Given the circumstances, River Falls junior Mahlia McCane’s birdie on the 18th hole at the WIAA Division 1 Sectional at the Troy Burne Golf Course, which solidified her spot in the state tournament as an individual, is one of the best shots in program history.

The Wildcats were one of eight teams competing in the Hudson sectional tourna – ment on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Only the top two team scores go to state. The next three best scores of individuals not on either of the two state qualifying teams also earned a trip to University Ridge in Madison.

Since River Falls didn’t have enough fire –

power this season to qualify as a team, Mc – Cane’s only path to Madison was by finishing in one of those top three individual slots and she did exactly that with a round of 83, mak – ing her the third and final individual from the section to qualify.

Going to the 18th tee box, the River Falls coaching stau knew that it was going to be close, as she was hovering right on the quali – fication line. The 18th hole had been playing tough all day, as the back-middle pin location was one of the tougher spots on the greens and many players had been making double bogey or worse.

McCane stepped up to the tee box of the par-four 18th hole and blasted a drive down the middle of the fairway and then hit a wedge just ou the back of the green a few inches into the rough. McCane faced a slippery downhill shot that if not executed properly, could cost her a trip to Madison.

River Falls head coach Tim LaVold ap –

proached McCane and spoke about club se –

lection. The duo decided to putt the ball in – stead of risking a bladed wedge shot. McCane made a smooth stroke, the ball came out of the rough perfectly, hit the pin and dropped in the hole for a birdie to send her to state.

After the putt fell, McCane tried to hide a big smile while the crowd surrounding the 18th green erupted in cheering applause, per – haps none louder than the aforementioned LaVold. He spoke about McCane qualifying for state and making a nearly impossible putt to secure the spot in Madison.

“To come up with that hole in that scenar –

io, she dug so deep. That was just unbeliev – able,” LaVold said. “That was such a good birdie. We watched people three and fourputt that thing all day long and she went and rolled that thing right in the middle from a tough spot.” McCane spoke about that birdie after the round while surrounded by her teammates and coaching stau. She candidly stated that she had to putt it because she simply wasn’t chipping well that day.

“Tim (LaVold) told me that if I chip it, I would have to land it like a foot away and my chipping has been bad, so I was like, ‘No shot I’m doing that,'” McCane said while trying to hold back a laugh. “He told me to look at it from the other side and I probably wouldn’t have made it if I didn’t go look at it. I realized I needed to aim a little right and then I just hit it.” It wasn’t just a special moment for Mc Cane to qualify for state, or even for LaVold to send his first golfer to state in years. It was special for the entire team. Junior Ellie Krueger spoke about her and the team watch –

ing from around the 18th green.

“I didn’t cry almost at all today,” junior

Ellie Krueger said. “But all of us started cry – ing when (McCane) hit that putt in the hole on 18. Watching her sink that putt knowing that we get one more week is just so surreal.” While McCane’s birdie on 18 will certain- ly live in River Falls girls’ golf lore, a forgot – ten aspect of her round will likely be the 17th hole, where she made an outstanding bogey. After missing the fairway left, McCane hit a ball into the water and suddenly was staring elimination in the face.

Instead of folding, McCane dropped from approximately 100 yards out, hit a wedge to inside five feet and made a five to save her round before going on to have that exhilarat – ing 18th hole approximately 10 minutes later. She spoke about that sequence from the 17th fairway.

“I was nervous because I already thought I wasn’t going (to state) because I was having a bad round,” McCane said. “When I went in the water I already thought I wasn’t going to state so I just decided to hit (an aggressive) club and then I hit it good. I read the putt for like five minutes and then made a good stroke to go in.” That series of events from the 17th tee to the final putt on the 18th hole was the de – ciding factor in McCane going to Madison. Throughout the season, she had led nearly every Big Rivers Conference meet as an in – dividual and getting to state was her biggest goal this year.

“My main goal this season was to make it to state and extend our season a week lon – ger,” McCane said. “It feels good. I consider this my home course. I take lessons here and I feel comfortable here. It helped on the put – ting green. Everyone said they’re fast but to me, they don’t feel fast because I’m used to it. I think knowing the greens and the break helped. I’ve played every pin location here.” After the commotion had ended and the final scores had been tallied, coach LaVold spoke about the success at sectionals, which featured a fourth-place team score of 374 – which beat Hudson and Chippewa Falls – and got McCane to state. Other scores in clude junior Aili Lassi’s round of 95, junior Ellie Krueger and senior Mollie Schmidt both posted rounds of 98, and senior Alisha Latham rounded out the scoring with a 107.

“The fact that we got here as a team, we got her on to state. We had a lower score ear lier in the season, but this was a much better team euort to get this done,” LaVold said. “We beat Hudson on their course in the sec – tions. We beat Chippewa, we haven’t beaten them much all year. I couldn’t be happier right now.” River Falls and Hudson are bitter rivals and the Wildcats have gotten the best of the Raiders this season. The River Falls football team beat Hudson in the annual Jug rivalry game, the boys’ soccer team beat Hudson and the volleyball team also knocked ou the Raiders. The girls’ golf team added another rivalry win to that list on Tuesday.

“I think beating Hudson at sectionals is such a big deal because we’ve always been the underdogs in the conference,” senior Ali –

sha Latham said. “It just shows that our men – tal game kind of beat everybody’s physical game today.” On the first day of the state golf tourna – ment on Monday, Oct. 10, McCane shot a round of 91 and is in 51st place overall. She begins day-two action at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at University Ridge in Madison.

River Falls junior Mahlia McCane follows through on a swing on the 15th hole at the Troy Burne Golf Course during sectionals. McCane’s 83 finished sixth overall and as the third-best individual score, which qualified her for the 2022 state tournament in Madison. Photo by Reagan Hoverman