CHASKA, Minn. – Playing on his home course early Monday, Griffin Stein fired a 4-under 68 at Chaska Town Course to help pace the field before going bogey-free during the afternoon’s final round at Hazeltine National Golf Club to claim the 2026 Chaska Invitational.
Stein’s final-round 69 Monday marks the first state victory of his career and comes on the heels of winning the club championship a little more than two weeks ago.
“I tried to stay patient and not be so aggressive but also use what the course gave me to my advantage,” Stein said following his victory Monday. “I stayed confident and knew I could get up-and-down.
“I don’t feel like colleges look at kids in the Midwest or Minnesota. I’ve reached out but haven’t talked to anyone. I feel like this will show I can play golf at a high level and help me out with college, so it means a lot.”
After carding 4-under 32 over the front nine during both rounds of the club championship, Stein continued his strong play by going bogey-free while carding three birdies to turn in 3-under.
He’d add three more birdies during his final nine against a pair of bogeys to earn a share of the first-round lead with Cale Pfingsten and Max Truscinski at 4-under 68.
When the venue shifted to Hazeltine for the afternoon session, Stein began the round on the ninth hole and carded his first birdie of the final round at the 12th after his putt from 30 feet wrapped 360 degrees around the cup before falling to get him to 5-under.
Missing the green left at the par-3 fourth, Stein chipped in for birdie before a two-putt for birdie from 20 feet at the seventh put him in the clubhouse with a two-stroke victory over defending champion Chase Larson, a soon-to-be senior at Edina High School.
“After the first round, I told the other guys in my group that 6-under total is what I thought would win, but good thing I’m a man of my word and shot 7-under,” Stein joked. “Stayed patient, didn’t get ahead of myself and was happy with par.”
In his only other state championship appearance during the 2026 season, Stein finished in a share of fifth place at the Class AAA championship at Bunker Hills Golf Club in June to close out his junior season at Chaska High School.
Larson opened with a 2-under 70 early Monday and began his final round with three birdies over his first four holes. He’d birdie the par-3 17th to turn in 5-under for the championship before giving back a stroke with a bogey at the first.
An eagle at the par-5 third moved him right back in contention but he was unable to get any closer, making bogey at the last to shoot a final-round 69 and finish runner-up at 5-under 139. Larson survived a playoff against Joe Honsa after posting a 4-under 140 to win the event a year ago.
Lakeville South High School sophomore Oliver Theel carded a 36-hole tally of 3-under 141 to finish third, while Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior Colin Hastings placed fourth at 142.
Minnetonka High School senior Kieley Hanson survived a late string of bogeys to hang on for her second win of the season Monday, shooting a final-round 77 at Hazeltine National Golf Club to edge 2025 Minnesota Junior PGA Match Play champion Briana Simek by a stroke.
Hanson adds a second piece of hardware to her trophy case after claiming the Minnesota State Junior Girls’ Championship by two-strokes at Pebble Creek Golf Club in late June.
“This one probably means more because I’ve been going through a huge swing change,” Hanson said Monday. “I’ve been really struggling over the past month and a half, so it feels good to be back in the winner’s circle.
“Today definitely tested my patience. Being 36 holes, mentally I came into this a lot differently than I would for a regular 18-hole day. Preparing for that, preparing in between rounds and how I came back from problems I had on the course, knowing there was a lot of golf left.”
Hanson, a University of St. Thomas verbal commit, took a three-shot advantage to the afternoon session and would begin her final round on the eighth hole at Hazeltine.
She wasted little time moving into red figures for her round after dropping a birdie chance from 20 feet at the ninth before converting an 8-footer for birdie at the 10th, putting her at 1-under for the championship.
She’d stumble over her next seven holes with a pair of double-bogeys but managed to maintain a three-stroke lead over fellow Tommie recruit Simek.
A string of three consecutive bogeys beginning at the third nullified Hanson’s advantage over Simek, who took a late lead before faltering with back-to-back bogeys to finish her round.
A pair of pars at the sixth and seventh gave Hanson a one-stroke victory by shooting 6-over 150.
“That was probably the tiredness showing and I just tried to block out all the noise and realize what I needed to do in the end to come out with a win,” Hanson said after giving up her lead late. “I felt comfortable knowing I could make the shots I needed to make. My putter was hot for a little bit, which gave me confidence throughout my round to keep moving forward.”
Simek started her final round with an eagle on her opening hole and would play her next 10 holes in 2-over par to remain within striking distance of Hanson at 5-over for the tournament.
She would take the lead momentarily with help from a birdie at the third, but back-to-back bogeys over her final two holes proved costly, giving her a final-round 75 to finish second at 151.
Ruby Reding, who claimed a three-stroke victory at the Class AAA championship at Bunker Hills Golf Club in June, carded a final-round 77 to place third at 12-over 156. Reding will begin her collegiate career at St. Thomas this fall along with Alyssa Raghuveer, who finished in fourth place Monday, shooting 13-over 157.