Daikawa, Hines Win at the Twin Cities Junior Championship

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BLAINE, Minn – Cooper Daikawa fired a bogey-free 8-under 63, a tournament record, Monday at Victory Links Golf Course to win the 29th Boys’ Twin Cities Championship by five shots.

Daikawa finished off his sophomore season at Centennial High School strong with a second-place finish at the Class AAA championship after posting back-to-back rounds of 3-under 69.

On Monday, Daikawa got out the gates fast with a birdie on the first hole of the day followed by birdies at the 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th holes to make the turn at 5-under for the day.

He would continue the strong play on his back nine with birdies at the 10th, 12th and 16th holes to secure an 8-under-par round and his first state title.

Rochester’s Timothy Sexton took second place after a 3-under 68 which included five birdies against two bogeys and Avery Ross finished in third place after an even-par 71.

Maple Grove’s Connor Monson fired a 2-under 69 and survived a playoff by making a par on the first playoff hole to defeat Charlie Nielsen and take the title in the Boys’ 13-15 division.

Little Falls’ soon to be 9th grader Imagine Hines took the Girls’ Twin Cities Championship title with a 6-over 77.

Hines is coming off a successful 8th grade season for Little Falls where she won the Granite Ridge Conference meet at Crosswoods Golf Course and qualified for the Class AA state meet.

She got off to a slow start with bogeys on three of her first four holes to start the round.  She would go on to make two more bogeys on the front nine, on the 6th and 9th holes, to make the turn at 5-over for the day.

Hines would right the ship on the back nine opening with seven straight pars to jump into the lead. She stumbled with a bogey on the par-3 17th but made par on the 18th to claim the one-shot victory over Byron’s Calie Dockter, Elk River’s Lexi O’Donnell and Totino-Grace’s Kaitlyn Burstad who all shot 7-over rounds of 78.

With the win, Hines claims her first state victory.  

The Fairway Foundation’s Emory Goodlow claimed the title in the Girls’ 12 and under division.