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Player Profile Archives	Saturday, May 17, 2008

January/February 2002

		Mike Fiedler     Age 16      Faribault, MN
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Mike is the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Boys' Player of the Year. He earned this honor by winning the Inaugural Players' Tour Match Play Championship at the Legacy at Cragun's, and by placing first in the Series C point standings. In the Match Play Championship, Mike won 5 matches over the course of three days, enduring stifling heat. Mike was a member of Team Minnesota in the 2001 Minnesota-Wisconsin Cup Matches. He defeated his opponent in the singles match 4 & 2, but lost his four-ball match 2 down. Mike was the 2000 Players' Tour Series "B" Boys Champion, and was a member of the Minnesota team for the 2000 Minnesota/Wisconsin PGA Junior Cup Matches. He is the Big Nine Champion, 3-time All Big Nine mention, and was All-State his sophomore year. He has been a varsity letter winner since 7th grade.      Most Memorable experience(s) that occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "The whole week of the match play competition, it was great, the heat, my 9 & 7 semi-final win in the semi's, and the close final match against (Patrick) Herzog."      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "Practice on your short-game as much as possible. The long game will come eventually."      Additional Activities/Hobbies: In his spare time Mike is involved in WSA (Water Safety Administration), mostly teaching others how to lifeguard. He is a Big Brothers Big Sisters Volunteer, he also volunteers for the American Cancer Society and helps out at various events.
		Ryan O'Brien     Age 15      Maple Grove, MN
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Ryan is the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Junior Tour Award winner for the Boys' 14-15 age group. He had a 71.8 scoring average. Ryan placed first in his age group in 6 Junior Tour events, and was overall medallist in 3 of them. Ryan also won the AAU Tour Championship in 2000 with rounds of 75-71=146. He was Player of the Year for AAU in 2001. Ryan took 4th place at the PGA Junior Series event in Iowa. He is a two-time "All-Conference" mention at Maple Grove Sr. High School. He qualified for the Minnesota State Class AA High School Golf Tournament this past year at Bunker Hills GC. Ryan won the Club Champion at Rush Creek GC with a score of 69 from 7,020 yards. He shot his lowest 9-hole score of 31 this past Thanksgiving in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He got 10 eagles this summer, with 2 of them being in tournaments.      Most memorable experience(s) occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "Playing Interlachen CC in the Players' Cup and getting the honor of 'Player of the Year.'"      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "When practicing at the range, mainly work on shots from 120 yards to 40 yards and hitting drives, also practice your putting every day in the summer."      Additional Activites/Hobbies: Ryan likes snowboarding and skiing in the mountains, watching the Vikings every Sunday, and reading golf books.
		Clayton Rask     Age 16     Elk River, MN
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Clayton won the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Junior Tour Award in the Boys' 16-18 age group, with a scoring average of 71.00. Clayton also won the Players' Cup for ages 16-18 at Somerset CC. He shot a 2-under par 70 to claim the title. On the Junior Tour, Clayton won three out of the five events he played in; at Keller GC, Forest Hills CC, and Princeton GC. He placed second at the 2001 Minnesota State High School Class AA High School Tournament, and his Elk River team took third. Clayton writes: "A trip to Ireland in June was a golf experience I'll always remember. Our USA team took first place and I won the Emerald Open." He finished the summer by winning the Club Championship at Monticello CC with scores of 65 and 37 (4-under par).      Most memorable experience(s) that occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "While playing at Princeton GC I shot a 66 for two consecutive rounds."      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "Never give up! Keep focused on your mental game. Have fun and practice, practice, practice!"      Additional Activities/Hobbies: Clayton enjoys fishing, spending time with his friends, and playing football and basketball. He works at the Northern Palms Golf Center.
		Andrew Alexander     Age 14     Rochester, MN
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Andrew is the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Junior Tour Award winner for the Boys' 12-13 age group. He finished with a 75.6 scoring average. In his age group, Andrew won all 7 Junior Tour events that he played in this past year, including winning overall medallist once, and tying for overall medallist once. Andrew lettered for Rochester Lourdes last year as an 8th grader. He recorded his first hole-in-one last summer. He also won the 12-13 year-old age group at the Rochester All-City Championship. He brought his handicap down from a 13 to a 4 last summer.      Most memorable experience(s) that occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "My most memorable experience came on the 11th hole at the Waseca Lakeside Club. It was a 270-yard par 4 that went uphill, then way downhill. I drove the green and made a 10-foot putt for eagle. It was awesome."      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "Practice. Practice often, especially on your short game. Make practicing fun and compete with yourself. Also, get proper instruction. Practicing bad habits will just make it harder to fix in the long run."      Additional Activities/Hobbies: Andrew participates in hockey, football, student government, and he plays the drums. For hockey, he played Bantam "A" for Rochester this winter, and hopes to play varsity for Lourdes next year. Andrew plays drumset and tenor drums in the marching band at his school.
