Kadyn Triebenbach got into some trouble in tall grass in amongst the trees to the left of the No. 7 green at the Osakis Golf Club on April 23.
Triebenbach had to settle for a 7 on the scorecard on that hole, but the senior has been in tough situations like this before after many rounds on the varsity level and other competitive tournaments. She knows how to bounce back.
“The thing about golf is there’s nine holes,” Triebenbach said. “There’s multiple shots within those holes, and even when you have a bad hole you have to get over it and move on. There’s more golf to be played. There’s nothing you can do with what you’ve already done, so you just need to make what you have better and go from there.”
That’s exactly what Triebenbach did on her way to winning the Central Minnesota Conference meet in Osakis that day. She put hole seven behind her and parred each of the last two holes. A big smile came over her face after almost chipping in for birdie from just off the green on No. 9.
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“I remember 7th through 9th grade, I always got mad at myself,” Triebenbach said. “I held it over into every hole. The older you get, the more you realize that you just have to play your game and play every shot how it is. That’s ultimately how golf works. You can’t go back and you can’t take a second swing at things.”
Triebenbach finished with a 44 over the nine holes in what was the season opener for Osakis. Osakis junior Katie Helm finished second in the individual standings with a 48, while sophomore Madison Lipke shot a 56 and freshman Averyonna Graff carded a 72 to finish off the varsity lineup.
The Silverstreaks won the team portion of the meet with a 220. Eden Valley shot a 227, and Paynesville rounded out the three teams that posted team scores with a 260.
Osakis 7th-grader Paige Lipke played in the junior varsity meet, but would have finished second in the varsity meet after she shot a 46.
Triebenbach has experienced the state tournament two times as part of an Osakis team that qualified and once as an individual. This is a much younger and shorthanded varsity team for the Silverstreaks after playing with just four players on varsity in the opener.
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“I’d say for sure it’s that these girls have fun,” Triebenbach said of what she wants to see this team accomplish this spring. “That’s ultimately what being in high school sports is all about is having a good time but also being competitive about it. I just want to try to instill good values in the girls who are younger than me. We have a pretty young team, so it’s just being a good role model for them.”
Triebenbach kept busy in golf last summer by playing in some Junior PGA tournaments across the state.
“It was good to get those competitive rounds in,” Triebenbach said. “There was no competition last spring, and without competition last summer, I think I would have gone crazy not being able to compete in golf.”
Triebenbach is a three-sport athlete who also plays tennis and basketball. That takes up a lot of her time outside of school during those fall and winter seasons, so there is a little bit of rust to shake off on the course at the start of every spring, she said.
The Silverstreaks won’t play their pre-section meet until May 3 at Blackberry Ridge in Sartell. Triebenbach will have to wait until then to get a really good feel for how she stacks up against the rest of the top players in the 6AA field, but she is confident she will be right there among the players vying for a spot at state after qualifying as a sophomore in 2019.
“It’s a goal to get to state for sure,” Triebenbach said. “Last year, it really stunk not being able to experience that as a team or even individually. Going to state as a team was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had with my group of girls. Individually, it’s fun too.”
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OSAKIS HOME CMC MEET
TEAM SCORES - Osakis - 220; Eden Valley - 227; Paynesville - 260
OSAKIS SCORES - Kadyn Triebenbach - 44; Katie Helm - 48; Madison Lipke - 56; Averyonna Graff - 72; Junior Varsity: Paige Lipke - 46
INDIVIDUAL TOP-FIVE SCORERS - Triebenbach - 44; Helm - 48; Avery Maus (EV) - 49; Brooke Brekke (ACGC) - 52; Olivia Schneider (EV) - 54
