Bakke leads Bemidji girls golf to Staples invite title

Freshman Bergen Bakke gave Bemidji girls golf its clearest sign yet that this spring’s growth can translate into a real postseason run. Bakke shot an invite-low 86 at the Vintage Golf Club in Staples, and Bemidji rolled to first place with a team score of 359, 42 strokes ahead of host Staples-Motley.

For a Lumberjacks program in Region 8AA, the win was more than another line on the schedule. It showed that Bemidji has more than one scoring option and enough depth to keep climbing as the Minnesota State High School League season moves toward the June 9-10 state tournament in 2026. Bemidji has already spent the season against large invitational fields across Minnesota, a setting that has tested the group and, in this case, produced its best finish yet.

The Staples result built on a steady rise that was visible a few weeks earlier at Monticello. On April 16, Bemidji finished 10th in an 18-team field with a 387, and Bakke tied for 28th with a 91. The four-stroke drop for Bakke, along with the 28-shot improvement in the team score, points to a group that is learning how to travel, compete and score against bigger fields.

That matters because the Lumberjacks have not been relying on one standout round to carry them. Bemidji girls golf has finished in the top five four times so far this season and has leaned on a mix of veteran seniors and juniors, with underclassmen adding support. Bakke’s breakthrough at Staples suggests that the next wave is not just helping the program survive a busy schedule, but pushing it closer to contender status.

Staples-Motley, which plays in the Heart O’ Lakes Conference, had home-course advantage at the Vintage Golf Club, but Bemidji controlled the day anyway. For a team based in Bemidji, Minnesota, the win offered a sharp measure of where the Lumberjacks stand now: competitive with strong fields, improving fast and deep enough to make June in Minnesota girls golf feel like a realistic target rather than a distant hope.