Boerboom has 'satisfying' state performance
Nolan Boerboom remembers when he and sister Payton used to tag along with their parents Heidi and Shawn and they'd play a few rounds of golf.
"I grew up with it," he said.
The early start may be one reason he made it to the state tournament as a freshman.
Wednesday, the Minneota freshman completed two days and 36 holes of golf at the Minnesota Class A State Tournament with a 176 and the proclamation, "It's a good experience, and a lot of fun, too."
He shot a 44 and 44 for an 88 the first and a 45-43 for another 88 and two-day total of 176 — which put him somewhere near the middle of the pack.
For a freshman, not so bad!
Officially he finished tied for 37th place. One of those he tied was Zach Werner of Lakeview — whom he has been battling all year. In the past Werner usually got the best of Boerboom, so the tie was special. He also beat another very good golfer, Tyler Lund of Dawson-Boyd. The junior shot a 175 and finished tied for 43rd place.
Was there extra pressure golfing in the state golf tournament? "There's always pressure. But hey, I'm young and I can come back," Boerboom said.
Obviously, golfers have good holes and bad holes — but Boerboom had more than his share of good moments.
On his final nine, on par five hole No. 2, he hit the ball onto a hill surrounded by trees. There was just a small hole in which he could safely hit the ball without hitting a tree.
He stroked it through the hole and up onto the green. "That was a tight hall," his father Shawn would say later.
"I don't know how it went through there, I just hit it," he chuckled.
Later on the sixth hole he barely cleared the pond as he teed off, but his ball sank into the mud on the edge of the pond for what was called a, "Plug", and he had to take the shot over,.
"These greens are so tricky," he said, adding, "They break so fast."
He did hit a nice birdie on a part-five hole No. 5. After a great shot from the edge of the airway he hit an eight-foot putt for his birdie.
His "long game" has been strong all year but at the state, it was his strokes on putts that let him down. He missed more then his usual amount,
On the positive side, Boerboom feels the experience will make him a better golfer in the future. He said, "I'll be more comfortable here (next time)."
He also may know how to deal with another problem he suffered at the state — fatigue!
"I was just gassed," he said after the first day. "I slept for two hours," after the meet. The course took a toll on his legs. "Golfing for three days (including a day of practice) was not easy," Boerboom related.
"I'd liked to have had smaller scores, but I'm satisfied. It was a fun time," Boerboom said.
MAHNOMEN/Waubon won the boys state with a 653. Other team scores were: 2. Lac qu Parle Valley 671; 3. Sleepy Eye United 673; 4. Mounds Park Academy 677; 5. Ottertail Central 687; 6. Mesabi East 690; 7. Blooming Prairie 697; 8. Westbrook-Walnut Grove 740.