The Becker Bulldog boys golf team is gearing up for the 2015 season and will be sporting new shirts in school colors.

 

Dan Olson returns as head coach and is assisted by Taylor Essen. Olson says the numbers for trying out for the team this year are down a bit, but the 15 boys who are vying for the top spots are key players in making it a successful season.

 

“I have my top five golfers back from last year's section team,” said Olson.  “On paper, we look pretty good as we finished second in conference last season and were competitive at sections.”

 

Olson’s top players will likely be senior Adam Schug, junior Michael Sogard, sophomores Jackson Fluck and Brandon Abrahamson  and freshman Alex Stanz. 

 

Olson predicts his boys should be good again this year and the biggest competition will most likely come from Cathedral and Zimmerman.

 

“We have a strong team this season,” he said.  “Almost all of these guys put in a lot of time working on their game last summer and I am hoping it will pay off with a conference title and trip to state.”

 

So far this year, the boys have had to subject themselves to “practicing” in the dark, dingy wrestling room while Mother Nature played with their hopes of getting in some quality rounds of golf or at least hit the driving range in a spring season that has been gentler than the last two.

 

“Thus far, we have been indoors for practice,” said the head coach.  “Most of the kids traveled to get out that first warm weekend when courses started to open.  We are break this week and will probably travel to find an open course (before Pebble Creek opened on Wednesday).

 

The Bulldogs competed at sections last year and finished in third place with no individuals advancing. The boys played in high winds the first day and finished at 347.

 

Day two saw them get better and finish with a 330.

 

Stanz led the Bulldogs that weekend with a two-day total of 168. He was followed by Schug (169), Sogard (169), Fluck (171) and Abrahamson (186).

 

“Overall, we had a very good season,” said Olson following the section tournament.  “Second place in the conference and a third place finish in our section.”

 

Enough to bring reasonable optimism to the 2015 season.

 

The team consists of: Adam Schug, Alex Stanz, Brandon Abrahamson, Caleb Foster, Grant Fischer, Jackson Fluck, Joe Perry, Michael Sogard and Reed Erson.

 

Their first match of the year is April 10 at Spring Brook Golf Course in Mora followed by a conference meet April 13 at Foley. 

 

The boys’ first home match is April 16 at Pebble Creek against Little Falls, St. Cloud Cathedral, St. Cloud Apollo, Buffalo, Detroit Lakes, Albany, Watertown-Mayer, Annandale, Legacy Christian Academy, Mound Westonka, Spectrum, Delano, Hutchinson, Waconia, Saint Cloud Tech, Princeton and Bloomington Jefferson.