WATERTOWN — Defending champion Aberdeen Central built a nine-shot lead in the team standings but the individual race is much closer after the first round of the South Dakota State Class AA High School Girls Golf Tournament.
The tournament, being played at Cattail Crossing Golf Course, opened with 18 holes on Monday, June 1, 2026 and will conclude with 18 more holes on Tuesday, June 2.
Pre-tourney favorite Aberdeen Central, with four golfers in the top eight, shot a 7-over par 295 and leads O’Gorman (304) and Mitchell (308) heading into the final day of play.
Senior Olivia Braun, the defending state champion, led coach Kim Zimmerman’s Golden Eagles with an even-par 72. She is tied for second after Day 1 behind O’Gorman freshman Ari Jacobs, who finished second in 2024 and fourth in 2025 in state Class A tournaments while playing for West Central.
Sioux Falls Lincoln senior Abbigail Westra is third at 73 with four others — Aberdeen Central senior Emma Dohrer and junior Kyley Wirebaugh, O’Gorman junior Erin Hurd and Brandon Valley sophomore Vanessa Smith — all tied for fourth at 74.
Watertown junior Gabi Olson, Aberdeen Central senior Chloe Vikander and Mitchell senior Maddie Childs are tied for eigth at 75.
Childs finished second, Dohrer fourth, Wirebaugh fifth and Olson sixth in 2025. Hurd tied for seventh, Westra tied for 18th and Vikander tied for 21st.
- Team Scores — Aberdeen Central 295, O’Gorman 304, Mitchell 308, Sioux Falls Lincoln 321, Brandob Valley 330, Sioux Falls Jefferson and Watertown each 350, Brookings and Yankton each 351, Rapid City Stevens 356, Pierre 398, Tea Araea 401, Harrisburg 410.
- Other Watertown & Aberdeen Golfers — 16. (Tie) Genevieve Golz, Aberdeen Central, 80; 37. (Tie) Emma Olson, Watertown, 88; 43. (Tie) Kreu Johnson, Wartertown, and Carli Withers, Aberdeen Central, 91; 56. (Tie) Berkley Fligge, Watertown, 96; 63. Olivia Sherman, Watertown, 99.
Here’s where things stand in the other three spring high school golf tournaments, which will also conclude on Tuesday. Final-round play begins at 8 a.m. in each tourney except Class A girls, which will start at 9 a.m.
The top six teams and 25 individuals receive awards. To follow results, visit https://sdhsaa.com/activity/golf-championships/.
Class A Girls
NORTH SIOUX CITY — Golfers from Dakota Valley and St. Thomas More sit atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the state Class A girls tournament at the Two Rivers Golf Club.
Sophomore Katie Betsworth of Dakota Valley, playing on her school’s home course, shot a 4-under par 66 to grab the opening-day lead in the individual standings.
Sophomore Kaitlin Strain of St. Thomas More is second at 67, followed by defending champion and senior Rylan Horning of St. Thomas More and sophomore Addicyn Sailer of Dakota Valley each at 72 and junior Trey Speer of Chamberlain at 75. Horning is a two-time champion who also won in 2023. Strain won the state title in 2024.
Strain took third, Sailer tied for fifth, Betsworth tied for ninth and Speer finished 20th in 2025.
Defending champion St. Thomas More took control in the team standings with a 17-over 297, 13 shots ahead of Dakota Valley.
- Team Scores — St. Thomas More 297, Dakota Valley 310, Sioux Falls Christian 314 , Aberdeen Roncalli 319, Vermillion 321, Madison 342, West Central 364, Winner 370, Rapid City Christian 372, Sioux Valley 374, Belle Fourche and Chamberlain each 381, Hot Springs 394 and Mount Vernon-Plankinton 432.
- Other Top 10 Individuals — 6. Georgia Johnson, Vermillion, 76; 7. (Tie) Aubrie VanBeek, SF Christian; Delilah Maxwell, Madison; and Morgan Helms, Aberdeen Roncalli, 77; 10. (Tie) Alexis Nerison, SF Christian; Finley Young, St. Thomas More; Ronnie Wilharm, Vermillion; Grace Seyer and Claire Crawford, Aberdeen Roncalli; and Sienna Maxwell, Madison.
- Other NESD Golfers in Top 25 — 16. (Tie) Kenzley Heath, Sisseton, 79; 24. (Tie) Taylor Bastian, Sioux Valley, 81.
