RAPID CITY - Rapid Citians Brogan Pappel and Mac Young rallied with 74s on the second day of the South Dakota Golf Association's Junior Invitational at the Golf Club at Red Rock to finish first and second, respectively in the boys 16-18 year-old division Tuesday.
Pappel started the day four shots behind first-day leader Marc Gubbels of Yankton and Young was six back, but both moved on the pack during a long, hot morning of golf.
"There's a lot of elevation change out here which makes it hard to walk when it's this hot," Piedmont's Kyle Kopplin said. "When you're carrying your clubs it's tough, not to mention that the greens are so sloped, so even if you're on in two you've got some work to do."
The fact that two players in Pappel and Young - who are very familiar with the course - came out and shot the day's lowest scores wasn't much of a surprise on a track that rewards a certain degree of familiarity.
Other winners included Pierre's Taylor Smalley (16-18 girls), Belle Fourche's Joseph Courtney (14-15 boys), Newell's Jordan Trohkimoinen (14-15 girls) and two Hot Springs golfers in the 12-13 divisions - P.J. Wetzel for the boys and Cassidy Vollmer for the girls. Vollmer, the first day leader after a 104 at Meadowbrook on Monday, bettered Rapid City's Sydney James on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff for the win.
All players had to deal with Red Rock's demanding nature - there aren't very many "easy" shots or putts on the course - in muggy weather that reached into the mid-90s.
"I'm used to the eastern side of the state," Gubbels, the defending Class AA champion from Yankton, said. "I'm not used to walking up and down hills all the time."
The anticipated round between Smalley, the defending Class AA girls' champion from Pierre, and Rapid City's Paige Osterloo hit a snag on the third hole when Osterloo had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness. Both players shot 77s on the first day at Meadowbrook and Smalley shot an 87 on Tuesday to win.
Courtney continued his strong summer play, following a first-day 75 with a 78 at Red Rock for a two-day total of 153 - to tie Pappel for the best two-day score regardless of age.
The Wells Fargo Junior Tour continues throughout the summer, concluding with a points championship August 4 at Hillsview Golf Course in Pierre. The next Wells Fargo Junior Tour event will be held at Meadowbrook on Monday, July 7.
