Westerham and Carroll headline winners at putting and long drive contest

By Jake Sutherlin Alexandria Echo Press

The Alexandria Golf Club held a putting and long drive contest on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, as a part of the 102nd Resorters Tournament and multiple people walked away as winners.

Jenna Westerham of Maple Grove triumphed over 31 other competitors in a 9-hole match play tournament to claim the putting competition title on Wednesday at the Alexandria Golf Club.

“It’s about feel, and I felt it today,” Westerham said about putting. “I played the same course several times today, and it got easier and easier each time.”

Westerham has been playing at the Resorters for over a decade.

“I’ve made a lot of friends here over the years,” Westerham said. “Everyone at AGC (Alexandria Golf Club) puts on a great event, and it’s a great place to hang out and play golf.”

Westerham won the final round in an 18-hole final over Sam Franklin, 1-up. 11-year-old Jaxn

Hacker placed third.

The Longest Drive competition was separated into four divisions: Men’s, Senior’s, Women’s, and Junior’s. Each division had four qualifiers who paired off and played for a spot in the finals. Competitors got two minutes to try and hit a ball as far as they could.

Andy Carroll of Northfield won the Men’s division with a 353-yard drive. Carroll recently signed with the Abbotsford Canucks, an affiliate of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Vancouver Canucks. This year Carroll finished an illustrious career at Minnesota State University, where he made the third most appearances in program history as a defenseman.

This was his second year at the Resorters.

“It’s incredible; it almost feels like a tour event,” Carroll said. “I walked out of here last year and couldn’t wait 365 days until next year.”

Resorters newspaper is published five times throughout the tournament, starting with the preview issue. The remaining issues will be available Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday mornings with the results of the previous day’s play. Copies are located at the Alexandria Golf Club and around the area and are free of charge.