Forest Lake’s Bella Leonhart leads Class 3A girls golf meet; Cretin-Derham Hall’s Sam Udovich No. 1 among boys

Forest Lake senior Bella Leonhart is looking to cap her career in grand fashion.

Leonhart shot a 1-under-par 71 Tuesday and leads a jammed leaderboard after the first round of the Class 3A girls golf state tournament at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids. Six golfers are within two shots of her heading into Wednesday’s final round starting at 7:30 a.m.

Three golfers are one stroke back of Leonhart, who is ranked ninth by the Minnesota Golf Association: top-ranked Orono senior Ava Hanneman, second-ranked Minnetonka junior Selena Wu and 10th-ranked Wayzata junior Lauren Chambs.

Hanneman, who tied for third place in 2024, was recently honored as Ms. Minnesota Golf by the MGA. The award is presented to the top senior in the state.

The defending champion, Owatonna junior Carmen Jirele, struggled in the opening round and finished with an 81, tied for 23rd.

The state’s No. 1-ranked team, Minnetonka, accumulated a score of 305, opening a 19-stroke lead over two-time defending team champion and No. 3-ranked Maple Grove. No. 7 Wayzata is in third place, two strokes back of the Crimson.

In the boys tournament, Cretin-Derham Hall senior Sam Udovich showed why he was named Mr. Minnesota Golf. Ranked second, Udovich shot a 6-under-par 66 to open a four-shot advantage.

Defending champion Torger Ohe, an Edina senior, is among three golfers tied for second. He is ranked sixth.

Only a stroke separates No. 2-ranked Cretin-Derham Hall and top-ranked Chanhassen in the race for the team crown. The Raiders registered a four-player team score of 291.

Girls defending champion and No. 2-ranked Detroit Lakes shot a 320 to take an eight-shot lead over No. 6 Minnewaska Area after the opening round at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.

Freshman Sophie Christianson, ranked 16th in the state, finished with a 2-over-par 74 for the Lakers. She is in second place, one stroke back of Pequot Lakes senior Genevieve Birkeland. Birkeland, ranked eighth, tied for fifth place last season.

Three players from Detroit Lakes are in the top six of the boys field after the first round. Lakers junior Brock Burhans is the leader in the clubhouse with a 3-under-par 69. Freshman Tyson Eckhoff is in a three-way tie for second after shooting a 70 while classmate Sully Braaten checked in with a 72. Eighteen golfers are within five strokes of the lead.

Detroit Lakes is the team leader after recording a 288, 11 strokes ahead of Blake and Southwest Christian.

Another girls defending team champion, No. 9-ranked Dawson-Boyd, positioned itself to repeat at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. The Blackjacks shot a 338, 10 strokes better than Park Christian. Dawson-Boyd shared the team title with Fillmore Central last season. The Falcons are a distant third after the first round.

Dawson-Boyd senior Lindsey Lund, looking to go back-to-back as medalist, shot a 6-over-par 78 and leads after the first round.

In the boys’ tournament, Ashby/Brandon-Evansville sophomore Traeton Nelson is the surprising leader with an even-par 72. Defending champion Walker-Hackensack-Akeley senior Parker Brock, ranked No. 13, is five strokes back after shooting a 77.

Brock’s squad is in position to win the first team title in program history after finishing with a 315, four strokes ahead of Legacy Christian.