Class B Girls
BROOKINGS — Two-time defending champion Brynn Roehrich of Clark-Willow Lake and another past champion Jayce Pugh each shot 4-over par 74s to share the individual lead after the first 18 holes of play on Monday at the Edgebrook Golf Course.
Roehrich, a junior, also has a state runner-up finish in 2023 to her credit. Pugh, a senior, won in 2021 and has taken second (2024) and third (2025) the past two years.
Senior Jadyn McDonald of Chester, a runner-up a year ago, and Webster Area senior Bailee Ninke each are tied for third at 77s, one shot ahead of Dell Rapids teammates Allie Hansen, a sophomore, and Maddison Bacon, a junior. Hansen tied for seventh and Ninke tied for 32nd last spring.
Dell Rapids St. Mary, which won its first state title last spring, opened with a 239 (29-over) and leads Miller by one shot. Miller finished second last spring.
- Team Scores — Dell Rapids St. Mary 239, Miller 240, Clark-Willow Lake 251, Deubrook Area 260, Philip 261, Chester 271, Selby Area 279, Platte-Geddes 280, Faulkton Area 283, Warner 291, Elkton-Lake Benton and Eureka each 302, Wall 311, Scotland-Menno 314, Harding County 345.
- Other Top 10 Individuals — 7. Addy Miller, Philip, 79; 8. (Tie) Taryn Hettick, Selby Area, and Mollie Simon, Ipswich, 80; 10. (Tie) Ruby Dallmann, Frederick Area; Kaihlyn Anderberg, Miller; and Brooklyn Gladis, Deubrook Area.
- Other Watertown & Aberdeen Area Golfers in Top 25 — 13. Faith Roehrich, Clark-Willow Lake, 82; 14. (Tie) Sage Gaikowski, Waubay-Summit, 83; 17. (Tie) Anika Mueller, Faulkton Area, 84; 22. (Tie) Ellis Johnson, Warner, and Brynlee Hanson, Deubrook Area, 87; 24. (Tie) Delaney Johnson, Warner, 88.
Class B Boys
BROOKINGS — Sully Buttes senior Gavin Colson moved into postion to win a second state championship after 18 holes of play on Monday in the state Class B boys tournament at the Brookings Country Club.
Colson, who won in 2024 before finishing second a year ago, grabbed the opening-day lead with a 1-under par 71 and led senior JD Thompson of Wessington, junior Larz Tvedt of Wolsey-Wessington and sophomore Wiley Cronin of Gettysburg by two shots.
Tvedt tied for fourth, Thompson tied for 28th and Cronin tied for 60th in 2025.
There’s going to be a new team champion and likely one that has never won before. Philip opened with a 229 (13-over par) and Wessington Springs by three shots. Wessington Springs won in 2024 but Philip, Bon Homme (third at 234) and Clark-Willow Lake and Hill City (each tied for fourth at 239) are all looking for a first state team championship.
- Team Scores — Philip 229, Wessington Springs 232, Bon Homme 234, Clark-Willow Lake and Hill City each 239, De Smet 243, Viborg-Hurley 244, Miller 245, Edmunds Central 246, Wall 246, Faulkton Area 246, Estelline-Hendricks 247, Britton-Hecla and Webster Area each 249, Gettysburg 250, Lyman and Timber Lake each 254, Platte-Geddes 255, Howard 258, Garretson 259, Sioux Falls Lutheran 260, Stanley County 261, Hanson 263, Warner 276.
- Other Top 10 Individuals — 5. (Tie) Bryson One Star, White River; Shay Weber, Philip; Drew Knobloch, Sioux Falls Lutheran; and Madden Merkwan, Bon Homme; 9. (tie) Wyatt Larson, McIntosh, and Kaden Burschiem, Flandrea Indian School, 75.
- Other Watertown & Aberdeen Area Golfers in Top 25 — 11. (Tie) Seth Lesnar, Webster Area; Maxxon Kees, De Smet; and Kaiden Weinreis, Doland; 16. (Tie) Briggs LaBrie, Doland; Drake Mueller, Faulkton Area; and Aiden Abraham, Hamlin, 77; 25. (Tie) William Blankartz, Mobridge-Pollock; Seth Hettick, Edmunds Central; and Logan Borns, Clark-Willow Lake, 79.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Opening-day recap for state AA, A and B girls & B boys golf tourneys