Heading Into Round Two, Blake Larson Holds Top Spot with 74
Putting in the time has been a consistent mantra for the Wessington Springs Spartans Varsity golf team, and after yesterday’s round one finish in the top spot at the Class B State Boys Golf Tournament, the team and time-focused strategy is paying big dividends.
Shooting a 237, the team from Springs made up of Blake Larson, Brock Krueger, Luke Larson and JD Thompson hold a nine-shot lead over Hanson and Hamlin (246). Following in fourth is Chester (247) and fifth, Clark/Willow Lake (248) while Edmunds Central and Hill City are tied for sixth with 249.
Individually, Blake Larson leads with a 2-over 74, including a 36 on the back nine. Krueger shot 80, Luke Larson ended round one with 83 and Thompson rounded out the Spartans with 89.
“They just need to do what they’ve been doing in Wessington Springs everyday, not change anything and just relax. I’m very confident in all of them,” said Spartans Head Golf Coach Regina Teveldal. “They’ve been putting in a ton of time and it shows, not only with their game but also with the mental side of it and with working through the nerves that come along with these type of meets.”
Blake Larson said he’s treating the state tournament, held at Brookings Country Club, as “just another meet.”
“I’m staying focused and keeping my mind on golf,” said Blake Larson. “The team factor is a lot different this year. This team has been at state once and our goal is to be at the top. We want to place and add another banner to the gym. Last year at state started a fire that has continued all year.”
Last year’s trip to state marked the first Wessington Springs Boys Golf team to qualify for state in nine years. Made up of the same members as last year, the boys have set high goals for themselves. Placing eighth in South Dakota in 2023, all four team members share the same resonating goal: to place in the top six. A goal that they all realize can only be reached by executing two days of good golf.
“My goal is to cut out the small mistakes and hone in on the skills that help me do what I do best and allow me to stay consistent,” Krueger shared. “As a team it’s more real this year, we have a better chance of going out on top. This year we’ve played really well together.”
Teveldal continually points to sheer drive and relentless dedication demonstrated by the team.
“Back to their drive, they are on the course all day. These kids literally will do four rounds in an afternoon. They are nuts, they are out there as much as possible always wanting to get better,” she shared. “They are the first to tell the younger kids, golf practice will help you but if you really want to improve, you have to be out here other than this. It really rubs off on the kids below them and they make the extra effort to encourage the kids below them.”
“We are always on the course, all four of us,” said the senior Larson. “We’re out here most days from 3 p.m. until dark. Golfing together, we hold each other accountable.”
Krueger added that the team’s competitive nature has helped each golfer individually.
“We golf together almost everyday and we are all so competitive,” Krueger said. “That competitive spirit makes us shoot better, push harder and dig deeper.”
The two sophomore Spartans share the hyper-focused team mentality of the recently graduated senior members of the team.
“We are all within range of each other and make it very competitive every time we play,” said Thompson.
“We are going to be the best we can be for the team, which pushes everyone forward and keeps everyone working hard,” Luke Larson said.
Larson also shared that his center of attention is on consistency and focus, while Thompson is aimed at playing the same game he plays at his home course when at the state tournament.
“My goal is top keep a cool head, let go of any bad shots and keep my focus on the next shot,” Thompson explained.
While the team from Springs has all mind and body focused on this last day of state competition, they understand that their success and dedication is essential in the continuation of the program at home in Wessington Springs.
“I hope we encourage younger kids from what we’ve done together this year,” Thompson expressed.
Luke Larson recognizes that as his older brother Blake and teammate Krueger head off to college, he and Thompson will have big shoes to fill.
“I hope the younger golfers can say, look, they’re losing these two seniors, we need to step it up at the next practice and get out on the course more,” he said.
The two seniors have been playing under Teveldal’s direction since sixth grade.
“We didn’t have any junior high kids out that first year I coached and Blake and Brock were on the course practicing all the time,” Teveldal reflected. “We didn’t have enough to fill a full varsity team and didn’t have a lot of kids overall. We pulled them up into junior high and they’ve been playing since.”
Heading into the second and final day of state competition in the lead, Larson maintains his focus on the task at hand while expressing gratitude for the road that brought him to this point, “Seeing the program grow from when we were in sixth grade and the improvement of Spartans golf is something special. It’s been a good thing to be a part of that.”