The Chaska Town Course hosted the 29th Chaska Invitational on May 11 under ideal conditions.
Ten schools participated in the event from across the Twin Cities and as far away as Sartell. Chaska had two teams participating while Chanhassen entered one team. This was the 12th meet of the season for the Hawks and the 13th for the Storm in their 2026 campaign. The invitational continues to earn high regard for the excellent course conditions, strong competition and steady pace of play with threesomes.
Sartell won the event with a 297, edging Blake School by one stroke at 298. Maple Grove High School finished third with 304, while Chaska placed fourth at 305. Chanhassen followed closely in fifth at 307 and the Chaska B team finished ninth.
Five Storm golfers carded rounds in the 70s. Blake Smeed and Kieran Kurtt each shot 77, Zac Roecker carded a 78 and Mitchell Robinson and Jake Wolff each finished with a 79. Griff Stein led the Hawks with a 75, while Wes Oliver added a 78.
After the meet, Chaska Coach Jeff Rydland commented on the team’s strong effort.
“You all played well today against some very good players and teams,” he said. “I saw some strong drives and some great putts. Let’s focus on consistency. It was great to get some of our younger players out there to gain experience,” he said.
Hawk senior Griff Stein added, “A few strokes went astray at times, but with practice and patience we’ll zero in on some things. Overall, it was a fun day with a great group of guys.”
Storm Head Coach Tony Happ praised his team’s effort as well.
“We’re doing well this year, and today was great with four scoring in the 70s,” he said. “We were second in state last year, and the guys want to get back. We get better each meet. Our goal is to create a competitive experience each meet, and we do well with that.”
Storm senior and team Captain Zac Roecker added, “Being a captain for this team has been great. It’s rewarding to work with the new guys, share the love of the game, and help them improve. We were so close in state last year and want to get back there.”
