Women's Division: Roering wins battle of champs in Resorters golf

It was a much anticipated event as the Women’s Division championship in the Resorters Golf Tournament last week featured a pair of local golfers vying for the title – defending champion Maggie Leland of Alexandria and first-time player Sarah Roering of Glenwood.

The two golfers are friends and competitors. Leland’s only loss of her senior year came at the hands of Roering on May 20 in St. Cloud. She rebounded the next day to beat Roering at the Red Wing Invitational when she set a new tournament record at 2-under-par 69.

Both players are state champions – Leland in Class AAA and Roering in Class AA – and both players compete on teams that are consistently ranked in the state polls. In other words, they are exceptional players.

All that added up to a very interesting championship match.

It proved to be Roering’s year as she unseated the defending champ 4-3 Saturday at the Alexandria Golf Club, using her play on the front nine to gain the advantage, while Leland struggled with her short approach shots through most of the day.

Both players felt out the course by halving the first hole, with Roering just missing a birdie as her putt rimmed out of the cup.

The first move went to the Glenwood golfer who then birdied the second hole as she sank a five-foot putt.

It looked as if Leland would even the match as Roering found her second shot landing in the trap on No. 3. She blasted out of the bunker and her ball hit the flag stick on the fly, bouncing into the rough.

Leland, who will play at Augustana College next year, sank her putt and notched a par, but Roering then sank her chip shot, again hitting the flag, and this time dropping the ball into the cup to save par.

A three-putt on No. 4 gave Leland a nice par win to even the match as her opponent bogeyed the hole.

The future Colorado State University golfer then picked up three straight wins to close out the front nine.

On No. 6, Roering recovered from an errant tee shot to birdie the hole and go up one.

The next two holes saw Leland struggle with her putting, including a three-putt on No. 7 after a stellar tee shot onto the green, leaving Roering up three at the turn.

The two players halved the first three holes of play on the back nine with pars before Leland bogeyed No. 13.

Roering edged her out on that hole after reaching the green on her tee shot and putting out for a par to put her 4-up with five holes remaining.

From there, the players shared Nos. 14 and 15, ending the match at 4-3 and giving Roering the title.

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT

FINAL RESULTS

Sarah Roering, Glenwood, def. Maggie Leland, Alexandria, 4-3

Tags: alexandria sports, minnewaska sports, area sports, sports, resorters, golf, tournament, womens, division, roering, leland