couldn't salvage his par from there. 

But he lit up the East Nine, with a birdie at No. 2 (347, par 4), another at No. 3 (142, par 3) and a chip-in for an eagle at No. 4 (451, par 5). 

Then came the bad news. As he was standing on the tee at No. 5 East, VanArragon noticed that his driver was loose. Testing it to see just how loose, he discovered that he could spin the clubhead all the way around the hosel. So much for the driver.

VanAarragon used a 3-wood/metal for the rest of the round. For some high school players, such as the muscular 6-foot-plus Frazzini (who hits his driver over 300 yards in the air), switching to a 3-wood might not make too much of a difference. But for the 5-foot-7, 135-pound Arragon, who hits his driver somewhere in the 265-to-275 range, it did make a difference. He wasn't able to reach the green at No. 6 East (495, par 5) in two, and at No. 8 East (430, par 4), the hardest hole on the course, he had to hit a 3-wood second shot, which found the bunker. The result was only bogey on the front nine. 

After he signed his scorecard, VanArragon spent the next few minutes arranging to have a replacement driver in his bag for the final round Wednesday morning. 

One player who could empathize with VanArragon on the subject of replacing clubs in the middle of a tournament was Frazzini. In 2014, when he was a freshman, his golf bag and clubs were stolen from the area right in front of the old outdoor scorebard at Bunker Hills (the scoreboard has since been moved inside), shortly after he finished the first round of the state tournament. He shot 78 that day. Frazzini needed a whole new set of clubs -- and a replacement bag -- for the second round. All things considered, he played surprsingly well, improving by five strokes to a 73, and tying for 17th at 151.

The team leader going into the final round is defending champion Minnetonka, with a cumulative 292. It's one of the lowest team scores in the history of the state tournament. Two other teams are under 300 -- Wayzata at 296 and St. Thomas Academy at 298, plus Stillwater at 301 and St. Michael-Albertville at 302. There have never been five teams below 305 after the first round before.     


BOYS HIGH SCHOOL GOLF

Minnesota State Tournament

Class AAA

At Bunker Hills Golf Course

Par 72, 6,515 yards

First-round results


1. Minnetonka                      292
 
2. Wayzata                           296

3. St. Thomas Academy      298

4. Stillwater                          301

5. St. Michael-Albertville      302

6. Elk River                          317

T7. Lakeville South             318

T7. Alexandria                    318

Individuals 

1. Caleb VanArragon, Blaine         33-36--69

T2. Ben Frazzini, Wayzata            35-36--71

T2. Jacob Pedersen, Minnetonka 34-37--71

T2. Carson Haley, Mankato East  37-34--71

T5. Van Holmgren, Wayzata         39-33--72

T5. Tanner Sperling, Lake. So.      37-35--72

T5. Cole Jahnke, Stillwater           36-36--72

T5. Brady Arnett, St. Thomas       32-40--72

T10. Levi Hauster, Willmar           35-38--73

T10. Jack Rowe, St. Thomas       34-39--73

T10. Trey Fessler, STMA              35-38--73

T10. Connor Glynn, Waconia       36-37--73

T10. Gunnar Broin, Minnetonka   35-38--73