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By MICHAEL GASSETT — Journal Sports Writer
NEW ULM — Today is a big day for Sam Bergmann.

It’s been more than a year since she last finished a regular season match or tournament without bringing home a championship medal and her hopes on a perfect season continue today at the South Central Golf Tournament in Waseca.

The last time Bergmann wasn’t meet medalist was May 12, 2007. That day she took third in the 12-team Fairmont Invitational. That ended her undefeated season but it also gave her some perspective.

“I try not worry about the competition,” Bergmann said. “I really focus on myself. I know what I have to do to shoot low. Everyone likes to win but if you’re not doing your best it doesn’t feel as good.”

It didn’t take her long to regroup because a week later the streak started again when she won the SCC tournament in St. Peter. Fast forward to 2008 and again Bergmann is undefeated. She wrapped up the dual portion of the season Tuesday when she posted an 85 to earn medalist honors in a dual against Blue Earth Area.

Today, she will go for that perfect season when she attempts to repeat as the SCC champ at Waseca Lakeside Club.

“It’s going to take focus,” Bergmann said. “I just have to relax and I’ve been pretty relaxed all year.”

That 85 Tuesday was a tie for her season high score and she still won.

“It feels good to be undefeated and you don’t want somebody to take that out from under you,” Bergmann said. “I just have to keep working hard.”

Bergmann is way ahead of the rest of the players in the conference. By winning each match she has 60 points coming into today’s meet. St. Peter’s Emma Ziebarth is second with 54 points and Steph Wolf of BEA is third with 53.

New Ulm’s Miranda McKeeth is tied for seventh right now with 48 points.

Bergmann has medaled in two big meets this year. She set a New Ulm girl’s school record with a 79 at Marshall Apr. 19, which also happened to be her best score of the season. And at this year’s Fairmont Invitational she avenged her third-place finish from a year ago by taking medalist honors with a an 85.

Those wins were important meets because almost every conference team and a few teams from Section 3AA were there.

“There is always good competition at those meets,” she said. “It’s always fun to play with some of those girls from the area that we don’t always get to play with. Most of those teams will be at our subsection and I’ve had a good time playing with everyone this year.”

It hasn’t been a good spring for golf, or any sport for that matter but unlike most golfers Bergmann hasn’t let the weather be a deterrent to a good season.

“It’s been tough for some people but as crazy as it sounds, I actually like playing in the rain and the wind,” she said. “It comes down to mental toughness and I have that, some girls don’t.

“The true players that can really play in any kind of weather, come out in bad weather.”

Bergmann has averaged about an 82 this season but she isn’t happy with the way she has been playing lately, despite all the winning.

“Some people would be but I am making mistakes here and there that I just shouldn’t be at this point,” she said. “I am trying to work on things. Every day is different with golf. You can only go out and expect to do your best.”

It’s been a strong last two years for Bergmann. She finished third at the Section 2AA meet last year which earned her a spot in the state meet. Although she didn’t play as well there as she would have liked, the experience was invaluable.

“I just want to make it back to state,” she said. “I don’t know what the competition will be like [in the section meet] but I just hope to shoot in the 70s and that should be enough.”

Bergmann’s 82 average breaks down to 41.2 per nine holes. Miranda McKeeth averages a 49.7, followed by Leah Nelsen with a 57.3 and Hailie Holm with a 59.4. Lora Hlavsa averages a 63 and Sarah Keller has a 63.5 average.

As a team, New Ulm was also perfect in SCC play until a 407-418 loss to BEA Tuesday. So the Eagles look to be one of the teams to beat at today’s meet. The other matches haven’t been all that close. New Ulm beat St. James and St. Peter in a rain-shortened match to open the conference season with New Ulm carding a 199 to St. James’ 224 and St. Peter came in with a 231. The Eagles beat Waseca by four strokes 424-428 and they topped Fairmont 405-421.

The way the SCC tournament works is BEA is already in the lead coming into today’s meet by virtue of winning each dual. The Bucs are two points ahead of New Ulm but whatever team wins today will get an extra 24 points and second place is 20. So the Eagles have just as good a chance to become SCC champs for the second time in three years.

“We have a shot but we will have to play well,” New Ulm coach Todd McKeeth said. “Blue Earth is the team to beat. The potential is there.”

But McKeeth points out it could be more than just a two-team race.

“There are few other teams that could jump up and take it,” he said. “I think St. Peter is a ways down in the duals and they might have a hard time jumping up and winning but they could play well that day and win the tournament maybe. Waseca being on their home course are in our ball park too and if St. James plays well they will have a shot as well.”