Reding Birdies Her Way to Opening-Round Lead at Minnesota State Junior Girls' Championship

  SPICER, Minn. – Stringing together four consecutive birdies to begin her back nine Monday at Little Crow Golf Resort, Ruby Reding fired a round of 2-under 70 to take the early lead at the 80th Minnesota State Junior Girls’ Championship.

Reding posted the tournament’s only round below par on the first day of competition Monday as the Minnetonka High School senior will take a four-stroke advantage over Alyssa Raghuveer and Ava Hanneman to Tuesday’s second round.

Entering this week’s championship after helping the Skippers win the Class AAA team title at Bunker Hills Golf Club earlier this month, Reding started quickly Monday with a birdie at the first, but stumbled shortly thereafter, making three consecutive bogeys to slip to 2-over for her round.

Finding her stride to begin the inward nine, Reding carded four consecutive birdies to climb the leaderboard at 2-under.

Unable to save par at the par-3 14th, Reding rebounded by converting her birdie opportunity at the par-4 15th, going on to post an opening round 70 to take the 18-hole lead.

Named Ms. Minnesota Golf three days before she captured Class AAA individual honors to cap off her senior season at Orono High School, Hanneman finished her memorable week by securing her spot in the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

On Monday, Hanneman struggled early with a double-bogey at the third before carding a bogey at the fifth to fall to 3-over for the day.

Hanneman picked up a stroke with a birdie at the seventh to turn in 2-over for the championship.

Playing her first five holes of the back nine in even par, Hanneman failed to save par at the 15th, but capitalized on a final birdie opportunity at the 18th to pull within four shots of the lead by carding a 2-over 72.

Raghuveer also got off to a rocky start Monday with three bogeys over her first five holes despite a birdie at the first.

The Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior would play her final 13 holes in even par with a pair of birdies offset by two bogeys to post an opening-round 72 to finish tied with Hanneman in second.

Reding’s Minnetonka teammate Selena Wu carded a 3-over 75 Monday to finish the opening round five shots back in fourth place.

The second round of the 80th Minnesota State Junior Girls’ Championship gets underway at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at Little Crow Golf Resort.