EAST GULL LAKE — Rainy and wet conditions didn’t stop the Brainerd Warriors from scoring a fifth-place 353 in Brainerd Central Lakes Conference meet Thursday, May 1, at Pine Beach East Golf Course at Madden’s. Junior Marcella Timmons led the Warriors with a 12th-place 84. She played steady with six pars, eight bogeys and two double bogeys. The double bogeys came on back-to-back holes. “My main focus was to stay away from the blowout holes and be consistent,” Timmons said. “I always try to focus on the next shot and forget about the doubles that come. I try to play simple golf and keep a level head. My strategy in the rain was to club up and put my ego away and hit the club I needed to hit. I didn’t try to hit anything major. I stayed relaxed and kept a level head throughout the day.” Warriors’ head coach Karissa Haugen likes how positive Timmons has approached this season. “Her attitude this year has been super positive which has helped her immensely,” Haugen said. “She doesn’t get too down when she has a bad shot. She looks forward and I know her brother (Marty Timmons) had some words of wisdom before the season and I think that’s helped her out quite a bit.” Timmons tried to forget about the bad holes and the bad shots in her round Thursday, which helped shoot an 84 in the rain. “You always have to focus on what’s next,” Timmons said. “I didn’t let my back-to-back doubles get to me. I just thought about the next shot and didn’t reflect on the past.” Meredith Holmstrom fired an 87 with one birdie on the 17th hole and Madelyn Holmstrom carded two birdies in her round of 90. “They have both been consistent,” Haugen said. “Today, I think the rain was hard on a lot of the girls, but at the end of the day they are consistent with their scoring.” Eighth grader Vienna Dean sank a birdie on the 18th hole in her round of 92. Earlier in the season, Dean won junior varsity matches and Haugen was happy to see her contribute on the varsity level. “With her winning a couple of JV meets this year, we wanted to find a way to get her playing at a varsity meet to see how she does with a little more pressure,” Haugen said. “She came through with a 92 and I know she wasn’t happy with that score, but with the conditions we are super happy with that. She has a good head on her shoulders and does what is asked of her. She puts in the time and the work and we are excited about what the future holds.” The Warriors placed fifth, but finished five strokes behind Willmar for third. Alexandria placed second with a 320 and Detroit Lakes won with a 313 behind individual medalist Sophie Christianson’s 73. Brainerd is back in action Tuesday, May 6, at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Willmar. “Our biggest competition this year in the section is going to be Alexandria,” Haugen said. “They have a really good program over there and I think going into the rest of May, we just need to lose a couple strokes to be right there and be competitive.” Timmons added: “We are still getting used to the courses and playing all the time. We are there for each other and are a family. Once you have a fun environment it’s something you want to keep coming back to.”
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