Strong Finish Sends Ohe into First-Round Lead at Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship

 ALEXANDRIA, Minn. – An eagle and three birdies across his final nine holes Monday at Alexandria Golf Club lifted Torger Ohe into the opening-round lead of the 99th Minnesota State Junior Boys Championship.

The 2023 Minnesota Golf Association Junior Boys’ Player of the Year Ohe matched Ryan Stendahl’s low mark of 65 during the second round of the 2022 championship at Little Crow Country Club to take a one-stroke advantage to the second round over Jadan Ford and younger brother Sander Ohe.

“Obviously, a great day. It’s been a while since I’ve had a really good round, so it was nice to get one going,” Ohe said following his opening round Monday. “I kept it in play; I only had to punch out once or twice and gave myself as many looks as possible—that was the main thing.

“My game has kind of been spotty for the last month or two, so there weren’t really any expectations coming in. Taking it one hole at a time and trying to see the ball do what I wanted it to do. Score didn’t really matter.”

The second round Tuesday will shift to Geneva Golf Club where the top 24 players, plus ties, will advance to the final round back at Alexandria Golf Club on Wednesday.

Asked how changing venues during the championship affects his preparation, Ohe said, “The mindset doesn’t really change. I’m just going out and trying to keep the ball in play and give myself as many chances as possible, that’s kind of how it works for me. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about some of those tee shots again until Wednesday.”

Ohe, the Class AAA individual medalist in 2024 at Bunker Hills Golf Club, birdied two of his first three Monday before he was slowed by a bogey at the fourth.

He quickly bounced back with a birdie at the fifth, but gave back a stroke with his second bogey of the round at the par-4 ninth.

Finding his rhythm heading to the 10th, Ohe’s tee shot at the par-5 rolled to 15 feet and he’d convert his eagle chance to reach 3-under for the day.

Following a two-putt birdie at the 12th, Ohe rolled in a 45-footer for birdie at the par-3 13th to earn a share of the lead at 5-under.

Wedging his second inside of five feet at the last, Ohe converted one final birdie look to finish on top of the leaderboard with an opening-round 65.

“I definitely had some chances, and I was able to make some of them, not all of them, but I think I did a pretty good job of showing my game today,” Ohe said.

Playing with a back issue most of the high school season this spring, a short hiatus proved beneficial for recent Waconia High School graduate Jadan Ford, who scattered three birdies and an eagle over his opening round to finish one back of Ohe with a bogey-free 66.

“I haven’t swung a club since the state tournament because my back was hurting really bad,” Ford said after his opening round Monday. “I had a paraspinal strain and two ribs out of place, so I was trying to take it easy. Kind of played with that the whole year.

“Coming in, my back started to feel really good and didn’t hurt when I swung anymore. I didn’t know exactly how it’d go, but I didn’t expect coming off a three-week break with a 66.”

A University of Sioux Falls commit, Ford tallied two birdies during his opening nine before sinking his eagle putt from 15 feet at the 10th to quickly move into contention at 4-under.

Steady over his final eight holes, Ford rolled in one last birdie chance from 15 feet at the 16th to finish one shot off the lead at 5-under 66.

“I had a lot of up-and-downs to save par. Putting saved me a lot today—I think I had seven putts on the first seven holes, so that always shows you’re going to have a good round from there,” he said. “Only had one drive that I wished I could take back, but I still ended up with a par out of it.

“It was great to have competition like this and it’s always fun when you can score well.”

The younger Ohe got the scoring started quickly during his round Monday with an eagle at the second before taking the first of his three bogeys at the fourth.

He rebounded with a birdie at the sixth to turn in 2-under.

Trading a pair of birdies with a pair of bogeys to begin his final nine, Ohe would finish with a flurry, converting birdie chances at three of his final four holes to move within one shot of the lead with 36 holes to play.

Easton Fiddle, winner of the Minnesota Public Golf Association Junior Public Links Championship Friday at Oak Marsh Golf Course, carded six birdies during his final nine holes to finish the opening round two shots back in fourth place with his 4-under 67.

Among the day’s highlights, Nolan Jensen recorded an ace at the 11th from 150 yards with an 8-iron.

The 99th Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship continues Tuesday, with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Geneva Golf Club.