Golf: Minot North competing for top finishes

MINOT, ND (KXNET) — For team’s like Minot North that are relatively new to WDA sports, it often takes time before becoming a contender.

But the Sentinels Boys Golf team has already proved early this season that they can compete with anyone in the West.

Minot North’s Bennett Bartsch couldn’t have asked for a better start to his junior golf season.

Coming off a 12th place finish at the state tournament, Bartsch opened up 2024 with his first high school event win at the Century/Legacy Invite, riding a hot start of one under 34 on the front nine to victory.

“That was such an amazing feeling winning. It was scary the entire time but stayed strong towards the end and won it. It was a lot of fun. I feel more pressure now, but it will definitely be easier to win another one or try to win another one,” Bartsch said.

“It was almost unbelievable the way he started. You’re kind of like, ‘Did he forget he was playing on the same course everybody else was?’ Because everything’s working for him,” Head Coach Shane Hannegrefs said.

The Sentinels as a team have been a force this spring with a pair of top two team finishes at West Region meets this month.

“It’s big, it feels good to get a second place, but at the end of the day, we’re looking a little bigger than that, so hopefully get a few wins in the next coming weeks and stuff and put ourselves on the map,” Junior Kasen Rostad said.

Bartsch, Kasen Rostad, Tyler Bast and Walter Langhans all qualified for state last season, and look to be near the top of leaderboards all season long.

“I think that they’re going to probably be in those top ten situtations a lot, and so the more that they do that, and then as we bring in our younger guys, because we have some veteran golfers, but we’re a very young team throughout, so I’m really excited for this season and see how it unfolds,” Hannegrefs said.

And a big part of making that growth is getting in reps when inclement weather hits at indoor practice facilities like The Bunker in Minot.

“It’s unreal, like especially for me, is the putting green, I mean just being able to roll the ball during the winter, it helps a ton,” Rostad said.

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