Salonek Claims Victory at Rain-Shortened Minnesota State Junior Girls' Championship

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  LE SUEUR, Minn. – Entering the week with more than 20 junior PGA tournament wins in the state since 2013, Olivia Salonek collected her first major state championship win, shooting a 3-under 70 as the 76^th Minnesota State Junior Girls’ Championship at Le Sueur Country Club was shortened to 18 holes Wednesday.
 
Salonek claimed a one-stroke victory over two-time champion Camille Kuznik, for her first win of the 2021 season.
 
Starting slowly with a bogey at the par-3 second Tuesday, Salonek carded a pair of birdies at the seventh and ninth holes, turning in 1-under. Salonek would get to 2-under following a birdie at the par-5 12^th, but gave back a stroke with a bogey at the 14^th.
 
Looking to improve on a ninth-place finish a year ago, Salonek finished strong by rolling in back-to-back birdies at the 16^th and 17^th holes to take the early lead with a 3-under 70.
 
Compiling nearly two dozen wins at junior PGA events over the past eight seasons, Salonek picked up her biggest win at the rain-shortened Minnesota PGA Junior Golf ‘Sota Series Players Tour Tournament of Champions last year, shooting 2-over 109 for a five-stroke win over Saachi Deshmukh at Keller Golf Course.
 
Kuznik, who became the first player since Celia Kuenster to successfully repeat as champion, winning the 2018 and 2019 tournaments, rallied during her second nine Tuesday after carding a pair of bogeys during her front nine.
 
The Ms. Minnesota Golf award recipient drew even by carding an eagle at the par-5 12^th, and would move into red figures with a birdie at the 13^th. A final birdie at the par-5 16^th put Kuznik within one shot of the lead with a 2-under 71.
 
Kuznik claimed her first state victory at the Minnesota State Junior Girls’ Championship in 2018 at Monticello Country Club and notched a second win at the event the following year at Valleywood Golf Course.
 
The University of Wisconsin commit earned an eight-stroke victory at the 2019 Minnesota Public Golf Association Junior Public Links Championship at Goodrich Golf Course and last year won the Minnesota PGA Junior Match Play Championship at Cragun’s Resort for her fourth state championship win.
 
An eagle on her final hole Tuesday put Lauren Contreras into the clubhouse in third place, two shots off the lead following her round of 1-under 72.
 
A pair of early birdies helped Ava Hanneman to a round of even par 73 Tuesday, finishing in fourth place, while last year’s runner-up and Class AAA individual champion Reese McCauley finished in fifth place after bouncing back from a double-bogey during her back nine with a late eagle to shoot 75.