Both Fairfield golf programs wrapped up their 2026 seasons this week, with the boys competing at the Class 3A District Meet at Bos Landen Golf Resort in Pella on Tuesday, May 19th, and the girls teeing it up at the Class 3A Regional Meet at Edmundson Golf Course in Oskaloosa on Wednesday, May 20th. Neither team advanced to the state tournament, but both programs finished their seasons having earned their way to the final stage.
Boys — Class 3A District at Bos Landen Golf Resort, Pella — Tuesday May 19th
The district meet, originally scheduled for Monday, May 18th, was pushed back a day due to weather conditions. When the Trojans finally took the course at Bos Landen, they faced one of the toughest fields of the season — a district loaded with ranked programs that left little margin for error.
Pella ran away with the district title at 310, followed by North Polk at 314, Ballard at 316, Newton at 321, and Washington at 333. Fairfield finished sixth with a team score of 353, ending their run just outside of the top three qualifying spots needed to advance to state.
Pella’s Kyler Besick claimed individual medalist honors with a round of 72, followed by North Polk’s Ty Haisman at 73 and Newton’s Jackson Price at 73. Price and Grinnell’s Levi Jack, who shot a 74, both advanced to the state tournament as the top two individuals not on qualifying teams. Pella’s Cole Floden shot a 74 to finish fifth, while Washington placed two golfers in the top ten — Rajan Roth at 75 and Drew Conrad at 77 — but neither advanced as the Demons did not finish in the top three as a team.
For Fairfield, Luke Thornton led the way with an 85 and two birdies to finish 21st. Archer Kreuter followed one spot back at 86 with two birdies of his own, and Drew Myers shot an 87 to finish 25th. Dain Burkhart carded a 95, Xavier Kessel shot a 105, and Rowan Kness rounded out the Fairfield scorecard with a 110 that included two birdies.
Head coach Mick Flattery put the result in perspective after the round. “Very tough district with ranked teams going in, so we had to all bring our A-plus games,” Flattery said. “It’s hard to make it to state, which it should be — that’s why it’s special. A good season usually earns you second or third place. The best highlight was the team earning their way to districts through a tough sectional.”
Girls — Class 3A Regional at Edmundson Golf Course, Oskaloosa — Wednesday May 20th
The Fairfield girls wrapped up their season Wednesday at Edmundson Golf Course in Oskaloosa, competing in a deep 12-team regional field on a par-70 layout.
Lisbon dominated the field, claiming the regional title at 335 with all four of their scorers finishing in the top seven individually. Cedar Rapids Xavier finished second at 340, and Nevada took third at 382 to round out the qualifying teams. Pella finished fourth at 384, Oskaloosa fifth at 387, Knoxville sixth at 401, Ballard seventh at 404, Mount Pleasant eighth at 409, Carlisle ninth at 411, Fairfield 10th at 427, and Bondurant-Farrar 11th at 457. Grinnell did not have enough golfers to have a team score.
Xavier’s Hayley Norris claimed individual medalist honors with a 76, followed by teammate Mehar Julka at 79. Lisbon’s Abby Bock finished third at 82, Kyla Kahl fourth at 83, and Morgan Sauser fifth at 84. Carlisle’s Lily Zaugg and Ballard’s Madelyn Baltes advanced to state as the top two individuals not on qualifying teams, shooting 85 and 87 respectively.
For Fairfield, Ella Bentler led the team with a 99 to finish 22nd, while Aries Wagner shot a 100 with one birdie to finish 24th. Vanessa Kessel carded a 102 to finish 29th. Addison Qualters shot a 126 to finish 61st, and Kate Brecount and Kylie Felt each shot a 134 to finish 64th and 66th respectively.
The Fairfield girls close out the season having earned All-Conference honors for Bentler and Kessel and a runner-up finish at the Southeast Conference Tournament, with head coach Makenzie Champ’s program continuing to grow.
