Belle Kongshaug wins WIAA D2 girls’ state golf championship
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WIAA DIVISON 2 STATE MEDALISTS — Elk Mound sophomore Belle Kongshaug is pictured at the far right with the other WIAA Division 2 girls’ state golf medalists at the conclusion of the awards ceremony Tuesday, October 10. Kongshaug captured her first state golf championship after shooting a two-day tally of 157 to win by one stroke over runners-up Ava Pesha of Somerset and Payton Schmidt of Jefferson. From left to right are: Sophia Baek (6th place), Notre Dame; Brianna Kirsch (5th place), Lancaster; Ava Pesha (tied for 2nd), Somerset; Payton Schmidt (tied for 2nd), Jefferson; and state champion Belle Kongshaug of Colfax/Elk Mound. Not pictured is Aliisa Helminen of Xavier who finished 4th.
—Wisconsin.Golf photo / JIM KELSH
MADISON — You can call her a state champion!
After she finished second in a scramble for the individual state title a year ago, Belle Kongshaug, just a sophomore at Elk Mound High School and the Colfax/Elk Mound girls’ golf cooperative’s top performer the past two seasons, moved up a spot to claim the WIAA Division 2 individual state championship and corresponding gold medal at 2023 girls’ state golf championships which were held last Monday and Tuesday, October 9 and 10 at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.
Kongshaug shot a two-day, 36-hole total of 157 to finish 13-over-par to claim the 2023 Division 2 individual state crown which was just one stroke better than seniors Ava Pesha of Somerset and Payton Schmidt of Jefferson who both finished as this year’s D2 state runners-up. Pesha had beaten Kongshaug in the previous week’s sectional meet.
Kongshaug finished with a 151 on the same University Ridge course a year ago.
Schmidt shot an opening-day 77 to take a three-stroke lead over Kongshaug and Pesha, who were sitting in second place after each had shot an 80.
Although she birdied the par-5 second hole in Monday’s 18-hole round, Kongshaug struggled at the start with a bogey on hole one, a triple bogey on four and a double bogey on five to drop to five-over-par. She went to six-over with another bogey on the seventh green before she closed out the front nine with back-to-back pars on eight and nine for a score of 42, still six-over-par.
Despite three more bogeys on the back nine, Kongshaug registered a birdie on the 13th hole and was able to shave four strokes off her front-nine tally to finish with a 38 for a first-day score of 80 which was 8-over-par, the same score that Somerset’s Ava Pesha had shot.
Schmidt also had her own struggles on the University Ridge course with six bogeys and a double bogey on ten but also scored a trio of birdies for a 77 and a three-stroke advantage over both Kongshaug and Pesha.
STATE CHAMPION — Elk Mound sophomore and member of the Colfax/Elk Mound girls’ golf cooperative Belle Kongshaug watched a fairway shot during the second day of action at the 2023 WIAA Girls’ state Golf Championships held Monday and Tuesday, October 9 and 10 at the University Ridge Golf Course in Madison. After finishing as the runner-up in last year’s state tournament, Kongshaug shot a two-day tally of 157 to win the Division 2 girls’ state individual championship by a single stroke. Please see sports for the complete story and more photos. —Wisconsin.Golf photo / JIM KELSH
The start of the second and final day of competition saw Schmidt shoot bogeys on holes one and nine and a double bogey on four to finish with a 40 after the opening nine holes on Tuesday.
That opened the door for Kongshaug and Pesha.
After bogeys on her first two holes at one and two, Belle Kongshaug parred three and birdied four, the only golfer to do so on the second day of competition, and finished the first nine holes with five consecutive pars for a one-over-par 37 to pull even with Schmidt
Pesha, meanwhile, drew to within a stroke of the co-leaders after a 38 on the front nine.
The trio battled one another and the course over the final nine holes.
Kongshaug parred hole nine and then birdied 11 only to suffer bogeys on 12, 14 and 17 with a double bogey on 13.
Fortunately, the final nine holes also proved challenging for Schmidt and Pesha. Schmidt had five straight bogeys on holes 11 through 15 while Pesha had a double bogey (on ten) and a pair of bogeys.
STRATEGIC PLANNING — Belle Kongshaug (right) and head coach Ryan Krall discussed strategy during the second day of the WIAA girls’ state golf championships which were held October 9 and 10 at the University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.
—Wisconsin.Golf photo / JIM KELSH
The trio entered the 18th and final hole with Kongshaug and Schmidt tied for the lead and Pesha just a stroke back. Kongshaug and Pesha both sank their par putts while Schmidt finished with a bogey on the four-par final hole.
That gave Kongshaug a final-round score of 77 and one-shot victory over both Ava Pesha, who finished with a 78, and Payton Schmidt, who tallied an 81.
With a state silver and now a championship gold in hand, Kongshaug will look to add more championships to her resume over the next two seasons with hopes of bringing her team, which has youth and talent, to next year’s state tournament.