New Ulm junior Mason Buegler is the lone Class AA golfer from the area, returning to the state tournament after placing third overall at the Section 3AA Golf Tournament. Buegler took 40th at last year’s state tournament. This year, Buegler is averaging 80 strokes per 18 holes and his looking to improve on his finish from last season.

Buegler will tee off at Hole 1 Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.

Class A will see 14 different area athletes compete in the state tournament this year, with Sleepy Eye United sending the most golfers with eight. The boys team returns as Section 2A champions, led by freshman Nolan Kucera, who was the individual Section 2A champion. Kucera placed 36th at the state tournament this year and is averaging 74.8 strokes per 18 holes to lead the team. Junior Blaine Arneson is next in average this year with 82.1 and finished 61st at last year’s tournament, while freshman Anders Coulson (82.9) finished 43rd last year and sophomore Isaac Christensen (84.5) finished 73rd. Juniors Eli Christensen (90.4) and Dylan Krebs (113) are both making their first state tournament trips for SEU and round out the team. Last year, SEU finished seventh out of eight teams at the state tournament, shooting a 679, and looks for its extra experience to earn a higher placement this year. Krebs tees off first on Tuesday at Pebble Creek Golf Course in Becker, starting at Hole 1 at 8:15 a.m. Eli Christensen follows at 8:24 a.m. at Hole 1, then Isaac Christensen at 8:33 a.m. at Hole 1. Coulson begins at 8:51 a.m. at Hole 1, Arneson tees off at 9 a.m. at Hole 1, and Kucera begins at 9:09 a.m. at Hole 1.

On the girls side for SEU, Sam Price will make her fifth state tournament trip in her senior year after tying for first in the Section 2A tournament. Price is averaging 89.1 strokes per 18 holes and took 26th at last year’s tournament. This year, Price aims to place in the top eight. Kiara Murphy is the final SEU golfer in the state tourney, averaging 95.2 strokes per 18 and coming off of a 54th-place finish from last year. Price tees off at 12:36 p.m. at Hole 10, while Murphy begins at 12:18 p.m. at Hole 10.

File photo by Ari Selvey Sleepy Eye United's Isaac Christensen chips his ball onto the green during the second day of the Section 2A Golf Tournament on June 1 at North Links Golf Course.

The Springfield girls team also qualified for the state tournament after winning Section 2A. Sophomores Mavri Winkelmann (91.8) and Ava Lipetzky (96.0) both made the tournament individually last year, with Winkelmann, also the Section 2A co-champions this year, placing 30th, and Lipetzky taking 66th. They will be joined this year by Annie Kuehn (101.3), Willow Krueger (107.5) and Kynslee Kastner (109.0). Kastner goes first for Springfield, teeing off at 12:54 p.m. at Hole 10, while Krueger begins at 1:03 p.m. at Hole 10. Kuehn starts at 1:21 p.m. at Hole 10, Lipetzky begins at 1:30 p.m. at Hole 10, and Winkelmann rounds it out with a 1:39 start at Hole 10.

The final entrant in this year’s state tournament is Cedar Mountain’s Carson Schiller. Schiller made the tournament as a sophomore, where he finished 76th. Now a senior, Schiller is averaging 83.2 strokes per 18 holes. Schiller tees off at Hole 10 at 7:48 a.m.