File photo by Ari Selvey Sam Price was named the All-Journal Girls Golfer of the Year on Wednesday for the third consecutive year.

SLEEPY EYE — Last week and for the fourth year in a row, Sleepy Eye United’s Sam Price competed with her team in the Class A State Girls Golf Tournament.

Each year it’s become less of a goal and more of an expectation for a program that has kept its golfers involved and improving. Price is one of those SEU golfers, and she’s been one of the program’s finest examples over the last several years, starting with her freshman year three years ago when she saw her nine-hole average improve from 56 as an eighth-grader to 49.1 as a freshman.

That freshman season she also earned her first All-Journal Girls Golfer of the Year honor, which she shared with then-senior teammate Liz Schwint. After winning the award on her own last year, Price shined again this year as a junior with a 44.4 nine-hole average and was selected as the 2025 All-Journal Girls Golfer of the Year.

This season, Price and her team finished sixth at state, with Price finishing 26th individually.

“I was pretty happy,” Price said. “I didn’t play exactly how I wanted to at state, but definitely proud of the work that I’ve put in and things I’ve accomplished this year.”

Traveling back to Becker’s Pebble Creek Golf Club for the fourth year in a row last week, Price said this year she struggled with the greens.

“For me, honestly, the greens seemed a lot tougher than they have been,” Price said. “I struggled with putting, I just couldn’t get any reads right and I missed a bunch of 3-footers, so the greens were tough this year in my opinion.”

Despite not finishing where she wanted to state, Price said she felt more confident in all areas of her game this year and it didn’t take long for her to start mapping out next year.

“Pretty much right away after, I knew my potential,” Price said. “I kind of set high goals for myself next year. As long as I put in the work over the summer and winter even, I’m hoping to get top five for sure at state. I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of actually doing it and putting the work in.”

Price’s two-day state appearance this year didn’t come without some memorable moments, one including a rough shot that ended up turning into a birdie.

“There is kind of a funny story [laughs],” Price said. “On Hole 2, on the second day, I hit a nice drive down the middle of the fairway, it was a par-5. Then my second shot I hit a tree, I shanked it and hit a tree and it bounced back onto the fairway. Then I had a nice approach shot and made the putt for birdie. So I almost went out of bounds and had to take a two-stroke penalty, but the tree saved me.”

With SEU graduating two seniors from this year’s girls team, Price will shift into another leadership role next year apart from just being the team leader in scoring average.

“The girls are great,” Price said. “We have great team chemistry and we all get along really well. It was fun, all season, just everybody enjoying each other’s company was fun.”

Before ending up as the Section 2A Girls Individual Champion and making the state tournament, Price was able to add her name to the history books by becoming the first-ever individual champion in the Tomahawk-Valley Conference Girls Golf Tournament, a tournament the SEU girls also won as a team. The three-leg tournament was similar to the Tomahawk Conference tournaments of the past, but this year with the merger of the Valley Conference, more competition and new courses were brought into the fold.

The first leg of the Tomahawk-Valley girls tourney took place in Alden at Oakview Golf Course, while the second took place at the Springfield Golf Course. The final leg took place at Farmer’s Golf & Health Club in Sanborn. Not only did SEU win the girls’ side of the conference tournament, but the SEU boys won the boys’ side of the tournament.

“It’s pretty cool, especially with the boys and the girls from Sleepy Eye United getting that first plaque,” Price said.

With more awards and accomplishments to her name this year, Price is looking at what she can work on ahead of next year to reach more of her goals.

“I’m proud of all the labels and championships I’ve won and everything, but I just know I have more work to do, more work to put in this summer,” Price said. “Just to get those higher goals of mine for my last season, my senior season coming up.”