		Agnes Kim     Age 19     Woodbury, MN
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Agnes is the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Girls' Player of the Year. She placed high in the final point standings due to her 1st place finish at the Inaugural Player's Tour Match Play Championship, and by finishing first in the Series D point standings. Agnes placed second at the 2001 Players' Tour Tournament of Champions at Izaty's G&YC. Agnes also was a member of the Minnesota team in the 1999 Minnesota/Wisconsin Cup Matches. Agnes is a two-time section and conference winner and a four-time Minnesota State High School League Golf Tournament participant. Agnes has been Athlete of the Week for the Pioneer Press, and she is currently on the golf team at Bradley University.      Most memorable experience(s) that occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "My most memorable experience would have to be winning the match play. I went into the match play with a horrible score and didn't know how long I would be staying in Brainerd, but as I won my first match, I gained more confidence and as I beat the number one seeded person, I knew that I could win. The night before the championship match, I called my dad and told him I could win this thing so he woke up at 4:30 in the morning and drove up to the tournament to see me play and win. Another would have to be winning the player of the year. I never even thought about the points that I could have earned until I got to Izaty's and saw that I had a lot of points."      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "Put in one more minute of practice than your competitors. Those minutes will add up and in the end, you will have put in more time and that more time will make you just that much better of a player. Always keep your head up no matter how poorly you just played. I have played many bad rounds but you just need to keep on working hard to work through your slumps."      Additional Activites/Hobbies: While at school she likes to go out to eat, shop, and watch movies. When she comes home, she does all that and baby sits, plays piano, plays cello, and visits with friends.
		Jeana Dahl     Age 15     Fargo, ND
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Jeana is the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Junior Tour Scoring Average Award Winner for the Girls' 14-15 age group, finishing the year with a 82.6 average. She finished second in the 2001 Players' Cup. Jeana placed first in the North Dakota Junior Stroke Play, and second in the Fargo-Moorhead All-City. Her high school team had a great year, and she was medallist at EDC and two other events. This year she shot her lowest score ever, a 71, at Maple River during a high school meet.      Most memorable experience(s) that occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "My most memorable experience in a Minnesota PGA Junior event would be participating in the Minnesota vs. Wisconsin Cup at Wayzata CC. It was my first match play tournament and I really enjoyed it."      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do in order to get better."      Additional Activities/Hobbies: Outside of golf Jeana plays soccer and runs track. She also plays the saxophone and she likes to spend time with her friends.
		Elizabeth Kaler     Age 17     Fargo, ND
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Elizabeth is the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Junior Tour Scoring Average Award winner for the Girls' 16-18 age group, finishing with a 73.2 average. On the Junior Tour, she won events at Ironman GC, The Meadows GC, Village Green GC, and Forest Hills Golf & RV Resort. In 2000, Elizabeth finished 3rd in the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Players' Cup. She was runner-up at the 2001 North Dakota Class A High School State Tournament this past fall. She has been named All-Conference the past 3 years and All-State the past 2. She was runner-up for the Senior of the Year in her Conference, after finishing 3rd for season averages. This past summer she won the 2001 North Dakota Women's State Amateur Championship and the Fargo-Moorhead Junior All-City. She also traveled to Chicago to play in the AJGA Golfweek Chicago Junior.      Most memorable experience(s) that occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "At Perham Lakeside another golfer got hit in the back of the head with a golf ball and the an ambulance drove on the golf course to pick her up and take her to the emergency room. Luckily, she was okay, but it was pretty memorable."      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "Stay positive and have fun. If you don't you won't play well. You can't let one bad hole ruin the rest of your round."      Additional Activities/Hobbies: Elizabeth participates in the Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. She is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America and the National Society, and she is a Student Athletic Trainer.
		Christine Herzog     Age 13      Detroit Lakes, MN
		Junior Golf Highlights/Accomplishments: Christine won the 2001 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association Junior Tour Award for the Girls' 12-13 age group. She had a scoring average of 82.4. She played in 9 Junior Tour events, placing first in eight and second in one. In 2000, she was runner-up in the Players' Cup at Mankato GC. Christine lettered as a seventh grader for the Detroit Lakes Girls Golf Team. She was medallist in the Moorhead Invitational and is also the Jr. Girls Club Champion at Detroit CC.      Most memorable experience(s) that occurred while participating in a Minnesota PGA Junior Event: "My most memorable experience was at Wildflower Golf Club last June when I had a hole-in-one on the par 3, eleventh hole using a 9 iron."      What are some tips/advice that you would recommend to other juniors to help them with their game? "I think it is very important to always practice putting and chipping. There are going to be days when you struggle with your swing, but if you have a strong short game it will usually keep your score competitive."      Additional Activities/Hobbies: Christine also plays soccer, volleyball and basketball. She enjoys snow skiing, tubing and singing. She is an A-student at the Detroit Lakes Middle School.
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