Girls Golf State Archive

Girls Golf History

The WIAA began its golf tournament program for girls in the fall of 1972. Madison West won the first team championship, finishing ahead of runner-up West Bend East and third-place Brookfield Central.

The first tournament was held at Winagamie, near Appleton. It has been held at various locations - Fond du Lac, Lawsonia, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Lake Arrowhead, Janesville Riverside, University Ridge in Madison, and Cherokee Country Club in Madison in 2012. It returned to University Ridge in 2013 after course renovations were completed. The Tournament Series expanded from one division to two divisions in 2003. In 2020-21, the Meadow Valleys Course at Blackwolf Run in Kohler hosted the State Championships in two divisions in the fall and one alternate season division in the spring for schools opting out of the fall season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Edgewood leads in number of team championships won with 16. Madison West, which won the first five State titles, and La Crosse Central are next in line with five. Appleton West, Arrowhead, Homestead, Middleton and Prescott have won four titles, and Divine Savior Holy Angels, Madison Memorial, Notre Dame and The Prairie School have won three.

Osceola has produced the largest number of medalists with eight. Madison Memorial has had six individual champions, and Appleton West, Edgewood and Racine Case have each produced five individual champions.

Brookfield Central has qualified a team for the State Meet more than any other program with 31, and Homestead has qualified 27 times. Edgewood is next with 26 then Middleton with 25. Arrowhead has qualified 24 times, and Madison Memorial is next on the list with 20 appearances.

In 2008, Lindsay Danielson of Osceola became the first golfer to win four individual championships (2005-08). Her sister, Casey Danielson, became the second individual to accomplish the feat from 2009-12. Heather Suhr of Racine Case, Jo Baranczak of Bay Port and Belle Kongshaug of Colfax/Elk Mound are the only other golfers to win medalist honors three times. Suhr won her Division 1 titles consecutively from 1996-98; Baranczak won her titles in Division 1 in 2018 and 2019, and in the alternate season in 2020-21; and Kongshaug capture her crowns in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Two Madison Memorial girls--Chris Regenberg (1976-77) and Sherri Steinhauer (1979-80)--as well as Ellen Mielke of Appleton West (1985-86), Erika Brown of Madison La Follette (1989-90), Carly Werwie of Kenosha Bradford (2004-05), Tory Bauman of Nicolet (2007-08), Emily Joers of Waukesha South/North/West (2009, 11), Jessica Reinecke of Verona (2012-13), Ava Salay of Prescott (2021-22), Izzi Stricker of Waunakee (2022-23) and Bella Kongshaug of Colfax/Elk Mound (2023-24) have won medalist honors twice.

Payton Haugen of Brookfield East shot the best 36-hole performance in a State Meet by firing a 132 (67-65) at University Ridge in 2025. Three golfers have shot a 138, including Casey Danielson (69-69) at University Ridge in 2010, and both McKenna Nelson of Beaver Dam/Wayland Academy (65-73) and Haugen (68-70) in 2024.

There have been 11 hole-in-ones recorded in the State Tournament. Holly Stark of Arrowhead and Lauren Anzelone of Racine Park both scored a hole-in-one at the 2001 State Meet. Jami Kessenich of Arrowhead accomplished the feat on hole 17 at University Ridge in 2008. Aimee Tripp of Onalaska did it on hole 8 at University Ridge in 2009, and Mari Pechacek of River Falls had an ace on hole 3 at University Ridge in 2011. Megan Elmes of Madison Memorial accomplished the feat on hole 5 at Cherokee Country Club in 2012, Mary Hommen of Cambridge did it on hole 8 at University Ridge in 2019 and Maddie Reiter of Prescott was the most recent golfer to score a hole-in-one on hole 8 at University Ridge, in 2022. Grace Behm of Jefferson and Sydney Weiss of Middleton each shot an ace in 2023, Behm's came on hole 5 at University Ridge, and Weiss's came on hole 12 at University Ridge. Lydia Feran of Prescott is the most recent golfer to record a hole-in-one, which came on hole 12 at University Ridge in 2024.

Tournament Series Results