SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Lincoln High School boys golf team defended its Sioux Falls City Championship title in dominant fashion, winning by more than 50 strokes after shooting 7 over par across three rounds.
“It’s been really good having these guys push each other,” Patriots head coach John Vining said. “I’m just really proud of how we’ve responded. Today was pretty tough conditions and kind of had a slow start but the guys really hung in there and just finished really strong mentally.”
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The Patriots secured four of the top five individual finishes, led by sophomore Braxton Hollan. Hollan settled in on the back nine of the third round, recording four birdies to clinch the individual victory.
“I was definitely struggling during the first nine,” Hollan said. “Didn’t shoot the best score and then once I see one go in, then I see a lot more putts going in.”
“He’s still learning a lot but we had a couple good conversations out there where he kind of settled in,” Vining said. “He wasn’t getting a lot to go early on and he saw one go and a couple more drop and he’s starting to believe that and play with that mentality.”
Lincoln has now finished first in 12 of the 13 tournaments it has competed in this season. Both Vining and Hollan attribute that sustained success to the depth and competitive nature of the program’s qualifying rounds.
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“We’ve had some intense qualifying,” Vining said. “I honestly believe that our qualifying process at the beginning of the year and a couple times throughout the year, it’s been more pressure for them than these events where these guys can just settle in and compete.”
“We don’t just have a good top six,” Hollan said. “We have a good maybe top 12 so we’re going to be just really strong throughout the years and hopefully we just keep it going.”
The Patriots next compete in the Metro Conference Meet on Sept. 29 at Elmwood Golf Course.
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