Five Flandreau golfers head to State B Monday-Tuesday in YanktonFive Flandreau golfers head to State B Monday-Tuesday in Yankton

Flandreau
BROOKINGS – The Flandreau girls shot 286 to place second in the Region 2B Golf Tournament on Thursday, May 23 at Edgebrook.
Keva Burshiem carded an 87 and was runner-up after losing in a playoff.
“Keva has made constant improvements and strides year after year and to be in a position to win the region meet as just a freshmen is an incredible accomplishment,” said Flandreau coach Jake Otkin. “Her offseason work ethic and attitude towards improving has paid dividends on the golf course. She always has a coachable and fun attitude every day she’s on the golf course.”
Grace Johanson was third following a 90.
“Grace shot even with the two first-place finishers on the front nine, she just needed some putts to fall on the back nine to put her in contention and many of those putts rimmed out or fell just short,” said Otkin. “Grace is another incredibly hard worker that puts in a lot of offseason hours improving her game. She has really improved the mental aspect of her game and playing the game smart to put herself in a position to win.”
Marley Barboza took 16th at 109.
“Marley Barboza finished tied for 15th, which put her in as an individual, but even more importantly allowed the girls team to slide into second place and go to state as a team,” Otkin added. “I was extremely excited for Marley and very proud of her efforts! Marley is just an eighth-grader and improved by over 30 strokes on this course from a year ago to put herself and her team in a position to win.

“We were only seven strokes off of first place with a seventh-grader, eighth-grader, freshman and junior. That is a huge accomplishment for this team. Marley had a turning point in the middle of the year where things really started clicking for her and her game really started to improve. I was extremely proud of her rising to the challenge at regions.
“Kaycie Boetger rounded out the girls’ team. Although she didn’t place, she is only a seventh-grader and played fairly well for her first ever region meet. If she continues to learn the game and put in offseason time, she could make some noise in a few years on the golf course.”
Deubrook, led by medalist Courtni Frank (87), won the team title with a 279 total.
Colman-Egan eighth-grader Berkley Groos shot 110 and missed qualifying for state by a single stroke.
On the boys’ side, the Fliers’ Devon Burggraff placed 13th with a 94 to advance to state.
“Devon missed state by only three strokes a year ago so one of his offseason goals was to improve and make the state tournament,” noted Otkin. “He changed irons in the middle of the season and I think that was the difference maker in his swing. Devon put in a lot of offseason time to improving his game this summer and fall and that obviously payed off with him making his first ever state tournament.”
“Tanner Christenson, Tison Burggraff and Dylan Christenson rounded out the boys’ side. Although none of them will make the state tournament, they all made great strides in their golf game this year. Dylan is only a seventh-grader, Tison an eighth-grader and Tanner a freshman, so we are very young still. Each one of them had the capability to qualify and I am proud of all of them for stepping up to the challenge of competing in their first or second ever region meet.
“The future is extremely bright for this group if they put in offseason time to improve their game!”
Flandreau (317) was ninth and Colman-Egan (340) 10th in the team standings.

Colman-Egan
“I’m happy with the way my kids played,” said CE coach Billy Stitz. “All four boys were at regions for the first time and played well for the conditions. I look forward to seeing them improve over the summer and come back next year with some experience.
“It’s really tough to miss state by just one stroke, but we can’t play defense in golf, so all (Groos) can do is play good golf and hope for the best. She shot 10 strokes better than last year and I couldn’t be happier with how she handled such a tough situation.”
The Class B State Tournaments wer held June 3-4 in Yankton. The girls’ tourney was at Fox Run and the boys’ event at Hillcrest.