Regional title was first step toward state for New Richmond girls golf

• Megan Chelberg

Tiger junior Megan Chelberg tees off during her round in the New Richmond Division 1 regional tournament last week.

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The goal is the WIAA state championships and the New Richmond girls golf team took the first step toward that goal by winning the WIAA Division 1 regional that they hosted at the New Richmond Golf Club last Wednesday.

The Tigers won the regional title by shooting 344. The Tigers received a hearty challenge from River Falls, which finished 12 strokes off the Tigers’ pace.

New Richmond coach Neal Ziller said it was clear that River Falls had targeted the Tigers in the tournament, but that only helped the Tigers focus more on their task.

There were a few bumps in the road for the Tigers. They gave away four penalty shots between the fourth and seventh holes. Ziller said the Tigers also struggled with their sand shots, something that will be worked on before the sectional tournament that was scheduled for Monday.

What set the Tigers apart was their ability to bounce back from those small flaws in their game.

“All five of our girls are able to play through adversity,” Ziller said. “The girls are making birdies and pars, so they’re making up for the bad holes.”

The Tigers were led by junior Alex Wheeler, whose score of 81 earned regional medalist honors. Halle Hauer of River Falls finished at 82. New Richmond had the third and fourth best scores in the tournament, with seniors Rachel Ziller shooting an 85 and Leah Bauer an 86. Megan Chelberg shot a 92 and Jordan Peterson a 94 as the Tigers all finished within the top 14 scores in the tournament.

The top two teams and top three individuals not part of those two teams will qualify for the WIAA state championships.

WIAA Division 1 New Richmond Regional Golf Tournament

Team scores: New Richmond 344, River Falls 356, Rice Lake 380, Eau Claire North 389, Hudson 392, Marshfield 401, Superior 451, Eau Claire Memorial 468

New Richmond scores

Alex Wheeler 39-42=81; Rachel Ziller 44-41=85; Leah Bauer 44-42=86; Megan Chelberg 43-49=92; Jordan Peterson 45-49=94

Tags: sports, tigers, golf, prep