Lane excited for State trip
Mateja Lane has had one goal all year. And last Monday evening, when it came to fruition, she could not really believe it.
The Blue Earth Area sophomore is the only member of the Buccaneer girls golf team that advanced to the second round of the Section 2AA Tournament, after qualifying in the first round on May 26.
Then last Monday she took eighth place overall at the Section and punched her ticket to the State Golf Meet.
“It really doesn’t feel real,” Lane says. “Even when they were putting the medal on me, over my head, I thought like, wow, is this really happening?”
Lane says it was something she wanted really bad, and she spent a lot of time working on her golf game, improving as much as she could.
Last year she shot a 101 the first day of the Section, then came in with the same score of 101 the second day. And that was nowhere near good enough to move on, she recalls.
“I have a lot of people who helped me, like my coach, and parents and uncle,” she says. “And I dedicated myself to it, it is my only sport.”
This year she shot a 96 the first day at the Section, but followed it up with an 87, so she shaved nine strokes off her first round.
Now she is trying to prepare as much as she can for the State Golf Tournament. In fact, after playing 18 holes of golf on the New Prague Golf Course last Monday for the Section Tournament, she came home and played another 18 holes on her home course in Elmore.
Not to mention playing golf every day since.
“I am trying to practice the hardest shots I can,” she explains. “I will need to make some of those tough shots, because the competition at State is going to be tough. But I?plan on showing what I’ve got, and go out with a bang.”
Lane will be with her younger brother, Manning, an eighth grader who is a member of the Buccaneer boys golf team which qualified to go to State as a whole team.
The State Class AA Golf Tournament is played at The Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Club in Jordan.
It starts with a practice round and banquet on Monday, June 12. The two-day tournament itself is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, June 13-14.