Stevens, Wetzel & Rexing Tie for 1st in AAA Boys; Edina Is Team Champ

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COON RAPIDS -- Nate Stevens has been the No. 1-ranked player in Minnesota boys high school golf since the beginning of the 2021 season. He capped off his junior year at Northfield with a nearly flawless performance while winning the state Class AAA championship with a record low 36-hole score of 134, 10 under par.

On Wednesday, he was trying to conclude his senior season by repeating as the state large-school champion. He didn't exactly have his best stuff tee to green, but he was doing what good players do -- taking advantage of his scoring chances when he got them, and saving pars with his short game when he didn't. And on what might have been the hardest hole at Bunker Hills Golf Course this week, the 220-yard, par-3 17th (No. 8 West), he hit his best shot of the day, a hybrid to 10 feet. He then converted the birdie putt, and although there were a lot of players still on the course, he was now leading the tournament.

"I think I got a little too amped up," he said later. When I made the putt, I pumped my fist, and I never do that."

The  excitement seemed to carry over to the 18th tee, where he pulled his tee shot into the trees. But just as he had done all day, Stevens manufactured a pretty good shot and got out of trouble, leaving himself a simple chip from about 8 feet short of the green to a cup 35 feet away. His chip shot from there was a little week, however, and he needed to make a 4-foot putt to save his par. 

The putt looked pretty good with a foot to go. Then it snapped off to the left, caught the edge of the cup -- and lipped out. 

That closiing bogey notwithstanding, Stevens managed to shoot a 2-under-par 70, and put a two-day total of 140 on the scoreboard, and it turned out to be good enough to earn him a tie for first place, along with seniors Jack Wetzel of Edina and Owen Rexing of Rosemount. Much to the chagrin of the three tri-champions and most of the spectators at Bunker Hills on Wednesday, the Minnesota State High School League does not play off ties in the individual competions, and probably never will.

Wetzel, who was tied with Stevens when the day began, shot 70 for the second day in a row. Rexing turned in the low score of the day -- and tournament -- a 69. 

So they all got -- or will get -- gold first-place medals.

It was not a satisfying conclusion to the AAA boys tournament, especially for Stevens, who will be heading off to Notre Dame in September. 

"Bittersweet," was how he described it.  "I'll probably feel better about it eventually, but not right now."  

When he was aked afterward how many times out of 20 he would excpect to get up and down from where he had been on 18, he replied: "I would say 20 out of 20, but I guess it's more like 19. I can't believe I made that bogey."

Wetzel and Rexing were a little more sanguine about the result. In Wetzel's case, there was an element of redemption. Last year, he was tied with Stevens going into the second day, but shot a 77, part of a disappointing day for the Edina team. The Hornets led after one day in '21, but were overtaken on Day 2 by Maple Grove, which produced a record one-day score -- 283 (5 under) -- and won by 16.

"My primary goal was to help the team," said Wetzel, a Minnesota recruit. 

He did, and the Hornets won the 196th state championship for their school (counting all incarnations of Edina High School -- Edina Morningside, Edina, 
Edina East and Edina West), which was also their seventh in golf. Having shot 298 the first day, they improved on that with a second-day 291. The resulting overall 589 was good for a 14-stroke victory over Spring Lake Park. Alexandria was another nine back in third, at 612.

Edina always seems to have deep boys teams, and this year was no exception. Three of the Hornets -- Wetzel, Charlie Nasby (149) and Torger Ohe (150) -- all finished in the top 20 individually. Ben Sanderson tied for 29th at 152, and Owen Nielsen for 33rd at 153. Andrew Cavender was the sixth man this week, and he finished in the top half of the field, at No. 41, with a 156. 

Stevens and Wetzel started the day one ahead of Rexing, but that changed quickly, when Stevens bogeyed the 427-yard, par-4 first hole (No. 1 East), and Rexing birdied it. Wetzel bogeyed the third hole. Wetzle birdied the 486-yard, par-5 fourth hole -- the easiest hole on the course -- but so did Rexing. Stevens hit  a 9-iron from 160 yards to 10 feet -- and made an eagle.

Stevens and Wetzel both birdied the 535-yard, par-5 sixth,  which got Stevens to 2 under for the day, but he bogeyed the par-3 seventh (200 yards). Wetzel birdied the eighth and got to his ultimate destination -- 4 under for the tournament. Rexing, who will be part of surprisingly strong freshman class at St. Thomas this fall, was also at 4 under, after a birdie at the ninth.

Actually, this wasn't happening in real time. Wetzel and everyone else playing with a team was behind Stevens and Rexing, neither of whose teams got into the tournament. 

Stevens took the lead on the back nine, albeit briefly, with birdies at the 420-yard, par-4 15th and 17th, before giving one back at the 18th. Rexing, playing in the same group with Stevens, slipped back with bogeys at the 10th and 15th. So he was two behind Sevens going into the 18th hole, but then he got a reversal -- he made birdie and Stevens made bogey.

Wetzel was in the last foursome that finished on the West Nine on Wednesday, and he pulled ahead of Stevens and Rexing with a birdie at the 11th. But then he bogeyed the 13th (373 yards). He went in front for one last time when he birdied the par-5 14th, before coming back to Stevens and Rexing with a bogey at the 15th.  


THE 2022 MINNESOTA STATE BOYS’ CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP
BUNKER HILLS GOLF COURSE
COON RAPIDS, MINN.
6,866 YARDS, PAR 72

FINAL TEAM RESULTS
1. Edina -- 298-291--589
2. Spring Lake Park -- 301-302--603
3. Alexandria Area -- 304-308--612
4. Chanhassen -- 309-307--616
T5. Lakeville North -- 304-315--619
T5. Eastview -- 313-306--619
7. Stillwater Area -- 327-299--626
8. Princeton -- 330-323--653 

FINAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T1. Jack Wetzel, Edina -- 70-70--140
T1. Nate Stevens, Northfield -- 70-70--140
T1. Owen Rexing, Rosemount -- 71-69--140
4. Brady Baynes, Eden Prairie -- 73-70--143
5. Ryan Stendahl, Maple Grove -- 71-73--144
6. Mason Roloff, Spring Lake Park -- 74-71--145
T7. Brody Pass, Centennial -- 74-72--146
T7. Bryan Terhaar, Champlin Park -- 74-72--146
T7. Joe Honsa, Cretin-Derham Hall -- 73-73--146
T10. Isaac Ahn, Rochester Mayo -- 71-76--147
T10. Bennett Olson, Alexandria -- 71-76--147
T10. Kyle Schwamb, Farmington -- 73-74-147


For complete tournament results: https://www.mshsl.org/2022-state-golf-results