Viewfinder: Stillwater's Deeg Shares State Girls Golf Title

Cassie Deeg regrouped after a 20-foot birdie attempt, sunk her final putt of the day for par and walked with the gallery back to the Bunker Hills Clubhouse on Wednesday night.

Inside, the Stillwater Area junior finished up her scorecard duties and went about her business. It wasn’t until just before the Class AAA girls golf championship ceremony that Deeg realized she had tied for the individual state championship.

“Walking in with the crowd I still didn’t know,” Deeg said, smiling. “I was like, ‘Why didn’t everyone tell me?’”

Deeg and Cretin-Derham Hall freshman Celia Kuenster tied for the individual state title in Coon Rapids on Wednesday, each firing a 148 over the two-day tournament and earning the distinction of being tops in Class AAA.

But the win didn’t come without disappointment for Deeg. The Ponies lost the team championship to Wayzata, whose 661 team score topped Stillwater’s second-place total of 668.

The Trojans held a six-shot lead heading into the second round, and Wayzata added a stroke on Wednesday to win by seven.

“I was sad—I can’t feel happy right now because the team got second,” Deeg said. “But I’m still really proud of the team.”

Ponies coach Mike O’Rourke said Stillwater gave it a good run, but Wayzata is a strong team and earned the victory.

“We feel good about second,” O’Rourke said. “We’ll be back next year, and hopefully we’ll win it all next year. We’ll go third, second, first.”

Junior Hailey Boner finished tied for 12th with a 161 total score, and Abby Thiets finished 35th with a 174 finish. Alex Zeuli shot a 185 for 63rd place, Erin Thiets shot a 198 for 76th place and Mary Mikutwski shot a 200 to finish 80th.

But Deeg’s performance led the way, and O’Rourke said her all-around game is what made the state championship possible.

“She’s a great putter,” he said. “She was hitting all her shots, taking great approach shots. Good drives. She did everything right today.”

Deeg said it was hard to fully appreciate the victory right away.

“It still feels weird because I came here with the team wanting to win state as a team,” she said. “Winning that is a plus, but I was here for the team. But it still feels good to win it.”

GIRLS TEAM RESULTS — 1. Wayzata 661, 2. Stillwater Area 668, 3. Eden Prairie 682, 4. St. Cloud Apollo 706, 5. Elk River/Zimmerman 707, 6. Northfield 735, 7. Mounds View 744, 8. Woodbury 745

Lynch takes eighth in boys tourney

Stillwater Area senior Drew Lynch finished tied for eighth overall at the Class AAA state boys golf tournament on Wednesday at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids.

Lynch shot a 77 during the second round and finished with a 148 overall. He and Wayzata’s Miles Death shared the eighth-place finish.

Forest Lake’s Max Kelly took home the individual championship with a 143. Wayzata and Rogers each shared the state team title by finishing with 592.

BOYS TEAM RESULTS — 1. Wayzata 592, 1. Rogers 592, 3. Eden Prairie 602, 4. Moorhead 612, 5. Eastview 617, 6. Lakeville North 618, 7. Elk River 626, 8. Cretin-Derham Hall 649.