Mitchell's Asher Dannenbring levels up golf game to produce SDGA Junior title
· Yahoo Sports
Jun. 26—MITCHELL — Already one of the top high school golfers in South Dakota, Asher Dannenbring has shifted into a new gear this summer.
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The results speak for themselves.
A win in the season-opening Sanford International Series stop in Yankton on June 9.
A top-35 showing at the Wyndham Clark Junior tournament in Colorado while facing top competition from across the western United States.
Most recently, a South Dakota Golf Association Junior Championship title, which Dannenbring captured in dramatic fashion on Wednesday at the Golf Club at Red Rock in Rapid City.
"The game feels good right now, and my mentality has changed a little this year," Dannenbring said. "Last year, I was kind of in a mode of survive and see what happens. This year, I have so much more confidence in the game, so I've been thinking about going out there and trying to win the tournament."
To claim the SDGA Junior title, it required the longest, most grueling tournament day of Dannenbring's young career.
Dannenbring started the final round of the three-day tournament six strokes behind the leader. However, having put together a late surge to win the SDGA Sanford Series tournament at Yankton two weeks earlier, he didn't feel completely out of the mix.
Employing the often-referenced but difficult to maintain mindset of playing one shot at a time, Dannenbring shot a 4-under 68 for his final round, which tied for the low round of the tournament and brought him all the way back into a three-way tie for first place after 54 holes. What ensued was an SDGA championship record 10-hole sudden victory playoff for the title. A birdie finally gave Dannenbring the win at the end of 28 holes of tournament golf, the most he has ever played on a single day.
"I just couldn't believe it. It was surreal. I was mentally drained and exhausted, obviously, after playing 28 holes, but there was definitely joy and a big relief seeing that last shot go in the hole to become a state junior champion," Dannenbring said. "I had my family there with me, too, so that was a great moment, for sure."
It was a rewarding moment for Dannenbring after an offseason of work that included a series of swing tweaks as well as a focus on improving his putting. As the SDGA Junior champion, Dannenbring now gets an exemption into the SDGA men's match play championship tournament set for July 30-Aug. 2 at Moccasin Creek Country Club in Aberdeen. He also earned an exemption to the 2027 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
It's his ambition to continue golfing at the collegiate level, though he has yet to decide where he will attend.
To round out his summer, Dannenbring still has a couple of Sanford Series events to compete at, plus the SDGA men's amateur championship tournament July 10-12 at Elmwood Golf Course in Sioux Falls.
In the meantime, he said continuing to work on putting and his wedges are top priorities, and on the mental side of the game, he's focused on improving his course management, too. Overall, though, Dannenbring is pleased with his trajectory ahead of his senior season at MHS to come in the fall.
"I was really grinding over the winter and at the beginning of the spring, and it's really showing," Dannenbring said. "There's always something to work on, but I'm really happy with the level of my game right now."