Sigel Is Minnesota Mr. Golf for 2017; Herzog Is Ms. Golf

High School

Ben Sigel of Minnetonka was named the winner of the Minnesota Mr. Golf Award on Sunday night, and Stephanie Herzog of Red Wing was named Ms. Golf for 2017. 

The awards were established last year, and are given annually to the state's top high school seniors.

Sigel's selection was almost a foregone conclusion. In 2016, he won individual championships in the section and state high school tournaments and led the Skippers to team championships in  both. So far, he has been no less impressive as a senior. He finished second in The Preview, the tournament that boasts the strongest field of the Minnesota high school season, and he tied for first in the Section 2AAA tournament, leading his team to another section title -- and back to the state tournament -- in the process.

The University of Kansas recruit also had the lowest scoring average in the state during the regular season -- 70.8.

As for the girls, it came down to a choice among three of the eight finalists: Herzog, Edina's Grace Kellar and Visitation's Anni Heck. 

Herzog, who will be playing for Iowa next year, had the lowest scoring average in Minnesota girls golf this spring, at 71.5, and she either won or tied for first in 11 of the 13 tournaments she played in. One of the two she didn't win was the first tournament of the year, and she finished second to her sister Leah, a sophomore, in that one. The other was the Section 1AAA tournament, where she finished second to her teammate Sophia Yoemans, another sophomore. Yoemans won the 1AAA crown with a record score of 141. Stephanie Herzog's runner-up score was 147. 

Herzog the Elder had won section individual championships four years in a row before surrendering the crown to Yoemans. She has finished in the top 11 at the state tournament in each of the last four years.

Like Sigel, Herzog is currently No. 1 in the MGA individual high school rankings.